The esteemed ESMO Award was established in 1985 to recognise an ESMO member who has made an outstanding contribution to the development of medical oncology by promoting it as a specialty within the European and/or international community.
2023 – Isabelle Ray-Coquard, France
The 2023 ESMO Award was presented at the ESMO 2023 Opening ceremony to Isabelle Ray-Coquard, Director of the National cancer network dedicated to the diagnosis and management of rare gynaecological cancers, funded by the French National Cancer Institute commission, Professor of medical oncology at the Claude Bernard University Lyon, and Medical oncologist at Centre Léon Bérard, France.
Ray-Coquard is being recognised for her work and commitment to advancing the field of gynaecologic oncology. International principal investigator of several phase I to III clinical trials, including practice-changing ones such as PAOLA1, Ray-Coquard has also been President of the Groupe d'Investigateurs Nationaux pour les Etudes des Cancers de l'Ovaire (GINECO) since 2019.
Since 2021 she has been actively serving ESMO as Coordinator of the Gynaecological Faculty.
Previous recipients of the ESMO Award:
- Karim Fizazi, France (2022)
- Lisa Licitra, Italy (2021)
- Hans-Joachim Schmoll, Germany (2020)
- Eric Van Cutsem, Belgium (2019)
- Jean-Charles Soria, USA (2018)
- Miguel Martin, Spain (2017)
- Alberto Sobrero, Italy (2016)
- Nathan Cherny, Israel (2015)
- Carsten Bokemeyer, Germany (2014)
- Cora Sternberg, Italy (2013)
- Ian Tannock, Canada (2012)
- Johann de Bono, United Kingdom (2011)
- Alberto Costa, Italy (2010)
- E.G. Elisabeth de Vries, The Netherlands (2009)
- Jean-Pierre Armand, France (2008)
- Jan B. Vermorken, Belgium (2007)
- David J. Kerr, United Kingdom (2006)
- José Baselga, Spain (2005)
- Allan T. van Oosterom, Belgium (2004)
- Maurice Schneider, France (2002)
- Robert Souhami, United Kingdom (2000)
- D. J. Theo Wagener, The Netherlands (1998)
- Martine Piccart, Belgium (1997)
- Stanley B. Kaye, United Kingdom (1995)
- Pierre Alberto, Switzerland (1993)
- Franco Cavalli, Switzerland (1991)
- Gianni Bonadonna, Italy (1989)
- Heine H. Hansen, Denmark (1987)
- Herbert Michael Pinedo, The Netherlands (1985)
Nomination and selection process
Nominations may be made by any ESMO member (except undergraduate medical or science student members). Candidates may not nominate themselves.
Candidate eligibility criteria
- Be an individual (institutions and organisations are not eligible) who has contributed continuously by outstanding scientific contributions to the development of understanding malignancies and/or their treatment
- Be an ESMO member
- Be an oncology professional, medical or clinical oncologist
- Have not previously received the ESMO Award
- Have not received any other Award from ESMO within the last five (5) years
- Not be a current or recent (last two years) member of either the ESMO Executive Board, ESMO Council or the ESMO Nomination Committee
Final selection is made by the Selection Committee: ESMO President, ESMO President-Elect, ESMO Past-President, Chair of the ESMO Nomination Committee.