How Does the Most Important Cancer Research Meeting in the World Come Together?

Starting on April 17, more than 22,000 scientists, clinicians, other health care professionals, cancer survivors, and patient advocates are expected to head to San Diego for the AACR Annual Meeting 2026. But as these individuals from around the world fill Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center to watch awe-inspiring plenaries, explore an Exhibit Hall packed with fascinating posters, take in the countless number of other scientific sessions and professional development opportunities, or lunch on a sampling of local flavors at nearby food trucks, few will realize how much planning went into making all this possible.

“It takes an army of individuals throughout AACR and hundreds of dedicated members of the cancer research community who volunteer their time to help shape the program,” said Lisa N. Haubein, PhD, senior director of Scientific Programs at AACR, who is in her 10th year as the point person for planning the AACR Annual Meeting’s program.

“Our meeting has kept growing to the point that we now can only fit in four cities,” added Pamela Ballinger, CMP, vice president of Meetings and Exhibits at AACR, who has been responsible for the logistical planning of the meeting for 12 years. “There is not another meeting that I’ve ever seen that has the level of cancer science—we pack in a lot.”

Cancer Research Catalyst spoke with Haubein, Ballinger, and others at AACR to offer a peak behind the curtain of how the world’s premier cancer research event all comes together.

Planning the AACR Annual Meeting Scientific Program

Conversations about the program start about 18 months before the meeting. The first step is working with the AACR President on selecting the chairs for the Annual Meeting Program Committee.

“We like to have one renowned scientist involved with basic research and one in the clinical area,” Haubein explained. “These individuals help shape the outstanding Program Committee with experts who represent the full spectrum of cancer research.”

This year’s Program Committee chairs are Paul S. Mischel, MD, FAACR, of Stanford University who is a basic researcher examining extrachromosomal DNA, and Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, FAACR, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute who is a clinical researcher exploring therapeutics for lung cancer. 

In total, the Program Committee consists of about 40 members who are selected from the recommendations made by two chairs, the AACR President, and other AACR leaders within the cancer community. In addition to ensuring there are researchers across scientific disciplines, the committee also includes perspectives from patient advocates, industry, and representation from across the globe. Every individual is then tasked with submitting two to three ideas before coming together for an in-person, three-day Program Committee meeting where they work to distill the suggestions down to around 120, Haubein said.

One of that meeting’s main goals is to settle on the topics for the Plenary Sessions, which are always the most anticipated and highly attended sessions of the Annual Meeting. “Nailing down the Plenary Sessions are key—we spend a lot of time talking about what are the topics that will appeal to a broad audience and who are the best speakers for those topics,” she added.

From there, Haubein’s team spends the next few months engaging virtually with the members of the Program Committee as they begin to plan the entire scientific program and invite between 650 and 750 speakers. Meanwhile, they are also recruiting about 250 reviewers to go through the more than 7,000 regular abstracts submitted to the meeting.

“We are very lucky to have an amazing group of AACR members to pull from,” Haubein explained. “Plus, each year, we also ask previous reviewers to recommend up-and-coming researchers whom we can involve in different ways at the meeting, such as serving as abstract reviewers or participating on other committees in the future.”

A different set of around 50 reviewers handles the clinical trial abstracts. Once scored, the Clinical Trials Committee members work to select which trials will be featured at the Annual Meeting.

“Most of their work happens between January and February, so they operate on a very compressed timeframe,” Haubein said.

Haubein’s team also helps develop the Educational Program, which consists of more than 65 Education Sessions and Method Workshops designed to teach researchers of all levels about areas of research beyond their own. Each year, four or five members from the Program Committee are included among the approximately 20 members of the Annual Meeting Education Committee.

“This allows us to take what’s already been discussed with the Program Committee to develop an Educational Program that speaks to the themes of the main program,” Haubein said.  

Arranging All of the Conference Logistics

Similar to Haubein’s team, Ballinger and members of her Meetings and Exhibits staff begin planning for the AACR Annual Meeting about 18 months in advance. This typically involves laying out the floor plan for the Exhibit Hall—more than 600 exhibitors will be at the Annual Meeting 2026. As for the venue destinations, those are set for the foreseeable future. 

“We already have locations booked for 2040 and 2041,” Ballinger said. “Because we’re such a big meeting, we only have a limited number of locations that work for us.”

Those locations are San Diego, Orlando, New Orleans, and Chicago. 

“I’ve spent 12 years looking at every single center and what people may not know is these are the only cities that have a convention center large enough to accommodate us as well as enough hotel rooms available at peak,” Ballinger explained.

In some cases, Ballinger and her team still must make accommodations for these locations to offer everything they need. For example, since San Diego has a smaller plenary hall than the others, Ballroom 20 will serve as an overflow location at this year’s meeting where attendees can watch a livestream of the session. Additionally, since the San Diego Convention Center doesn’t have a lot of quick lunch locations, Ballinger’s team arranged for food trucks to be parked outside between the convention center and the Hilton San Diego Bayfront on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday afternoons during the meeting.

“People can go outside, get some fresh air, grab a quick bite, and either sit at one of the tables we have set up or head back into their next session,” Ballinger said. “Or people can enjoy the weather while watching a livestream of the session on their phone or computer.”

That livestream option is one of the biggest changes Ballinger has encountered over the 12 years she has managed the “meat and potatoes” of the meeting, as she likes to describe it. What was a forced innovation due to the COVID pandemic has become an important meeting staple.

“It really helps make the meeting more accessible to everyone,” Ballinger said. “Even for people at the meeting, it makes it easier to catch more of the sessions.”

Recognizing Researchers and Patient Advocates

In addition to the many sessions attendees can choose from, the AACR Annual Meeting serves as an opportunity to recognize the cancer research community. Each year, receptions are held for the new class of Fellows to the AACR Academy, AACR Scientist↔Survivor Program patient advocates, Scholar-in-Training Awardees (SITAs), AACR grant recipients, and more.

“Through the AACR Annual Meeting, we have an opportunity to continue our support of early-career researchers—such as the SITA recipients and some of the AACR grantees—by providing them with chances to share their work and make connections with the global cancer community,” said Yixian (John) Zhang, PhD, vice president of Research and Grants Administration at AACR.

Zhang even heard from his son’s wife how someone who was able to attend the Annual Meeting as a SITA recipient was offered a position at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center because of this prestigious recognition and the opportunity to participate in the AACR Annual Meeting.

Each year, AACR hosts several events to show appreciation for its members; foster networking, engagement, and camaraderie; and recognize important membership milestones. These gatherings honor new members and recognize the remarkable dedication of those celebrating 25 and 50 years of AACR membership. This year is particularly meaningful, as AACR will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Associate Member Council—a milestone that reflects three decades of empowering and representing graduate students, medical students and residents, and clinical and postdoctoral fellows as they pursue their education and training and shape the future of cancer research.

“The Annual Meeting will be one of several highlights throughout the year dedicated to celebrating the founding of the Associate Member Council and honoring the extraordinary growth, contributions, and achievements these Associate Members have made over the past 30 years,” said Robin E. Felder, director of membership experience and engagement in the AACR Education Division.

Planning the Next Meeting—After Some Rest

“It’s always rewarding to help plan a meeting that people truly want to attend, one they mark on their calendars every year and consider essential,” Haubein said. “When I left the bench, I wanted to be in a position where I could touch more lives and have a bigger impact in the cancer research community, especially after losing my mother to cancer. AACR and the Annual Meeting has provided me with that.”

At the conclusion of the Annual Meeting’s Closing Plenary, Haubein said there are plenty of high fives, hugging, and celebrating.

Following that celebration, both Haubein and Ballinger said there is only one thing they want to do—sleep.

“I get on the plane and I fall asleep,” said Ballinger. “And then I get home, I tell the family not to ask me anything, and I just sleep some more.”

But come Monday, they both do the same thing.

“We are right back to planning the next AACR Annual Meeting.”