The Ellen L. Stovall Award for Innovation in Patient-Centered Cancer Care
The Stovall Award is a unique opportunity for patients and survivors to recognize pioneers who are transforming the cancer care system.
The Stovall Award is given annually to two individuals or organizations — one health care professional* and one patient advocate or advocacy organization — whose commitment to innovations in patient-centered cancer care helps deliver better outcomes and a higher quality of life for those living with and beyond cancer. NCCS created the Stovall Award in honor of Ellen Stovall, our longtime CEO who passed away in 2016 due to cardiac complications from her cancer treatment.
* Health care provider award co-presented by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
About Ellen L. Stovall
Learn more about Ellen’s decades-long crusade to elevate patient voices and improve the cancer care system in America.
About Ellen2025 Stovall Award Winners
NCCS is pleased to announce the 2025 winners of the Ellen L. Stovall Award for Innovation in Patient-Centered Cancer Care are Susan Leigh, BSN and Desirée A.H. Walker. They will be recognized at the 2025 Igniting Hope Awards Reception on June 26, 2025. Learn more and buy tickets »
Susan Leigh, BSN, RN-Retired
Health Care Professional Award
“Susan Leigh has dedicated five decades to transforming cancer survivorship care. As a nurse, a researcher, a veteran, and a four-time cancer survivor, she has shaped national conversations about survivorship, long-term effects of treatment, and patient empowerment. As a founding member and past president of NCCS, Susan has been a driving force behind the survivorship movement. Her leadership, resilience, and unwavering advocacy continue to inspire generations of health professionals and survivors alike.”
— Shelley Fuld Nasso, NCCS CEO
Desirée A.H. Walker
Patient Advocate Award
“Desirée Walker exemplifies the spirit of patient-centered advocacy that Ellen Stovall championed. As a two-time breast cancer survivor, Desirée brings lived experience, compassion, and relentless determination to her work. She is a national voice for equity in cancer care and a dedicated supporter of underserved communities. Her ability to bridge research, policy, and real-world patient needs makes her a powerful force in shaping a more inclusive future for cancer survivorship.”
— Shelley Fuld Nasso, NCCS CEO
Past Stovall Award Recipients
Find out how Stovall Award winners have impacted the cancer care system and watch short films about their pioneering work.
For questions about the Stovall Award, contact:
Karen Wilson, Development Manager
About Ellen L. Stovall
In more than two decades of service and leadership at the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), Ellen L. Stovall crusaded for the delivery of quality cancer care to all Americans. As a cancer survivor of more than four decades, Ellen sought to design her own system of patient-centered care to address the serious late and long-term effects of her cancer treatment, including the treatment of a second cancer. In pursuing her own system of care, she focused on care that emphasized strong doctor-patient communication, coordination of care and symptom management, and full consideration of the evidence supporting treatment options.
Ellen considered herself a “lucky” cancer survivor because her advocacy for herself opened the door to some of the best of American cancer care, accompanied by some of the glitches and gaps in care that many experience. Ellen’s pursuit of her own quality cancer care informed NCCS efforts to improve the overall cancer care delivery and payment system. Ellen and her colleagues at NCCS pursued changes in public and private payment systems that would encourage cancer care professionals to provide patient-centered care through partnership with their patients and through redesign of their systems to honor the principles of patient-centeredness.
