Beyond the Award: The Far-reaching Impact of AACR’s Global Scholar-in-Training Program
By Annie W. Y. Chai, PhD; Pablo A. Sanchis, PhD; Hassan M. Abushukair, MD; and Mary A. Adewunmi, the members of the AACR Global Scholars Alumni Committee
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) launched the Global Scholar-in-Training Award (GSITA) program in 2016 to help early-career researchers in countries building cancer research capacities. While the award provides an invaluable opportunity to attend the AACR Annual Meeting, it is only the beginning of the journey. Since its inception, the GSITA program has grown into a thriving international community of over 120 alumni representing 25 countries. Continued professional development is essential to empower these emerging leaders to create meaningful change in their respective cancer research ecosystems.
To support this mission, the inaugural Global Scholars Alumni Committee (GSAC) was established in 2023 with the four of us as the first members to act as a bridge between the AACR Global Affairs office and the GSITA alumni. A key initiative has been the launch of quarterly alumni-only webinars—designed to ensure sustained engagement and to equip scholars with both scientific insights and career development skills post-award.
To date, these webinars have featured world-renowned speakers and covered a wide range of topics from cutting-edge scientific advances to essential soft skills like grant writing, mentorship, and scientific publishing. These sessions are now a cornerstone of post-award support and collaborative growth within the GSITA network, and have helped many of our fellow alumni in their careers as detailed by the testimonials provided below.
Catalyzing Global Collaborations Through AACR’s Network
One of the perks of being an alumnus of GSITA is the opportunity to leverage the rich resources and talent pool of distinguished scientific pioneers at AACR. For example, Elizabeth Jaffee, MD, FAACR, an AACR Past President, chair of the AACR’s Global Affairs Committee, and deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, led a webinar on “Overcoming drug resistance to targeted cancer therapies.”
Annie W. Y. Chai, PhD (Cancer Research Malaysia, GSITA 2021): “Prof. Jaffee’s talk and her sharing on promoting equitable vaccine access inspired many of us. After the session, I reached out to explore synergies between her work and ours at Cancer Research Malaysia, where my colleagues are also developing cancer vaccines. This conversation led to a broader collaboration culminating in AACR on Campus Malaysia, set for November 2025, with Prof. Jaffee as one of the invited speakers. These webinars connect GSITAs with leaders who can catalyze long-term impact, especially in resource-limited settings. Another alumna, Mutsa Takundwa, [PhD], is now exploring a similar initiative in South Africa.”
The quarterly GSAC webinars have also included two on AACR Project GENIE, a publicly accessible cancer registry of real-world clinico-genomic data. These webinars have not only benefited the career development of GSITA recipients but have also helped them conduct research impacting their community.
Yazan Hamadneh (University of Jordan, GSITA 2023): “The first webinar showed the strengths and limitations of AACR Project GENIE, especially in choosing specific alterations on a single gene. The second webinar showed the capabilities of utilizing different cohorts in generating and testing hypotheses on a large scale. My team presented two abstracts at AACR Annual Meeting 2025 and ASCO this year utilizing AACR Project GENIE. The first utilized the Biopharma Collaborative (BPC) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cohort to study clinicogenomic differences between NSCLC patients with early and later mortality. While the second, presented by me, studied the genomic differences of NSCLC with no targetable driver mutation between Asian, Black, and White patients. This study would not be feasible without the ability to include specific mutations and excluding others, which we would not have been able to do without GENIE.”
Fostering Mentorship
The mentor-mentee relationship is one of the most rewarding and transformative partnerships early-career researchers can experience. Through the webinars, GSITA alumni have had the privilege to connect directly with many esteemed mentors. This experience has also inspired some GSITA recipients to become mentors themselves.
Mary Adewunmi (Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Australia, GSITA 2022): “I had the privilege of moderating a session on ‘AI in Oncology’ in which Prof. Nikolas Kather was a speaker. After the webinar, I reached out to him to express my interest in having him as a mentor for my PhD, and he responded immediately, despite his demanding schedule. Although the AI component has since been removed from my project, I have been able to establish that connection between him and my PI, and Prof. Kather may now be involved in other projects within my institution. Just imagine the power of helping to make that connection to the leading expert in AI for clinical research.”
Letícia Ferro Leal, PhD (Barretos Cancer Hospital and Barretos School of Health Sciences, Brazil, GSITA 2021): “The webinars offered a rich and supportive space to strengthen mentor-mentee relationships and foster meaningful connections across borders. These sessions not only enhanced my professional development but also inspired me to expand networking opportunities within my research group and other institutions. One of the most fulfilling moments as a GSITA alumna was seeing my undergraduate student, Alessandro Pascon Filho, receive the same award shortly after me in 2025—a clear reflection of how the program has energized my mentoring journey and amplified our collective growth.”
Empowering Confidence, Increasing Visibility, and Enhancing Communication Skills
In competitive academic and scientific times like the ones we are currently facing, soft skills are as critical as technical expertise. Ways to better hone these skills have been covered in several webinars, including “Overcoming Imposter Syndrome,” where Ofelia Olivero, PhD, a retired scientist from the National Cancer Institute who now serves as a life coach, addressed the internal challenges many professionals face. She provided empowering tools to recognize self-doubt, reframe limiting beliefs, and build authentic confidence in one’s achievements and potential.
Michelle Guevara-Nieto, PhD (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Colombia, GSITA 2022): “Recognizing imposter syndrome as a marker of potential and growth, rather than a problem, can lead to fairer and more constructive self-reflection for early-career scientists. Through the Origami Method presented by Dr. Olivero, I gained clarity and challenged negative thoughts. It transitioned me from ruminating on the worst possible things that might go wrong to focusing on my strengths and achievements, making it simpler to remain confident and on track through the final hurdles of my PhD journey.”
In “Building an Online Presence Through Effective Science Communication,” Srivani Ravoori, PhD, AACR’s director of science communications, shared practical strategies for crafting clear, compelling messages tailored to diverse audiences.
Pablo Sanchis, PhD (University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, GSITA 2022): “This workshop came at the perfect time—just one week before I was invited to serve as a social media ambassador at the AACR Annual Meeting 2025. Dr. Ravoori provided invaluable tools that empowered me to succeed in this role. Two key questions from the workshop—‘What is my main message?’ and ‘Why should my target audience care?’—resonated deeply with me. They guided my real-time posting strategy and helped me effectively share cutting-edge advances in cancer research discussed during the conference.”
Sharpening Grant-writing Skills
In today’s grant landscape, where so many applicants are competing for limited research funds, it is especially critical that grant applications concisely and effectively showcase the strengths of their proposed projects. This requires that proposals are clearly communicated, well-aligned with their objectives, and highlight the unique contributions of researchers to the proposed project. By articulating this connection effectively, researchers increase the likelihood of securing funding and establishing a collaborative partnership. The webinar on “Fundamentals of Grantmanship,” featuring Yixian (John) Zhang, PhD, AACR’s vice president of research and grants administration, and the success story of Abram Kamiza, PhD, (GSITA 2023), taught the alumni a lot about the entire process of grantsmanship.
Gaston Pascual (Institute of Biological Chemistry, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, GSITA 2024): “The webinar was extremely helpful at a key stage of my PhD. It helped me understand not just what to write, but how to present the project’s value in a concise and convincing way. Thanks to what I learned, I successfully applied for a travel grant that allowed me to carry out a research stay in a leading laboratory in France—the lab that originally designed carbon monoxide-releasing molecules.”
Hassan Abushukair, MD (OU Stephenson Cancer Center, GSITA 2022): “This webinar was very timely for me as an early-career researcher. Through this webinar, I was introduced to some of AACR’s funding opportunities, which led to my first-ever fellowship application last year, which gave me an invaluable hands-on experience on what it takes to prepare such funding applications.”
Sustaining Momentum: Shaping the Future of the AACR Global Scholars Community
The GSITA program is more than a travel grant—it cultivates leadership and nurtures global scientific exchange. Our webinars have sparked collaborations, strengthened research networks, and built confidence among alumni.
Moving forward, we will launch focused journal clubs to foster deeper interaction and collaborative research among GSITA alumni and continue with our quarterly webinars.
Together, we are building a stronger, more connected network—one that continues to elevate global voices in cancer research and delivers impact where it matters most.
We also wanted to take this opportunity to thank Hassan Abushukair and Mary Adewunmi for their tireless work and significant contributions during their two-year term on the GSAC. As they are rotating off, we invite passionate alumni to apply for the 2025-2028 GSAC term by July 31, 2025, and become the voice of this vibrant, collaborative community.
