2026 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting: Day 2 Recap

Day 2 of the 2026 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting in Chicago began with "Four Generations, One Workplace," moderated by Annual Meeting Program Chair Dr. Candace S. Johnson, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She was joined on the panel by her Roswell Park colleague Dr. Rodney Haring; Dr. Zeno Ashai, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (pictured at podium); and Stefanie Belanger, Duke Cancer Institute. Panelists warned that while generational labels can provide context, they are weak predictors of individual behavior. Their proposed leadership strategies emphasized bilateral communication, strategic planning, mentorship, and a focus on outcomes rather than processes.

"We don't need a separate management plan for each generation. We need enough curiosity to understand each person and enough clarity to help them work as a team together."
— Zeno Ashai, MBBS, MPH

Introducing a session on mobile cancer screening programs, home-based therapies, and community clinical research partnerships, Dr. Hannah Hazard-Jenkins, WVU Cancer Institute (pictured right), noted that the value of these services is deeply appreciated in under-resourced and under-represented communities. To these populations, said Dr. Hazard-Jenkins, "They are signals that we care."

She was joined by panelists Dr. Alan Balch, National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF) (pictured below); Dr. Mark Doescher, Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma; Dr. Roxana S. Dronca, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, Florida; and Dr. Eneida Nemecek, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.

"The goal is not simply [to] bring screening and treatment to people in places that currently lack access. It's to design the research with and for those very same people you ultimately need to reach."
— Alan Balch, PhD

Next up was the 2026 awards ceremony, during which AACI recognized excellence in health equity, philanthropy, and scientific discovery. Dr. Louis M. Weiner, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, honored Georgetown Lombardi's Dr. Lucile L. Adams-Campbell with this year's Cancer Health Equity Award. AACI President Dr. Joann B. Sweasy, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, presented the Champion for Cures Award to Cattlemen's Ball of Nebraska, Inc., an annual, volunteer-run charitable event that draws over 4,000 attendees to venues across Nebraska to help raise funds for cancer research. Finally, Dr. Suresh Ramalingam, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, aknowledged Emory's Dr. Rafi Ahmed with the Distinguished Scientist Award. Dr. Ahmed followed the ceremony with a keynote that enhanced attendees' understanding of T-cell exhaustion, particularly as applied to cancer immunotherapy.

Dr. Louis M. Weiner with Dr. Lucile L. Adams-Campbell

Cattlemen's Ball of Nebraska volunteers with Dr. Joann B. Sweasy (center)

Dr. Rafi Ahmed with Dr. Suresh Ramalingam

"[M]eaningful progress against cancer requires more than scientific discovery. It requires trust, partnership, and a commitment to reaching people and communities who are often left behind."
— Louis M. Weiner, MD

Moderating a panel discussion on discoveries at AACI basic science cancer centers, Dr. Madeleine Braun, The Jackson Laboratory, highlighted the "enormous translational potential" of the work being conducted at basic science centers. Dr. Rohit Bhargava, Cancer Center at Illinois; Dr. Reuben J. Shaw, Salk Institute Cancer Center; and Dr. Matthew Vander Heiden, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, focused on engineering- and arificial intelligence-based research, noting the importance of solving problems for as many people as possible worldwide, particularly those living in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Madeleine Braun introduces the "Research and Development at Basic Laboratory Cancer Centers" panel

Dr. Wendy Law, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, moderated a dynamic conversation on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), featuring director/administrator dyads from three cancer centers: Dr. John L. Cleveland and Brian C. Springer, Moffitt Cancer Center; Dr. Thomas P. Loughran, Jr., and Dr. Dina Halme, UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Dr. Yolanda Sanchez and Rae Ann Paden, University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center. Tips on effective CCSG applications and on-site meetings ranged from the basic (following instructions to the letter) to more granular details, like using attention-grabbing typefaces, graphics, and compelling vignettes to convey "palpable enthusiasm."

The day ended with a deeper dive into NCI on-site meetings, moderated by Lauren Hackett, Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Johnson returned to the stage, joined by Dr. Roy A. Jensen, The University of Kansas Cancer Center, and Dr. W. Kimryn Rathmell, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - The James, to answer questions on establishing dialogues between on-site reviewers and institutional leadership to ensure success with the NCI P30 grant process. "Institutional commitment is vital to cancer research going forward," said Dr. Jensen.

CCSG session panelists: Dr. Wendy Law, Brian C. Springer, Dr. John L. Cleveland, Dr. Dina Halme, Dr. Thomas P. Loughran, Jr., Dr. Yolanda Sanchez, and Rae Ann Paden

Drs. Candace S. Johnson, Roy A. Jensen, and W. Kimryn Rathmell answer questions about on-site visits

AACI Government Relations Forum

AACI's Government Relations (GR) Forum began with a welcome from GR Steering Committee Chair Catherine Laio, Duke Cancer Institute. Dr. Satish Gopal, NCI, provided an update on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Operation Trialblazer initiative, highlighting how oncology clinical trials—especially early-phase trials for rare cancers and solid tumors—have increased globally. During a preview of tomorrow's session on global competitiveness in biomedical research, Stephen Ezell, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, stressed the urgent need for the U.S. to maintain its position as the global leader in biopharmaceutical innovation amid increasing competition from China.

The GR Forum also included a midterm election update from Ross Frommer, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and brief reports from AACI sustaining members American Association for Cancer Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association, and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. The forum closed with updates on AACI's advocacy activities and the announcement that Caroline Powers, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, was named vice chair of the GR steering committee.

Thank you to Advarra for supporting today's AACI Cancer Center Directors Breakfast and Flatiron for supporting the morning break.

Please join us tomorrow for the third and final day of the meeting, which will begin at 8:00 am central time with the 14th Annual Physician Clinical Leadership Initiative (PCLI) meeting, "Rethinking Clinical Trials Using Decentralization." Tomorrow's sessions will also explore drivers of the current clinical research crisis, emerging innovations in cancer care, and China's expanding footprint in biomedical research. The meeting will conclude with a report from NCI Director Dr. Anthony Letai.

All photos by Randy Belice.

Day 1 Recap

Meeting Program