Excellence in Cancer Patient Education Award

Nominations for the Excellence in Cancer Patient Education Award are now OPEN!  If an award recipient(s) is selected, that recipient will be honored during the AACE Awards Celebration held on Thursday, 22 October 2026 during the 2026 International Cancer Education Conference.

The Excellence in Cancer Patient Education Award recognizes any individual, group, organization, program or initiative that has made a meaningful contribution to cancer patient education. This award honors creative, accessible, evidence-informed approaches to developing and/or disseminating patient education that reflects healthy literacy best practices and supports patients, survivors, caregivers, families, and communities across the cancer continuum.

Nominees and nominators do not have to be members of AACE, however the award recipient is expected to attend the International Cancer Education Conference (ICEC) in the year which the award is given.

This award includes one complimentary ICEC registration and a crystal award. When the award is presented to a group, one representative of the group will receive the complimentary ICEC registration and be presented with the crystal award on behalf of the group in recognition of its collective achievements.

Please review the eligibility requirements and selection criteria here.

Until 2024, the Excellence in Cancer Patient Education Award was given by the Cancer Patient Education Network (CPEN). After CPEN ceased operations at the end of 2024, AACE gladly adopted the award with the blessing of CPEN's former Board members in order to continue this important recognition.

2025: Bag It
2024: Triage Cancer; Xploro
2023: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Patient & Caregiver Team
2022: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)
2021: Patient Education Practice Guidelines:  Sarah Christensen, MA; MD Anderson Cancer Center and Carolyn Cutillli, PhD, RN, NPD-BC; Penn Medicine, American International College, Co-chairs
2020: Marrow Masters Podcast Series: National Bone Marrow Transplant Link
2019: Together, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 
2018: OncoLink, University of Pennsylvania
2017: Frankly Speaking About Cancer Clinical Trials, Cancer Support Community
2016: Mariela Gallo, MPH, CHES
2015: Family Cancer Retreat - Cancer Services of New Mexico
2014: Tina Papadakos, MA Ed and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center Clinical Trials Database Health Literacy Team
2013: Hastings Breast Cancer Support Group 
2012: Be the Match: Super Sam vs. the Marrow Monsters  
2011: Matthew Ballo, MD for the Road to Wellness 
2010: Maximizing Your Patient Education Skills (MPES) 
2009: Caregivers’ Guide to Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant, Myra Jacobs 
2008: The Learning Center at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 
2007: Diane Moyer, RN, MS, Ohio State University Medical Center, The Partnership for Health Care Education For Limited English Proficiency Patients 
2007: Jean Hartford-Todd, CCLS, The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University Medical Center 
2003: Oncology Interactive Educational Series, Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network 
2001: Leah Mraz, BSN, RN, OCN, My Story: A Diary for People With Cancer, The Cancer Institute of  New Jersey    
2000: Marilyn McCubbin, PhD, RN, FAAn, Kelly Cotter, BA, Michael Dystra, BS Outlook: Life Beyond Childhood Cancer, University of Wisconsin Cancer Center 
2000: M.D. Anderson Patient Education Office, University of Texas 
2000: Carolyn Weaver, RN, MSN, AOCN, Ask the Expert Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center 
2000: Tanya Smith, BA & Patient and Public Education Departmental Staff, How to Help Your Loved One Stop Smoking, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah  
1999: Amy Deshler, MSW, Kelli Fee-Schroeder, RN, and Kat Thieman, MBA, Setting Course to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center 
1999: Dr. Joel Goldwein and Dr. Ivor Benjamin, OncoLink, University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center 
1999: Mary Sumpmann, Nancy Goldstein and Staff, Patient Learning Center, University of Minnesota Cancer Center