Dr. Karen Winkfield honored by the premier radiation oncology society in the world.
One of our volunteer leaders has been recognized with a prestigious honor. American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Board Member Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD, has been named to the 2023 Class of ASTRO Fellows.
Twenty-nine distinguished members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) this year were named Fellows of ASTRO. The ASTRO Fellow designation, FASTRO, honors individuals who have contributed significantly to the Society through committee work, other volunteer service and to the field of radiation oncology in the areas of research, education, patient care or leadership. Active, International and Emeritus members are nominated for fellowship by current ASTRO Fellows and supported by leaders in the field.
ASTRO Fellows are inducted each year at the ASTRO Annual Meeting. As of Oct. 23, 2023, 451 members have been inducted into the ASTRO Fellows Program.
“This was for the people,” Dr. Winkfield tweeted. “I stand on the shoulders of giants. Pioneers who are now able to shed a tear as they reflect on their experience in a field that was not always friendly to those who look like me. To them I say THANK YOU!”
“So proud of the incredible Dr. Winkfield — friend, cancer warrior, and one of our fantastic ACS CAN Board members,” ACS and ACS CAN CEO Dr. Karen Knudsen tweeted.
“Yes to this! A huge congratulations to outstanding Board leader Dr. Winkfield for your ASTRO fellowship,” ACS CAN President Lisa Lacasse tweeted. “ACS CAN applauds you!”
Dr. Winkfield is the executive director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, a strategic partnership between Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. A national expert in community engagement with research focused on the design and implementation of programming to reduce sociocultural and economic barriers that contribute to disparate health outcomes for racial/ethnic minorities and underserved populations, Dr. Winkfield’s current responsibilities include collaborating with Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Meharry Medical College to ensure their investigators have access to expert faculty collaborators, core resources and services to catalyze innovative research.
Prior to joining the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, she was an associate professor of Radiation Oncology at Wake Forest University, associate director for Community Outreach and Engagement and director of the Office of Cancer Health Equity at the Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Prior to joining Wake Forest in August 2016, Dr. Winkfield was a radiation oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. She specializes in the use of radiation therapy in the treatment of hematologic malignancies (lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, bone marrow transplantation) and breast cancer. Dr. Winkfield developed the first comprehensive clinical program focused on hematologic malignancies in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. With support of collaborating oncologists, she also established the first multidisciplinary clinic for patients with hematologic disorders. Dr. Winkfield earned her medical degree and a PhD in pathology and proteomics from Duke University.
ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. These medical professionals, found at hospitals, cancer treatment centers and academic research facilities around the globe, make up the radiation therapy treatment teams that are critical in the fight against cancer. Together, these teams treat more than one million cancer patients each year. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research and advocacy.
