Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and OpenEvidence Announce Strategic Collaboration and Launch of $100,000 SSO Innovator Grant

ROSEMONT, Ill., May 11, 2026 — The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and OpenEvidence have announced a strategic collaboration devised to expand access to high-quality, guideline-driven cancer care resources while fostering innovation in surgical oncology research. 

As part of this collaboration, SSO intends to support clinicians with enhanced access to trusted clinical content through OpenEvidence’s advanced medical information platform. This initiative underscores both organizations’ shared commitment to improving patient outcomes through technology-enabled, evidence-driven care.

A cornerstone of the collaboration is the establishment of the SSO Innovator Grant, a $100,000 research award funded through the support of OpenEvidence. This 24-month research award is designed to support surgeon-led innovation in emerging technologies, particularly AI-enabled medical knowledge and clinical decision support tools. The SSO Innovator Grant will be launching in summer 2026, with the selected recipient announced in fall 2026. 

“What excites me the most about the SSO’s partnership with OpenEvidence is that so many of our members were already using OpenEvidence in their clinical practice,” said Kenneth Tanabe, MD, president of the Society of Surgical Oncology and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. “We want to leverage this partnership to help surgeons and other physicians continue to stay up to date with our guidelines, and to take the best care of patients. OpenEvidence addresses the importance of always staying up to date on the newest surgical guidelines, techniques, and approaches, a notion that SSO considers paramount to a successful surgeon.”

Both organizations are looking forward to collaboratively enhancing clinician access to evidence-based resources and elevating innovation across the field of surgical oncology. 

For more information about the SSO Innovator Grant and application details, contact Nick Sautter, Assistant Director, Scientific Initiatives, SSO, NicholasSautter@surgonc.org

______________________________________________________________________________ 

OpenEvidence is the fastest-growing and most widely-used clinical decision support platform in the United States, and the most widely used medical search engine among U.S. clinicians. OpenEvidence is trusted by hundreds of thousands of verified healthcare professionals to make high-stakes clinical decisions at the point of care that are sourced, cited, and grounded in peer-reviewed medical literature. Founded with the mission to organize and expand global medical knowledge, OpenEvidence is actively used daily, on average, by over 40% of physicians in the United States, spanning more than 10,000 hospitals and medical centers nationwide. 

About SSO: The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) is a dynamic global community of cancer surgeons shaping advancements in the profession to deliver the highest quality surgical care for cancer patients. SSO promotes leading-edge research, quality standards and knowledge exchange, connecting cancer surgeons worldwide to continuously improve cancer outcomes. Learn more at www.surgonc.org.