ASSOCIATION OF CANCER CARE CENTERS ANNOUNCES 2025 AWARD RECIPIENTS

Washington DC – The Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) today announced the recipients of its distinguished 2025 Annual Awards. The announcement took place at the ACCC 51st Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit, where oncology leaders across the country assembled to collaborate on the latest business, policy, and technology trends in cancer care.

The ACCC Annual Awards honor esteemed individuals in the oncology community who have made significant contributions to the oncology field in patient care and clinical research.

Christian G. Downs, JD, MHA, is the 2025 recipient of the ACCC Annual Achievement Award. This award is presented to individuals whose outstanding contributions to oncology reflect the values of the cancer care community. Downs served as ACCC Executive Director from 2003 to 2024. For more than 25 years, he led ACCC’s advocacy efforts around key legislative and regulatory issues like the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act, the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the Oncology Care Model—the first specialty care model implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. During Mr. Downs' tenure as ACCC Executive Director, the Association developed comprehensive education programs and resources in areas like patient navigation, cancer survivorship, and immuno-oncology. Under his leadership, ACCC brought financial advocacy to national attention, developing the first Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Guide in 2010 and creating the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network two years later in 2012. Mr. Downs also played a key role in launching the ACCC Innovator Award program in 2011. Fifteen years later, this program has become a flagship initiative for engaging, empowering, and educating ACCC member programs and practices. To help increase awareness of ACCC, its mission, and its resources, under Mr. Downs' tenure, the Association launched the ACCCBuzz blog and the CANCER BUZZ podcast. 

Mandi Pratt-Chapman, PhD is the recipient of this year’s ACCC Clinical Research Award. This award is given to an individual whose research both significantly and positively impacted the oncology patient, family, and/or community. Dr. Pratt-Chapman has made significant contributions to the field of oncology through her pioneering research and work in patient navigation and health equity, particularly for intersectional LGBTQIA+ populations. As the Associate Center Director for Community Outreach and Engagement at the GW Cancer Center, Dr. Pratt-Chapman has led numerous research projects aimed at improving patient-centered care and improving health outcomes, particularly for populations who experience the greatest cancer disparities. She has been instrumental in developing national, consensus-based core competencies for oncology patient navigators as well as providing free training to ensure that these professionals are well-equipped to support patients throughout their cancer journey. More than 12,000 learners from 42 countries have accessed her Oncology Patient Navigation Training: The Fundamentals. Dr. Pratt-Chapman's dedication to the LGBTQIA+ community is evident in her research and advocacy work. She has focused on addressing the unique healthcare needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals, striving to eliminate disparities and improve access to safe, high quality cancer care. She was lead author of consensus based LGBTQIA+ cultural competency standards for training clinicians and has worked with colleagues across the country to refine how to ask patients and research participants about sexual orientation and gender identity in practice and research. Additionally, Dr. Pratt-Chapman has served as co-principal investigator for the National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center and has co-authored four holistic clinical practice guidelines on breast, prostate, colorectal, and head and neck cancer survivorship care. She has served as PI and co-PI for four Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded projects to inform health services standards for cancer survivorship and catalyze dissemination and implementation of evidence-based cancer survivorship and patient navigation practices. She is in her 12th year of continuous funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide technical assistance and training on evidence-based cancer control strategies and health equity to states, tribes, and territories across the U.S. Her work has been adapted and cited by the World Health Organization, Navegación de Pacientes International, and Abrale (Brazilian Leukemia & Lymphoma Society).

J. Thaddeus Beck, MD, FACP is the 2025 recipient of the ACCC David King Community Clinical Scientist Award. This award honors active community clinical research leaders who have demonstrated leadership in the development, participation, and evaluation of clinical studies or are active in the development of new screening, risk assessment, treatment, or supportive care programs for patients with cancer. A partner at Highlands Oncology in Arkansas. Dr. Beck is dedicated to bringing cutting-edge clinical research, including Phase I clinical trials, into the community setting. Dr. Beck has spearheaded numerous initiatives to ensure that patients in geographically isolated areas have access to the latest advancements in cancer treatment. His work began with establishing a robust clinical trials program at Highlands Oncology, initially focusing on cooperative group trials and gradually expanding to include industry-sponsored studies. This research program has grown significantly under his leadership, providing patients with early access to innovative therapies that would otherwise be unavailable outside of major academic centers. Dr. Beck's commitment to community-based clinical research has not only improved the quality of care for his patients but also contributed to the broader oncology community. By integrating Phase I clinical trials into the community setting, Dr. Beck has enabled more diverse patient populations to participate in groundbreaking research, thereby improving the generalizability of clinical trial results. His efforts have been instrumental in developing new screening, risk assessment, treatment, and supportive care programs tailored to the needs of community cancer patients.