Attendee List

Jump to Section:
Co-chairs
Speakers and Presenters
Funding Partners & Guests
Current Grantees
AACR Staff

To download the Attendee List, click here.

Special Guests

Co-chairs

Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD (Co-chair)
Professor of Medicine
Co-Director, Gastrointestinal Cancer Center
Perlmutter Cancer Center
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
New York, NY
mah4006@med.cornell.edu

Sheila A. Stewart, PhD (Co-chair)
Gerty Cori Professor and Vice Chair
Department of Cell Biology and Physiology
Professor, Department of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO
sheila.stewart@wustl.edu

Speakers and Presenters

Michael A. Caligiuri, MD (Panel Discussant)
AACR Treasurer, Past AACR President
Past President and Physician in Chief
City of Hope National Medical Center
Duarte, CA
mcaligiuri@coh.org

Bill Day (Reception Speaker)
Board Member
AACR Foundation
Philadelphia, PA
billday9543@yahoo.com

Christine M. Eischen, PhD (Round Table Moderator)
Professor
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA
christine.eischen@jefferson.edu

Keith T. Flaherty, MD (Keynote Speaker)
AACR President-Elect, Richard Saltonstall Endowed Chair in Oncology
Mass General Hospital
Boston, MA
kflaherty@mgh.harvard.edu

Christine Hodgdon, MS (Lunch and Learn Speaker, Panel Discussant)
Co-Founder
GRASP – Guiding Researchers & Advocates to Scientific Partnerships
christine@graspcancer.org

Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), (Fireside Chat)
Past AACR President, Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Early Phase Clinical Trials Program
Yale University
New Haven, CT
patricia.lorusso@yale.edu

Maureen E. Murphy, PhD (Round Table Moderator)
Professor, Program Leader, Deputy Director
The Wistar Institute
Philadelphia, PA
mmurphy@wistar.org

William Pao, MD, PhD (Panel Discussant)
Chief Executive Officer
Revelio Therapeutics Inc.
New York, NY
drwpao@gmail.com;
wpao@reveliotx.com

Katerina A. Politi, PhD (Keynote Speaker)
Professor of Pathology
Scientific Director, Center for Thoracic Cancers
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, CT

Jorge S. Reis-Filho, MD, PhD (Panel Discussant)
Chief AI and Data Scientist, Oncology Research and Development
AstraZeneca
New York, NY

Yu Shyr, PhD, Dr (h.c.) (Panel Discussant, Round Table Moderator)
Harold L. Moses Chair in Cancer Research
Professor of Biostatistics, Biomedical Informatics, and Health Policy
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN
yu.shyr@vumc.org

Lillian L. Siu, MD (Keynote Speaker)
AACR President
Director, Phase I Clinical Trials Program, Professor of Medicine
UHN Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
lillian.Siu@uhn.ca

Funding Partners & Guests

Dheeraj Bhavanasi, PhD
Medical Science Liaison
Novocure
Wayne, PA
dbhavanasi@novocure.com

Arlene Brothers
Director, Administration
Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation
Norwood, NJ
arrlene@tnbcfoundation.org

Jennifer Burns
Associate Scientific Communications Director
Exelixis
Alameda, CA
jburns@exelixis.com

Jim Creighton
Donor
Southampton, PA
jbcreighton7@gmail.com

Mona Gilliam, MSN, APRN-BC, CNS
Senior Medical Science Director-External Engagement Strategy
Genentech
San Fransico, CA
gilliam.monica@gene.com

Victoria LeMay
Manager, Strategic Alliances
Novocure
Philadelphia, PA
vlemat@novocure.com

Howard McClurd
Board Member
KidneyCAN
Philadelphia, PA
howard.mcclurd@kidneycan.org

Leslie Nixon
Associate Vice President, Community Relations
Victorias Secret & Co
Reynoldsburg, OH
lnixon@victoria.com

Eric Olsavsky
Vice President, Community Engagement & Partnerships
Pelotonia
Columbus, Ohio
eolsavsky@pelotonia.org

Marisa Rubio, PhD
Director, Research Engagement & Philanthropy
Breast Cancer Research Foundation
New York, NY
mrubio@bcrf.org

Meghan Sappenfield
Senior Manager, Foundation Relations
Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation
Alexandria, VA
megan.sappenfield@conquer.org

Katy Shumard
Senior Coordinator, Community Relations
Victoria’s Secret & Co
Reynoldsburg, OH
kshumard@victoria.co

Brandon Simpauco
Community Programs Manager
Pelotonia
Columbus, Ohio
Bsimpauco@pelotonia.org

Amy Spadafora
Director, Operations
Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation
Norwood, NJ
amy@tnbcfoundation.org

Melani Vincelli
Executive Board Member
Debbie’s Dream Foundation
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Melani.vincelli@gmail.com

Alexa Waldron
Partnership Experience Coordinator
Pelotonia
Columbus, OH
awaldron@pelotonia.org

Julia Westgate Lown
Associate Director
EMD Serono
Boston, MA
julia.lown@emdserono.com

Current Grantees

Igor Bado, PhD
Assistant Professor
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, NY
2023 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR NextGen Grants for Transformative Cancer Research
igor.bado@mssm.edu

Paola Betancur, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
2024 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Awards to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
paola.betancur@ucsf.edu

Kim Blenman, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor
Yale University
New Haven, CT
2022 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Award to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
kim.blenman@yale.edu

Maria Teresita Branham, PhD
Associate Researcher
National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)
Bueno Aires, Argentina
2025 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Awards to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
mariatbranham@gmail.com

Alejandro J. Cagnoni, PhD
Research Associate
Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IByME-CONICET)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
2025 AACR Maximizing Opportunity for New Advancements in Research and Cancer (MONARCA) Grants for Latin America
alejandrocagnoni@gmail.com

Denisse A. Castro Uriol, MS, MD
Assistant Professor
University of San Martín de Porres
Lima, Peru
2024 AACR Maximizing Opportunity for New Advancements in Research and Cancer (MONARCA) Grants for Latin America
dcastrou@usmp.pe

Florencia Cayrol, PhD
Associate Researcher
Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (BIOMED UCA CONICET)
Bueno Aires, Argentina
2025 AACR Maximizing Opportunity for New Advancements in Research and Cancer (MONARCA) Grants for Latin America
flocayrol@gmail.com

Tomás Dalotto-Moreno, PhD
Assistant Investigator
Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IByME – CONICET)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
2025 AACR Maximizing Opportunity for New Advancements in Research in Cancer (MONARCA) Grants for Latin America
tomasdalotto@gmail.com

Nika N. Danial, PhD
Associate Professor
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA
2024 AACR-MPM Oncology Charitable Foundation Transformative Cancer Research Grant
Nika_Danial@dfci.harvard.edu

Temidayo A. Fadelu, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA
2025 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Awards to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
temidayo_fadelu@dfci.harvard.edu

Mercedes B. Fuertes, PhD
Assistant Professor
Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IBYME-CONICET)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
2025 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Awards to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
merfuer@gmail.com

Yu Fujiwara, MD
Hematology/Oncology Fellow
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Buffalo, NY
2025 AACR-Johnson & Johnson Clinical Oncology Research (CORE) Training Fellowship
Yu.Fujiwara@RosewellPark.Org

Francesca S. Gazzaniga, PhD
Associate Professor
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
2024 Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancer Career Development Award in Partnership with Pelotonia & AACR
fgazzaniga@mgh.harvard.edu

Nicole B. Halmai, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA
2023 AACR-Bristol-Myers Squibb Cancer Disparities Research Fellowship
nbcoggins@ucdavis.edu

Brent Allen Hanks, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Duke University
Durham, NC
2023 AACR-Debbie’s Dream Foundation Innovation and Discovery Grant
brent.hanks@duke.edu

Sean E. Healton, MD, PhD
Fellow, Hematology and Medical Oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY
2025 AACR Hematologic Malignancies Research Fellowship
healtons@mskcc.org

Chloe M. Hery, MS, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
2024 AACR-Merck Cancer Disparities Research Fellowship
chloe.hery@osumc.edu

Anita B. Hjelmeland, PhD
Associate Professor
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL
2024 AACR-Novocure Cancer Research Grant
hjelmea@uab.edu

Putzer J. Hung, MD, PhD
Clinical Fellow
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
2025 AACR-John and Elizabeth Leonard Family Foundation Basic Cancer Research Fellowship

Farhia Kabeer, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
University of British Columbia
British Columbia, Canada
2025 AACR AstraZeneca Endometrial Fellowship
fkabeer@bccrc.ca

Fernanda G. Kugeratski, PhD
Instructor
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX
2025 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Awards to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
fernanda.kugeratski@gmail.com

Jaewon Lee, MD
Fellow, Complex General Surgical Oncology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
2025 Conquer Cancer-AACR Young Investigator Award for Translational Cancer Research
jaewon.lee@unchealth.unc.edu

Shawn H. R. Lee, MBBS, MMed, MRCPCH (UK), MCI, PhD
Consultant, Adjunct Assistant Professor
National University of Singapore
Singapore, Republic of Singapore
2024 AACR- St. Baldrick’s Foundation Pediatric Cancer Research Grant
shawnlee@nus.edu.sg

Tracy W. Liu, PhD
Assistant Professor
West Virginia University
Morgantown, WV
2024 Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Pancreatic Cancer, in Honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
tracy.liu@hsc.wvu.edu

Amanda W. Lund, PhD
Associate Professor
New York University Grossman School of Medicine
New York, NY
2022 AACR-Bristol Myers Squibb Midcareer Female Investigator Grant
amanda.lund@nyulangone.org

Tinashe Adrian Mazhindu, MBChB, MMed
Doctoral Fellow
University of Zimbabwe, College of Health Sciences
Harare, Zimbabwe
2024 Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat)
atmazhindu@gmail.com

Janeala Morsby, PhD
Post Doctoral Associate
St Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Memphis, TN
2025 AACR-QuadW Foundation Sarcoma Research Fellowship in Memory of Willie Tichenor
jmorsby@stjude.org

Siva Kumar Natarajan, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
2025 AACR-Sontag Foundation Brain Cancer Research Fellowship
sivakn@umich.edu

Utthara Nayar, PhD
Assistant Professor
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
2024 Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Career Development Award, in partnership with Pelotonia & AACR
unayar@jhu.edu

Hai Dang Nguyen, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
2022 AACR Career Development Award to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cancer Research
hdnguyen@umn.edu

Verra Ngwa, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN
2024 AACR-Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson Stimulating Therapeutic Advances through Research Training (START) Grant
verra.ngwa@vumc.org

Renato Ostuni, PhD
Associate Professor
San Rafaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy
Milan, Italy
2024 Lustgarten Foundation-Swim across America-AACR Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Research Grant
ostuni.renato@hsr.it

Karin Pelka, PhD
Assistant Investigator
Gladstone Institutes
San Francisco, CA
2024 AACR-MPM Oncology Charitable Foundation Transformative Cancer Research Grant
karin.pelka@gladstone.ucsf.edu

Astgik Petrosyan, PhD
Assistant Professor
Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
2025 AACR-KidneyCAN Kidney Cancer Innovative and Discovery Grants
apetrosyan@chla.usc.edu

Sara G.M. Piccirillo, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
2021 AACR-Novocure Tumor Treating Fields Research Grant
spiccirillo@salud.umn.edu

Sangeetha R. Reddy, MD
Assistant Professor
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX
2024 Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Career Development Award, in Partnership with Pelotonia and AACR
sangeetha.reddy@utsouthwestern.edu

Francisco Sanchez-Vega, PhD
Assistant Attending Computational-Oncologist
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY
2024 Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Career Development Awards to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
sanchezf@mskcc.org

Yoojeong Seo, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX
2025 The Bosarge Family Foundation-Waun Ki Hong Scholar Award for Regenerative Cancer Medicine
yseo2@manderson.org

Priyanka Verma, PhD
Assistant Professor
Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO
2024 Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancer Career Development Award, In Partnership with Pelotonia & AACR
vermap@wustl.edu

Roberto Vargas, MD
Associate Staff
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, OH
2022 AACR Career Development Award to Further Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Clinical Cancer Research
vargas@ccf.org

Srinivas R. Viswanathan, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA
2025 AACR-KidneyCAN Kidney Cancer Innovative and Discovery Grants
srinivas.viswanathan@dfci.harvard.edu

Zhe Ying, PhD
Assistant Professor
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, NY
2024 Triple Negative Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research
zhe.ying@mssm.edu

Zachary Yochum, MD, PhD
Medical Oncology Fellow
Yale University
New Haven, CT
2025 AACR-Exelixis Renal Cell Carcinoma Research Fellowship
zachary.yochum@yale.edu

Youssef Youssef, MD
Hematology-Oncology Fellow, PGY4
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
2024 AACR-AstraZeneca Endometrial Cancer Research Fellowship
youssef.youssef@osumc.edu

Min Yu, PhD
Professor
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Baltimore, MD
2024 AACR-Bristol Myers Squibb Midcareer Female Investigator Grant
min.yu@som.umaryland.edu

AACR Staff

Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc)
Chief Executive Officer
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA

Mohammed Ahmed, PhD
Senior Scientific Program Administrator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA

Lee-Ann Barber
Manager, Membership Development
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
Leeann.barber@aacr.org

Frederic Biemar, PhD
Vice President, Head of Education Diversion
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
frederic.biemar@aacr.org

Anna Blumenscheid
Program Associate
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
anna.blumenscheid@aacr.org

Kevin Burton, PhD
Senior Associate Editor, Cancer Research
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
Kevin.burton@aacr.org

Marissa Calbert, PhD
Scientific Program Administrator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
marissa.calbert@aacr.org

Sreejata Chatterjee, PhD
Senior Scientific Program Administrator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
sreejata.chatterjee@aacr.org

Jacquelyn Crutchley
Assistant Director, Administration
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
jacquelyn.crutchley@aacr.org

Mahasweta Das, PhD
Senior Scientific Program Administrator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
mahasweta.das@aacr.org

Laurence Downey
Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
larry.downey@aacr.org

Sasha Dutton
Director, Corporate Alliances
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
Sasha.dutton@aacr.org

Robin Felder
Director, Membership and Professional Development
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
robin.felder@aacr.org

Lauren Finacaro
Coordinator, Corporate Alliances
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA

Hattie Franz
Associate Director, Leadership Philanthropy
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
Heather.franz@aacr.org

Joshua Goldstein
Senior Director, Brand Strategy Communications
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
josh.goldstein@aacr.org

William N. Hait, MD, PhD
Chief Scientific Advisor
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA

Rachel Hodge, PhD
Assistant Editor, Clinical Cancer Research
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
Rachel.hodge@aacr.org

Sean Houston, MBA
Technology Coordinator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
Jeb.houston@aacr.org

Afnan Jaufer, PhD
Science Writer
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
afnan.jaufer@aacr.org

Umme Khan
Program Assistant
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
umme.khan@aacr.org

Christina (Leah) Kline, PhD
Deputy Director
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
leah.kline@aacr.org

Fatmata Koroma
Program Assistant
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
fatmata.koroma@aacr.org

Amelia Kuhn
Senior Manager, Leadership Philanthropy
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
amelia.kuhn@aacr.org

Amy Link
Assistant Director, Development and Patient Engagement
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
amy.link@aacr.org

Alfonso Lopez Coral, PhD
Scientific Program Administrator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
alfonso.lopez-coral@aacr.org

Alyson Malick
Program Associate
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
alyson.malick@aacr.org

Lauren Mason
Program Associate
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
lauren.mason@aacr.org

Elizabeth McKenna, PhD
Executive Editor, Cancer Discovery
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA

Bradley Miller, PhD
Deputy Director, Global Affairs
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
bradley.miller@aacr.org

Ruby O’Lexy, PhD
Director, Scientific Partnerships and Engagement
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
ruby.olexy@aacr.org

Raven Parks
Membership Coordinator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA

Aiyana Pelligrino
Associate Director of Foundation Relations
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
aiyana.pelligrino@aacr.org

Emma Quinn
Content Specialist, Communications and Public Relations
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
emma.quinn@aacr.org

Judy N. Quong, PhD
Senior Director
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
judy.quong@aacr.org

Jon Retzlaff, MBA, MPA
Chief Policy Officer
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
jon.retzlaff@aacr.org

Morgan Robinson
Associate Director, Foundation Relations
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
morgan.robinson@aacr.org

Sam Rogers
Senior Director, Philanthropy
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
sam.rogers@aacr.org

Srivani Ravoori, PhD
Director, Science Communications
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
srivani.ravoori@aacr.org

Laura Romano, PhD
Senior Scientific Program Administrator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
laura.romano@aacr.org

Holly Rush
Assistant Director, Corporate Alliances
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
holly.rush@aacr.org

Anne Marie Rymal
Program Coordinator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
annemarie.rymal@aacr.org

Garima Singh, PhD
Senior Scientific Program Administrator
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
garima.singh@aacr.org

Maresce Stephanus
Program Associate
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
maresce.stephanus@aacr.org

Mitch Stoller
Chief Philanthropic Officer
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA

Rachel Tashchenberger, PhD
Senior Director, Transformative Philanthropic Communications
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
rachel.tashchenberger@aacr.org

Kaleem Zaidi, PhD
Deputy Director
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
Kaleem.zaidi@aacr.org

Yixian (John) Zhang, PhD
Vice President
American Association for Cancer Research
Philadelphia, PA
yixian.zhang@aacr.org