AACI Update | July 2022

Headlines

Ramos Named Director of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center

Ramos Named Director of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center

A national search for a director for the Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC) has culminated in the selection of cancer biology researcher Joe W. Ramos, PhD. Dr. Ramos is currently the interim director of the University of Hawai'i Cancer Center. He will be officially introduced as director and chief executive officer of the LCRC on July 26 and will begin a tour of research institutions in the state that week.

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Reddy to Lead Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center

Reddy to Lead Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center

Pavan Reddy, MD, is joining Baylor College of Medicine as director of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. He will lead oncology services, research, and strategic growth at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. Dr. Reddy joins Baylor after more than 20 years at the University of Michigan.

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Memorial Sloan Kettering Names Vickers New President and CEO

Memorial Sloan Kettering Names Vickers New President and CEO

Selwyn M. Vickers, MD, FACS, a pancreatic cancer surgeon and researcher and pioneer in cancer health disparities research, has been selected to serve as the next president and chief executive officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He will succeed Craig B. Thompson, MD, who announced his intention to step down earlier this year. The transition will occur in September 2022.

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Cancer Research Advocates Make Virtual Visits to Capitol Hill

On June 15, AACI jointly hosted the 2022 virtual Hill Day with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). During meetings with legislators, cancer center directors, researchers, physician-scientists, cancer survivors, and other advocates made the case for robust, sustained federal investments in biomedical research—and cancer research in particular—through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

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Register Today for Upcoming AACI Meetings

Registration at the regular rate begins today for the 2022 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, which will take place October 2-4 at InterContinental at the Plaza, Kansas City, MO. There is still time to register for the 14th Annual AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) Meeting, which will be held July 12-14 at the Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.

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AACI to Host Workshop for Emerging Cancer Center Leaders

AACI to Host Workshop for Emerging Cancer Center Leaders

AACI will host its inaugural Leadership Diversity and Development Initiative (LDDI) Workshop, November 8-9, at the Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL. The pilot event will convene emerging leaders from each AACI member cancer center at in-depth leadership development workshops. LDDI workshops are part of the presidential initiative of AACI President Caryn Lerman, PhD, director of USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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Impact of Roe v. Wade Reversal on Patients With Cancer

The June 24 Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson reversed the 1973 ruling on Roe v. Wade, allowing individual states to determine access to abortion. As state leaders weigh the implications of the Supreme Court decision, AACI urges them to consider its ripple effects on access to quality cancer prevention, screening, and treatment services, particularly as they impact communities of color, sexual and gender minorities, residents of rural communities, and other groups that experience cancer disparities.

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News from the Centers

Patel Inducted Into American Association of Plastic Surgeons

Patel Inducted Into American Association of Plastic Surgeons
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health

Sameer Patel, MD, FACS, chief of the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center, was recently inducted into the American Association of Plastic Surgeons.

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Bukavina Wins Research Scholar Award

Bukavina Wins Research Scholar Award
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health

Laura Bukavina, MD, MPH, has been awarded a 2022 Urology Care Foundation Research Scholar Award, which supports future research leaders and ensures they receive the necessary training and guidance for a successful research career. The Urology Care Foundation is the official foundation of the American Urological Association.

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Cancer Grand Challenges Awardees Announced

National Cancer Institute

The Cancer Grand Challenges program, funded by the National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK, will award $100 million to four interdisciplinary teams from around the world to solve some of the toughest challenges in cancer research. Each team will receive $25 million over five years. The teams include researchers from a number of AACI cancer centers.

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$11 Million Grant to Improve Immunotherapy for Lung Cancer

$11 Million Grant to Improve Immunotherapy for Lung Cancer
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University has been awarded an $11 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to support research aimed at improving the effectiveness of immunotherapy for lung cancer in patients with a mutation of the LKB1 gene. The research is led by Haian Fu, PhD, and Suresh Ramalingam, MD.

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$10 Million Gift to Establish Brock Family Center for Applied Innovation

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

A $10 million gift from the Brock family will establish the Brock Family Center for Applied Innovation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The gift will accelerate translation of discoveries through commercialization and industry partnerships. John Brock III is the retired CEO of Coca-Cola European Partners PLC, formerly Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc.

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$5 Million to Establish New Urologic Cancer Program

UK Markey Cancer Center

The UK Markey Cancer Center has received a $5 million gift to establish the Ambassador William Stamps Farish Program of Excellence in Urologic Cancer.

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Four NYC Cancer Centers Receive $1 Million to Improve Lung Cancer Care in Underserved Patients

Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone

A team of New York City lung cancer experts, led by investigators at NYU Langone Health's Perlmutter Cancer Center, have received a three-year, $1 million grant from Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) to bring technology-enabled immunotherapy monitoring to under-represented patient populations.

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Mayo Announces New Leadership Structure

Mayo Announces New Leadership Structure
Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center

Three Mayo Clinic Cancer Center leaders have assumed new roles: Stephen M. Ansell, MD, PhD, has been named enterprise deputy director and senior deputy director, Midwest; Roxana Dronca, MD, has been named director, Florida Cancer Programs; and Alan Bryce, MD, will serve as acting director, Arizona Cancer Programs.

Pictured, clockwise from top right: Stephen M. Ansell, MD, PhD; Roxana Dronca, MD; and Alan Bryce, MD

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Radiation Oncology Chair Appointed

Radiation Oncology Chair Appointed
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

Heath D. Skinner, MD, PhD, has been appointed chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, effective July 1. Clinically, he will focus on advancing UPMC Hillman Cancer Center’s radiation oncology services nationally and enhancing access to care.

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New Director for Thoracic Oncology Research Initiative

New Director for Thoracic Oncology Research Initiative
University of Colorado Cancer Center

For Sharon Pine, PhD, racial and economic disparities in cancer diagnosis and care add an urgency to lung cancer research. Dr. Pine will bring that motivation to her new role as director of the Thoracic Oncology Research Initiative (TORI) at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

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COE Leadership Team Announced

Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center has announced a new community outreach and engagement (COE) leadership team to help develop targeted interventions that will lead to sustainable, impactful changes in health equity.

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Palmer Named VP Of Cancer Clinical Administration and Strategy

Palmer Named VP Of Cancer Clinical Administration and Strategy
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Stacy L. Palmer, MBA, has joined Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University as the new vice president of cancer clinical administration and strategy. She will be responsible for coordinating clinical strategy and supporting standardization of cancer care across clinical sites and partners.

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Scientist Tapped to Lead Basic Science Research

Scientist Tapped to Lead Basic Science Research
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

A research leader with a record of important discoveries in cancer biology and precision therapeutics, Roswell Park’s Erik Knudsen, PhD, has been promoted to associate director of basic science research.

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New Associate Director of Translational Research Welcomed

University of Colorado Cancer Center

With more than 20 years of experience in gene therapy and personalized medicine, Hatim Sabaawy, MD, PhD, steps into the role of associate director of translational research at the University of Colorado (CU) Cancer Center on July 1. Dr. Sabaawy joins CU from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

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New Vice President of Cancer Services Announced

New Vice President of Cancer Services Announced
WVU Cancer Institute

Edward Harrison has joined the WVU Cancer Institute as its vice president of cancer services. His first day on the job was May 16. Prior to WVU, he served in various leadership roles at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh.

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Rectal Cancer Disappears After Experimental Use of Immunotherapy

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

A small clinical trial conducted by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center found that every rectal cancer patient who received an experimental immunotherapy treatment had their cancer go into remission.

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Blood Test Developed to Predict Liver Cancer Risk

Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center

An estimated one-quarter of adults in the U.S. have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), an excess of fat in liver cells that can increase the risk of liver cancer. Now, UT Southwestern researchers have developed a simple blood test to predict which NAFLD patients are most likely to develop liver cancer.

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Liquid Biopsy Detects DNA Markers in Advanced Breast Cancer Within Five Hours

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University

A novel, automated liquid biopsy test in development by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center can accurately detect the presence of cancer DNA in the blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer within five hours.

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New Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Reduce Disparity

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health

Cancer screening guidelines published last year expand eligibility for those at high risk for lung cancer, and new research shows that they also improve representation among African American patients.

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Discovery Could Revolutionize Understanding of Aggressive Cancer Growth and Spread

The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute

New data show that ammonia—typically known as a waste byproduct from protein degradation that is excreted from the human body through urine—plays a key role in fueling the rapid growth of certain aggressive forms of cancer.

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Solid Tumors Use a Type of T Cell as Shield Against Immune Attack

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

An unexpected trick in cancer’s playbook may fool an important component of our immune systems into knocking down our natural defenses against solid tumors. Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center say this newfound vulnerability involves a misuse of a type of T cell, part of a large family of blood cells that are essential to a functioning immune system.

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Androgen Receptor Signaling Contributes to Targeted Therapy Resistance in Melanoma

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Androgen receptor signaling affects response to BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy in both males and females with melanoma, researchers from MD Anderson Cancer Center showed in a new study. The findings provide a new target to combat therapeutic resistance and one possible answer to why men face a poorer prognosis than women when diagnosed with melanoma.

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Computer Simulations of Proteins Help Unravel Why Chemotherapy Resistance Occurs

Stony Brook Cancer Center

A team of scientists from Stony Brook Cancer Center and Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University believe they have found a new process through which drug resistance happens. A computer simulation model is helping them understand how molecules interact with Imatinib in the chemotherapy resistant process.

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Hormones Contribute to Sex Disparities in Bladder Cancer, Study Shows

Cedars-Sinai Cancer

Male sex hormones interfere with the body’s ability to fight bladder cancer, likely explaining why males experience higher cancer rates and more deadly disease, according to a new study co-led by a Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigator.

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Tumor-Based Methylation Patterns Identified as Cancer Biomarkers

Moffitt Cancer Center

In a new study, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers report on their identification of biomarkers based on a type of genetic modification called methylation that predicts the type of tumor immune environment and patient outcomes.

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Biomarker in Liquid Biopsy for Lung Cancer Appears More Accurate in Predicting Immunotherapy Response Than Tumor Biopsy

The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai researchers have validated for the first time that a liquid biopsy could be a better predictor of whether cancer immunotherapy will be successful for a patient with lung cancer than an invasive tumor biopsy.

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Locking Cellular Escape Hatch for Leukemia

Locking Cellular Escape Hatch for Leukemia
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center

After losing a close friend to acute myeloid leukemia, Kris Wood, PhD, devoted his research to helping find better treatment options for people with leukemias and lymphomas. He and his colleagues have discovered a potential new drug therapy that is preparing to enter clinical trials.

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Study of Anti-Cancer Mitochondrial Drug Shows Additional Clinical Promise

Study of Anti-Cancer Mitochondrial Drug Shows Additional Clinical Promise
Stony Brook Cancer Center

A study of the lead agent (CPI-613) in a class of anticancer drugs undergoing U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved clinical trials reveals that CPI-613 is effective against most carcinoma cell lines, and, used in combination, could have efficacy against reducing some tumors. The research was led by Paul M. Bingham, PhD.

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Varenicline Increases Smoking Cessation Rates for African American Smokers

The University of Kansas Cancer Center

The University of Kansas Cancer Center researchers have released the results of a clinical trial that examined the effectiveness of varenicline in African Americans. In their study, African American daily smokers who were given varenicline while receiving counseling had significantly greater quit rates than those who received a placebo.

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Age-Related Lung Changes Provide Pathway for Metastatic Growth of Dormant Melanoma Cancer Cells

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University

New laboratory research directed by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that secreted age-induced changes in distant sites such as the lung can effectively reactivate dormant cells and cause them to grow.

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Glioma Progression is Shaped by Genetic Evolution and Microenvironment Interactions

Glioma Progression is Shaped by Genetic Evolution and Microenvironment Interactions
The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center

The Glioma Longitudinal Analysis Consortium (GLASS) is investigating why gliomas develop resistance and recur. By analyzing tumor samples from patients before treatment then after recurrence, GLASS scientists, led by Roel Verhaak, PhD, are discovering how the brain tissue environment and the therapies themselves drive glioma cell changes that allow them to adapt and grow again.

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Listeria-Based Booster Improves Vaccine Protection Against Recurring Colon Cancer

Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health

New research shows in an animal model that using viral and bacterial vaccine approaches together is safe and far more effective at fighting treatment-resistant cancer than either approach by itself.

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Researchers Identify New Treatment Target for Prostate Cancer

Researchers Identify New Treatment Target for Prostate Cancer
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

A team of researchers at Roswell Park, led by Dhyan Chandra, PhD, have uncovered evidence that could lead to the development of a new treatment option for patients with metastatic, resistant or recurrent prostate cancer. Their findings suggest that mitochondrial unfolded protein response could be a new target for the treatment and management of this patient population.

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Social Stress Factors Drive Cancer Mechanisms That Help Explain Racial Disparities

Social Stress Factors Drive Cancer Mechanisms That Help Explain Racial Disparities
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center

A Duke Cancer Institute study led by Gayathri Devi, PhD, finds chronic stresses such as racism and poverty alter cellular functions that promote tumor growth and proliferation.

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Advanced Radiotherapy is Safe, Effective for Early-Stage Liver Cancer

The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that an advanced radiotherapy technique called radiation segmentectomy may be effective against very early to early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is the first prospective study to explore the efficacy and outcomes of this technique. Results suggest it may be a curative treatment for inoperable, early-stage HCC.

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Immunotherapy Before Surgery Associated With Improved Survival for Soft-Tissue Sarcoma

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

In a Phase II clinical trial, immune checkpoint blockade before surgery was associated with favorable responses and outcomes in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma and recurrent dedifferentiated liposarcoma, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have reported.

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Screening and Removal of Precancerous Lesions Prevents Anal Cancer

Screening and Removal of Precancerous Lesions Prevents Anal Cancer
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

A new study led by Joel Palefsky, MD, found that routine screening for and removal of precancerous anal lesions can significantly reduce the risk of anal cancer, similar to the way cervical cancer is prevented in women.

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Study Reveals How Gastric Cancer Forms, Suggests Preventive Treatment

Study Reveals How Gastric Cancer Forms, Suggests Preventive Treatment
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Eunyoung Choi, PhD, and colleagues identified for the first time that Trop2+/CD133+/CD166+ dysplastic stem cells are a key source of clonal evolution of dysplasia to multiple types of gastric cancer. Their investigation further showed that pyrvinium blocked regeneration of dysplastic stem cells by controlling the CK1a signaling protein in mouse models and in human organoids.

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Study Uncovers New Treatment Approaches for Liver Cancer Patients

Cedars-Sinai Cancer

Experts from Cedars-Sinai Cancer have analyzed patient samples, along with studies conducted in animal models, to identify a novel immune checkpoint pathway to treat hepatocellular carcinoma. The findings are centered on the discovery of a novel role for the IL-27 signaling pathway in liver cancer.

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Researchers Help Find Mechanism Leading to Prostate Cancer Drug Resistance

Moffitt Cancer Center

Moffitt Cancer Center researchers have revealed a mechanism by which prostate cancer cells become resistant through molecular modification of the androgen receptor protein and identify a potential treatment approach that could overcome this resistance.

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Groundbreaking for Major Expansion Celebrated

Groundbreaking for Major Expansion Celebrated
University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center

The University of Maryland Medical Center has broken ground for a $219 million, nine-story patient care tower—the Roslyn and Leonard Stoler Center for Advanced Medicine—that will become the new home of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Kevin J. Cullen, MD, is the center's director.

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Cancer Research Building Construction Begins

Cancer Research Building Construction Begins
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is celebrating the groundbreaking for a 244,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center - Transformational Cancer Research Building. The 12-story facility is slated to open in 2024.

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Expanding Commitment to Advance Cancer Research in the Mountain West

Expanding Commitment to Advance Cancer Research in the Mountain West
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah announces a formal expansion of its catchment area. In addition to Utah, it now includes Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. Neli Ulrich, PhD, MS, is the center's executive director.

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Statewide Cancer Navigation Program Launched

UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

The UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is implementing a new statewide patient navigation program to help cancer patients across the state access needed prevention, screening, treatment and support services.

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First Graduate of New Cancer Biology Concentration

First Graduate of New Cancer Biology Concentration
Wilmot Cancer Institute, UR Medicine

Carlos Ortiz-Bonilla, a Puerto Rican native who has been studying science at the University of Rochester (UR) for the past seven years, is the first graduate of a new course concentration in cancer biology, spearheaded by the Wilmot Cancer Institute. The cancer biology concentration was developed in partnership with UR's doctoral programs.

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Cancer Center Jobs

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Meeting Announcements

14th Annual AACI CRI Meeting

July 12, 2022
Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel, 5300 N. River Rd., Rosemont, IL 60018

The AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) program serves as a network for research leaders to develop and share best practices for the efficient operation of clinical trials offices (CTO) at AACI cancer centers. The programming of the 14th Annual AACI CRI Meeting, “Partnering in Progress,” aligns with CRI's strategic goal of stimulating cancer center interactions to maximize resources by creating opportunities for peer-to-peer networking and collaboration.

The health and safety of meeting attendees is of paramount importance. AACI continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health guidelines. We are currently planning for an in-person event and will implement protective measures in accordance with current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the City of Chicago. A virtual option is available to those unable to attend in person.

Please visit the meeting website for more information on COVID-19 masking, vaccination, and testing policies:
Health and Safety Measures
FAQ

AACI reserves the right to revise vaccination, masking, and testing policies based on evolving public health recommendations, and will notify attendees of any changes as soon as possible.

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31st Annual Short Course on Experimental Models of Human Cancer

August 14, 2022
The Jackson Laboratory, Farmington, CT
Unlike graduate courses or an academic seminar series that can span a full year or more, the 31st annual JAX Cancer Short Course provides highly relevant, cutting-edge material in just 10 days. This intensive course combines seminars and workshop-based learning opportunities from leaders in cancer genetics, cancer cell biology, emerging animal models of human cancers, cancer immunology & therapy, and computational science.

The JAX Short Course ia a hybrid event. The virtual option will be presented through a combination of on-demand lectures, live panel discussions, virtual workshops and Q&A sessions. Live sessions will be recorded and posted on a centralized canvas course for participants within 72 hours of airing.

For more information, please contact Lothar Holzke.
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2022 Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Conference: Discovery to Mainstream Oncology

September 15, 2022
National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Masur Auditorium, Bethesda, MD

The conference is hosted by the CCR Center of Excellence in Immunology and organized by Steven Rosenberg, MD, PhD; Claudia Palena, PhD; James Gulley, MD, PhD, of the NCI Center for Cancer Research

Important Dates:
Abstract Submission Deadline: August 19, 2022
Registration Deadline: September 1, 2022

Registration is free, but seating is limited.

Please send conference-related questions to [email protected].

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2022 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting

October 2, 2022
InterContinental at the Plaza, 401 Ward Pkwy., Kansas City, MO 64112

AACI cancer centers form North America's cancer research infrastructure and are hubs of critical discoveries, treatment advances and improvements in patient care. AACI and the Cancer Center Administrators Forum (CCAF) jointly formulated the program for the 2022 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting.

This three-day event convenes AACI cancer center members with national cancer research and advocacy groups, industry, and government health agencies to develop solutions to common challenges. No other program presents information on cancer research and patient care issues as they pertain to the leaders of the nation's cancer centers and provides those leaders with a forum to discuss common issues with their peers.

Continuing Medical Education (CME) is jointly provided by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and AACI. Your participation in this national meeting helps us chart a course for AACI's work on behalf of its cancer center network. We look forward to hosting you and your colleagues for this always innovative and high-quality educational experience.

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