Celebrating Impact: Binaytara’s 2025 Award Winners to Be Recognized at SCHD25

Binaytara will honor three distinguished individuals at the Summit on Cancer Health Disparities 2025 (SCHD25) for their outstanding contributions to advancing its mission of minimizing cancer disparities. These awards—the Humanitarian Award, Distinguished Faculty Award, and Volunteer of the Year Award—reflect the compassionate, scholarly, and community-driven spirit of Binaytara.

The 2025 Award Recipients:

Dr. Dan Milner

Binaytara Humanitarian Award

Dr. Mazyar Shadman

Binaytara Distinguished Faculty Award

Judy Delismon

Binaytara Volunteer of the Year Award

About the Awards

Binaytara Humanitarian Award:

This award honors individuals who embody Binaytara's core values through their volunteerism, community engagement, and unwavering commitment to advancing Binaytara's efforts to improve access to cancer care.

Binaytara Distinguished Faculty Award:

This distinction honors individuals who have demonstrated long-standing excellence in teaching and have made significant contributions to Binaytara's educational activities, enhancing access to education for healthcare providers.

Binaytara Volunteer of the Year Award:

This award honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to Binaytara's mission through their volunteerism, actively contributing to its efforts to improve access to cancer care and make a meaningful impact in the community.

These awards are significant, highlighting the years of dedication each recipient has devoted to serving their communities nationally and internationally. Here’s a closer look at the profiles of our award recipients.

Meet the 2025 Binaytara Award Recipients

Dr. Dan Milner (recipient of the 2025 Binaytara Humanitarian Award):

He is the Chief Medical Officer of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) and Executive Director of the ATOM Coalition. His career spans leadership in international health organizations and significant work in global oncology, particularly in the accessibility of essential medicines. He completed his MD at the University of Alabama and his residency/fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Milner has a notable background in infectious diseases, particularly malaria and HIV. He has led significant pathology capacity-building initiatives in Africa and has authored over 150 publications.

Upon being notified about the award, Dr. Milner remarked, “I am truly honored and humbled. I do appreciate greatly when other people recognize the value of the work that I do, but that isn't why I do the work. I do the work to help people and keep people from dying of disease... And that's the whole point of doing humanitarian aid, that you're helping people every day and you don't need to be thanked for it. You just need them to survive and thrive and have happy lives."

When asked what aspect of Dr. Milner’s work resonates most with Dr. Binay Shah, the president of Binaytara, he said, “Dr. Dan Milner has dedicated his career to improving access to healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. He has played a key role in enhancing cancer care in Africa and several countries in Asia. A great supporter and friend of Binaytara, Dr. Milner has also helped design our laboratory and pathology program, aiming to provide higher-quality diagnostics for patients at our hospital in Nepal. He is not only a humanitarian but also a wonderful person, deeply committed to improving access to care.”

In addition to being honored, Dr. Milner will chair session 14 at SCHD25 entitled ‘Developing Effective Advocacy Campaign’. He is also leading a panel discussion at SCHD25 on Global Oncology to provide a platform for experts and attendees to engage in a structured conversation about the topics presented.

Dr. Mazyar Shadman (recipient of the 2025 Binaytara Distinguished Faculty Award)

Dr. Mazyar Shadman is a hematologist and oncologist specializing in lymphoid malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia and lymphomas. He serves as the Medical Director for Cellular Immunotherapy and the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Additionally, he holds the Innovators Network Endowed Chair and is an Associate Professor in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutch. He also serves as an Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Shadman's research focuses on therapeutic clinical trials in lymphoid malignancies, particularly chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma.

After being notified, Dr. Shadman expressed, “I appreciate this great honor, and I know many prominent physicians and investigators work with Binaytara. For me to receive this honor this year is truly special, and I am grateful for the consideration.”

Dr. Shadman’s contribution to Binaytara has been outstanding. He has been speaking at our conferences for several years and is deeply committed to improving care, particularly access to cellular therapy and overall care for patients. He often emphasizes that while we can develop effective treatment regimens, without access to care, those regimens are meaningless.

In addition to being an influential faculty member at our conferences, Dr. Shadman has played a key leadership role. For instance, he is the co-chair of the annual Seattle Cellular Therapy Conference, one of our major national events. This conference has grown in popularity, attracting hundreds of healthcare professionals from across the country. Its success is a testament to the high quality of the event, which not only features excellent talks but also provides a valuable forum for collaboration.

At SCHD25, Dr. Shadman will chair a breakout session on cellular therapy, which will feature talks from clinical researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.

Judy Delismon, MN, RN, OCN (recipient of the 2025 Binaytara Volunteer of the Year Award)

Judy Delismon has spent most of her career working with oncology (solid/liquid) patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. This included working at the SCCA infusion area and Fred Hutch as a Clinical Research Nurse in the Department of Immunotherapy. During graduate school, she had the opportunity to work in developing the nursing program at the Uganda Cancer Institute in collaboration with Fred Hutch. During her nursing career, she has worked and lived both nationally and globally.

When informed about the award, Judy surprisingly responded, “I feel both honored and a bit like I have not done enough to deserve this. It made me think of all the people who have supported me, from nursing colleagues who helped with educational topics to the broader team behind this work.”

Judy Delismon became involved with Binaytara about six years ago when she attended one of our conferences in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. She was introduced to Dr. Shah and his wife, and after expressing her interest in getting involved as a nurse, Dr. Shah offered her the role of lead nurse educator. Since then, Judy has been working with nurses in Nepal, focusing on understanding their needs and providing oncology-related education, such as on breast cancer, cervical cancer, and sepsis. She has facilitated virtual presentations, sometimes with the help of other oncology nurses who volunteered their expertise.

Her work with the nurses in Nepal has been deeply fulfilling, especially as she noticed their genuine interest in learning. Despite the challenges of distance and time differences, Judy has been encouraged by their enthusiasm and the support from key contacts like Gamala, the Binaytara Cancer Center’s Administrative Director, who has been instrumental in connecting her with the nurses.

Reflecting on Judy, Dr. Shah said, “She is absolutely amazing. As a nurse, she has a big heart and a true passion for caring for others. Throughout my career, I have encountered many nurses, and I can honestly say that without them, I would not have experienced the joy I do in practicing medicine. Judy goes above and beyond to support our nurses at the hospital in Janakpur.”

We will celebrate the awardees at our annual Binaytara gala at SCHD25. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, April 26th, 2025, at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle, starting at 7:00 pm.

About SCHD25

SCHD25 is a continuing medical education (CME) event organized by Binaytara to drive its mission of improving access to cancer care. It is one of the few conferences in the United States that addresses disparities in cancer care. The conference will cover issues at the forefront of cancer care, including deep dives into implementation science, community outreach and engagement, and artificial intelligence. It will occur from April 25 to April 27, 2025, at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle, Washington.

Register now and join the conversation that will shape the future of how we treat and manage cancer patients. For CE/CME-related inquiries, email us at [email protected]. Follow the conversations on cancer disparities online with the hashtag #SCHD25. Learn more here.