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Participants in a meeting of cancer center directors convened by the AACR.

Science and Education

tooltip iconParticipants in the first-of-its-kind meeting of cancer center directors convened by the AACR.

Scientific Leadership

The AACR is a catalyst for progress. Leveraging the strength of its reputation among the cancer community, the AACR brings together critical stakeholders and forges collaborations that improve the lives of patients with cancer.

HISTORIC MEETING OF CANCER CENTER DIRECTORS

In July, the AACR convened a first-of-its-kind meeting of many of the nation’s cancer center directors. Chaired by AACR 2021–2022 President David Tuveson, MD, PhD, FAACR, the meeting focused on how cancer centers could best collaborate to advance cancer research and patient care. Several initiatives were proposed during the two-day meeting, including:

  • Advocating for increased funding for cancer research and cancer-related science;
  • Reforming and streamlining clinical trials—both therapeutic studies and prevention, screening, and interception trials—to markedly increase participation and diversity in patient accrual; and
  • Sustaining and empowering the future cancer workforce by expanding education, training, and mentorship.

The directors concluded the meeting with a renewed commitment to developing synergistic collaborations in the service of innovative solutions to the cancer problem.

NEW TASK FORCE: TRUST IN SCIENCE

Responding to the atmosphere of skepticism regarding the scientific enterprise that was exacerbated by misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the AACR launched a new task force focused on Trust in Science in February. The task force is chaired by William S. Dalton, PhD, MD, and was established with three primary objectives:

  • To improve communication by building a system (social platform) to communicate to all stakeholders, including patients and populations at risk, to promote trust in science by addressing their questions and countering misinformation;
  • To improve health equality and equity, especially for underserved patient populations, by forming patient participatory models and integrating new technologies to maximize patient benefit and access to clinical trials; and
  • To cultivate diversity as an ethos in the scientific enterprise and workforce.

The task force presented a Forum on the topic during the AACR Annual Meeting in April. Chaired by Dr. Dalton, the session included a panel discussion featuring task force members representing all areas of the cancer community, including patient advocacy, academia, government, and industry.

Science Education, Career Development, and Continuing Medical Education

From high school students to undergraduates to postgraduate researchers to independent investigators, the AACR recruits, trains, and inspires future generations of cancer scientists and clinicians. Under the leadership of chair Brian M. Rivers, PhD, MPH, the AACR Science Education and Career Advancement Committee ensures that the cancer workforce remains robust and ready to translate today’s discoveries into tomorrow’s treatments and cures.

AACR UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLAR AWARDS: RECOGNIZING EMERGING EXCELLENCE FOR 25 YEARS

Since 1997, the AACR has offered travel awards to support attendance at the AACR Annual Meeting for meritorious third-year undergraduate students majoring in science, to inspire these emerging scientists to pursue careers in cancer research. In April, the AACR marked the 25th anniversary of the Undergraduate Scholar Award program by bringing 20 award recipients to the Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

AACR CEO Margaret Foti, PHD, MD (hc), emphasized the importance of fostering this next generation of cancer scientists by calling the award recipients onto the stage during the Opening Ceremony to congratulate them and formally welcome them to the meeting. Dr. Foti noted that “these individuals represent the future of cancer research, who will make up the next generation of physicians, investigators, and scientific leaders.”

AACR Undergraduate Scholars recognized during the AACR Annual Meeting.

PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: PROMOTING POSSIBILITIES IN SCIENCE

The Science Education and Career Advancement Committee hosted the AACR Special Program for High School Students at the Annual Meeting and at the AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in September. More than 200 high school students across both programs participated in interactive lectures on cancer development and made connections with scientist mentors who encouraged them to focus on the cancer problem in their future studies.

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION

The AACR offered CME credit at 19 different meetings in 2022, including 15 conferences, one workshop, two joint providership meetings, and the AACR Annual Meeting 2022. AACR journals offered credit to investigators for reviewing manuscripts, and the AACR offered eight additional on-demand CME activities as part of the Project Livin’ Label series in partnership with the FDA. A total of 2,122 researchers and clinicians claimed CME credit from the AACR in 2022, and an additional 233 physicians obtained Medical Knowledge Maintenance of Certification (MOC) points through the American Board of Internal Medicine’s MOC program.

High School Program participants at the AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities.

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION

The AACR offered CME credit at 19 different meetings in 2022, including 15 conferences, one workshop, two joint providership meetings, and the AACR Annual Meeting 2022. AACR journals offered credit to investigators for reviewing manuscripts, and the AACR offered eight additional on-demand CME activities as part of the Project Livin’ Label series in partnership with the FDA. A total of 2,122 researchers and clinicians claimed CME credit from the AACR in 2022, and an additional 233 physicians obtained Medical Knowledge Maintenance of Certification (MOC) points through the American Board of Internal Medicine’s MOC program.

Meetings and Educational Workshops

AACR meetings and educational workshops bring cutting-edge cancer science to researchers around the world and foster the connections and collaborations needed to apply those discoveries to improve patient care. The AACR engaged with eight scientific organizations to convene 31 meetings in seven countries in 2022. The roster of scientific programs included three fully virtual events, and many of the in-person meetings included virtual postevent access to make the scientific advances presented available to an even wider audience.

A highlight of the special conference series was the AACR’s first-ever conference on Evolutionary Dynamics in Carcinogenesis and Response to Therapy. The conference, which took place in Tampa, Florida, in March, was developed in partnership with the new AACR Cancer Evolution Working Group. Chaired by Christina Curtis, PhD, James DeGregori, PhD, Marco Gerlinger, MD, Robert Gillies, PhD, and Andriy Marusyk, PhD, the conference addressed how microenvironmental, immune, genetic, and epigenetic heterogeneity interact to influence cancer progression and therapy success or failure. Members of the working group’s executive and steering committees were actively involved in developing the conference program, which included a keynote address by working group cochair Charles Swanton, MBPhD, FAACR.

2022 Scientific Meetings


EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS IN CARCINOGENESIS AND RESPONSE TO THERAPY

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

March 14–17; Tampa, Florida
Cochairs: Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc, James V. DeGregori, PhD, Marco Gerlinger, MD, Robert J. Gillies, PhD,* and Andriy Marusyk, PhD

* Deceased

NEW MODELS FOR GLOBAL CANCER RESEARCH, TRAINING, AND CONTROL

10th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research (ASGCR)
Supported Meeting

March 24–25; Virtual Meeting
Scientific Steering Committee Members: Frédéric Biemar, PhD, María Teresa Bourlon, MD, MSc, Mishka Kohli Cira, MPH, Dalal Najjar Cobb, Kalina Duncan, DrPH [c], MPH, Linsey Eldridge, MPH, Taylor Estes, MPH, Allison Frank, Satish Gopal, MD, MPH, Patti Gravitt, PhD, MS, Fatou Jallow, PhD, Andrea Sabina Llera, PhD, Keith Martin, MD, PC, Rita Mulherkar, PhD, Corrina Moucheraud, ScD, MPH, Webster Musonda, MBBS, MPH, Javier Gordon Ogembo, PhD, Paul Pearlman, PhD, Sam Phiri, PhD, Sudha Sivaram, PhD, MPH, Jenna Smith, and Mariana Stern, PhD

AACR ANNUAL MEETING 2022

April 8–13; New Orleans, Louisiana
Program Committee Chair: Marcia R. Cruz-Correa, MD, PhD

ADVANCES IN THE PATHOGENESIS AND MOLECULAR THERAPIES OF LIVER CANCER

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

May 5–8; Boston, Massachusetts
Cochairs: Richard S. Finn, MD, Josep M. Llovet, MD, and Jessica Zucman-Rossi, MD, PhD

SARCOMAS

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

May 9–12; Montreal, QC, Canada
Cochairs: Elizabeth R. Lawlor, DM, PhD, Poul H.B. Sorensen, MD, PhD, and E. Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, MD

ADVANCES IN MALIGNANT LYMPHOMA: MAXIMIZING THE BASIC–TRANSLATIONAL INTERFACE FOR CLINICAL APPLICATION

Third AACR International Meeting held in cooperation with the International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML) and in association with Blood Cancer Discovery

June 23–26; Boston, Massachusetts
Cochairs: Riccardo Dalla-Favera, MD, FAACR, and Sonali M. Smith, MD

THE LATEST ADVANCES IN PANCREATIC CANCER RESEARCH: FROM BASIC SCIENCE TO THERAPEUTICS

JCA-AACR Special Joint Conference

July 8–10; Kyoto, Japan
Organizing Committee Cochairs: Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, Anirban Maitra, MBBS, Kohei Miyazono, MD, PhD, Masanobu Oshima, DVM, PhD, Rosalie C. Sears, PhD, and Hiroshi Seno, MD, PhD

RETHINKING DCIS: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PREVENTION?

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

September 8–11; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cochairs: Lisa M. Coussens, PhD, FAACR, Laura J. Esserman, MBA, MD, Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD, FAACR, and Jorge S. Reis-Filho, MD, PhD

PANCREATIC CANCER

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

September 13–16; Boston, Massachusetts
Cochairs: Andrew M. Lowy, MD, Marina Pasca di Magliano, PhD, Robert H. Vonderheide, DPhil, MD, and Jen Jen Yeh, MD

15TH AACR CONFERENCE ON THE SCIENCE OF CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES IN RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES AND THE MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED

In association with the AACR Minorities in Cancer Research Council

September 16–19; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cochairs: Kevin L. Gardner, MD, PhD, K. Sean Kimbro, PhD, Martin Mendoza, PhD, Camille C.R. Ragin, PhD, and Claradina Soto, MPH, PhD

BIENNIAL OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

Presented by the Rivkin Center and the AACR

September 21, 22, 28, and 29; Virtual
Cochairs: Christina M. Annunziata, MD, PhD, Neil Johnson, PhD, James W. Lillard, MBA, PhD, and Goli Samimi, MPH, PhD

SIXTH CRI-ENCI-AACR INTERNATIONAL CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY CONFERENCE: TRANSLATING SCIENCE INTO SURVIVAL

CRT-ENCI-AACR International Conference

September 28–October 1; New York, New York
Cochairs: Özlem Türeci, MD, E. John Wherry, PhD, and Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD

COLORECTAL CANCER

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

October 1–4; Portland, Oregon
Cochairs: Jiyoung Ahn, PhD, Robert J. Coffey, MD, and Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD

CANCER EPIGENOMICS

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

October 6–8; Washington, D.C.
Cochairs: Scott A. Armstrong, MD, PhD, Howard Y. Chang, MD, PhD, Arul M. Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD, FAACR, and Margaret A. Goodell, PhD

TUMOR IMMUNOLOGY AND IMMUNOTHERAPY

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

October 21–24; Boston, Massachusetts
Cochairs: Thomas F. Gajewski, MD, PhD, Jennifer A. Wargo, MD, and Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD

EORTC-NCI-AACR MOLECULAR TARGETS AND CANCER THERAPEUTICS SYMPOSIUM

EORTC-NCI-AACR International Symposium

October 26–28; Barcelona, Spain
Cochairs: Ruth Plummer, BMBCh, DPhil, MD, James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, and Lillian L. Siu, MD

FRONTIERS IN CANCER SCIENCE

Supported Meeting

November 7–9; Singapore
Cochairs: Patrick Casey, PhD, and Joanne Ngeow, MBBS, MPH

2ND AACR-KCA JOINT WORKSHOP ON PRECISION MEDICINE IN CANCER

In conjunction with the 25th KCA Fall Symposium

November 10–11; Seoul, Korea and Virtual
Cochairs: Nilofer S. Azad, MD, and Tae Min Kim, MD, PhD

CANCER METASTASIS

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

November 14–17; Portland, Oregon
Cochairs: Fabrice Andre, MD, PhD, Sean J. Morrison, PhD, Danny R. Welch, PhD, and Zena Werb, PhD, FAACR*

*Deceased

AGING AND CANCER

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

November 17–20; San Diego, California
Cochairs: Steven E. Artandi, MD, PhD, Joanna L. Groden, PhD, and Eileen P. White, PhD, FAACR

PRECISION PREVENTION, EARLY DETECTION, AND INTERCEPTION OF CANCER

AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research

November 17–19; Austin, Texas
Chair: Timothy Rebbeck, PhD
Cochairs: Sangeeta Bhatia, MD, PhD, Luis A. Diaz, Jr., MD, FAACR, Ernest T. Hawk, MD, MPH, and Philip W. Kantoff, MD

ESMO ASIA CONFERENCE

Supported Meeting

December 2–4; Singapore

SAN ANTONIO BREAST CANCER SYMPOSIUM

UT Health San Antonio and AACR Joint Meeting

December 6–10; San Antonio, Texas and Virtual
Codirectors: Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, FAACR, and Virginia G. Kaklamani, MD

AACR-JCA JOINT CONFERENCE: BREAKTHROUGHS IN CANCER RESEARCH—TRANSLATING KNOWLEDGE INTO PRACTICE

AACR-JCA Joint Conference

December 10–14; Maui, Hawaii
Organizing Committee Cochairs: Masanori Hatakeyama, MD, PhD, and Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, FAACR

2022 WORKSHOPS


EORTC-ESMO-AACR METHODS IN CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH

Supported Workshop

June 18–24; Sint-Michielsgestel, Netherlands
Codirectors: Nadia Harbeck, MD, PhD, Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, and Saskia Litiere, PhD

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

AACR Educational Workshop

July 17–24; Snowmass Village, Colorado
Director: Ross L. Levine, MD
Codirectors: Mark W. Geraci, MD, Christine M. Lovly, MD, PhD, and Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD

AACR/ASCO METHODS IN CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH

AACR/ASCO Educational Workshop

July 24–30; Vail, Colorado
Codirectors: Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD, Julie M. Vose, MD, and Thomas M. Braun, PhD

INTEGRATIVE MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY: BRIDGING CANCER BIOLOGY AND PRECISION MEDICINE

AACR Educational Workshop

July 25–29; Boston, Massachusetts
Codirectors: Peter Kraft, PhD, Lorelei A. Mucci, MPH, ScD, and Elizabeth A. Platz, MPH, ScD

ACORD PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

Supported Workshop

September 25–30; Virtual
Convenor: Christos Karapetis, MBBS

TRANSLATIONAL CANCER RESEARCH FOR BASIC SCIENTISTS

AACR Educational Workshop

November 13–18; Boston, Massachusetts
Codirectors: Ryan B. Corcoran, MD, PhD, Lisa M. Coussens, PhD, FAACR, and George D. Demetri, MD, FAACR

THE ROBERT A. WINN DIVERSITY IN CLINICAL TRIALS AWARD PROGRAM: BMSF-AACR DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CLINICAL TRIALS WORKSHOP

BMSF-AACR Educational Workshop

November 14–19; Santa Monica, California
Codirectors: Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, Yu Shyr, PhD, FAACR, and Robert A. Winn, MD

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Scientific Review and Grants Administration

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