Meet Our Past WebMD Health Heroes
Each year, WebMD recognizes individuals who do great things to help others live healthier, better lives. Meet our honorees from the last decade.
2018 Health Heroes
Lifetime AchievementJames P. Allison, PhD
Watching his mother and two uncles go through chemotherapy inspired this cancer researcher to create less toxic treatments that do the job better. Three major discoveries and a Nobel Prize later, he’s nowhere near done.
ScientistElizabeth Jaffee, MD
As a young girl she attended cancer fundraisers. That led to a career in immunology research and ultimately to patents for six cancer vaccines.
AdvocateKaren M. Winkfield, MD, PhD
When her husband was the patient, she learned how confusing the medical system can be. Now she advocates for every patient she treats.
CaregiverLillie Shockney, RN
As a breast cancer survivor, she knows what it’s like to face the disease head-on. Now she helps others make plans for the future.
Game ChangerKathy Bates
This Oscar winner is lending her name -- and personal experience -- to an all-out effort to change the way doctors and hospitals approach lymphedema. In her spare time, she’s directing a new breast cancer documentary.
AmbassadorRufus Wainwright
After losing their mother to clear cell sarcoma, the singer-songwriter and his sister wanted to honor her. Learn more about the foundation, which sponsors research into this rare type of cancer, and the woman who inspired it.
TrailblazerMargaret Cuomo, MD
She comes from a family best known for politics, but this author, radiologist and now, blogger, turned her focus on cancer instead. She’s also a philanthropist who leads two nonprofit organizations focused on prevention.