American Society for Radiation Oncology awarded its highest honor, the Gold Medal, to Winship Executive Director Walter J. Curran, Jr., during the 2019 annual ASTRO meeting in Chicago Sept. 14-18.
The Gold Medal is given to ASTRO members who have made outstanding contributions to the field of radiation oncology in research, clinical care, teaching and service.
Curran was recognized for training and mentoring hundreds of oncologists, dedication to patients, and more than 30 years of involvement in and leadership of the national clinical cooperative group Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, now NRG Oncology.
Curran is group chair and principal investigator of NRG Oncology. He is an expert in the treatment of locally advanced lung cancer and malignant brain tumors and was the first radiation oncologist to serve as director of a NCI-designated cancer center. He is a standing member of NCI’s Clinical Trials Advisory Committee.
He is responsible for defining a universally adopted staging system for patients with malignant glioma.
Curran also holds the Lawrence W. Davis Chair of Radiation Oncology, chair of Emory’s Department of Radiation Oncology and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and Chair in Cancer Research.
