Heather Cheng is finalist for Next-Generation Oncology Award

Dr. Heather Cheng, associate professor (Hematology and Oncology) is a finalist for the Cancer Community Catalyst for Next-Generation Oncology Award. 

Cheng is a finalist, along with Dr. Channing Paller (Johns Hopkins), for developing the PROMISE Registry, a nationwide registry of cancer patients with inherited mutations, to study mutations in prostate cancer and develop precision methods of treatment.

The Cancer Community Awards (C2 Awards) celebrate the innovative individuals and organizations dedicated to making a difference for those living with and affected by cancer.

The C2 Next-Generation Oncology Award recognizes those who are working to accelerate the understanding and treatment of cancer, and celebrates those who accelerate the next generation of cancer knowledge and care.

This award acknowledges that many of the most promising advances in cancer care come from ground-breaking research, such as unraveling molecular pathways involved in cancer or applying advanced computation to explore data sets. Nominees for this award are expanding the boundaries for understanding and treating cancer. 

Dr. Cheng focuses on improving the care of patients with prostate and bladder cancers. An expert in prostate cancer genetics, she is studying ways to use genetics to guide the care of prostate cancer patients and their family members who may also be at high risk for the disease.

She leads clinical trials of a variety of new treatments for prostate cancer, and she is also developing new tests that could help guide doctors’ choice of treatment for each patient and new blood tests to detect and monitor the progression of prostate cancer.