The Foundation for Women’s Cancer and the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) proudly announces the recipients of the 2025 NOCC Research Awards. Presented at the 2025 SGO Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer, these awards recognize investigators driving progress in early detection, health equity, and quality of life for people impacted by ovarian cancer.

This year’s honorees represent the leading edge of innovation in ovarian cancer research:

Sayaka Ishizawa, PhD

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Research Award for Ovarian Cancer: Early Detection

“I am sincerely grateful for the generous support of the Foundation for Women’s Cancer and its sponsors that will enable me to advance my research on optimizing ovarian cancer early detection using simulation modeling,” said Dr. Ishizawa. “I am incredibly excited and humbled about the opportunity to contribute to ovarian cancer early detection and thankful for your trust and support!”

Margaret Liang, MD, MS

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Research Award for Ovarian Cancer: Health Equity and Diversity

“I am so grateful to the FWC for this research grant. The financial burden of cancer care, from both a cost and time standpoint, has received a lot more attention over the last few years,” said Dr. Liang. “This funding will allow our team to further evaluate an educational intervention that we have been developing for patients and test it among an important group of people.”

Mary Katherine Anastasio, MD

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Research Award for Ovarian Cancer: Quality of Life

“My team and I are incredibly grateful for being selected to receive this grant, which will allow us to study interventions to improve chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy,” said Dr. Anastasio. “Thank you to everyone who supported this award.”

“At NOCC, we believe that research is the foundation of hope for everyone impacted by ovarian cancer,” said Melissa Aucoin, CEO of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. “These award recipients embody the innovation, compassion, and determination that drive real progress in early detection, equity, and survivorship. We are honored to support their work and advance our mission to save lives and empower communities.”

“This collaboration highlights the power of partnerships in moving the needle on women’s cancer research,” added Ginger Gardner, MD, FACOG. “We are thrilled to celebrate these outstanding clinicians and researchers whose work reflects our shared mission to improve the lives of people affected by ovarian cancer.”

The NOCC Research Awards are administered by the Foundation for Women’s Cancer and serve as a key component of NOCC’s efforts to fund high-impact studies that prioritize patient-centered outcomes, innovative care strategies, and equity in research.

For more information about the Foundation for Women’s Cancer, visit foundationforwomenscancer.org. To learn more about the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, visit ovarian.org.

Media Contacts:

LaToya Rice
latoya.rice@sgo.org
(312) 363 3179

Lauren Ashley German
lgerman@ovarian.org
(214) 716-0779