The 2nd Annual Cancer Center Survivorship Research Forum: Implementing Equitable Cancer Survivorship Care disseminates important knowledge regarding clinical care of the growing population of cancer survivors. The conference will cover multiple topics essential to providing high quality and equitable survivorship care, including: oncofertility, sexual health, supportive needs of caregivers, late effects of cancer therapies, fear of cancer recurrence, care coordination and more. The forum is a hybrid activity. It will take place in-person on the Stanford University campus as well as virtually.
AACI Update | September 2023
Headlines
Sweasy Selected as AACI President-Elect; Three Cancer Center Leaders Join Board
Joann B. Sweasy, PhD, director of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, has been elected by AACI's membership to serve as vice president/president-elect of the AACI Board of Directors. Three new board members were also chosen: Edward Chu, MD, MMS; Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD; and Yolanda Sanchez, PhD. They will replace outgoing board members Roy A. Jensen, MD, and Cornelia Ulrich, MS, PhD. Dr. Sweasy is also finishing her term as a regular board member.
Pasche Named Karmanos President and Chief Executive Officer
Karmanos Cancer Institute, in Detroit, has named Boris C. Pasche, MD, PhD, FACP, president and chief executive officer. Dr. Pasche assumes the role Joseph Uberti, MD, PhD, served on an interim basis following the retirement of Gerold Bepler, MD, PhD. Dr. Pasche joins Karmanos from Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC.
AACI to Present Public Service Award to Dunn, Klobuchar at Annual Meeting
AACI will present the 2023 Public Service Awards to U.S. Representative Neal Dunn (R-FL) and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on Monday, October 2, during the AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting at the Salamander Washington DC.
Urge Congress to Pass Fiscal Year 2024 Budget
With the end of the fiscal year approaching on September 30, Congress has not passed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget. To avert a shutdown, Congress must reach a bipartisan agreement to fund the government. AACI encourages you to write your Members of Congress today to urge them to pass the FY 2024 budget and to prioritize cancer research funding.
AACI CRI Steering Committee Announces New Members
This fall, AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) will welcome Thomas J. George, Jr., MD, FACP, University of Florida Health Cancer Center, as the new CRI Steering Committee chair. CRI will also welcome three newly-elected members to the steering committee. They formally assume their duties in October during the 2023 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
Pictured, clockwise from top left: Dr. Thomas J. George, Dina Aziz, Angela Campbell, and Dr. Muhammad Furquan.
Register for the Catchment Area Data Conference
VCU Massey Cancer Center will present the 1st Annual Catchment Area Data (CADA) Conference: Beyond Definition, December 7-9, in Richmond, VA. The conference is open to AACI members and all eligible staff, faculty, students, and post-doc trainees from cancer centers who provide education, resources, and support within their defined catchment area. The early bird registration rate ends Friday, September 15.
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News from the Centers
Shariff Receives Community Cancer Centers Innovator Award
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
Afreen Shariff, MD, has been selected by the Association of Community Cancer Centers as a 2023 Innovator Award recipient for her work on the effectiveness of electronic consults for immune-related endocrine toxicities.
Huq Receives Top Award From American Association of Physicists in Medicine
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Saiful Huq, PhD, FAAPM, FInstP, received the William D. Coolidge Gold Medal Award from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine for his distinguished career and significant impact on the science and practice of medical physics.
Singh Named Fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Director of Radiation Research Anurag Singh, MD, has been named a 2023 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Fellow. ASTRO is the world’s largest society for radiation oncology professionals.
Siteman Earns Merit Extension From NCI
Siteman Cancer Center
Siteman Cancer Center has earned a Merit Extension Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), recognizing continued excellence in cancer care, research, training, prevention and community outreach. The award extends the center's Cancer Center Support Grant for an additional two years and $12 million. Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, is Siteman’s director.
Project to Study How Sex Differences Affect Bladder Cancer
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators are spearheading a project, funded by a five-year, $11.2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, to advance scientific knowledge of how biological differences between men and women affect bladder cancer.
SALUD Study Examines Health Disparities for Latino Survivors of Childhood Cancer
Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Cancer Center were awarded more than $7.6 million over four years from the National Cancer Institute to comprehensively study late effects of childhood cancer in a diverse population of childhood cancer survivors, including their medical, neurocognitive and psychosocial outcomes.
$3.5 Million Grant Received to Study New Technology for At-Home Cancer Care
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami
Researchers at Sylvester and collaborating organizations will study how new technology can help patients manage symptoms and related stress from cancer treatment while at home, under a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Head-and-Neck Team Leads Trial to Reduce Delays in Care
Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
Beginning radiation therapy on time is critical for people with head and neck cancer. A multidisciplinary team at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center led by Evan Graboyes, MD, has spent five years bringing this issue to light and has now been awarded a $3.5 million grant to test an approach for reducing delays.
$2.5 Million Grant Aimed at Making Urine Test to Limit Use of Invasive Biopsies in Prostate Cancer Detection
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami
Researchers at the University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center said they have been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to develop an exosome-based prostate cancer test.
Immunologist Receives New Innovator Award
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Abby Overacre-Delgoffe, PhD, has received a $1.5 million National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases New Innovator Award for her project, "Microbiota initiation of lymphangiogenesis." The award will fund research to better understand how gut bacteria drive the development of tertiary lymphoid structures.
New Center to Promote Cancer Health Equity Research
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
A new center at Winship Cancer Institute will focus research efforts on eliminating cancer disparities in Georgia and nationwide. Gifts from the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation and Southern Company are launching the Winship Center for Cancer Health Equity Research.
New President Appointed
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD, has been appointed president of City of Hope Los Angeles and National Medical Center, after serving 24 years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Current president Michael Caligiuri, MD, a past president of AACI, will remain at City of Hope and transition to focus full time on his laboratory research.
Associate Chief Medical Officer Hired
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Fox Chase Cancer Center is pleased to announce the hiring of Nkemdilim Mgbojikwe, MD, as associate chief medical officer. She joins the center from Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Chair, Vice Chair Named for Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, has been named chair, and Brian Brown, PhD, vice chair, of a newly established Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Drs. Merad and Brown are integral members of Mount Sinai’s Tisch Cancer Institute.
Salloum Named Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
Ramzi Salloum, PhD, a cancer implementation science researcher with a focus on tobacco control, has been named associate director for community outreach and engagement at the University of Florida Health Cancer Center.
Fox Chase Welcomes New Senior Director of Pharmacy
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Fox Chase Cancer Center is pleased to announce the hiring of Dapo Amosu, MS, PharmD, DPLA, as its new senior director of pharmacy. Dr. Amosu has more than 25 years of pharmacy experience, with significant expertise in hematology/oncology pharmacy, clinical research, and pharmacy management.
Karmanos Welcomes New Chief Development Officer
Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University
Karmanos Cancer Institute welcomes Arnold D’Ambrosio as its new chief development officer. He brings the National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center over 30 years of donor relations, fundraising, and major gifts experience.
Biotech Executive Returns to Lead Expansion of Cell Therapy Production, Industry Partnerships
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
As work advances on a significant expansion of its cellular therapy production and research facilities, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has named Yeong "Christopher" Choi, PhD, MBA, as senior vice president of industry partnerships and technical director of the center’s Current Good Manufacturing Practice facility.
Tsai Named Chief of Surgical Oncology
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Susan Tsai, MD, has been named the chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
DEIA Efforts Enhanced With New Hires
University of Colorado Cancer Center
The University of Colorado Cancer Center is doubling down on its diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA) efforts, with the addition of DEIA Associate Director Miria Kano, PhD, and Deputy Associate Director Curtis Henry, PhD.
New Leaders Named to Research Programs
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center has seven new research program leaders. Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, Eric Grogan, MD, MPH, and Daniel Barocas, MD, MPH, lead the Cancer Health Outcomes and Control Research Programs; Martha Shrubsole, PhD, co-leads the Cancer Epidemiology Research Program; Vandana Abramson co-leads the Breast Cancer Research Program; and Eben Rosenthal, MD, and Kristen Ciombor, MD, MSCI, lead the Translational Research and Interventional Oncology Research Program.
Birrer Contributes to Major Ovarian Cancer Discovery
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
Michael Birrer, MD, PhD, director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, is a senior author of a recently published study identifying a 64-protein-gene signature that can predict primary treatment resistance in patients with high grade ovarian cancer.
Clinical Trial Leads to FDA Approval of Novel Cord Blood Therapy
Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of omidubicel, a new and potentially life-saving stem cell treatment option for adult and pediatric patients with high-risk blood cancer, was backed by promising results from a multi-center international Phase III clinical trial led by Mitchell Horwitz, MD.
Study Finds Improved Survival for Incurable Brain Tumor
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Researchers have found a potential drug candidate that improved outcomes for patients with diffuse midline glioma or diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, for which there are no effective treatments. The compound, ONC201, nearly doubled survival compared to previous patients.
Consent Document Translation Costs May Limit Clinical Trial Participation by Underrepresented Groups
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Cancer research centers conducting clinical trials could enroll more patients from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups by placing greater emphasis on relieving investigators of the costs of translating consent documents into languages other than English, according to a UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center study.
Scientists Employ AI to Predict Brain Cancer Outcomes
Stanford Cancer Institute
Oliver Gevaert, PhD, and colleagues recently developed an artificial intelligence model that assesses stained images of glioblastoma tissue to predict the aggressiveness of a patient’s tumor, determine the genetic makeup of the tumor cells, and evaluate whether substantial cancerous cells remain after surgery.
Estrogen Receptor Mutation Study Suggests Potential Treatments for Endometrial Cancers
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute identified potential new treatment options for people with endometrial cancer. The study discovered that estrogen receptor mutations found in endometrial cancers cause large changes in endometrial cancer cells.
New Machine-Learning Method May Aid Personalized Cancer Therapy
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Deep-learning technology developed by a team of Johns Hopkins engineers and cancer researchers can accurately predict cancer-related protein fragments that may trigger an immune system response. If validated in clinical trials, the technology could help scientists overcome a major hurdle to developing personalized immunotherapies and vaccines.
RNA Stability May Play a Role in Prostate Cancer
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Mutations in a genetic region that regulates RNA stability could influence prostate cancer outcomes and drug resistance, according to new work from researchers in the lab of Andrew Hsieh, MD.
Largest U.S. Study of E-Cigarettes Shows Their Value as Smoking Cessation Aid
Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
E-cigarettes do have value as a smoking cessation aid, according to a new study by a team of MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers. The study, the largest trial of e-cigarettes in the U.S., showed that their usage nudged people toward quitting smoking – even those who entered the trial with no intention of quitting.
Understanding Epigenetic Changes in Glial Cells May Be Key to Combating Brain Tumors
Stony Brook Cancer Center
Researchers are trying to unlock the mysteries of how gliomas originate from normal cells. A new study centers on epigenetic rather than genetic changes that drive normal cells to form tumors. The work reveals the precise genes that are regulated epigenetically and lead to cancer.
Study Finds Many Rural Women Cancer Patients Receive Financial Support Through Social Networks
UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
Rural women with cancer often receive financial support from within their communities and from formal organizations, but not all patients have equal access to this assistance, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Office of Community Health & Research.
AI Tool Helps Predict Early Response and Survival in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
A team of researchers from Winship Cancer Institute and Case Western Reserve University has developed a method using artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze imaging scans and determine whether a treatment for metastatic breast cancer will be effective.
Boosting Public Health Programs With Technology
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
An examination of the SCALE-UP Counts program, designed to promote COVID-19 testing through collaboration with local schools, especially those serving historically marginalized populations, was recently published. The analysis was led by Yelena Wu, PhD, and David Wetter, PhD, MS.
Findings Suggest Aerobic Exercise Relieves Pain for Ovarian Cancer Survivors
Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine
A common side effect of treatment for ovarian cancer is chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Currently, there is only one treatment with limited efficacy for CIPN. But new findings from a Phase III randomized clinical suggest that six months of an aerobic exercise intervention reduces CIPN symptoms.
Infants, Young Children Diagnosed With Brain Cancer Need More Detailed Assessments
Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
A recently published draft paper underlines the need for a more detailed molecular, histological, and clinical assessment of high-grade glioma tumors in infants and young children at diagnosis.
Study Examines Increased Risk of Cancer Among Kentucky Cancer Survivors
UK Markey Cancer Center
While cancer survivors have an increased risk of developing cancer in the future, that risk is notably higher in Kentucky and Appalachian Kentucky, according to a new UK Markey Cancer Center study.
Ovarian Cancer: New Biological Markers Found That May Predict Which Patients Won't Respond to Chemotherapy
The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai
Using a novel proteogenomic strategy and a variety of machine learning tools, investigators from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and colleagues have identified a 64-protein signature that may predict a subset of ovarian cancer patients who are unlikely to respond to chemotherapy.
Researchers Create Powerful Cancer-Targeting Compound
University of Florida Health Cancer Center
A team of University of Florida medicinal chemists and cancer biologists has created a chemical compound that powerfully and selectively helped cells dispose of proteins that cause cancer cells to grow.
Rewiring Cancer Cells to Self-Destruct
Stanford Cancer Institute
A Stanford study shows that cancer cells can be prompted to activate cellular death, a finding that has therapeutic applications in cancer treatment, regenerative medicine, and developmental disorders. The study was led by Stanford Cancer Institute members Nathanael Gray, PhD, and Gerald Crabtree, MD.
Immune and Tumor Cell Tug-of-War Controls Anti-Cancer Activity
Comprehensive Cancer Center St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found immune and tumor cells compete over glutamine, a major nutrient in their local environment, with significant implications for anti-cancer activity. If cancer cells monopolize glutamine, they can prevent immune cells from destroying cancer.
An Innovative Approach to Classifying Metastases in Patients With Colorectal Cancer
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers are using a new method they developed to accurately predict which patients with metastatic colorectal cancer will have a favorable treatment outcome following surgical removal of liver metastases.
Hallmarks of T Cell Exhaustion Found Within Hours of Tumor Exposure
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Immune system T cells that should be able to kill cancer cells become dysfunctional or "exhausted" within hours of encountering a tumor, according to a new study. The surprising findings have implications for cancer immunotherapies that aim to harness the tumor-killing power of T cells.
David Alberts: a Legacy of Encouragement, Innovation and Scientific Rigor
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
David Alberts, MD, a founding member of the University of Arizona Cancer Center and a past member of AACI’s Board of Directors, passed away on July 29 at the age of 83. He developed the center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Program served as the center’s director from 2005 until his retirement in 2013 and continued his work part-time until 2017.
State Approves $815 Million Plan to Build Chicago's First Freestanding Cancer Care and Research Facility
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board approved the University of Chicago Medicine’s plans to build an $815 million, 575,000-square-foot building dedicated to cancer research and care on its medical campus on the city’s South Side.
LILAC Grant Enables Purchase of Key Instruments to Assess Lipid Regulation in Cancer
Stony Brook Cancer Center
Daniel Canals, PhD, has received a grant from the Long Island League to Abolish Cancer (LILAC) for the purchase of two cutting-edge instruments that enable him and colleagues to better understand how lipids are regulated in cancer, and in turn, the many functions that lipids perform in cancer cells.
Immunotherapy Drug Combo Helps Extend the Lives of Patients With Metastatic Melanoma
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
A research team co-led by UCLA investigators has shown that an immunotherapy drug combination can be an effective second-line therapy for patients with an aggressive and deadly type of melanoma that is resistant to the widely used immunotherapy drugs known as PD-1 inhibitors.
New Mexico Cancer Research Alliance to Focus on Delivering Clinical Trials Across State
University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center
The New Mexico Cancer Care Alliance has rebranded as the New Mexico Cancer Research Alliance to strengthen its focus on delivering cancer clinical trials to New Mexicans. The state's small population is spread over a large area, presenting a daunting challenge to offer clinical trials across the state.
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Meeting Announcements
2nd Annual Cancer Center Survivorship Research Forum: Implementing Equitable Cancer Survivorship Care
September 11, 2023
Women's Health and Cancer Conference
September 29, 2023
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
The 26th annual Women’s Health and Cancer Conference will be held Friday, September 29. The program brings together patients, health care providers, researchers, and caregivers for a day of learning at UVM's Dudley H. Davis Center, or virtually, via Zoom.
This year’s theme is the "Changing Landscape of Cancer." Speakers at the free conference are pioneers in emerging treatments, nutrition, genetics, social media, sexual health, and strategies for living with and beyond cancer. Keynote presenter Kristin Flanary (aka "Lady Glaucomflecken") is on a mission to make health care a little more human.
Continuing medical education credits are offered at no charge courtesy of the University of Vermont Cancer Center.
Please contact UVM Cancer Center Assistant Director of COE Rachel Narkewicz with any questions about the conference.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit
September 30, 2023
In partnership with the American Cancer Society and the Cancer Center DEI Network, AACI will hold the second Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Summit on Saturday, September 30, in conjunction with the 2023 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting at the Salamader Washington DC.
2023 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 1, 2023
Registration is now open for the 2023 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting, October 1-3, 2023, at the Salamander Washington DC.
For those who are unable to attend the annual meeting in person, a virtual option is available. To register as a virtual attendee, select the "Member - Virtual Only" registration type. This will give you access to all sessions held in the main ballroom and a virtual breakout session. Virtual registration rates will remain the same. Login information will be provided closer to the meeting.
2024 AACI Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop
March 12, 2024
The 2024 AACI Leadership Diversity and Development Workshop will be held March 12-13 at Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL.
Registration for the workshop is now closed. Please contact AACI Director of Operations and Events Jaime Anderson or Events Manager Dawn Gobble with any questions about registration.
2024 AACI/AACR Hill Day
May 16, 2024
Register today for the 2024 AACI/AACR Hill Day, Thursday, May 16, in Washington, DC. Registration closes at 5:00 pm eastern time on Tuesday, May 7.
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.
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.
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.