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On Day 2 of the ACCC 51st AMCCBS, attendees heard from Dr. Nadine Barrett and Dr. Robin Zon about lessons in leadership, engaged in 8 Deep Dive Sessions, and received a comprehensive health policy update.
After a day on Capitol Hill, an inspiring keynote about the future of cancer care, and a celebration of the winners of the 2025 ACCC Annual Awards, the ACCC 51st Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (#AMCCBS) officially kicked off its first sessions on Thursday, March 6.
Day 2 of AMCCBS opened with an engaging Q&A moderated by Meagan O’Neill, MS, ACCC executive director, who introduced Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS, FACCC, 2024-2025 ACCC president, senior associate dean for Community Engagement and Equity in Research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Atrium Health, and Robin Zon, MD, FASCO, FACP, president, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), physician emeritus, Michiana Hematology Oncology.
On the topic of balancing leadership roles among clinical practice, research, and administration, Dr. Barrett emphasized the importance of surrounding oneself with the right people. “I seek out those with greater expertise than my own and trust them to lead in those spaces,” she said. “I think to myself, what is my team missing, and how can we make room at the table for those voices?”
“Having trust in your experts is critically important,” agreed Dr. Zon. “We also have to help them develop professionally and personally.” She went on to describe the effect regular leadership training had on her career development. “Four decades ago, there weren’t many women leaders in the sciences or opportunities for women seeking leadership training.” Dr. Zon affirmed that leadership training is an ongoing endeavor and encouraged attendees to frequently reflect on the experiences that shape them as leaders.
The value of mentorship was a cornerstone of the discussion. Dr. Barrett reflected on her mentor in community college, who introduced her to the Dean of Medicine at her university and guided her through the process of higher education. “She is still a mentor to me to this day,” said Dr. Barrett, “and I thank her for having a vision for someone who didn’t know she was being seen at the time.”
As the first person in her family to attend college, Dr. Zon too expressed deep gratitude for the support of her female mentor early in her career. “When I was being raised, women didn’t go into the sciences. In the 60s and 70s, television shows portrayed married women that didn’t work,” she said. "In the midst of that cultural norm, my mentor told me, ‘Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be a professional woman, a wife, and a mother, and be good at all of them.’”
When asked what advice she would give to those looking to become mentors, Dr. Zon spoke to the importance of understanding your colleague’s story and perspective. "Don’t assume anything. To be an effective mentor, learn what their needs are so you can appreciate and honor them,” she advised.
“I look at the whole person, helping to support them in their career and acknowledging that they have a home life outside of their professional experience,” Dr. Barrett added. She also commented on the inherent power dynamic in a mentorship, which is crucial to address early on. “Before I’m your mentor, I’m your colleague, and I recognize that I have a lot to learn from them as well.”
Balancing professional growth with personal responsibilities is a frequent conflict many women leaders face. Dr. Zon reflected on the challenge of being a young mother while working as a provider: “I had to learn how to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ without feeling guilty.”
Dr. Barrett agreed that it is difficult to truly balance work and life. “You need to know when to stop, and make the priority the priority,” she stated. "I was a caregiver for my mother and my grandmother for 6 years. At that time, I was going through my own challenges at work, until one day I stopped and said, ‘I’m not going to balance it.’ I took leave from work for the last 8 months of their lives, because you can never get that time back.” Dr. Barrett encouraged attendees to give themselves permission to acknowledge their personal journey and to make the decisions that best align with their priorities.
The conversation then shifted to the 2025 presidential themes for ASCO and ACCC and why championing these messages is particularly important. Referencing ASCO’s theme Driving Knowledge to Action. Building a Better Future, Dr. Zon said, “You can’t conquer cancer unless you’re applying new information. We can fuel that by empowering technology like AI and by advocating for our patients.”
Speaking to ACCC’s theme Reimagining Community Engagement and Equity in Cancer, Dr. Barrett addressed the frequently mentioned need to build trust in the community. “I think about the term trustworthiness. Do we need to build trust in the community, or do we as institutions need to become more trustworthy?” she posed.
When asked about the future of oncology, Dr. Barrett emphasized the importance of clinical research to patient outcomes. “Standard of care can only come about through research,” she stated. “That’s how they become evidence-based practices. People live longer because of what we learned from research and clinical trials. They can live to see their children graduate and get married.” Dr. Zon agreed, adding that telemedicine and hub and spoke models are essential care models that health policies must continue to support.
As oncology leaders integrate AI in cancer, it is clear that AI presents both opportunities and unique challenges. “It can advance early detection, reduce provider burden, and improve efficiency. But like anything, we need guardrails,” Dr. Zon expressed. “When we take our oath, we promise to do no harm. AI is no exception.” Dr. Barrett expounded on this point, emphasizing the importance of cultivating the right workforce around AI implementation to ensure it does not worsen existing health disparities by relying on data riddled with biases.
In closing, Dr. Zon reflected on the oncology workforce shortage coupled with increasing levels of burnout among younger oncologists as 2 of the biggest challenges in cancer care that will be faced over the next decade. “ASCO and ACCC need to advocate to develop policies to reduce burnout,” she stated. “Telemedicine is a great example.” Dr. Barrett concurred, explaining that the work of ACCC is dedicated to relaying the most recent research and policy updates to practitioners and ensuring that they have the tools and resources to provide the highest quality of care.
A large portion of the day was dedicated to 8 deep dive workshops: interactive expert-led conversations that aimed to address the most significant challenges in oncology today and invited attendees to brainstorm practical solutions. The following topics were open to attendees:
Insights from these workshops will be compiled into the 2025 Trending Now in Cancer Care Report. Be on the lookout for this comprehensive report in ACCC’s peer-reviewed journal Oncology Issues later this year.
The day concluded with a health policy update in the form of a panel discussion led by seasoned policy experts Nicole Tapay, JD, director, Cancer Care Delivery & Health Policy, ACCC; Conor Sheehey, senior health policy advisor, Senate Finance Committee, Majority; Amy Hall, staff director, House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, Minority; Debbie Curtis, Principal, McDermott+; and Rodney Whitlock, Principal, McDermott+. Together, these panelists dissected current and possible policy actions impacting the US health care system and cancer care delivery.
Tapay introduced the main issues for which ACCC advocated on Capitol Hill Day: prior authorization, oncology drug and medical supply shortages, patient navigation, financial toxicity, and the Inflation Reduction Act. For more information about the Association’s advocacy efforts in 2025, read our blog from Hill Day.
Speaking to the increasingly important issue of prior authorization and the treatment delays it frequently causes, the panelists expressed their optimism for the reintroduction of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act. They commented that there has been tremendous bipartisan support around ensuring standardized, reasonable, clinically appropriate rules of the road with respect to prior authorization and utilization management. They also will be interested to hear more from stakeholders about what additional changes are needed to build on those reforms. The panel expressed disappointment that the bill was not able to get over the finish line at the end of last year, and encouraged providers advocating on the Hill to urge members to be strong and preserve the intent of the bill.
Drug shortages continue to be a pervasive issue in oncology as well, especially in light of the 2024 IV fluid shortage. The panelists acknowledged that this is a complex problem driven by economic market dynamics that are decades in the making. Another panelist added that there are several different causes of shortages—manufacturing, supply chain, natural disasters—and urged legislators to focus on which cause they are addressing.
Financial toxicity was also raised during the panel discussion, and with it, the reality that Medicaid cuts mean cutting the program that makes health care affordable for the most vulnerable Americans. The panelists affirmed that the affordability conversation is incredibly important to members on both sides, many of whom are approaching these health care issues with an open mind and will be looking very closely at the suite of policies in this package.
Stay tuned for more coverage of the ACCC 51st AMCCBS on the ACCCBuzz Blog and follow @ACCCBuzz on X for real-time updates.
