Duane Roth Achievement Award
Duane Roth

Duane Roth


Engaged Mentor and Business Visionary

It is difficult to describe the essence of Duane Roth in a few words, but some that come to mind are caring, passionate, genuine, selfless and dedicated. When he believed in an idea or project, we would pursue it with incredible determination and effort, and motivate others to follow with him. Duane was involved in numerous charitable, political, business, educational and scientific research organizations and he was intimately engaged in many fundraising events and projects. In addition to supporting organizations, Duane was always available to talk to people individually, particularly young people, learning or their passions and goals, and giving advice on how to prepare to accomplish those goals.

"Duane Roth had a reputation for always finding ways to overcome obstacles, and this award serves as a way to honor his memory by recognizing leaders in oncology space who share this spirit"- Ida Deichaite, Ph.D UC San Diego Moores Cancer.

His spirit lives on in each recipient of the Duane Roth Achievement Award, as those individuals, embody Duane's passion and commitment to innovation and the people they serve.


Past Recipients


Susan Band Horwitz, Ph.D

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Susan Band Horwitz, Ph.D attended Bryn Mawr College, then received her Ph.D in Biochemistry from Brandeis University. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Departments of Pharmacology at Tufts Medical School, Emory Medical School and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She joined the faculty at Albert Einstein in 1970 and is presently a Distinguished Professor and the Rose C. Falkenstein Professor of Cancer Research.


Dr. Horwitz has received numerous honors and awards including the C. Chester Stock Award from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize from Harvard Medical School, The Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Research, The American Cancer Society’s Medal of Honor and the AACR Lifetime Achievement Award in Cancer Research.


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Carl June, M.D.

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Carl June, M.D., was the 2018 recipient of the Duane Roth Achievement Award. He is a leading pioneer of T-cell treatments, and his accomplishments have ushered in a new era in immunotherapy that transformed the field as a whole.


Dr. June is the director of translational research and a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine in University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine. He maintains a research laboratory at the university. The June lab studies various mechanisms of lymphocyte activation that relate to immune tolerance and adoptive immunotherapy for cancer and chronic infection.


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Sandra Horning, M.D.

Executive Vice President, Global Development and Chief Medical Officer, Genentech

Sandra Horning, M.D., was named the 2017 recipient of the Duane Roth Achievement Award. She is a champion of personalized therapies and she led the development and launch of multiple cancer therapies.


Dr. Horning has had a distinguished career in cancer treatment and research, first as a practicing oncologist, investigator and professor at Stanford University for 25 years, then at the San Francisco-based biotech company, Genentech, where multiple cancer therapies were approved under her leadership. Dr. Horning also served as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) president from 2005 to 2006.


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Dennis Slamon, M.D., Ph.D.

UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center

Dennis Slamon M.D., Ph.D., was named the 2016 recipient of the Duane Roth Achievement Award. Dr. Slamon stood at the forefront of targeted therapy at a time when the technology was not supported by his peers. Despite facing much resistance, Dr. Slamon and his team at UCLA played an integral role in the development of HERCEPTIN (trastuzumab)- the first moleculary targeted therapy for breast cancer. It was approved by the FDA in 1998.


Dr. Slamon serves as director of Clinical/Translational Research and director of the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is a professor of medicine, chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and executive vice chair for research for UCLA's Department of Medicine. Dr. Slamon has spent his career working on therapies targeting various genes and ensuring that advanced breast cancer patients across the globe can access them


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Brian Druker, M.D.

OHSU Knight Cancer Institute

Brian Druker M.D., was named the 2015 recipient of the Duane Roth Achievement Award. Dr. Druker's research focuses on activated tyrosine kinases with an emphasis on signal transduction, cellular transformation and the application of this knowledge to cancer therapies.


Dr. Druker is director of the Oregon Health & Science University (OSHU) Knight Cancer Institute, JELD-WEN chair of leukemia research at OSHU and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.


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Laura Esserman, M.D., MBA

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive

Laura Esserman M.D., was named the inaugural recipient of the Duane Roth Achievement Award in 2014. Dr. Esserman is widely recognized for envisioning and implementing new clinical trial design in oncology that forced a shift in the industry. Through her lobbying efforts and ability to secure support from key industry members, she was able to successfully combat rigid trial design - thus allowing new treatment options to reach patients much faster.


Dr. Esserman is a surgeon and breast cancer oncology specialist practicing at the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center where she has also held the position of director since 1996. She co-leads the Breast Oncology Program, the largest of the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center's multipdisciplinary programs. She is a professor of surgery and radiology at UCSF and faculty at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center where she founded the program in Translational Informatics. As part of this program, her research has focused on bioinformatics medical and clinical informatics, systems integration, and clinical care delivery.


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