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AACR members at the Minorities in Cancer Research Meet and Greet session

AACR Membership

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tooltip iconAACR members attend the Minorities in Cancer Research Meet and Greet session during the AACR Annual Meeting 2022.

Membership by the Numbers

By the end of 1907, the year of its founding, the AACR consisted of 33 founding members in the United States whose stated purpose was “to further the investigation and spread the knowledge of cancer.” Since that first year, the AACR has grown and evolved at a remarkable rate. In 2022, more than 52,000 members in 129 countries worked together “to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, and collaboration.” From across the spectrum of cancer science, AACR members are the catalyst for cancer prevention and cures.

Members by Category

Chart: AACR members by category: Active members, 31 percent; Associate members, 55 percent; Emeritus/Honorary members, 7 percent; Student members, 4 percent; Affiliate members, 3 percent.

Active Members: Established laboratory researchers, physician-scientists, clinicians, and population scientists

Associate Members: Young laboratory scientists and physicians-in-training (graduate students, medical students and residents, and clinical and postdoctoral fellows)

Student Members: Undergraduate and high school students

Emeritus Members: Active members who have reached the age of 70 years

Affiliate Members: Other health care professionals (practicing oncologists, nurses, laboratory technicians, nonscientific corporate professionals, and patient advocates)

52,060

Individuals were members of the AACR as of December 2022. The AACR is the first and largest cancer research organization dedicated to accelerating the conquest of cancer.

4,835

New members joined the AACR in 2022.

76

Nobel Laureates have been members of the AACR.

4,960

Individuals have been AACR members for more than 25 years.

249

Individuals have been AACR members for more than 50 years.

130

Countries are represented by AACR members.

248

Patient advocates are members of the AACR.

Members by Work Setting

Chart: AACR members by work setting chart: academic, 44 percent; cancer center 21 percent; industry/private sector, 12 percent; hospital/medical center/clinic, 8 percent; foundation/advocacy organization, 2 percent; nonprofit research institute, 1 percent; association/professional organization, 2 percent; government, 2 percent; other/not indicated, 8 percent.

Members by Race/Ethnicity

Chart: AACR members by race/ethnicity: Caucasian, 42 percent; Asian, 35 percent; Hispanic or Latino, 6 percent; African American/Black, 4 percent; Native American/Native Alaskan/Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, <1 percent; Other/not indicated, 13 percent.

Members by Gender

Chart: AACR members by gender: Men, 50 percent; women, 44 percent; not indicated, 6 percent.

Diversifying the Cancer Workforce

Minorities in Cancer Research (2022 Council Chair: Clayton C. Yates, PhD)

Minorities in Cancer Research (MICR) is a membership group within the AACR committed to preventing and curing cancer while meeting the professional needs and advancing the careers of minority scientists. The MICR Council acts as an advisory body to the AACR leadership on issues of concern to minority investigators, including the elimination of cancer health disparities.

  • Commemorating 25 Years of Cultivating Minority Faculty. Since 1997, the AACR has offered grants to facilitate the participation in its Annual Meeting of full-time minority faculty members and faculty members of Minority-serving Institutions. Supported by a generous grant from the NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities, these AACR Minority and Minority-serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Awards have expanded the scientific horizons and the professional networks of minority investigators working at the level of assistant professor or above.

At the Annual Meeting in April, the program marked its 25th anniversary by welcoming a class of 60 Minority Scholars and 30 Minority-serving Faculty Scholars to New Orleans. The MICR commemorated the milestone with a new Faculty Assembly program for the awardees. The assembly provided the minority faculty with an open forum to discuss their challenges and needs with members of the MICR Council and to explore ways in which the AACR can help meet those needs.

  • AACR-MICR Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship. The lectureship highlights an outstanding scientist who has made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who has, through leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of minority investigators in cancer research. The 2022 edition of the lectureship recognized Robert A. Winn, MD, director of the VCU Massey Cancer Center and senior associate dean for cancer innovation at the VCU School of Medicine. Dr. Winn presented his lecture at the AACR Annual Meeting in April.
Robert A. Winn

Women in Cancer Research (2022 Council Chair: Sheila K. Singh, MD, PhD)

Women in Cancer Research (WICR) is a membership group within the AACR committed to recognizing women’s scientific achievements and fostering their career development and advancement in cancer research. The WICR Council acts as an advisory body to the AACR leadership on issues of concern to women scientists.

  • Career Development Forums: Empowering and Inspiring Women Scientists. As the COVID-19 pandemic moved to a new phase and the AACR returned to an in-person Annual Meeting, the WICR Council addressed the impact of the pandemic on women scientists in an insightful Career Development Forum at the meeting titled “Career Transformation: Evolving Your Professional and Personal Success through Challenging Times.” During the session, a panel explored the short- and long-term effects of the pandemic disruption on the careers of women scientists, addressed the rebuilding of the worldwide scientific enterprise, and discussed the role that women scientists will play in that rebuilding process.
  • AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Lectureship. This lectureship recognizes an outstanding investigator who has made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who has, through leadership or example, furthered the advancement of women in science. The 2022 edition of the lectureship honored Martine F. Roussel, PhD, FAACR (center right), coleader of the Cancer Biology Program and endowed chair in Molecular Oncogenesis at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Dr. Roussel presented her lecture at the AACR Annual Meeting in April.
Sheila K. Singh, Martine F. Roussel, and Beverly D. Lyn-Cook

Associate Member Council (2022 Council Chair: Francesco Caiazza, PhD)

The Associate Member Council (AMC) serves as the leadership body for AACR associate members, who consist of graduate students, medical students and residents, and clinical and postdoctoral fellows. The Council develops programs that address the particular needs of early-career scientists.

  • Early-Career Hill Day. In February, a total of 36 Associate Members participated in the seventh annual AACR Early-Career Hill Day. The early-career scientists visited the offices of their senators and representatives virtually and asked them to support continued robust funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI).
  • Career Discussion Sessions. In April, the Council sponsored two Career Discussion sessions during the AACR Annual Meeting 2022. These informal networking sessions provided early-career researchers with opportunities to interact with recently transitioned physician-scientists and junior faculty. Topics addressed included building a new research group, negotiating an academic salary, and how to seek help with research challenges.
AACR Career Discussion Session
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