Minorities in Cancer Research (MICR) will present the following programs during the AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009, April 18-22, 2009 in Denver, CO. All Annual Meeting registrants are invited to participate in these events (unless otherwise noted). Click on event titles to learn more about the programs.
MICR Networking and Resource Center
MICR Council Meet and Greet
4th Annual AACR-MICR-Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship
MICR Forum: Preparing Junior Investigators for the Future: How to Use Career Development Awards Effectively
MICR Town Meeting
MICR Professional Advancement Reception and Roundtable: Navigating the Road to a Successful Career in Cancer Research
MICR Scientific Symposium: Epigenetic Response to Stress in Determining Health Disparities
AACR Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar Awards in Cancer Research
AACR Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research
MICR Networking and Resource Center
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Sunday, April 19 - Tuesday, April 21)
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Wednesday, April 22)
Room 401, Colorado Convention Center
All Minorities in Cancer Research (MICR) members and Annual Meeting registrants interested in MICR membership and activities are encouraged to visit the MICR Networking and Resource Center. The Center will provide meeting attendees with a comfortable environment to network one-on-one and in small groups while learning about AACR and MICR programs as well MICR membership and committee service opportunities.
MICR Council Meet and Greet
Sunday, April 19th, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Room 401, Colorado Convention Center
This was a great success last year! The MICR Council Meet and Greet is an opportunity for the MICR Council to meet and answer questions from MICR Members, as well as the general Annual Meeting attendance on issues related to award opportunities, programs sponsored by the MICR Council, as well as other topics of interest to attendees.
4th Annual AACR-MICR-Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship
Sunday, April 19th, 4:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Room 205-206, Colorado
The AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research-Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship was first presented in 2006. The lectureship is intended to give recognition to an outstanding scientist who has made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who has, through leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of minority investigators in cancer research.
The winner of the 3rd Annual Wright Lectureship was Dr. Arthur Gutierrez-Hartmann, Professor in the Dept. of Medicine, at the Univ. of Colorado Denver and Health Sci. Prog., Aurora, CO. View slides and hear audio from Dr. Arthur Gutierrez-Hartmann's lecture entitled, "ETS Transcription Factors in Breast Cancer," which was presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2008. Read more about the Wright Lectureship.
MICR Forum: Preparing Junior Investigators for the Future: How to Use Career Development Awards Effectively
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room 702-706, Colorado Convention Center
Co-Chairpersons
John D. Carpten, Ph.D., TGen, Phoenix, AZ
Electra D. Paskett, Ph.D., The Ohio State Univ. Comp. Cancer Ctr., Columbus, OH
Invited Speaker
Shine Chang, Ph.D., UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Ctr., Houston, TX
Panelists
Carlton R. Cooper, Ph.D., Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE
Daniel C. Hughes, Ph.D., UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Manuel L. Penichet, M.D., Ph.D., UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Career development awards are designed to prepare junior scientists to become independent researchers through a combination of research, training, and mentored-opportunities. These awards provide junior investigators with protected time from teaching or clinical service thus allowing them to focus solely on career development-research and publishing. Many junior investigators have questions and concerns about pursuing career development awards. The goal of this forum is to describe career development awards, the submission process, successful strategies for the submission of applications, and the program experience. Panel members include successful applicants and mentors who will provide audience members with processes and tips to develop successful career development applications for individuals who choose career paths in academia or industry.
MICR Town Meeting
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Room 702-706, Colorado Convention Center
Chairperson
Jean G. Ford, M.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
The MICR Town Meeting provides an opportunity for the MICR Council to present its members, agenda, and programs to AACR members and annual meeting participants. This meeting plans to give participants a chance to share ideas, voice concerns, and express views on a variety of related topics.
The MICR Council is soliciting discussion topics from MICR members to address in open floor discussion at the MICR Town Meeting.
MICR Professional Advancement Reception and Roundtable: Navigating the Road to a Successful Career in Cancer Research
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Room 601-605, Colorado Convention Center
Co-Chairpersons
Maria Elena Martinez, Ph.D., Univ. of Arizona Cancer Ctr., Tucson, AZ
Duane T. Smoot, M.D., Howard Univ., Washington, DC
This interactive session will provide a forum in which students, postdocs, and junior faculty may discuss important career development issues and survival skills with established senior scientists. This session will include a keynote talk followed by mentored roundtable discussions facilitated by senior researchers from a variety of sectors in the cancer community including academia, government, and industry.
Click here for a full listing of topics and facilitators.
MICR Scientific Symposium: Epigenetic Response to Stress in Determining Health Disparities
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 - 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room 702-706, Colorado Convention Center
Co-Chairpersons
Francis Ali-Osman, D. Sc., Duke Comprehensive Cancer Ctr., Durham, NC
Timothy R. Rebbeck, Ph.D., Univ. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Invited Speakers
Francis Ali-Osman, D. Sc., Duke Comprehensive Cancer Ctr., Durham, NC: Epigenetic Regulation of Drug Resistant Genes and Response to Cancer Therapy Among Populations
Suzanne D. Conzen, M.D., Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL: A Mouse Model of Breast Cancer Reveals Metabolic Pathway Gene Expression Changes and Increased Tumor Growth are Associated with Chronic Stress
Ronald Glaser, Ph.D., Director, Inst. for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH: Stress-related Biomarkers and their Association with Health Disparities
It is becoming increasingly apparent that environmental influences on measurable biological events contribute to disparities in cancer etiology and outcomes. These influences may include inherited genetic variation as well as epigenetic phenomena that reflect both innate biology and responses to environmental exposures including social or physiologic stressors from a variety of sources. A holistic approach to the understanding of cancer health disparities therefore requires an understanding of the biological consequences of unfavorable exposures. This session will highlight recent research that forms a biologically-motivated approach to the understanding and elimination of cancer disparities.
Co-sponsored by the Centers for Population Health and Health Disparities
AACR Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar Awards in Cancer Research
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is extremely pleased to announce the availability of Scholar Awards in Cancer Research for full-time faculty members of Minority-Serving Institutions [Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities and other post-secondary institutions as defined by the US Department of Education]. The purposes of this Award program are to increase the scientific knowledge base of faculty members at Minority-Serving Institutions, and to encourage them and their students to pursue careers in cancer research.
The 2009 Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Award recipients will be announced in February 2009.
AACR Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research
AACR Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research are offered to eligible minority scientists wishing to participate in Annual Meetings and Special Conferences of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). These awards are intended to enhance the education and training of minority researchers and to increase the visibility and recognition of minorities involved in cancer research.
The 2009 Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Award recipients will be announced in February 2009.
For more information on MICR Annual Meeting events, send an e-mail to micr@aacr.org.