One-of-a-Kind Opportunity to Meet the Research Grant Reviewers at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026
At the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, the Meet the Research Grant Reviewers session will return for another interactive opportunity for attendees to engage directly with past research grant reviewers. This year’s session will be held on Monday, April 20, 2026, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. PT, and will provide a platform for attendees to ask AACR grant reviewers any questions about the grant review process. This year’s speakers are Greg M. Delgoffe, PhD, and Rulla Tamimi, ScD. Below is an introduction to the speakers and information about what attendees can hope to gain from this interactive event.
Dr. Delgoffe is a professor in the Department of Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh. He also serves as director of the Tumor Microenvironment Center, associate director for Basic Research, and co-leader of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Delgoffe’s research interests lie at the intersection of metabolism and immunity in cancer. Specifically, his laboratory studies the metabolic contributions to T cell function and how these processes can be utilized to improve immune responses for cancer treatment.
Dr. Delgoffe has served on multiple AACR grant review committees and expressed appreciation for the thorough evaluation process, which he said “is in many ways similar to the NIH-style grant review.” He added that for AACR grant mechanisms that have a Letter of Intent stage—a preliminary review step used to identify the most competitive scientific ideas without requiring applicants to prepare full applications—applicants receive the benefit of initial reviewer feedback to help with future grant writing. “I hope this session will help stimulate more individuals to apply for AACR research grants as well as to understand how to tailor applications to the AACR review process,” Dr. Delgoffe commented.
Dr. Tamimi is a professor of population health sciences and chief of the Division of Epidemiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. She also serves as the associate director of Population Sciences at the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center. As a cancer epidemiologist with a particular focus on breast cancer, Dr. Tamimi has dedicated her research to better understanding breast cancer risk factors. Her work spans multiple areas—including genetic, lifestyle, reproductive, and environmental factors—that influence breast cancer risk and outcomes.
Having served as a reviewer for multiple AACR funding opportunities, Dr. Tamimi has particularly enjoyed evaluating multidisciplinary proposals and working with esteemed colleagues on the review committee. “It is an honor to serve alongside a group of national and international investigators,” Dr. Tamimi said when reflecting on the AACR research grant review process. In her experience, Dr. Tamimi shared, “There are often important discussions that highlight the significant impact the research will have,” underscoring the review committee’s dedication to improving patient outcomes through AACR-funded research. Dr. Tamimi looks forward to providing expert insight through this session. As she noted, “Grant writing can be challenging, especially for early-stage trainees. I hope to shed light on the process and how reviewers approach reading, scoring, and discussing grant applications.”
Meet the Research Grant Reviewers is designed as an open forum for attendees to ask research grant reviewers any questions they might not otherwise get the opportunity to discuss. Through direct dialogue with experienced reviewers, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the AACR grant review process, the factors that distinguish a competitive proposal, and practical guidance for crafting a grant application for successful funding.