The hematology and oncology publication, Healio | HemOnc Today, recently recognized Nosayaba Osazuwa-Peters, PhD, associate professor in head and neck surgery & communication sciences and population health sciences, with a 2026 Disruptive Innovators Award.
The award honors individuals who are advancing the hematology/oncology field and challenging the status quo to improve clinical practice.
Osazuwa-Peters received the Health Equity Award during the ceremony, which was held during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. Presented in partnership with the University of Illinois Cancer Center, the award recognizes a clinician or scientist who has made meaningful change by addressing social determinants of health in hematology/oncology. Awardees model the principles of health equity and demonstrate how this work can improve patient care.
A recipient of the Duke Bass Connections and other pilot grants, Osazuwa-Peters serves as principal investigator on several NIH-funded research grants and leads the Duke TORCHE (Transdisciplinary Otolaryngology Research, Community Health and Equity) Lab. His work focuses on HPV, HIV, and oral microbiota in Nigerian youth, multilevel drivers of head and neck cancer disparities, and efforts to reduce delays in adjuvant therapy for head and neck cancer and to better understand long-term opioid therapy, depression, and suicide risk among patients with these cancers.
The Health Equity Award was one of nine Disruptive Innovators Awards presented at the ASCO 2026 annual meeting.