Dr. Eleanor Walker Named 2018 Women of Excellence Honoree

Dr. Eleanor Walker Named 2018 Women of Excellence Honoree

DETROIT – Henry Ford Cancer Institute Radiation Oncologist Eleanor M. Walker, M.D., has been named a 2018 Women of Excellence honoree by the Michigan Chronicle.

Dr. Walker, who serves as division director of Breast Services in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Henry Ford Cancer Institute and medical director of Henry Ford’s Center for Integrative Medicine, will join a prestigious group of African American women in receiving this honor at the 11th annual Women of Excellence induction ceremony on March 23. She was selected from among a group of more than 700 nominations.

For more than a decade, the Michigan Chronicle has recognized local African-American women who continue to break the mold and affect change in their profession and community. Honorees are chosen for their work to inspire others through vision and leadership, exceptional achievements, and participation in community service. The 2018 honorees will join an elite group of more than 500 professional women who have previously received this distinction.

Dr. Walker is active locally and nationally in clinical care and research focused on breast cancer, prostate cancer, integrative medicine, and healthcare disparities and equity.

She has conducted studies on the use of acupuncture for hot flash symptoms in breast cancer patients, and she completed the ExCITE (Exercise and Cancer Integrative Therapies Education) pilot study to determine of the effectiveness lifestyle intervention during and after cancer treatment for breast and prostate cancer patients. Dr. Walker also recently completed an INPHAASE study on survivorship care planning among racially diverse breast cancer patients.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Walker is currently on the university’s College of Science Advisory Board. She also is on the board for the Society of Integrative Oncology. Dr. Walker participates in several national medical organizations, including the National Medical Association, NRG Oncology, Southwest Oncology Group, American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology, American Medical Association, and Wayne County and Michigan Medical Societies. And, she is the institutional principal investigator for Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium.

Dr. Walker has received several awards, including the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Scholarship Award; Federal Drug Administration Recognition of Service Award; Washington University School of Medicine Cardiology Award; University of Notre Dame Distinguished Black Exemplar; 1998 University of Notre Dame Sorin Award; 2015 Distinguished Service Award from National Medical Association. 2017 Jae Ho Kim, M.D. Outstanding Radiation Oncologist. Additionally, she was included in “Who’s Who” in Black Detroit in 2006 and 2011, and named to the 2013 Black Health Magazine Top 15 African American Breast Cancer Specialists.

Dr. Walker holds board certification in Radiation Oncology from the American Board of Radiology. She received her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, and completed her post-graduate training at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Tennessee and University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore, where she also completed a residency in the Department of Radiation Oncology.

About the Henry Ford Cancer Institute

The Henry Ford Cancer Institute is one of the largest cancer programs in Michigan, providing care at five hospitals and six outpatient facilities, and dozens of aligned doctor’s offices throughout southeast Michigan. Treatment for the most complex or rare cancers and the Institute’s extensive cancer research program is anchored by Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. For more information, visit henryford.com/cancer.