Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) and the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer (CGA-IGC) are proud to announce the 2026 recipient of the Early Career Award: Dr. Mary Smithson from Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. This research grant aims to drive progress in science, clinical care, and advocacy for individuals and families affected by hereditary cancer syndromes, familial colorectal cancer, and early-onset colorectal cancer.
Dr. Smithson’s project, “Financial Toxicity as a Barrier to Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Care in Lynch Syndrome,” addresses a significant and understudied gap in hereditary cancer care. Lynch syndrome is the most common hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome, requiring lifelong colonoscopic surveillance beginning in early adulthood, and often involving colorectal surgery, cancer treatment, and years of survivorship care. Despite this sustained burden, the cumulative financial impact on patients and families remains poorly understood. Dr. Smithson’s research will survey adults with genetically confirmed Lynch syndrome at Cleveland Clinic, using a validated financial toxicity measure linked to clinical data to assess how out-of-pocket costs, employment disruption, medical debt, and travel burden may contribute to gaps in surveillance or changes in cancer care. Findings will inform a patient-centered financial screening and referral tool to connect at-risk patients to financial navigation, social work, and other support resources.
“I am incredibly grateful to Fight CRC and CGA-IGC for supporting this work. Patients with Lynch syndrome face a lifelong need for cancer surveillance and, for many, cancer treatment, yet we know very little about the financial burden that comes with that care or how it may affect their ability to follow recommended screening and prevention. This award will allow us to better understand those challenges and, ultimately, work toward identifying patients at risk and developing strategies to help ensure that cost does not become a barrier to cancer prevention.” – Dr. Mary Smithson, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
“Our continued partnership with Fight CRC reflects a shared dedication to advancing research that improves the lives of individuals and families affected by hereditary colorectal cancer. We are grateful for Fight CRC’s generous support of this award, which enables promising investigators like Dr. Smithson to address critical gaps in care and move us closer to more equitable, patient-centered healthcare.” – Elana Levinson, CGA-IGC President
Dr. Smithson will be recognized at the CGA-IGC Awards Ceremony at the 2026 CGA-IGC Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 4:00 PM MT. To learn more about CGA-IGC, visit cgaigc.com/about.
“We are honored to grant the Early Career Award alongside our partners at CGA-IGC, supporting research that speaks directly to the real-world barriers our Lynch syndrome community faces,” said Anjee Davis, Fight CRC President and CEO. “Financial toxicity is a challenge we hear about from patients and families, and Dr. Smithson’s work will help us better understand its impact and take meaningful steps to address it. This is exactly the kind of patient-centered science we are proud to invest in.”
For more information about the funded researchers supported by Fight CRC, visit fightcolorectalcancer.org/our-programs/research-innovation/funded-researchers/.