Surgical Oncologist Maureen Kavanah Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project recognizes Maureen Kavanah

| From BU School of Medicine Campus & Alumni News

Maureen T. Kavanah, MD. Photo by BU Photography

Maureen T. Kavanah, MD, associate professor of surgery at BU School of Medicine (BUSM) and a surgical oncologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC), received the prestigious 2012 National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) Distinguished Investigator Lifetime Achievement Award for her extraordinary contributions and meritorious service to the NSABP in support of clinical research in breast and colorectal cancers.

During her nearly three decades of service on the Boston University Medical Campus, Dr. Kavanah has exemplified the spirit of the award through her dedication to the promotion, publication, and presentation of clinical research. “This award reflects not only Dr. Kavanah’s commitment to excellence in research and patient care, but to advancing treatment for breast cancer nationally and internationally,” says Gerard Doherty, MD, the James Utley Professor and Chair of Surgery at BUSM and chief of surgery at BMC.

Dr. Kavanah became a research investigator with the NSABP in 1981, and has since held several leadership positions within the organization. As the principal investigator of NSABP Clinical Research at BMC, she has led numerous NSABP-sponsored clinical studies in breast and bowel cancers. She has served on NSABP’s Board of Directors since 1988 and also serves as the protocol chair for the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (P-1) and chair of the Ethics Committee.

In addition to her renowned scientific achievements, Dr. Kavanah has dedicated her time to the scientific community by serving as a faculty supervisor for many young investigators. In 1990, she established BMC as a full-member institution of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and served as its principal investigator until 1994. Dr. Kavanah belongs to numerous professional organizations and has been a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons, president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American College of Surgeons, president of the New England Cancer Society, and chair of the National Cancer Institute Central Institutional Review Board. She lectures extensively and has been chosen as a “Top Doctor” by Boston Magazine annually since 2008.

Dr. Kavanah received the 2012 award during a ceremony held in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 29 at the NSABP clinical trials annual meeting. The NSABP Foundation, Inc., has a 50-year history of designing and conducting clinical trials that have changed the standard of treatment for breast and colorectal cancers.

This article was originally published in the Summer 2012 edition of BU School of Medicine Campus & Alumni News.

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