By bringing together cancer scientists, clinicians, and population scientists, the AACR defines the frontiers of cancer research through collaborative science. By bringing together patients, advocates, regulators, and legislators, the AACR also expands the frontiers of cancer research through collaborative action.
Fostering the growth of an emerging field and responding to the needs of a long-standing one, the AACR launched two new scientific working groups in 2021:
The AACR acknowledged the increasing momentum behind two emerging areas of research by announcing the formation of two new task forces. Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, will chair a new task force on Expedited and Early Phase One/Zero Clinical Trials, and 2021-2022 AACR President David A. Tuveson, MD, PhD, FAACR, will serve as vice-chair. Dr. Tuveson will also chair a new task force on Premature Cellular Aging, Stress, and Cancer. The new task forces will hold their inaugural meetings in early 2022.
During the virtual AACR Annual Meeting 2021, the AACR acknowledged and encouraged undergraduate students who are considering careers in cancer research. The AACR Undergraduate Scholar Awards recognized meritorious research conducted by a total of 20 college students with two-year awards to support their participation in the Annual Meeting. The AACR also hosted its 16th annual Undergraduate Student Caucus and Poster Competition during the virtual meeting. More than 85 students presented their research and competed for prizes sponsored by the Margaret Foti Foundation, which was founded by AACR CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), to reward excellence in research conducted by undergraduate students. A total of five students were honored during the meeting.
The AACR Science Education and Career Development Committee, in collaboration with Minorities in Cancer Research, Women in Cancer Research, and the Associate Member Council, hosted a slate of eight career development sessions during the virtual AACR Annual Meeting. Topics included recommendations for early-stage investigators, successful strategies for physician-scientists, establishing productive collaborations, and communicating science to peers and the public.
The AACR offered CME credit at 20 different meetings in 2021, including 15 conferences, three workshops, one joint providership meeting, and the virtual AACR Annual Meeting. AACR journals offered credit to investigators for reviewing manuscripts, and the AACR offered five additional on-demand CME activities as part of the Project Livin’ Label series in partnership with the FDA. A total of 2,659 researchers and clinicians claimed CME credit from the AACR in 2021, and an additional 316 physicians obtained Medical Knowledge Maintenance of Certification (MOC) points through the American Board of Internal Medicine’s MOC program.
A vital example of this collaborative spirit was the BMSF-AACR Design and Implementation of Clinical Trials Workshop. Held in November, the workshop was a critical part of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Program in partnership with National Medical Fellowships, which was established to increase the diversity of patients enrolled in clinical trials and enhance the development of therapeutics for all populations. The AACR developed the workshop—which was directed by Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, Yu Shyr, PhD, and Robert A. Winn, MD—to educate early-career investigator physicians in the principles of good clinical trial design and research practice by presenting the ongoing challenges in clinical research; highlighting the benefits of focusing on clinical research, specifically in underrepresented populations; and investigating the disconnect between communities and clinical trialists.
THE EVOLVING TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT IN CANCER PROGRESSION: MECHANISMS AND EMERGING THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES
An AACR Special Conference in association with the AACR Tumor Microenvironment Working Group
January 11–12; Virtual
Conference Cochairs: Yibin Kang, PhD, Sheila A. Stewart, PhD, and Valerie M. Weaver, PhD
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, DIAGNOSIS, AND IMAGING
January 13–14; Virtual
Conference Cochairs: Regina Barzilay, PhD, Thomas J. Fuchs, DSc, Benjamin Haibe-Kains, PhD, Trey Ideker, PhD, Garry P. Nolan, PhD, and Trevor J. Pugh, PhD, FACMB
COVID-19 AND CANCER
February 3–5; Virtual
Program Committee Chair: E. John Wherry, PhD
RADIATION SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
An AACR Special Conference in association with the AACR Radiation Science and Medicine (RSM) Working Group
March 2–3; Virtual
Conference Cochairs: Mary Helen Barcellos-Hoff, PhD, Charles G. Drake, MD, PhD, David R. Gius, MD, PhD, Ester M. Hammond, PhD, and Conchita Vens, PhD
AACR ANNUAL MEETING 2021: WEEK 1
April 10–15; Virtual
Program Committee Chair: Charles Swanton, MD, PhD, FAACR
MYELOMA: DISCOVERY TO THERAPY
April 26–27; Virtual
Conference Cochairs: Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, PhD (hc), FAACR, and Irene M. Ghobrial, MD
AACR ANNUAL MEETING 2021: WEEK 2
May 17–21; Virtual
Program Committee Chair: Charles Swanton, MD, PhD, FAACR
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MALIGNANT LYMPHOMA (ICML)
June 18–22; Virtual
Organizing Committee Chairman: Francesco Bertoni, MD
SARCOMAS
June 28–29; Virtual
Cochairs: Elizabeth R. Lawlor, MD, PhD, Poul H.B. Sorensen, MD, PhD, and E. Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, MD
CLONAL HEMATOPOIESIS
August 18–19; Virtual
Cochairs: Maria Eugenia (Ken) Figueroa, MD, and Ravi Majeti, MD, PhD
JCA-AACR PRECISION CANCER MEDICINE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
September 11–12; Virtual
Cochairs: Elaine R. Mardis, PhD, FAACR, and Hiroyuki Mano, MD, PhD
OVARIAN CANCER
September 14–15; Virtual
Cochairs: Frances R. Balkwill, PhD, Benjamin G. Neel, MD, PhD, Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, and Elizabeth M. Swisher, MD
PANCREATIC CANCER
September 29–30; Virtual
Cochairs: Andrew M. Lowy, MD, Marina Pasca di Magliano, PhD, Robert H. Vonderheide, DPhil, MD, and Jen Jen Yeh, MD
PRECISION MEDICINE STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THERAPY OF DIFFUSE LARGE B-CELL LYMPHOMA (DLBCL)
September 30–October 1; Virtual
Chair: Louis M. Staudt, MD, PhD, FAACR
Cochairs: Wyndham H. Wilson, MD, PhD, Ranjana H. Advani, MD, and Georg Lenz, MD
TUMOR IMMUNOLOGY AND IMMUNOTHERAPY
October 5–6; Virtual
Cochairs: Johanna A. Joyce, PhD, Jennifer A. Wargo, MD, and Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD
THE SCIENCE OF CANCER HEALTH DISPARITIES IN RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES AND THE MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED
October 6–8; Virtual
Cochairs: Melissa B. Davis, PhD, Tamara L. Lotan, MD, Camille C.R. Ragin, PhD, and Jose G. Trevino, MD
AACR-NCI-EORTC INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MOLECULAR TARGETS AND CANCER THERAPEUTICS
October 7–10; Virtual
Scientific Committee Cochairs: Lillian L. Siu, MD, James L. Gulley, MD, PhD, and Ruth Plummer, DPhil, MD
COLORECTAL CANCER
October 21–22; Virtual
Cochairs: Jiyoung Ahn, PhD, Robert J. Coffey, MD, and Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD
BRAIN CANCER
October 25–26; Virtual
Cochairs: Nada Jabado, MD, PhD, Jeremy N. Rich, MD, MHS, and Roger Stupp, MD
FRONTIERS IN CANCER SCIENCE
November 1–3; Virtual
Organizing Committee Chair: Patrick Tan, MD, PhD
AACR-KCA JOINT CONFERENCE: PRECISION MEDICINE IN SOLID TUMORS
November 11–12; Seoul, Korea and Virtual Joint Meeting
Cochairs: William C. Hahn, MD, PhD, and Dong-Wan Kim, MD, PhD
ALUMNI PANEL: TRANSLATIONAL CANCER RESEARCH FOR BASIC SCIENTISTS
December 3; Virtual Webinar
Codirectors: Ryan B. Corcoran, MD, PhD, Lisa M. Coussens, PhD, FAACR, and George D. Demetri, MD, FAACR
SAN ANTONIO BREAST CANCER SYMPOSIUM
December 7–10; San Antonio, Texas
Codirectors: Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, FAACR, and Virginia G. Kaklamani, MD
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
July 19–23; Virtual
Director: Ross L. Levine, MD
Codirectors: Mark W. Geraci, MD, Christine M. Lovly, MD, PhD, and Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD
ASCO/AACR METHODS IN CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
July 26–29; Virtual
Codirectors: Julie M. Vose, MD, Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD, and Thomas M. Braun, PhD
INTEGRATIVE MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY: BRIDGING CANCER BIOLOGY AND PRECISION MEDICINE
July 26–30; Virtual
Codirectors: Peter Kraft, PhD, Lorelei A. Mucci, MPH, ScD, and Elizabeth A. Platz, MPH, ScD
ACORD – AUSTRALIA & ASIA PACIFIC ONCOLOGY RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT: PROTOCOL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
August 29–September 3; Virtual
Convenor: Martin Stockler, MBBS (Hons), MSc
BMSF-AACR DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CLINICAL TRIALS WORKSHOP
Part of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Program
November 6–11; Virtual
Codirectors: Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, Yu Shyr, PhD, and Robert A. Winn, MD
AACR ON CAMPUS (AACROC): A VIRTUAL WORKSHOP ON IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SLACOM
November 23, November 30, and December 2; Virtual
Cochairs: Ophira M. Ginsburg, MD, Raul Murillo, MD, MPH, Silvia P. Neciosup, MD, and Gilberto Schwartsmann, MD
