Worta McCaskill-Stevens

Worta J. McCaskill-Stevens (July 26, 1949 – November 15, 2023) was an American medical oncologist and a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She was a leading authority on cancer prevention, clinical trials, and health equity. McCaskill-Stevens is best known for her leadership of the **NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP)**, where, as Chief of the Community Oncology and Prevention Trials Research Group, she oversaw clinical cancer research in community settings across the United States and Internationally.

She initially gained international recognition as the program director for the **STAR Trial** (Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene), a landmark study involving nearly 20,000 women that shaped modern protocols for breast cancer risk reduction. Throughout her career, McCaskill-Stevens championed the inclusion of racial and ethnic minorities in clinical trials, working to address systemic disparities in cancer outcomes. In 2023, the NCI established the *Worta McCaskill-Stevens Career Development Award* in her honor to fund future research in community oncology.

Early life and education McCaskill-Stevens was born in Louisburg, North Carolina on July 26, 1949. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and the American College of Switzerland. At Georgetown University School of Medicine, she started medical school at age 30, earning a M.D. in 1985 and completing an internal medicine residency. McCaskill-Stevens did a medical oncology fellowship at the Mayo Clinic.

Selected publications McCaskill-Stevens authored or co-authored over 100 scientific papers, with a specific focus on breast cancer prevention, clinical trial recruitment, and minority health.

Awards and honors McCaskill-Stevens received numerous awards for her leadership in oncology and her commitment to health equity. 2024: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Distinguished Public Service Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research (Posthumous) 2020: David King Community Clinical Scientist Award from the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC). 2017: Honorary Doctor of Science from Georgetown University. 1985: Kaiser Family Fund Award for Excellence in Academic Achievement and Leadership in Medicine.

In late 2023, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology renamed its annual health disparities meeting the Worta McCaskill-Stevens, MD, MS Health Disparities Symposium.

Personal life McCaskill-Stevens died on November 15, 2023.