Dr. Schroy received the prestigious ACS Volunteer Leadership Award in a national ceremony last week

February 7, 2024 – Authors: Kaitlin Sylvester, MPA, and Aubree Thelen, MPH

The ACS NCCRT is thrilled to announce that one of our Strategic Priority Team Co-Chairs and longtime supporter, Paul C. Schroy III, MD, MPH, was recently honored with the Volunteer Leadership Award by the American Cancer Society (ACS). This award is the top volunteer award presented by ACS annually to up to two individuals who have served as a volunteer leader for ACS programs, initiatives, or board-level committees or task forces, and to others who have provided long and distinguished service to ACS.  

Dr. Schroy’s service to the ACS National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) began at its founding in 1997. Since then, he has held multiple positions, including as a former steering committee member and as the current co-chair of the Family History and Early-Age Onset (EAO) Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Strategic Priority Team (SPT). His current SPT co-chair, Heather Hampel, MS, CGCC, had this to say about Dr. Schroy, “So much of what we have accomplished in the ACS NCCRT Family History and Early Onset CRC working group would not have been possible without Dr. Schroy’s passion and leadership.” He’s shown this sentiment again and again through:  

• Championing the work of risk assessment and early age onset CRC for ACS NCCRT after landmark research was published by Rebecca Siegel, MPH, Senior Scientific Director, Surveillance Research at ACS, on early-age onset (EAO) CRC trends 
• Co-leading and presenting for the 2017 ACS NCCRT EAO CRC Summit, bringing together national leaders and advocates to discuss the causes of EAO CRC and clinical challenges to mitigating the burden of disease. 
• Being a key driver and lead volunteer on the Risk Assessment & Screening Toolkit, which aims to improve the ability of primary care clinicians to systematically collect, document, and act on a family history of CRC and adenomas polyps. The toolkit also educates clinicians on the need for more timely diagnostic testing for young adults who present with alarm signs or symptoms of CRC and ensuring that those patients receive a proper diagnostic work up. 
• Assisting in authoring ACS NCCRT’s the Advanced Colorectal Polyp Brief.  
• Leading the push for the ACS NCCRT to conduct market research in 2022 to reach those before the screening age to prepare for screening, eventually creating the Lead Time Messaging Guidebook.  
• Hosted ACS NCCRT’s first Blue Star Conversation, focused on EAO CRC, and the potential to prevent CRC based on family history and genetics. 

Overall, as a volunteer he edited, wrote, joined countless calls, and truly went above and beyond in seeing ACS NCCRT projects through from ideation to development to delivery and dissemination.  Hear some sentiments from those who know him best, below.  

Through his commitment to increase CRC screening rates and reduce disparities, Dr. Schroy has helped the ACS NCCRT stay relevant, strategic in our planning and execution, and create sustained change. The ACS NCCRT is grateful and honored to have Dr. Schroy’s hard work align with ours over many years. It’s clear from Dr. Schroy’s long tenured service with our coalition that the ACS Volunteer Leadership Award is well-deserved.