Cancer Health Equity Award

The AACI Cancer Health Equity Award was created in 2021 to recognize an individual or group who demonstrates exceptional leadership in promoting health equity and mitigating cancer disparities at their cancer center. 

Previous AACI Cancer Health Equity Award recipients are Drs. Edith P. Mitchell (posthumously), Amelie Ramirez, Electra D. Paskett, and Robert A. Winn.

John D. Carpten, PhD

John D. Carpten, PhD, is the director of City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center and Beckman Research Institute. Dr. Carpten’s pioneering work in genome science and health disparities research has transformed cancer care, expanding representation in scientific research and advancing equitable health outcomes through strategic partnerships and community engagement initiatives. As an individual and team scientist, Dr. Carpten investigated and published the first genome-wide scan for prostate cancer genes, helped develop the African American Hereditary Prostate Cancer study network, and was one of the first to publish on the genomic landscape of myeloma tumors from African American patients.

Under Dr. Carpten’s leadership, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center is consistently ranked among the top cancer centers in the country by U.S. News & World Report. He was appointed by President Joe Biden as chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board in 2022, and he was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine the following year. In 2024, he was named a Top Diversity Leader by Modern Healthcare Magazine.

Dr. Carpten is a part of a growing national system at City of Hope that includes a Los Angeles campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California, a new cancer center in Orange County, California, as well as a specialty hospital that will soon open in that county, and cancer treatment centers and outpatient facilities in the Atlanta, Chicago, and Phoenix areas.

Under Dr. Carpten’s direction, City of Hope conducts more than 700 clinical trials annually, enrolling nearly 6,000 patients. Dr. Carpten’s work reflects his deep personal and professional commitment to justice, representation, and opportunity in medicine and science.