Find out the latest in liver health issues and solutions at UT Health San Antonio’s webinar, “What You Should Know about Your Amazing Liver,” at 11 a.m. Central on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. This webinar will feature expert panelists from Mays Cancer Center, UT Health San Antonio, Texas Liver Institute, Genentech, and more to explore the state of liver health in Texas and the United States.
AACI Update | October 2025
Headlines
Dr. Anthony Letai to Lead National Cancer Institute
On Monday, September 29, Anthony Letai, MD, PhD, was confirmed as the 18th director of the National Cancer Institute. AACI congratulates Dr. Letai on his confirmation and we look forward to working with him to advance our mutual goals and accelerate progress against cancer.
Ulrich Named AACI President-Elect; Two Cancer Center Leaders Join Board
Cornelia Ulrich, MS, PhD, has been named vice president/president-elect of AACI’s Board of Directors. Dr. Ulrich is chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. Diane M. Simeone, MD, and Barry P. Sleckman, MD, PhD, were also selected to join the board.
AACI Announces 2025 Award Recipients
Pictured, clockwise from top left: Dr. Thomas F. Gajewski, Dr. John D. Carpten, the 11 Day Power Play, Representative Joaquin Castro, and Senator Katie Britt
AACI congratulates this year's Distinguished Scientist, Cancer Health Equity, Champion for Cures, and Public Service award recipients. The awards will be presented during the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
Call for AACI Steering Committee Nominations
Nominations are now being accepted for the AACI Cellular Therapy Initiative and Physician Clinical Leadership Initiative steering committees. All AACI cancer center members are welcome to submit nominations through 5:00 pm Pacific time on Friday, October 31.
CARDS Webinar: Innovating Catchment Area Communication for Cancer Centers
Pictured, clockwise from top right: Todd Burus, PhD; Tesla DuBois; and Leah Lambart, PhD, MPH, CCRP
AACI will host a Catchment Area Research Data Science (CARDS) webinar titled "Innovating Catchment Area Communication for Cancer Centers" at 1:00 pm eastern time on Monday, October 13.
Cancer Service Line Survey Findings Published
AACI’s Physician Clinical Leadership Initiative (PCLI) has published findings from its cancer service line (CSL) survey in JCO Oncology Practice, marking a major milestone in efforts to better understand how cancer centers structure and manage their CSL.
AACI Ramps Up Advocacy Efforts
Throughout Medical Research Month in September, AACI participated in advocacy activities and events to raise awareness of the value of medical research and make a strong case for federal funding ahead of the fiscal year end.
Cognizant SIP: A Decade of Impact
For over a decade, Cognizant’s Shared Investigator Platform (SIP) has transformed global clinical research from a bold vision into a trusted solution that connects thousands of sponsors, sites, and investigators. Today, SIP continues to streamline collaboration, accelerate trials, and enhance transparency to deliver better patient outcomes.
News from the Centers
McCormick Awarded $1 Million for Pancreatic Cancer Research
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
David A. Wood Chair of Tumor Biology and Cancer Research Frank McCormick, PhD, FRS, DSc (Hon), received the Stephenson Global Prize for uncovering how KRAS gene mutations disrupt the body’s ability to regulate cell growth.
Dunbrack Receives DeLano Award for Computational Biosciences
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will honor Roland L. Dunbrack, Jr., PhD, co-leader of the Cancer Signaling and Microenvironment Research Program at Fox Chase, with the 2026 DeLano Award.
Cancer Center Members Honored as 2025 Faculty of the Year
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
The Kansas Board of Regents has named Sufi Thomas, PhD, and Dinesh Pal Mudaranthakam, PhD, among its 2025 Faculty of the Year for their outstanding contributions to research and service in higher education.
Leslie Awarded $12.9 Million NCI Grant to Study Endometrial Cancer
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
Kimberly Leslie, MD, has been awarded a five-year, $12.9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study all available hormonal regimens to prevent and treat endometrial cancer.
SPORE Grant Funds $12.6 Million for Colorectal Cancer Research
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
A colorectal cancer research team led by Robert Coffey, MD, has received a Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant renewal, totaling $12.6 million from the National Cancer Institute for a five-year period.
$12 Million SPORE Grant Awarded to Improve Cancer Outcomes
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
A Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant has been awarded to UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a combined program focused on cancer outcomes. The program will receive $12 million over five years to improve cancer health outcomes across populations by investigating the interplay of tumor biology with individual risk factors and external drivers of health.
$5.8 Million NIH Award to Continue Research on Cancer Treatment Side Effects
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a five-year nearly $5.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue research into side effects of cancer therapies, including radiation and chemotherapy. The award funds Phase III of the UAMS Center for Studies of Host Response to Cancer Therapy, bringing total federal investment in the center to more than $27 million since it was established in 2015.
$4 Million ACS Grant to Launch Cancer Health Research Center
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has awarded The Tisch Cancer Institute a $4.08 million grant to establish the Cancer Health Research Center at Mount Sinai, a new initiative dedicated to reducing cancer-related health inequities across New York City.
Team Receives $3 Million to Advance Pancreatic Cancer Research
Wilmot Cancer Institute, UR Medicine
Wilmot Cancer Institute investigators Darren Carpizo, MD, PhD, and Scott Gerber, PhD, recently won a $3 million award from the National Cancer Institute to develop a new generation of treatments for pancreatic cancer.
$1.7 Million Grant Funds Virtual Cancer Center to Support Research Into Military Health
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
A University of Arizona Cancer Center researcher received a $1.7 million grant from the Department of Defense to continue the Convergent Science Virtual Cancer Center, which broadens the scope of education for cancer research trainees through an emergent, cross-disciplinary approach known as convergent science.
Project Will Evaluate Progestin Use to Treat Endometrial Cancer
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
A recently awarded five-year project program grant (P01) from the National Cancer Institute will support the study of hormone therapy for endometrial cancer. The University of Utah, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Iowa are the other institutions on the P01.
Cairns Begins Tenure as CEO
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute welcomes Bradley Cairns, PhD, as chief executive officer. Dr. Cairns was selected to lead Huntsman in July, following the departure of Mary Beckerle, PhD.
New Leaders Named for Key Programs
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
The UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has appointed several new program leaders. Caius Radu, MD, will direct the Cancer Molecular Imaging, Nanotechnology, and Theranostics Research Program, with co-directors Christine Mona, PhD, and Amar Kishan, MD. The Cancer Control and Survivorship Research Program will be led by Beth Glenn, PhD, and Mina Sedrak, MD, MS. William Lowry, PhD, will lead the Cancer Research Training, Education, and Coordination/Training & Education Program.
New Associate Directors, Program Leaders Named
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Four Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researchers have new leadership roles. William Tansey, PhD, has been appointed associate director for Shared Resources. Douglas Johnson, MD, MSCI, will be associate director for Translational Research. Douglas Kojetin, PhD, will join two other experts as co-leader of the Genome Maintenance Research Program. Kristen Ciombor, MD, MSCI, has been named co-leader of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Program.
New Colorectal Surgery Leader Selected
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Alessio Pigazzi, MD, PhD, will lead Cedar-Sinai's Faculty Division of Colorectal Surgery in the Jim and Eleanor Randall Department of Surgery. Dr. Pigazzi performed the world’s first robot-assisted tumor removal for rectal cancer over 20 years ago.
Delgoffe Announced as Associate Director for Basic Science
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Greg M. Delgoffe, PhD, has been named associate director for Basic Science at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Since March 2022, Dr. Delgoffe has led the Tumor Microenvironment Center and is co-leader of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program.
New Dermatology Department to Train Physicians, Researchers and Safeguard Skin Health
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD, has been named inaugural chair of the new Department of Dermatology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.
Researcher Co-Leads International Study on Smoking, Lung Cancer Staging
UK Markey Cancer Center
Graham Warren, MD, PhD, led a groundbreaking international study that found that smoking status at the time of lung cancer diagnosis has such a profound impact on patients' survival that it should be considered when staging lung cancer.
Researchers Pioneer Targeted Therapy for Rare T-Cell Lymphoma
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Samir Parekh, MBBS, and colleagues have successfully treated a rare and aggressive T-cell lymphoma that developed after CAR T therapy for multiple myeloma – a first in the field of hematologic cancer research.
Short-Course Radiation Improves Quality of Life for Men With Prostate Cancer
Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute
Men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer can receive a complete, effective course of radiation in just five treatments, according to results of an international Phase III trial conducted by Rodney J. Ellis, MD.
Trial Shows Complete Response for Patients with a Rare, Deadly Blood Cancer
Stanford Cancer Institute
Nearly three-quarters of people with a subtype of a rare form of deadly blood cancer saw their cancers become undetectable after treatment with a drug called pemigatinib in a Phase II, multicenter, international trial run by Stanford Medicine. The responses lasted months to years and enabled potentially curative stem cell transplants in 13 out of 45 trial participants.
Dietary Changes Could Provide a Therapeutic Avenue for Brain Cancer
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
In a recent study, researchers from the University of Michigan tracked how glucose is used in glioblastoma tumor cells. The team, a partnership between the Rogel Cancer Center, Department of Neurosurgery, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, discovered that brain tumors differ in how they consume certain nutrients in diets.
New Urine-Based Test Created to ID Prostate Cancers
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, and four other institutions have devised a novel method to test for prostate cancer using biomarkers present in urine, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. This approach could significantly reduce the need for invasive, often painful, biopsies, they say.
Study Finds Most Cancer Patients Exposed to Misinformation
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
Ninety-three percent of patients with a new cancer diagnosis were exposed to at least one type of misinformation about cancer treatments, a UF Health Cancer Center study has found. UF researchers are piloting an "information prescription" to steer patients to sources of evidence-based information like the American Cancer Society.
Study Shows How Smoking Drives Pancreatic Cancer
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
A study explains why smokers have a higher chance of developing pancreatic cancer and why they tend to have worse outcomes than nonsmokers. Researchers from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center found a specific cell that responds to environmental toxins such as those found in cigarettes. When the toxins bind to the cells, it leads to release of a protein, interleukin-22, causing tumors to grow aggressively in mice with pancreatic cancer.
In Extensive Sequencing Study, Scientists Find Few Links Between Cancer and Microbiome
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
About a dozen studies in the past five years have made claims linking nearly every type of human cancer with the presence of microbiomes, "communities" of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in or on people's bodies. Now, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say a study that sequenced human cancers found far fewer microbial DNA sequences than earlier studies reported in the same cancer tissue samples.
Mammograms May Benefit Women Well Into Their 80s, Study Finds
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
For many older women, the question of whether to continue breast cancer screening has been uncertain. While most guidelines recommend mammograms up to age 74, advice for women 75 and older has been less clear. A new study from researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests that regular mammograms may still offer significant benefits for women in their 80s.
Healthy Telomeres Are Key for Cancer-Fighting T Cells
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Tumors are stressful places for cancer-fighting immune cells. New research by University of Pittsburgh scientists found that, in mice, the toxic tumor environment causes mitochondria to generate reactive oxygen species that travel to the nucleus and damage telomeres, driving T cells to a dysfunctional state.
Lung Cancer Cells in the Brain Form Electrical Connections With Neurons That Spur Tumor Growth
Stanford Cancer Institute
Small cell lung cancer often metastasizes to the brain. A Stanford Medicine-led study shows the cancer cells form synapses with neurons, and signaling across these synapses encourages tumor growth.
Do CT Scans Increase Childhood Cancer Risk?
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
A recent study links exposure to radiation from medical imaging to a small-but-significant risk of blood cancers among children and adolescents. Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study will help medical personnel make informed decisions about using imaging on children. The study concluded that while ionizing radiation is a carcinogen, the benefit-to-risk ratio favors CT imaging of children when imaging is justified and the technique minimizes adverse effects.
Researchers Detail Reliable Measurement for Blood-Brain Barrier Opening Using Focused Ultrasound
University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and other North American institutions have provided the first technical description for using focused ultrasound to reliably open the blood-brain barrier. The findings pave the way for expanding the use of this experimental device to open the blood-brain barrier to improve treatments and diagnostics for patients with brain tumors and other neurological disorders.
Study Finds Melanoma Less Common in Individuals With Several Tattoos
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
People with more than one tattoo session may have a decreased risk of melanoma – with one key caveat, according to research from Huntsman Cancer Institute. The study found that having two or more tattoo sessions decreased the risk of both invasive and in situ melanoma. But researchers also found that participants with only one tattoo session were more likely to have melanoma, especially in situ.
Study Finds GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Improve Lung Cancer Outcomes
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Lung cancer patients who take medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists—commonly prescribed for weight loss and diabetes management—fare better than those who don’t, according to research led by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
World Lung Cancer Expert Diagnosed With Advanced Lung Cancer
University of Colorado Cancer Center
D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, has spent his career fighting lung cancer. In 2022, that fight turned personal when he received a diagnosis of his own. After a recent progression, he felt it was time to reveal that he is also a patient.
Partnership with IIT Madras to Accelerate Global Health Innovation
LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is partnering with LSU Health New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) to advance global health through education, research, and technology-driven entrepreneurship programs.
Conference: Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations
Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson
Join Mays Cancer Center and Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, MPH, of the University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, for the Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations conference, February 18-20, 2026.
Reinforcing the Importance of HPV Vaccination to Prevent Cancer
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, along with 61 other National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers, leading national organizations, and the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center, have endorsed a joint statement urging the nation’s health care systems, physicians, health care professionals, parents, caregivers, and the public to promote and choose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for cancer prevention.
Cancer Center Jobs
Assistant Director of Finance
Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health
Read moreDirector, Office of Data Quality-Clinical Research
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School
Read morePediatric Oncology and Cellular Therapy Physician Scientist
Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
Read moreMultiple Hematology/Oncology Positions Available
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Read moreMeeting Announcements
Webinar: What You Should Know About Your Amazing Liver
October 8, 2025
11:00 AM
2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 19, 2025
Register today for the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, October 19-21, at Salamander Washington DC.
De Docta Ignorantia: Cancer Immunology in the Era of Omics and Artificial Intelligence
November 6, 2025
This two-day national symposium addresses recent advances in the field and should be an exciting forum for discussion and debate on the current understanding of cancer immunology in the era of omics and artificial intelligence.
Young Adult Cancer Symposium
November 15, 2025
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, a leader in research to better understand early-onset cancers and to address the unique challenges faced by younger patients, will be holding the VICC 2025 Young Adult Cancer Symposium on Nov. 15.
2026 AACI Catchment Area Data Excellence (CADEx) Conference
March 9, 2026
Save the date for the 2026 AACI Catchment Area Data Excellence (CADEx) Conference, March 9-11 in Atlanta, GA.