News
AACI to Honor Britt, Castro With Public Service Award at Annual Meeting
AACI will present the 2025 Public Service Award to U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) and U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro (D-TX) on Monday, October 20, during the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Both legislators have championed increases in cancer research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). They were nominated by AACI members and selected by the AACI Board of Directors.
Senator Britt has emerged as a leading advocate for medical research funding, with a particular focus on advancing cancer research and innovation. She has supported increased investments in Alabama’s major research institutions, including the UAB O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center. Sen. Britt has introduced bipartisan legislation to increase access to breast cancer screenings. She recently led a letter to the Office of Management and Budget, co-signed by 13 Senate colleagues, urging the timely release of fiscal year 2025 NIH funds to ensure lifesaving cancer and biomedical research can move forward without disruption. She has also supported increases in NIH funding as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Representative Castro is a cancer survivor who has been treated for neuroendocrine cancer since his 2023 diagnosis. In Congress, he has co-sponsored key cancer-related legislation, including the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act and the Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act. Rep. Castro has been a strong advocate for cancer research and health equity, particularly among Latino communities, supporting UT Health San Antonio’s Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference and securing millions in Community Project Funding grants for the Mays Cancer Center and UT Health San Antonio to expand their research capacity and improve public health.
AACI established the Public Service Award in 2003 to recognize public servants for their support of the NIH, the NCI, and cancer centers in their respective states. The award is presented in years when AACI's annual meeting is held in Washington, DC. Past recipients include Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Rep.Tom Cole (R-OK), Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), Rep.Neal Dunn (R-FL), and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
The Public Service Award is particularly significant this year, as the cancer center community confronts unprecedented threats to funding, staffing, oversight, and its ability to prevent and cure disease. AACI is here to connect its more than 100 cancer center members to ensure that we all work better together. Please join your colleagues for the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, October 19-21, at the Salamander Washington DC.