Register today for the 2025 AACI/AACR Hill Day, Thursday, May 22, in Washington, DC.
AACI Update | April 2025
Headlines
Wilmot Cancer Institute Earns NCI Designation
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has named the University of Rochester’s Wilmot Cancer Institute as the nation’s 73rd designated cancer center. Jonathan W. Friedberg, MD, MMSc, is the institute's director. NCI designation comes with five years of funding to expand patient access to clinical trials, develop new research initiatives, support community outreach geared toward cancer prevention and awareness, and improve access to cancer services, with a focus on underserved areas.
Patient Advocate, Educational Coach to Keynote CRI Meeting
Patient advocate Loriana Hernández-Aldama will present the opening keynote on Monday, June 23, during the 17th Annual AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) Meeting in Rosemont, IL. On Tuesday, June 24, Chad Fritsche, a certified health and wellness coach at Mayo Clinic’s Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center, will deliver the second keynote address.
Register for Our Next PCLI Webinar
Registration is open for an upcoming AACI webinar, hosted by AACI's Physician Clinical Leadership Initiative (PCLI). "Healing Waves: How Hawaii is Turning the Tide on Cancer Inequities," is scheduled for Wednesday, April 9. AACI webinars are free and open to all faculty and staff at our member cancer centers.
AACI Executive Director Shares Economic Impact of NIH, NCI
On Sunday, March 23, AACI Executive Director Jennifer W. Pegher appeared on "Our Region's Business," a Pittsburgh business affairs program produced jointly by WPXI-TV and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Pegher shared the impact of federal investments in the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute and explained how disruptions to cancer research and clinical trials could mean the difference between life and death for patients with cancer. Watch Now
A New Tool for Communicating the Benefits of Federally Funded Cancer Research
With its new Defending Cancer Research Digest, AACI aims to expand awareness of the very real benefits of research funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute. We hope you'll read through the stories we’ve collected and share them widely on social media, through your institutions' communication channels, and in your communities. Please send us your cancer center's stories, especially those focused on patients and the positive outcomes they've experienced thanks to research and care supported by federal funding.
Nominate a Patient Advocate for a Hill Day Scholarship
This year AACI is offering scholarships of up to $1,000 to enable patient advocates to attend Hill Day and share their important perspectives during congressional meetings. Nominations are due Friday, April 11. Up to five scholarship recipients will be selected and the cancer center representative submitting the application will be notified of their nominee’s status by Friday, April 25.
Workshop Inspires Future Cancer Center Leaders
The 2025 AACI Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop, held March 11-12, drew nearly 100 attendees, with 82 cancer centers represented. Many thanks to all the AACI member colleagues and supporters who joined us in Rosemont, IL. Attendees reflected the deep pool of talented emerging leaders who are accelerating progress against cancer at AACI cancer centers.
Reminder: Nominations Open for 2025 AACI Awards
Pictured, clockwise from top: 2024 recipients of AACI's Champion for Cures, Distinguished Scientist, and Cancer Health Equity awards
Photos by Randy Belice
There's still time to submit nominations for the 2025 Cancer Health Equity and Champion for Cures awards. The submission deadline for both awards is Friday, May 2. Any faculty and staff at an AACI member institution may submit a nomination for one or both awards. Recipients will be selected from the slate of nominees by AACI's Board of Directors.
News from the Centers
Reddy Elected 2024 AAAS Fellow
Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine
Pavan Reddy, MD, director of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine, has been elected to the newest class of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows. Reddy is recognized for his work to revolutionize the care of patients to control graft-versus-host disease.
Researchers Named National Academy of Inventors Senior Members
Siteman Cancer Center
Three Washington University scientists at Siteman Cancer Center have been named senior members of the National Academy of Inventors. They are Aaron DiAntonio, MD, PhD; John DiPersio, MD, PhD; and Srikanth Singamaneni, PhD.
Alycia So Inducted Into Philadelphia Academy of Surgery
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Fox Chase Cancer Center’s Alycia So, MD, was recently inducted as a fellow into the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery. Founded in 1879, the academy is the oldest continuously meeting surgical society in the United States.
Intensive Care Unit Earns National Recognition
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Intensive Care Unit has earned the Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The bronze award marks the cancer center’s second national award for nursing excellence so far this year, joining Magnet® Recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
McCluggage Makes UCSF Nursing History
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Oncology nurse Julie McCluggage, RN, OCN, CRN-BC, is the first nurse in UCSF history to earn the rigorous Clinical Research Nurse-Board Certified (CRN-BC) credential. McCluggage, who has been caring for UCSF patients for 29 years, helped establish and works with the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Cancer Immunotherapy Program (CIP).
Thyroid Cancer Research Team Wins Award
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
The Thyroid and Thyroid Cancer Research team, or ThyCARE, at the Rogel Cancer Center received the inaugural Endocrine Care Innovation Award from the American Association of Endocrinology.
Bhardwaj Named AACR Fellow
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD, was named a Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy Class of 2025. Dr. Bhardwaj was recognized for her research on human dendritic cell biology, including the development of Toll-like receptor agonist- and dendritic cell-based vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases.
Monje Receives Lundbeck Foundation Brain Prize
Stanford Cancer Institute
Stanford Cancer Institute member Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, was honored for her transformative research showing that nervous system activity can promote cancer initiation, growth, spread, and treatment resistance. These discoveries have laid the foundations for a new field of research called cancer neuroscience that represents a paradigm shift in the understanding of these cancers.
Bossmann Selected as Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Stefan Bossmann, PhD, was selected by the National Academy of Inventors to join the 2025 class of senior members. He is the first senior member from KU Medical Center. The academy recognizes and promotes academic invention.
Three Faculty Named Most Highly Cited Researchers
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Fox Chase Cancer Center’s Hossein Borghaei, DO, MS; Elizabeth Plimack, MD, MS; and Lorenzo Galluzzi, PhD, have been named to the 2024 list of Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate, a leading global provider of transformative intelligence.
Zhan Invested in Inaugural Chair for Myeloma Research
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine has invested Fenghuang “Frank” Zhan, MD, PhD, research director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s Myeloma Center, in the Dr. Bart Barlogie Chair for Myeloma Research. Dr. Zhan is the inaugural holder of the endowed chair.
Negrin New President-Elect of ASH
Stanford Cancer Institute
Stanford Cancer Institute senior advisor Robert Negrin, MD, was named president-elect of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). An ASH member since 1998, he has served across various ASH committees and working groups and most recently served as the founding editor-in-chief of Blood Advances.
AI Technology for Therapeutic Antibody Discovery to Be Developed
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
A project led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center aims to use artificial intelligence to generate antibody therapies against any antigen target of interest. VUMC has been awarded up to $30 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to build an antibody-antigen atlas, develop AI-based algorithms to engineer antigen-specific antibodies, and apply the AI technology to identify and develop potential therapeutic antibodies.
Nowicki Awarded $4.5 Million NCI Grant to Advance Next Generation of Cellular Immunotherapies for Solid Tumors
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Physician-scientist Theodore Scott Nowicki, MD, PhD, has been awarded a $4.5 million R37 MERIT Award to help improve the effectiveness of cellular therapies for solid tumors. Dr. Nowicki and his team have found that T cells are more effective at killing cancer cells when they produce higher levels of a molecule called TNF-alpha.
Scientist Awarded $1.9 Million to Study Air Pollution, Breast Cancer
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
A researcher at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study the role of environmental exposures in the development of early onset breast cancer in Arkansas women.
$1.2 Million Grant Will Fund Study on Possible Cancer Risk Linked With Neighborhood Environment
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
A University of Arizona Cancer Center researcher has received a $1.2 million grant from the American Cancer Society to evaluate potential links between the neighborhood environment and cancer risk. Researchers will use data from two ongoing studies: the NIH-AARP Diet and Cancer Study, a large prospective cohort across six states and two cities; and the Arizona Cancer Registry.
Miller Named Interim Cancer Center Director
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
Masonic Cancer Center (MCC) has announced that Jeffrey Miller, MD, (pictured) will serve as the center’s interim director. MCC extends its deep appreciation to Douglas Yee, MD, for his leadership over nearly 18 years as director. Under Dr. Yee, MCC earned its best-ever Cancer Center Support Grant score from the National Cancer Institute, locking in critical federal funding through January 2029.
Inaugural Leader of Global Oncology Initiative Appointed
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah announces the appointment of Deanna Kepka, PhD, MPH, investigator at HCI and professor in the College of Nursing, as the inaugural leader of the Global Oncology Initiative. Dr. Kepka brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to cancer prevention and global health.
New Co-Lead for Biobehavioral Cancer Control Program
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Marci Lee Nilsen, PhD, RN, CHPN, FAAN, is the new co-lead of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center's Biobehavioral Cancer Control program. Dr. Nilsen is also director of the Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Program, a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) School of Medicine, and an affiliate member of Pitt's Center for Bioethics and Health Law.
Specialist in Thoracic Cancers and Primary CNS Tumors Joins Center
GW Cancer Center
The GW Cancer Center announces the addition of Prashanth Ashok Kumar, MD, to its hematologist-oncologist team. With a background in thoracic oncology, Dr. Ashok Kumar brings a wealth of expertise in diagnosing, treating, and managing cancers affecting the lungs, esophagus, and chest.
Chief Surgical Officer Appointed
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Breast cancer surgeon Tari A. King, MD, FACS, FSSO, FASCO, has been appointed chief surgical officer for the cancer service line at Winship Cancer Institute and Emory Healthcare. She will also serve as chief of the newly formed Division of Breast Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine and as co-director of Winship’s Glenn Family Breast Center.
Carpenter Announced as President of SPEROS FL
Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center and its wholly owned subsidiary SPEROS FL, a 775-acre global innovation campus, has announced Josh Carpenter, D.Phil., as the president of Speros and Moffitt’s chief integration officer. Dr. Carpenter will unite Speros and Moffitt’s clinical and research expertise with commercial partners to accelerate breakthroughs in cancer prevention and treatment.
Co-Leader of Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program Named
Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
Tracy Smith, PhD, (pictured) has joined Ashish Deshmukh, PhD, as a co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. Dr. Smith's research focuses on reducing the harms associated with smoking and moving people away from combustible tobacco products.
Study Aims to Better Understand Cancer Risk for Firefighters
Duke Cancer Institute
A research study led by members of the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment and the Duke Cancer Institute aims to tackle the issue of cancer risk among firefighters based on their exposure to certain harmful chemicals.
Eat Better, Breathe Easier? Research Points to Link Between Diet, Lung Cancer
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
For cancers of organs like the liver, the long-term impact of our diet has been well studied, giving us guidance about red meat, wine, and other delicacies. A new study from researchers at University of Florida Health looks at another organ whose cancer risk may be affected by poor diet: the lungs. The study was funded by several National Institutes of Health grants and a collaboration between UK Markey Cancer Center and the UF Health Cancer Center.
Pre-Surgical Cabozantinib May Improve Kidney Cancer Outcomes
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
A Phase II clinical trial led by researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University has demonstrated that cabozantinib, a targeted therapy currently approved for advanced kidney cancer, may offer significant benefits when used before surgery in patients with locally advanced, nonmetastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Treatment Strategy Reprograms Brain Cancer Cells, Halting Tumor Growth
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
UCLA scientists have identified a potential new strategy for treating glioblastoma by reprogramming aggressive cancer cells into harmless ones. The findings demonstrate that combining radiation therapy with a plant-derived compound called forskolin can force glioblastoma cells into a dormant state, making them incapable of dividing or spreading.
Chemo-Immunotherapy Approach Shows Potential Benefit in Patients With Advanced HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers demonstrated the potential of a novel treatment approach including immunotherapy to treat advanced human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. More than half of study participants had 50 percent or more of their tumors shrink after receiving the immunotherapy drug nivolumab with chemotherapy, followed by response-adaptive chemo-radiation therapy.
Repurposed FDA-Approved Drug Could Help Treat High-Grade Glioma
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
A study by researchers from the University of Michigan, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the Medical University of Vienna, shows that high-grade glioma tumor cells harboring DNA alterations in the gene PDGFRA responded to the drug avapritinib, which is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors with a PDGFRA exon 18 mutation as well advanced systemic mastocytosis and indolent systemic mastocytosis.
Breakthrough Combination Therapy Tackles Drug Resistance in Lung Cancer With Common KRAS Mutation
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
A team of scientists at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center has discovered a new combination therapy —sotorasib and an experimental drug called FGTI-2734—that overcomes drug resistance and makes targeted treatment more effective in lung tumors harboring a specific mutation.
New Cell Surface Targets for Advanced Prostate Cancer Highlighted
Duke Cancer Institute
Multiple new cell surface targets are being investigated in advanced prostate cancer to hopefully lead to more effective therapies. Andrew Armstrong, MD, director of research for the Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, spoke with Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology about these developments.
Researchers Learn How a Drug Called Zotatifin Kills Cancer Cells
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Zotatifin, which was developed by UCSF researchers, is currently being tested against breast cancer. The latest research shows it also might work against prostate and other cancers.
Study Unveils Benefits of Precision Exercise for Lung Cancer Surgery Patients
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
A study funded by the National Cancer Institute and led by researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah shows that a personalized, clinic-aligned exercise program significantly improves physical function and reduces fatigue in lung cancer patients undergoing surgery.
Hope for Immunotherapy as Prostate Cancer Treatment
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
A new study by University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers found that an immunotherapy previously shown to be ineffective against prostate cancer may have therapeutic potential when combined with a synergistic treatment approach.
New Insights Into the Origins of Ovarian Cancer
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have identified a novel trigger of a deadly form of ovarian cancer: a subset of progenitor cells that reside in fallopian tube supportive tissue, or stroma. The discovery of these high-risk cells could pave the way for better approaches to prevent and detect high-grade serous ovarian cancer.
PGV001, a Multi-Peptide Personalized Neoantigen Vaccine Platform: Phase I Study
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Researchers at The Tisch Cancer Institute report on a personalized multi-peptide neoantigen cancer vaccine called PGV001, using relatively few antigens that induced a strong immune response across multiple cancer types.
Partnership Gives Veterans Greater Access to Clinical Trials
The University of Kansas Cancer Center
Veterans in the U.S. face numerous health care challenges, including limited access to early-phase cancer clinical trials. In response, The University of Kansas Cancer Center and the Kansas City Veteran Medical Center have entered an agreement designed to address this gap and expand access to clinical trials for veterans.
AI Technology Helps to Analyze Colonoscopies
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
When performing colonoscopies, endoscopists can miss polyps that are flat and don't stick up into the middle of the colon, making it more likely that an undetected polyp may go on to develop into colon cancer. These stealth polyps are a perfect match for GI Genius, a new artificial intelligence (AI) technology that Fred Hutch is using to read colonoscopy scans.
Oncology Patient Navigator Training Now Available
GW Cancer Center
GW Cancer Center has launched an updated free on-demand course titled Oncology Patient Navigator Training: The Fundamentals. The revised training aligns with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Professional Oncology Navigation Task Force Practice requirements. Learners can receive a certificate of completion or 14 continuing education credits for Certified Healthcare Education Specialists, or 14 nursing contact hours or 14 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Community Health Van Launched
Siteman Cancer Center
Siteman Cancer Center has unveiled a rolling resource to improve community health across the region. The 40-foot "Health on the Move" community van, operated by Siteman’s Program for Elimination of Cancer Disparities, will bring cancer screenings directly to residents of St. Louis and 82 counties in Missouri and Illinois. Public health coordinators Naomy Gonzalez Aza (left) and Kimberly Thorwegen are pictured.
New Non-Surgical Robotic Focused Ultrasound Procedure for Prostate Cancer Offered
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center is offering a form of noninvasive robotic ultrasound treatment for early- to intermediate-stage prostate cancer patients. The technology—High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)—harnesses high-intensity ultrasound waves to target cancerous prostate tissue, without invasive surgery or radiation.
First Mobile Lung Screening Program in Indiana to Bring Life-Saving Care to Eligible Hoosiers
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Indiana's first mobile lung screening program, which includes a 40-foot truck with a CT scanner, is bringing life-saving lung screenings directly to Hoosiers across the state. The program will offer a convenient and accessible way to detect lung cancer early, when it is most treatable.
Cancer Center Jobs
Vice Chair, Bone Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapies
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Read moreTranslational Scientists - Breast Cancer, Leukemia/Myeloma, Lung Cancer
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
Read moreMeeting Announcements
17th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
June 23, 2025
Register today for the 17th Annual AACI CRI Meeting, June 23-25, 2025, at Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 19, 2025
Save the date for the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, October 19-21, at Salamander Washington DC.