In advance of the Juneteenth holiday, a celebration of progress in equity, join Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) President Dr. Nadine J. Barrett and Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) President Dr. Robert A. Winn in an empowering discussion about a shared organizational goal to advance equitable cancer care. What will it take for the cancer community to effect real change? Hear about the science behind outreach engagement and learn how you can begin to contribute to the conversation in your community. Chat live with ACCC and AACI Executive Directors, Christian G. Downs and Jennifer W. Pegher, who will be available to answer questions about this important ACCC/AACI partnership.
AACI Update | June 2024
Headlines
Dr. Patricia LoRusso to Keynote CRI Meeting
Patricia LoRusso, DO, PhD, will present a keynote at 8:30 am central time on Tuesday, June 25, during the 16th Annual AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) Meeting in Rosemont, IL. Dr. LoRusso is an oncologist and associate director of innovative medicine at the Yale School of Medicine. Her keynote, "The Making of a Clinical Researcher: A Personal Journey," will detail the inspiring story of her path to clinical research.
AACI and ACCC to Host Virtual Conversation on Equity in Cancer
At 12:00 pm eastern time on Tuesday, June 18, in advance of the Juneteenth holiday, join Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) President Nadine J. Barrett, PhD, MA, MS, FACCC, and AACI President Robert A. Winn, MD, in an empowering discussion about a shared organizational goal to advance equitable cancer care.
Advocates Gather in Washington for 2024 Hill Day
On Thursday, May 16, AACI co-hosted the 2024 Hill Day with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). One hundred participants, representing 27 states, presented a unified voice supporting stable funding increases for the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.
News from the Centers
Loggers Recognized as National Palliative Care Leader
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Elizabeth Loggers, MD, PhD, has been recognized as an Emerging Leader in Hospice and Palliative Medicine by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The academy has recognized a new cohort of emerging leaders every five years since the program began in 2014.
Sparano Selected as OncLive Giant of Cancer Care
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Joseph A. Sparano, MD, was selected as the 2024 OncLive Giant of Cancer Care in Breast Cancer. The Giants of Cancer Care program honors the accomplishments of leading researchers and educators whose discoveries have propelled the field. Inductees are recognized for their achievements in oncology research and clinical practice.
Wetter Recognized for Exemplary Leadership in Cancer Equity Initiatives
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
David W. Wetter, PhD, senior director for cancer health equity science at Huntsman Cancer Institute, has been awarded the Society of Behavioral Medicine Senior Investigator Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cancer Prevention and Control.
Ragin Awarded AACR Lectureship
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Camille Ragin, PhD, MPH, associate director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Fox Chase Cancer Center, received the American Association for Cancer Research’s (AACR) Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship. She delivered the lecture at the AACR Annual Meeting 2024 in San Diego.
NCI Renews Comprehensive Designation for Georgetown Lombardi
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
The National Cancer Institute has awarded its most prestigious designation—"Comprehensive" Cancer Center status—to Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in recognition of its high-impact research, community outreach, and cancer care. Louis M. Weiner, MD, is the center's director.
New Study to Find Out What Drives Cancer in Asian Americans
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC San Francisco researchers have received $12.45 million from the National Cancer Institute to lead the first long-term study of cancer among Asian Americans, a highly diverse, yet understudied, group.
Grant Funds Study of Novel Drug for Immunotherapy Treatment of Melanoma
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
With a $3.4 million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute, UF Health Cancer Center researchers will study how a novel small-molecule drug could be used to enhance immunotherapy treatments for melanoma.
$3.3 Million Awarded to Develop Risk-Based Approach to Thyroid Cancer Survivorship Care
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Do all thyroid cancer survivors need the same level of follow-up care and monitoring? With a new $3.3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, Megan Haymart, MD, will identify survivors at different risks of recurrence and develop a system for long-term monitoring based on that risk.
$2.7 Million Grant to Explore Hypoxia Impact on Blood Stem Cells
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Indiana University School of Medicine scientists are on a mission to understand why hematopoietic stem cells exhibit better responses in a low-oxygen environment within the bone marrow, also known as hypoxia. A new four-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases will support the work.
Stoyanova Receives DOD Award
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Tanya Stoyanova, PhD, was awarded an Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award from the Department of Defense to develop new approaches to detect and treat neuroendocrine prostate cancer.
$5 Million for Blood Cancer Immunotherapies
Siteman Cancer Center
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has awarded Washington University researchers at Siteman Cancer Center a $5 million grant to support trials in cell-based immunotherapies and cancer vaccines.Clinical and Translational Researcher Leads Phase I Clinical Trials
Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University
Karmanos Cancer Institute welcomes Wasif Saif, MD, MBBS, as the new leader of the Phase I Clinical Trials Multidisciplinary Team and co-leader of the Gastrointestinal and Neuroendocrine Oncology Multidisciplinary Team.
New Vice Chair of Research Announced
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Cedars-Sinai Cancer has selected radiation oncology physicist Indrin Chetty, PhD, as the new vice chair of Research and director of the Medical Physics Division in the Department of Radiation Oncology.
Thoracic Chair Tapped as Chief Strategy Officer, Senior VP of Business Development and Outreach
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has appointed Sai Yendamuri, MD, MBA, FACS, as chief strategy officer and senior vice president of Business Development and Outreach. Dr. Yendamuri has worked tirelessly to improve lung cancer care and outcomes both in the clinic and laboratory since his start at Roswell Park in 2007.
Blind Named Associate Director for DEI
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Ray Blind, PhD, has been named associate director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. He is a nationally recognized investigator in the understanding of the structure, function, and signaling of nuclear lipids.
Merad Named Dean for Translational Research and Therapeutic Innovation
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, has been appointed dean for Translational Research and Therapeutic Innovation of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She will focus on cultivating a culture of mechanistic clinical trials throughout the campus and forging stronger partnerships with the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.Castillo Named DEI Associate Director
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
The UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center has named Eliseo F. Castillo, PhD, as associate director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He has been deeply engaged in several mentoring and outreach programs at the center.
New Leadership for Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Interim Physician-in-Chief David Tom Cooke, MD, is now associate director of the center’s Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEAL). Dr. Cooke (at right, in photo) will lead the newly appointed IDEAL team that includes assistant directors Miquell Olivia Miller, MD, and Luis Godoy, MD.
Nanotechnology Expert to Lead NanoSTAR Institute
University of Virginia Cancer Center
Evan A. Scott, PhD, an expert in the use of nanotechnology to understand and fight disease, will head up the University of Virginia’s Institute for Nanoscale Scientific and Technological Advanced Research, or nanoSTAR, as UVA enters a new era in nanotechnology research with the launch of the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology.
New Radiation Oncology Leader Announced
Siteman Cancer Center
Sana D. Karam, MD, PhD, will lead radiation oncology at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, beginning October 1. The role is part of her appointment as the James S. McDonnell Professor of Radiation Oncology and head of the Department of Radiation Oncology at WashU.
Proximity to a Cancer Center Contributes to Cancer Stage at Diagnosis
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Location, race and insurance status play a significant part in the odds of a patient being diagnosed with early-stage or late-stage cancer, according to a detailed medical records analysis of more than 94,000 patients with cancer by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
Quadruple Therapies and the Future of Multiple Myeloma Treatment
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami
The treatment landscape for multiple myeloma is shifting rapidly. Over the last decade, options have evolved from double to triple to quadruple combination therapies. What do these new options mean for patients and how will treatment change in the future?
Research Shows Muscle, Fat Strongly Linked to Survival in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and five partner institutions are shedding light on how body composition at the time of diagnosis relates to mortality in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.
Widening Inequality Seen Where Cancer Clinical Trials Are Available
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
A new study shows that opportunities to join a cancer clinical trial have remained scarce in certain counties considered to be socially vulnerable, which are often counties with the highest concentration of racial and ethnic minority groups and higher proportions of the population facing adversity on multiple social determinants of health.
New Therapeutic Target in Advanced Prostate Cancer Uncovered
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson
New research has uncovered a previously unknown and unexpected mechanism of active Stat5 signaling pathway as an inducer of androgen receptor and its various forms in prostate cancer. The study team included investigators from Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health, the University of Minnesota, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and Moffitt Cancer Center.
New Treatment May Enable More Patients With High Risk Blood Cancers to Receive Stem Cell Transplants
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami
A new treatment approach using an older drug may enable more patients with high-risk blood cancers to receive transplanted stem cells from unrelated, partially matched donors, according to a study conducted by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and colleagues.
Strengthening CAR T Therapy to Work Against Solid Tumors
Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center have shown that a breakthrough therapy for treating blood cancers can be adapted to treat solid tumors. The findings involve changes to standard CAR T-cell therapy that can significantly boost its effectiveness against solid tumors including pancreatic cancer and glioblastomas.
CAR T Cell Therapy for Pediatric Brain Cancer Warrants Further Study
Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine
Novel therapeutic approaches are needed for children with diffuse midline glioma (DMG) and other recurrent high-grade central nervous system (CNS) tumors, aggressive brain cancers with poor prognoses. A type of immunotherapy using T cells modified with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR T) has demonstrated efficacy in other cancers, but use in DMG and other CNS tumors has been limited.
mRNA Vaccine Triggers Fierce Immune Response to Fight Malignant Brain Tumor
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
In a first-ever human clinical trial of four adult patients, an mRNA cancer vaccine developed at the University of Florida quickly reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma.
New Immunotherapy Offers Hope to Patients With Metastatic Lung Cancer
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center –James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute say results of a Phase II, multi-center clinical trial revealed that a new type of cell therapy is a promising potential treatment option for patients with stage 4 lung cancer who were previously treated but later developed resistance to other therapies.
Prostate Cancer Study: More Health Benefits From Plant-Based Diet
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
A study of more than 2,000 men with localized prostate cancer found that eating a primarily plant-based diet was associated with a 47 percent lower risk that their cancer would progress compared with those who consumed the most animal products. Men with prostate cancer could significantly reduce the chances of the disease worsening by eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil, according to new research by UC San Francisco.
Immune Boosting Agent Plus Personalized Cancer Vaccine Supercharges Immune Defense Against Malignant Brain Tumors
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center investigators have pinpointed a combination immunotherapy treatment that enhances the immune response for people with malignant gliomas.
Scientists Identify Protein That Controls CAR T Longevity
Stanford Cancer Institute
Scientists at Stanford and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have identified a protein, FOXO1, that improves the survival and function of CAR T cells, which may lead to more effective CAR T-cell therapies and could potentially expand its use in difficult-to-treat cancers.
Curing Colorectal Cancer Through a Microscope
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
Researchers at the University of Arizona Cancer Center have been working for more than two years with international researchers to uncover the compound called DYR747 that targets vulnerabilities in colorectal cancer. They synthesized and tested more than 300 derivatives of their compound to optimize its accuracy, strength, and tumor-shrinking effectiveness.
Partnership Established With Ukrainian Cancer Center
UK Markey Cancer Center
UK Markey Cancer Center has formed an international partnership with the Kyiv Regional Oncology Dispensary, based in Kyiv, Ukraine. The institutions will engage in mutually beneficial activities focused on cancer prevention and treatment, research collaboration, and personnel exchanges for training and education.
Northwell Opens Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory
Northwell Health Cancer Institute
The Northwell Health Cancer Institute and its Center for Genomic Medicine has opened a clinical molecular diagnostics laboratory. The $3.2 million, 2,800 square foot state-of-the-art facility boasts cutting-edge technology of next-generation sequencing that provides point-of-care tumor and patient genomic profiling to inform precision cancer therapy.
New Program Shares HPB Expertise
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
A new UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center program, led by Itzhak Nir, MD, reduces the burden of care by bringing New Mexico’s community providers and cancer experts together virtually. The program is currently focusing on those diagnosed with hepato-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) cancers.
Program for Reducing Allergic Reactions to Cancer Treatments Hits New Care Milestone
Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center
An outpatient cancer therapy desensitization program at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center has completed 200 procedures, allowing patients to complete optimal treatments within recommended timeframes and avoid the hospital.
Stanford Administers First Lifileucel Infusion
Stanford Cancer Institute
In April, Stanford administered the first lifileucel infusion after the treatment received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in February. Lifileucel (Amtagvi) leverages tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and is now approved to treat melanoma.
Forging Collaborations for Community Health
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
If you could imagine the ideal physician to serve as the medical director for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and lead the University of Arizona Cancer Center community advisory board, that vision would culminate in Adalberto Renteria, MD.
Northwell Cardiothoracic Programs Earn Top Quality Rating
Northwell Health Cancer Institute
All four Northwell Health hospitals with cardiothoracic surgery programs earned three-star overall quality ratings, the highest rating given, in several surgical categories analyzed by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.
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Meeting Announcements
Reimagining Community Engagement and Equity in Cancer: A Virtual Conversation With Two Presidents
June 18, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
16th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
June 24, 2024
The 16th Annual AACI CRI Meeting will be held June 24-26 at Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
The Cancer Prevention Research Conference
June 25, 2024
The American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and Cancer Research UK are holding a new annual conference on prevention research, June 25-27, in Boston.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Summit
October 19, 2024
In partnership with the American Cancer Society and the Cancer Center DEI Network, AACI will hold the 2024 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Summit on October 19-20 in conjunction with the 2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting. Attendees may choose to register for the DEI Summit only, or for both the DEI Summit and the annual meeting.
2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 20, 2024
The 2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting will be held October 20-22 at Loews Chicago Downtown Hotel in Chicago, IL. A virtual registration option is also available to those who cannot attend in person.
17th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
June 23, 2025
Save the date 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.