Recipients Share Why the AACR Global Scholar-in-Training Awards Are Life-changing
Each year, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) provides early-career researchers from countries building cancer research capacities the opportunity to attend the AACR Annual Meeting through its Global Scholar-in-Training Awards (GSITA) program. Beyond getting the financial support to attend the meeting, awardees gain exposure to cutting-edge science, new collaborations, and professional development opportunities that can shape the trajectory of their careers.
With applications now open to attend the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, last year’s GSITA recipients shared highlights from their experience and the impact it has had on their careers so far.
Making New Connections
Alessandro Pascon Filho, an undergraduate medical student at Barretos Cancer Hospital in Brazil, described his GSITA experience as “one of the best of my academic career.” In part, that was thanks to networking opportunities provided to GSITA recipients throughout their time at the AACR Annual Meeting.
Before the conference even began, the 2025 GSITA awardees participated in a meet-and-greet with their fellow recipients, which also offered advice on how to best communicate their work when meeting with other researchers at the conference.
“The meet-and-greet served as a necessary warm-up for the days that followed,” explained Rocío Seniuk, a doctoral fellow at the University of Buenos Aires (CONICET-IQUIBICEN) in Argentina. “It helped me overcome initial nerves, firstly because I had to speak in a language that is not my native language, and secondly because it allowed me to refine my speech and focus on what I wanted to communicate.”
The 2025 GSITA cohort was also given the chance to meet with AACR President Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR, from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada.
“Prof. Lillian Siu created a welcoming and open atmosphere—she was energetic, approachable, and genuinely interested in hearing our thoughts,” said Özlem Yedier Bayram, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Research Center for Translational Medicine, Koç University in Turkey. “She actively asked for our feedback on how to improve the Annual Meeting experience for early-career researchers, and it truly felt like our suggestions were being heard and taken seriously. It was motivating to engage with such a thoughtful leader who is clearly committed to fostering the next generation of cancer researchers.”
Another component of the GSITA program is a visit to a nearby institution in the city where the meeting is being held to network with local researchers. The trip to UChicago Medicine was a highlight for many of the 2025 GSITA awardees.
“It was truly an enriching experience that brought out the best in me,” said Rafat Malik, a graduate student at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi in India. “Meeting Prof. Olufunmilayo Olopade was particularly inspiring, as she shared her personal experiences with us. Additionally, although Prof. Chuan He, an expert in non-coding RNAs closely related to my research, wasn’t originally part of our program, he generously took the time to meet with me upon my request. I was able to discuss my work with him, and his supportive response made the experience all the more impactful.”
Highlights From the AACR Annual Meeting
Among the many sessions at the AACR Annual Meeting 2025, the GSITA awardees highlighted a few that were particularly impactful for them.
“The New Drugs on the Horizon [session] was life-changing,” Filho said. “This event shows us the very future of cancer treatment. It was really nice to be present in a moment like that.”
Senthilmani Rajendran, MSc, a digital health researcher at Cancer Research Malaysia and PhD student at the Universiti Malaya in Malaysia, said she thoroughly enjoyed a career development session that was held by AACR’s Women in Cancer Research (WICR) constituency group.
“It was inspiring to speak to such strong and established women and to know that we are all in it together and trying to balance life and career the best we can,” Rajendran said. “I feel supported that I’m not alone in this journey.”
For Bayram, the chance to present her own work during the poster session exceeded all her expectations.
“Despite the large number of posters, the participation and engagement were incredibly high,” Bayram said. “Experts from diverse fields visited my poster, and we had stimulating discussions about my work. It was a great reminder of the value of open scientific exchange, and it reinforced the importance of communicating our work clearly and confidently in interdisciplinary settings.”
Noor Al-Bzour, an undergraduate medical student at Jordan University of Science and Technology in Jordan, shared how one of her most meaningful moments at the conference was following a Clinical Trials Plenary chaired by Stephen Liu, MD, from the Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“I took the opportunity to introduce myself and remind him of our meeting in Singapore,” Al-Bzour said. “To my delight, he remembered me and even asked if I was from Jordan, which was a small but meaningful connection. I was able to reach out to him after the meeting for potential collaboration. This experience reinforced the power of personal connections in our field, showing how even small interactions can lead to bigger opportunities.”
The Lasting Impact of the AACR GSITA Program
The connection that Al-Bzour made with Liu is only one example of how attending the AACR Annual Meeting can have a lasting impact on the careers of GSITA recipients.
Patience Commey, MD, a pathology resident at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana, said “This award has been transformative for me and … helped give me a clearer and more direct [career] path especially through the one-on-one networking sessions.”
Meron Yohannes Nigussie, MSc, a lecturer in the Department of Medical Laboratory at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said, “Attending this meeting helped me to discover some individuals with a potential to collaborate. Our team already has preliminary results, but due to limited budget we couldn’t explore further.” Nigussie added that the potential partners she spoke with at the meeting have the chance to help strengthen cancer research at her institution.
Mariel Fusco, a PhD student at the Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional (IIMT – CONICET) in Argentina, explained how she was approached by several recruiters who showed interest in her background. “We discussed possible opportunities for the next steps in my career,” Fusco said. “These connections were both encouraging and motivating, and they will be very helpful as I move forward professionally.”
For all of these reasons and more, Bayram said she would strongly recommend the GSITA program to anyone interested in applying.
“The award offers so much more than financial support—it provides access to a vibrant international community of early-career scientists, tailored events for professional development, and unique opportunities to interact with global leaders in oncology,” she explained. “GSITA is a gateway to building long-term collaborations, gaining visibility for your research, and developing the kind of network that can truly shape the next steps in your career.”
Applications are now open for the 2026 GSITA program. The deadline for applications is November 18. For questions, contact [email protected].
