AACR Grantee Summit: Igniting Innovation in Cancer Research
October 11-13, 2025
The Westin Philadelphia
Liberty Place, 99 S 17th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Sunday, October 11, 2026
5:30 – 7:00 pm
Reception with Light Hors d’Oeuvres (Location: TBD)
Monday, October 12, 2025
7:10 – 8:10 am
Check-In and Breakfast (Location: TBD)
8:10 – 8:30 am
Welcome and Opening Remarks (Location: TBD)
- Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer, AACR
- Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine
8:30 – 9:15 am
Keynote Address (Introduced by: Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine)
Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Center
9:15 – 10:15 am
Grantee Presentations Session I
15 minutes each (10-minute presentation followed by 5-minute Q&A)
10:15 – 10:45 am
Break
10:40 – 11:45 am
Panel Session: A Multifaceted Dialogue on Drug Development
11:45 am – 1:10 pm
Lunch and Learn Session: Communication and Engagement Skills
- Communicating Your Science Effectively (E. John Wherry III, PhD, University of Pennsylvania)
- Building Connections: Importance of a Strong Network (Ashani T. Weeraratna, PhD, John Hopkins University)
- Funding Challenges and Solutions (Jon Retzlaff, Chief Policy Officer, AACR)
1:10 – 2:10 pm
Translating Innovation: Academic and Entrepreneurial Synergy in Cancer Research
- Keith T. Flaherty, MD, AACR President, Massachusetts General Hospital
2:10 – 2:50 pm
Break
2:50 – 3:50 pm
Grantee Presentations Session II
15 minutes each (10-minute presentation followed by 5-minute Q&A)
3:50 – 4:50 pm
AI Perspectives: Exploring AI’s Potential Impact on Basic and Clinical Science
- Ravi B. Parikh, MD, MPP, Emory University
- Peter K. Sorger, PhD, Harvard University
5:15 – 8:00 pm
Poster Session and Reception (Location: TBD)
- John Zhang, PhD, AACR, Vice President, Research and Grants Administration
- Additional Speakers: TBD
Tuesday, October 13, 2025
7:45 – 8:45 am
Breakfast (Location: TBD)
8:45 – 9:30 am
Keynote Address
9:30 – 10:30 am
Grantee Presentations Session III
15 minutes each (10-minute presentation followed by 5-minute Q&A)
10:30 – 11:00 am
Break
11:00 – 11:45 am
Fireside Chat (Location: TBD)
11:45 am – 12:50 pm
Lunch with Round Table Discussions (Location: TBD)
- Career Inflection Points (Moderator: TBD)
- From First Grants to Long-Term Funding: Building a Sustainable Research Portfolio (Moderator: TBD)
- Making Collaborations Work: Forming, Managing, and Sustaining Research Partnership (Moderator: Peter K. Sorger, PhD, Harvard University)
- Recruiting, Managing, and Mentoring Students and Staff (Moderator: TBD)
- Leading Effective Research Teams: Lab Structure, Culture, and Performance (Moderator: TBD)
- Mentorship and Advisory Networks: How Relationships Shape Scientific Careers (Moderator: E. John Wherry III, PhD, University of Pennsylvania)
- Prioritization and Delegation: Managing Time and Focus (Moderator: Maureen E. Murphy, PhD, The Wistar Institute)
12:50 – 1:50 pm
Grantee Presentations Session IV
15 minutes each (10-minute presentation followed by 5-minute Q&A)
1:50 – 2:20 pm
Break
2:20 – 2:40 pm
Poster Session Winner Presentations (Location: TBD)
2:40 – 2:45 pm
Announcement of Oral Presentation Winners
2:45 – 3:00 pm
Summary and Closing Remarks
About this Event:
The summit serves as a dynamic gathering tailored for grantees, esteemed funding partners, distinguished special guests, and AACR staff. The gathering promises to showcase impactful research funded by AACR grants and foster collaborations, partnerships, and networking opportunities.
You may anticipate fully engaging in intellectual and social exchanges through a number of enriching activities such as scientific sessions, a poster session, roundtables, workshops, welcoming reception, and more!
