ROSEMONT, Ill., Aug. 12, 2026 — The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) today announced the inaugural E. Shelley Hwang Sustainability Excellence Grant, created to recognize surgical oncologists who demonstrate exceptional leadership and measurable impact in advancing environmental sustainability within their clinical practice, institution or health system.
The first-of-its-kind grant will provide $10,000 in funding for initiatives focused on operating room waste reduction; carbon reduction and resource optimization; institutional policy leadership; education and culture change; research and innovation-based projects; or other relevant topic areas.
“The SSO Sustainability Excellence Grant is one of several ongoing initiatives from the SSO Sustainability Committee to inspire and equip surgical oncologists in advancing environmental sustainability in their professional and daily lives,” said Ricardo Bello, MD, MPH, vice chair of the SSO Sustainability Committee. “Our grant is aptly named after Dr. Shelley Hwang, who has been instrumental to SSO’s sustainability efforts as the inaugural chair. Dr. Hwang’s inspiring advocacy for both high-quality patient care and planetary health embodies the much-needed efforts all surgeons should make to continue taking excellent care of their patients of today, while being mindful of the health of the patients of tomorrow. We are grateful for SSO leadership’s support for this grant and look forward to reviewing some incredible proposals.”
The SSO Surgical Oncologists for Sustainability Committee was formed in spring 2025 with the goal of reducing waste in the surgical oncology workspace, advocating for and educating on sustainable practices, and treating climate change activism as an urgent moral and ethical imperative.
Applicants must be a board-certified or board-eligible surgical oncologist, or be actively practicing in surgical oncology, and be an SSO member in good standing at the time of application. Resident applicants who are not board-certified are eligible, provided they have a co-investigator on their application who meets that requirement. Team-based initiatives are also eligible, provided a surgical oncologist serves as the primary lead applicant.
Applications may be submitted at https://form.jotform.com/262044197656059.
To learn more about the SSO Sustainability Committee, visit surgonc.org/sustainability.