2026 Awards

Amit M. Oza, MD (Lon), FRCPC, FRCP
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, UHN, Canada

Dr. Amit M. Oza is the recipient of the 2026 IGCS Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring his decades of extraordinary contributions to the field of gynecologic oncology through research, clinical leadership, mentorship, and international collaboration.

Dr. Oza serves as Medical Director of the Cancer Clinical Research Unit (CCRU) and Director of the Bras Family Drug Development Program (DDP) at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and as a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is Co-Chair of the University Health Network (UHN) Clinical Research Collaborative Centre and the UHN Clinical Research Executive, and CEO of Ozmosis Research. He has also served as Chair of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) and Co-Chair of the NCI Gynecologic Steering Committee.

Under his leadership, the gynecologic oncology clinical trials group at Princess Margaret has grown into one of the largest and most productive in the world, enrolling more than 200 patients annually. His group has played a pivotal role in landmark studies that led to the global approval and adoption of targeted agents such as PARP inhibitors (olaparib, niraparib) and anti-angiogenic therapies (bevacizumab).

Over the past decade, Dr. Oza has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on more than 19 research grants from leading national and international agencies, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Dr. Oza was awarded the O. Harold Warwick Prize by the Canadian Cancer Society and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2023. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles and invited contributions in leading journals — including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, JAMA Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, and CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians — with his work cited nearly 86,000 times. His career reflects a rare combination of scientific rigor, mentorship, and global impact that continues to shape the future of gynecologic cancer care.

Farr R. Nezhat, MD, FACOG, FACS
Weill Cornell Medical College / NYU Langone–Long Island, USA

Dr. Farr R. Nezhat is the recipient of the 2026 IGCS Award for Outstanding Achievement in Gynecologic Oncology Surgery, recognizing a career defined by pioneering innovation in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.

Dr. Nezhat is Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College and Director of the Division and Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at NYU Langone–Long Island. He has played a transformative role in the development and worldwide adoption of advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery for gynecologic malignancies, pioneering minimally invasive approaches to radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy, cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer, and multidisciplinary management of complex pelvic and upper abdominal disease — helping establish minimally invasive surgery as a standard option for appropriately selected patients with gynecologic cancers.

Dr. Nezhat is equally recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to the understanding and surgical treatment of endometriosis. His innovative techniques revolutionized management of advanced disease, preserving fertility and enabling many women previously considered infertile to achieve pregnancy. He was also among the first to define the relationship between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, advancing the field's understanding of endometriosis-associated malignancies.

An internationally respected surgeon, educator, and mentor, Dr. Nezhat has trained physicians worldwide through postgraduate courses, live surgical demonstrations, textbooks, and scientific meetings. In recognition of his singular contributions to the field, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology named one of its most distinguished scientific forums the Farr Nezhat Surgical Session — a lasting testament to a career that continues to shape gynecologic surgery and improve the lives of women worldwide.

Swee Chong Quek, MBBCh, BAO (Dublin), MRCOG (UK), FAMS (Singapore)
ASC Clinic for Women, Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore

Dr. Swee Chong Quek is the recipient of the 2026 IGCS Global Humanitarian Award, honoring a career-long commitment to preventing cervical cancer among underserved women across Asia.

Dr. Quek is a specialist in Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the ASC Clinic for Women in Gleneagles Hospital, and formerly Senior Consultant & Head of the Pre-invasive Disease & Screening Unit in the Department of Gynaecological Oncology at KK Women's & Children's Hospital. He trained in Dublin before working as an Obstetrician & Gynaecologist in London, including three years as a clinical research fellow, and has practiced in Singapore since 2000.

His special interest in the prevention of gynaecological cancers, particularly cervical cancer, has taken him far beyond the clinic. He has served on the board of the International Federation of Colposcopy & Cervical Pathology, as former president of the Society of Colposcopy & Cervical Pathology of Singapore, and holds honorary membership in the colposcopy and cervical pathology societies of Portugal, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Dr. Quek has worked with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, WHO) on colposcopy training and the development of Single-Visit Approaches for cervical cancer prevention, and has contributed to research in real-time detection of cervical cancer and precancer, cervical HPV screening, and early HPV vaccine trials. He has authored several books and book chapters, including Lower Genital Tract Precancer (2nd ed.) and Cervical and Lower Genital Tract Precancer (3rd ed.).

Since 2010, Dr. Quek has run the Himalayan Women's Health Project, a voluntary non-profit humanitarian screening and treatment initiative focused on reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in Ladakh, India, and Nepal — a project that embodies the spirit of sustained, hands-on humanitarian service the IGCS Global Humanitarian Award was created to recognize.

Joseph S. Ng, MD, FACOG, FAMS
National University Hospital (NUH), Singapore

Dr. Joseph S. Ng is the recipient of the 2026 IGCS Excellence in Teaching Award, recognizing more than a decade of dedication to building global education and mentorship in gynecologic oncology.

Dr. Ng is Senior Consultant in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the National University Hospital, where he chairs the Gyn Cancer Program at NCIS, the Gyn Robot-Assisted Cancer and Endoscopic Surgery Program, and the NUHS Comprehensive Robotic Surgery Program. He is also Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at NUS and Immediate Past President of the Gynecologic Cancer Group, Singapore (GCGS).

Dr. Linus Chuang shared: "From the very beginning, Joe stood out for his genuine passion for building global collaboration and advancing education for physicians, nurses, and patients in gynecologic cancer awareness and management." When the prototype for what would become the IGCS Global Oncology Fellowship was first taking shape in 2016, Dr. Ng was identified as a key supporter of the vision, working alongside Professor Michael Quinn, CEO Mary Eiken, Professor Kathleen Schmeler, Professor Tom Randall, and others to develop what began as the Mentorship and Training Program and evolved into the IGCS Global Oncology Fellowship Program.

In those early days, Dr. Ng worked closely on curriculum development and program eligibility criteria, editing entire documents with remarkable care and dedication — all while maintaining a full-time role as a gynecologic oncologist and robotic surgery director at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore. He traveled frequently to Vietnam as an international mentor for the Da Nang program, and later succeeded Professor Schmeler as Program Director for the IGCS Global Oncology Fellowship Program. He has also served with distinction on the IGCS Board.

For nearly a decade, Dr. Ng's heart and soul have been devoted to advancing education in gynecologic oncology and improving the management of preinvasive disease — a legacy of teaching, mentorship, and quiet dedication that this award is honored to recognize.