Empowering Young Cancer Researchers Around the World—AACR Adds New GSITA Program in Africa

February 11, 2026 by

Every year, the AACR Annual Meeting brings together the world’s leading cancer scientists, and for a select group of early-career investigators, it also marks a turning point. Through the Global Scholar-in-Training Award (GSITA) program, the AACR provides support for young researchers in countries building cancer research capacities to attend the meeting where they have the opportunity to meet potential mentors, learn about the latest advances in cancer research, and engage in professional development sessions to help further their careers.

In 2026, that opportunity grows even stronger with the addition of a new GSITA program. Launched earlier this year, the Amgen Global Scholar-in-Training Award (Amgen GSITA) is focused on supporting early-career cancer researchers across Africa. Both GSITA and Amgen GSITA recipients are set to attend the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, to be held April 17–22, in San Diego, California.

For the Amgen GSITA, the award also extends to participation in the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) International Conference in 2027, reinforcing sustained engagement, leadership development, and regional collaboration.

Meet the 2026 AACR GSITA Cohort

All GSITA and Amgen GSITA recipients are selected through a rigorous, peer-reviewed process and recognized for their scientific promise, leadership potential, and commitment to advancing cancer research locally and globally.

2026 Amgen GSITA Recipients

  • Mounia Benbelkacem, PhD, University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene, Algeria
  • Kenn Chi Ndi, MD, DES, Centre Hospitalier Régional d’Ebolowa, Cameroon
  • Abdel-ilah Aziz, MSc, UM6P Hospitals, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco
  • Maria Nomusa Sikhakhane, MSc, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, South Africa
  • Atukuzwe Kanyandekwe Kahakwa, MBBS, MMed, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Tanzania

2026 AACR GSITA Recipients

  • Luisina Ripari, MS, FLENI, Argentina
  • María Mercedes Debernardi, PhD, BIOMED-UCA-CONICET, Argentina
  • Paula Sabrina Ledesma Bazán, PhD, University of Buenos Aires (CONICET-IQUIBICEN), Argentina
  • Mariana Bisarro dos Reis, PhD, Barretos Cancer Hospital, Brazil
  • Laura Rey-Vargas, MSc, PhD, Pontificia Javeriana University, Colombia
  • Anitha Pandi, MSc, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, India
  • Geeta S. Boora, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
  • Saravanan Sampoornam Pape, MDS, KIIT University, India
  • Jaber Husam Jaradat, MD, Mutah University, Jordan
  • Jehad Amer Yasin, University of Jordan, Jordan
  • Muaath Ismail Alsufi, University of Jordan, Jordan
  • Sara Al-Banna, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan
  • Muna Mohammed Abdullah Al Dalali, MS, Sultan Qaboos University / NUST, Oman
  • Mohd Suffian Azizan, PhD, Cancer Research Malaysia, Malaysia
  • Muhibullah Ghafoorzai, MBBS, Precision Medicine Lab, Pakistan

Advice from GSITA Alumni: How to Make the Most of the AACR Annual Meeting

For many awardees, the AACR Annual Meeting is more than a conference, it is a gateway to collaboration, visibility, and long-term career development. GSITA alumni offer recommendations for how this year’s awardees can get the most out of the meeting and share the impact the program has had on their careers. 

2025 GSITA Alumna (Ethiopia)

Meron Nigussie, MSc, Lecturer, Department of Medical Laboratory, Addis Ababa University

What advice would you offer to GSITA recipients who are attending the AACR Annual Meeting for the first time?

Being from a resource limited setting, the chances of attending this meeting by myself was minimal. But thanks to the GSITA program, I got the opportunity to meet respected scientists in my field, learned about the latest developments in cancer research, and was inspired deeply. The professional development sessions I attended were invaluable in teaching me how to remain committed to my professional growth. I would specifically recommend any professional development session organized by the Women in Cancer Research (WICR) membership group. As a woman, mother of two, and cancer researcher, it is never easy, but through their session about building resilience, I realized that I am not alone and how to remain resilient irrespective of many stressors in life. Also, the GSITA visit to the local institution—in our case UChicago Medicine—was very valuable as it helped me realize how committed people are to cancer research and to saving lives from cancer. I left inspired to contribute my part in this fight against cancer.

2017 GSITA Alumna (Egypt)

Amira Fyala, MSc, PhD, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University

How has the GSITA program impacted your career?

Through my participation in GSITA and attendance at the AACR Annual Meetings, I have gained invaluable networking opportunities with scientists worldwide. These connections have significantly fostered my personal and professional growth and contributed to being named one of the ASCP 40 Under Forty Future Leaders in 2022, an honor that celebrates emerging leaders in pathology and laboratory medicine for their achievements, leadership, and commitment to innovation in the field. The experiences gained through this program have deepened my commitment to developing novel therapeutic strategies targeting cancer stem cell signal transduction. In the long term, I aim to become an entrepreneur in cancer therapeutics, leveraging my practical biomedical research experience to mentor and empower young scientists in Egypt and globally. My current multidisciplinary projects integrate clinical biochemistry, molecular biology, and biotechnology to develop innovative drug-delivery strategies. We anticipate that these initiatives will advance the scientific community and improve public health across Egypt, Africa, and the Middle East.

2022 GSITA Alumna (Colombia)

Michell Guevara-Nieto, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow from The Mark Foundation, Genomic Epidemiology Branch of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), AACR Associate Member Council

What advice would you offer to GSITA recipients who are attending the AACR Annual Meeting for the first time?

The AACR Annual Meeting is a transformative, life-changing opportunity for early-career researchers from developing countries; while its scale can feel overwhelming, it is one of the most powerful spaces to build a global scientific network and find a research community. For me, GSITA opened the door to my first international cancer conference, providing access to specialized expertise often difficult to find locally and the confidence to pursue prestigious global opportunities early in my career. My advice is to stay curious, step outside your comfort zone, and attend sessions beyond your core topics. Be ready to walk across the venue between talks, actively engage in professional development sessions, and prepare a short pitch about your research, as you will be meeting new people constantly. Maintaining an active relationship with the AACR is key to unlocking future opportunities—a path that has led me to serve on the AACR Associate Member Council, bring the AACR on Campus program to Colombia, and build international breast cancer research projects focused on underrepresented populations.