Duke University School of Medicine faculty members Michael J. Kelley, MD, a medical oncologist at Duke Cancer Institute, and Harvey Jay Cohen, MD, the Walter Kempner Professor of Medicine, and emeritus chair of its Department of Medicine, were honored at the 2026 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
They received the society’s highest distinction, the ASCO Special Award, which recognizes career-defining excellence and global contributions to cancer care.
“We are thrilled to honor the ASCO Special Award recipients, whose exceptional leadership and dedication serve as an inspiration to the entire oncology community. Each award recipient is a trailblazer in oncology,” said Lynn Schuchter, MD, FASCO, past president of ASCO and chair of the Joint Special Awards Selection Committee. “Their profound commitment to excellence is forging a powerful legacy that is actively shaping the future of cancer treatment and patient outcomes worldwide.”
Humanitarian Award
Michael J. Kelley, MD, a professor of medicine and a senior leader at the Durham VA Health Care System, received a Humanitarian Award for his far-reaching impact on cancer care for U.S. veterans. Kelley serves as executive director of the National Oncology Program for the Department of Veterans Affairs, overseeing oncology services for roughly 500,000 veterans each year.
In that role, he transformed the nation’s largest integrated health care system, advancing the VA’s National Precision Oncology Program and leading the development of standardized, systemwide clinical pathways. He also launched the VA’s National TeleOncology Service, which has expanded access to expert cancer care for more than 27,000 veterans, particularly those in rural and underserved communities.
Kelley’s leadership has supported a virtual cancer center model that delivers comprehensive genetic services and enables decentralized clinical trials, bringing research-driven care closer to patients. The author of more than 160 peer-reviewed publications and a recipient of the U.S. Public Health Service’s Achievement Award, Kelley is a longtime advocate for ensuring that veterans nationwide benefit from advances in cancer research.
Jamie Von Roenn Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship Award
Harvey Jay Cohen, MD, serves as emeritus director of the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, one of many roles that reflect a career devoted to understanding and improving care for older adults.
ASCO’s teaching and mentorship award honors Cohen for guiding generations of clinicians through the complexities of geriatric medicine. He is the founding principal investigator of the Duke Claude Pepper Older Americans Independence Center and the founding director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center at the Durham VA, institutions that helped establish geriatric oncology as a distinct discipline.
Over decades of research and mentorship, Cohen has published more than 500 papers, shaping scientific understanding of how aging intersects with cancer and training physicians who continue to carry that work forward.