Distinguished Scientist Award

The AACI Distinguished Scientist Award was created in 2002 to recognize a major contributor to the field of cancer research. 

Selected by the AACI Board of Directors from a slate of candidates nominated by AACI members, the awardee should be widely known in the cancer community through their research accomplishments. 

Past AACI Distinguished Scientist honorees include Drs. Thomas F. Gajewski; Paula D. Bos; Patricia LoRusso; Elizabeth M. Jaffee; Judy E. Garber; William G. Kaelin, Jr.; Douglas R. Lowy; Charles Perou; Carl June; James Allison; and Lewis Cantley.

Rafi Ahmed, PhD

The 2026 Distinguished Scientist Award will be presented to Rafi Ahmed, PhD, an internationally recognized immunologist whose pioneering research has profoundly shaped our understanding of immune memory and T cell exhaustion — concepts that are now foundational to cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Ahmed is Director of the Emory Vaccine Center at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. His research is focused on understanding the mechanisms of immunological memory and using this knowledge to develop new and more effective vaccines. He is also working to definine the mechanisms of T-cell exhaustion and develop effective immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and chronic viral infections. Dr. Ahmed is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.