News
United by Cancer Research: Advocates Come Together at 2026 AACI/AACR Hill Day
Photos by Phojestic Photography
On Thursday, May 14, AACI co-hosted its annual joint Hill Day with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), making the signature advocacy event a centerpiece of National Cancer Research Month. The timing gave attendees an ideal opportunity to reflect on decades of progress against cancer while embracing the future of cancer research and the lifesaving discoveries it holds.
Over 110 participants—including directors from 24 AACI cancer centers—joined faculty, researchers, oncologists, cancer survivors, and patient advocates on Capitol Hill to share a single message with legislators and staff: that stable, predictable funds for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) are critical for advancing cancer research and care at our nation’s cancer centers.
The 2026 AACI/AACR Hill Day was preceded on Wednesday, May 13, with an evening reception recognizing Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) with the 2026 Cancer Research Ally Award. WVU Cancer Institute Director Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, MD, made remarks in honor of Sen. Capito, and Sarah Kaehny, a patient advocate with the Wisconsin delegation, spoke in honor of Sen. Baldwin.
At the heart of conversations with legislators and their staff on Hill Day, advocates never strayed far from patients and their perspectives. Kaehney was among several patient advocates, including cancer center community advisory board leaders, cancer survivors, and Hill Day Patient Scholarship recipients, whose personal stories were a stark reminder that when cancer research funding is under threat, real lives are at stake. Representatives from Patient Action for Cancer Research interviewed patient advocates throughout the day as part of a larger effort to protect cancer research funding through storytelling.
Though Hill Day and National Cancer Research Month have passed, our advocacy remains urgent and vital. AACI and AACR ask Congress to provide at least $51.3 billion for NIH and $7.999 billion for NCI in Fiscal Year 2027, consistent with longstanding bipartisan recommendations.