UCSF prostate cancer specialist inducted into annual class of Giants of Cancer Care

Eric J. Small, MD, has been announced as one of the winners of the 10th annual Giants of Cancer Care awards. Small is being recognized for his achievements in the clinical practice and research of genitourinary cancers.

Small is a medical oncologist and holds the Doris and Donald Fisher Distinguished Professorship in Clinical Cancer Research as well as the Stanford W. Ascherman and Norman R. Ascherman Endowed Chair at UCSF. Small, a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Urology, is deputy director and chief scientific officer of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC).

As co-leader of the UCSF HDFCCC Prostate Cancer Program, his clinical activities and research focus on advanced prostate cancer, understanding how body mechanisms may create resistance to standard therapies, and the development of new therapeutic approaches for patients with advanced prostate cancer.

Following undergraduate work at Stanford University, Small earned his medical degree at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where he graduated with honors. While in medical school, he completed a fellowship in pathology. He completed postgraduate residency training in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital (Boston), followed by a fellowship in hematology and oncology at UCSF.

Small is a member of several professional medical societies, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), having recently served on its board of directors, and where he currently serves as one of four mentors for its Leadership Development Program. Small chairs scientific advisory boards for several other NCI comprehensive cancer centers.

“I am grateful for this wonderful honor and to be recognized for research that has led to better understanding of the mechanisms of resistance in advanced prostate cancer, and to improvement in outcomes for men with advanced prostate cancer,” said Small. “This kind of work takes a village and would not be possible without my talented and dedicated colleagues at UCSF, and our patients and their families.”

Small and his fellow inductees were recognized during the 10th Anniversary Giants of Cancer Care® Award Ceremony on June 2 in Chicago. Since 2013, the Giants of Cancer Care program, presented by OncLive, has celebrated more than 125 oncology pioneers for their groundbreaking achievements in research and clinical practice. Out of hundreds of nominations, only 14 oncologists were selected to join the prestigious 2022 class.

“We’d like to congratulate each and every member of this year’s class of inductees on this enormous honor,” said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences™, the parent company of OncLive®. “It is no surprise that these oncologists were recognized for their contributions and dedication to this vital practice. They are all legends within the global field of oncology.”