Lugano, Switzerland, 1 September 2026 – ESMO announced today the recipients of the 2026 ESMO Society Awards, recognising four outstanding oncology professionals whose contributions have advanced cancer research, enhanced clinical care, and strengthened the global oncology community.
ESMO Award 2026: Rebecca Fitzgerald
The ESMO Award 2026 is to be presented to Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, Director of the Early Cancer Institute at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, in recognition of her pioneering work in cancer prevention and early detection, areas that have become central priorities of modern oncology practice. Her work has improved the identification of people at risk of oesophageal cancer and advancing efforts to detect the disease at an earlier, more treatable stage. Her research has also helped shape cancer screening and prevention strategies in the UK and across Europe.
ESMO Award for Translational Research: Dan A. Landau
Professor Dan A. Landau, Chair of the Department of Systems and Computational Biomedicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and Core Faculty Member of the New York Genome Center, New York, United States, has obtained this year’s ESMO Award for Translational Research , in recognition of his groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of cancer evolution and his development of innovative genomic and computational approaches that have advanced the translation of cancer research into clinical applications.
ESMO Women for Oncology Award: Pilar Garrido
The 2026 recipient of the ESMO Women for Oncology Award is Professor Pilar Garrido, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain, for her outstanding contributions to lung cancer research and care, and her longstanding commitment to advancing women in oncology through leadership, mentorship and advocacy for gender equity, raising awareness of gender gaps in leadership and academic careers and promoting opportunities for women in oncology.
ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award: Antoni Ribas
Professor Antoni Ribas, Professor of Medicine at UCLA, Director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, United States receives the ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award 2026, for his pioneering contributions to cancer immunotherapy and translational cancer research, which have transformed the treatment of melanoma and helped shape the modern era of precision oncology.
The award lectures will be delivered during the Opening session of the ESMO Congress 2026 on Friday, 23 October 2026, in Madrid, Spain.
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Press representatives interested in arranging an interview with the awardees can contact the ESMO Press Office.
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