Lindsay Schwartz, MD, MS, a pediatric oncologist and physician-scientist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, received the Conquer Cancer Career Development Award from Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation.
The organization presented the $200,000, three-year grant (July 2026–June 2029) to Dr. Schwartz at its 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. The award provides research funding to clinical investigators, who have received their initial faculty appointment, as they work to establish an independent clinical cancer research program. It is a mentored award, and the research project is conducted under the guidance of a scientific mentor.
Dr. Schwartz, who is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, investigates the impact of health behaviors and psychosocial factors on long-term health outcomes of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors; evaluates clinical outcomes of young patients with rare types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, who are often ineligible for clinical trials; and studies long-term fertility issues that young patients receiving gonadotoxic therapies may face as cancer survivors.
The Conquer Cancer Career Development Award will help support Dr. Schwartz’s study to gain a better understanding of why adolescent and young adult cancer patients are more likely to smoke/vape nicotine and/or cannabis compared to their cancer-free peers and what might help them quit. Young people with cancer often face intense stress, anxiety, and life disruptions during treatment, and some may turn to vaping or cannabis to cope with emotional distress or treatment symptoms even though these substances can worsen cancer treatment side effects, long-term health problems, and survival, explains Dr. Schwartz. This study aims to better understand those experiences rather than simply telling patients to “quit.” The project will create a support program specifically designed for young adults with cancer because traditional substance cessation programs are not tailored to the unique challenges of cancer treatment and survivorship in this age group. The intervention will use mobile health technology (text messaging and virtual support sessions) to make the program easier, more private, and more accessible for young adults, who often prefer digital communication and may have difficulty attending in-person programs. The long-term goal of this research is to help young adults with cancer reduce harmful substance use, improve emotional well-being and resilience, and ultimately improve both cancer outcomes and quality of life.
Dr. Schwartz’s mentor on this awarded project is Tara Henderson, MD, MPH, the chair of the Department of Pediatrics and the Founders’ Board Centennial Professor of Pediatrics at Lurie Children’s and a professor of pediatrics at Feinberg School.
The Conquer Cancer Career Development Award is supported by AstraZeneca; Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network; Breast Cancer Research Foundation; The Cinelli Family Foundation; Father William O. Seery Foundation; Bank of America, N.A., Trustee; Genentech, a member of the Roche Group; Hearst Foundations; Johnson & Johnson; Lilly; Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation; and Walther Cancer Foundation.
Pediatric research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.
