Join The Philadelphia Inquirer and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the first and largest cancer research organization, for a unique learning event featuring the directors of the region’s top cancer centers.
Spectacular new discoveries regarding how cancers begin, develop and are conquered have led to a novel approach. Precision medicine means targeted therapies that attack and even prevent cancers without the collateral damage of old-line treatments.
Come meet Philadelphia’s top experts, including INSERT 2-3 NAMES HERE and learn how they are writing the next chapter in cancer care and prevention. Learn from business leaders including INSERT 2-3 NAMES HERE whose innovative programs are helping employees prevent cancer. Hear the stories of cancer survivors living at the frontiers of medicine.
Explore how the knowledge these experts have gained could help you, your loved ones and your colleagues in the future as science gets closer to the goal of stopping cancer.
Join The Philadelphia Inquirer and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the first and largest cancer research organization, for a unique learning event featuring the directors of the region’s top cancer centers.
Spectacular new discoveries regarding how cancers begin, develop and are conquered have led to a novel approach. Precision medicine means targeted therapies that attack and even prevent cancers without the collateral damage of old-line treatments.
Come meet Philadelphia’s top experts, including INSERT 2-3 NAMES HERE and learn how they are writing the next chapter in cancer care and prevention. Learn from business leaders including INSERT 2-3 NAMES HERE whose innovative programs are helping employees prevent cancer. Hear the stories of cancer survivors living at the frontiers of medicine.
Explore how the knowledge these experts have gained could help you, your loved ones and your colleagues in the future as science gets closer to the goal of stopping cancer.

Scientists and even the President are talking about “Precision Medicine.” But what do these buzz words mean? Could they lead to a cancer-free future ?
Researchers from our region are at the forefront of ground-breaking discoveries into how cancers begin, develop and are conquered. Their pioneering work has led to targeted therapies that can attack and even prevent cancer without the negative side effects associated with more traditional treatments.
You’re invited to join the region's top cancer experts as they come together to share their knowledge and big ideas in quest to cure and prevent cancer. This unprecedented afternoon event is being presented by Philadelphia Media Network (publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the first and largest cancer research organization in the world.
Whether you or a loved one is battling cancer, or you’re a medical professional, it’s an event you won’t want to miss.
Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), is the chief executive officer of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the first and largest cancer research organization in the world whose mission is to prevent and cure cancer, headquartered in Philadelphia. A graduate of Temple University, Foti has been one of the most influential voices in advancing the field of cancer research. Under her leadership, the AACR brings the greatest minds in cancer research together to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Dario C. Altieri, MD, is a leader, cutting-edge scientist, educator, and advocate whose expertise has taken his career trajectory across the globe and whose current work continues to advance biomedical science by leaps and bounds. Dr. Altieri became the eighth president and CEO of The Wistar Institute in March 2015, and he is also Wistar’s Cancer Center Director, a position he has served since 2010.
Chi Van Dang, MD, PhD, is the director of the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) of the University of Pennsylvania, and the John H. Glick Professor of Medicine. As director of the
ACC, Dang launched a series of Translational Centers of Excellence, which propels teams of scientists, nurses, and clinicians to reach for the cure for various cancers. He also catalyzed the establishment of the Center for Personalized Diagnostics with Penn’s Department of Pathology and the Basser Center for BRCA.
Nancy E. Davidson is a world-renowned breast cancer researcher who is president-elect of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Dr. Davidson serves as Hillman Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC CancerCenter. She is a distinguished Professor of Medicine and associate vice chancellor for cancer research. She holds secondary appointments as distinguished professor of pharmacology and chemical biology and professor in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
Charlotte Sutton directs The Inquirer's award-winning coverage of medical issues for both print and online. She joined The Inquirer in March 2015 from the Tampa Bay Times, where she was health and medicine editor. As a reporter and editor for nearly 30 years, she has covered a wide range of topics, from politics to consumer issues to the arts. She completed her master’s degree in public health at the University of South Florida in 2014, focusing on health management and policy, particularly Medicare. She is a board member of the Association for Health Care Journalists.
Translational Research at the Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Stephan Grupp, MD PhD, is the Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program, as well as Director of Translational Research in the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Yetta Dietch Novotny Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Stem Cell Transplant Section of the Division of Oncology, is Medical Director of the Stem Cell Laboratory and Chair of the Stem Cell Transplant Discipline of the national Children’s Oncology Group.
Richard I. Fisher, MD, is president and chief executive officer of Fox Chase Cancer Center, and senior associate dean for cancer programs at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Among many other career highlights, Fisher recently served as director of hematology/oncology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry from 2001-2009; and senior associate dean for clinical affairs and director of the Rochester Medical Faculty Group at URSMD from 2008-2011.
Karen Knudsen, PhD is the Hilary Koprowski Professor and Chair of Cancer Biology at the Thomas Jefferson University, and Director of NCI-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, one of only 69 centers in the nation to achieve NCI designation. Dr. Knudsen is the Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). She is a leading expert in the molecular basis of hormone-dependent cancer development and progression, with a special focus on developing new means to prevent or treat lethal prostate cancers.
Tom Whitehead is the proud father of Emily, and co-founder of the Emily Whitehead Foundation which raises funds for childhood cancer research. It was created in honor of his daughter Emily who was diagnosed at age five with an aggressive form of leukemia that failed to respond to chemotherapy. As a last hope, Emily was enrolled in a clinical trial and became the first pediatric patient to receive T-cell therapy. The therapy worked and Emily is now 3-years cancer free.
Karl Stark is the Inquirer's business news editor, where he helped lead a re-imagining of the Sunday Business section to include more coverage of technology, start-ups, consumer issues, small business and retirement along with greater focus on the region's business leaders. He implemented the Inquirer's 8-page, print health section, which debuted two years ago, and is most passionate about finding new ways to support journalism in the digital era. He is also board president of the Association of Health Care Journalists, the nation's leading group of health reporters and editors.
George C. Prendergast, PhD, President and CEO of Main Line Health’s Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR), earned his BA magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD in Molecular Biology from Princeton University. A leader in cancer drug discovery, he presently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). In leading LIMR, his team pioneered an important, new cancer immunotherapy and developed a world-class reputation.
Dr. William N. Hait leads the global R&D group of Janssen in its mission to discover and develop innovative new medicines to address the world’s most serious unmet medical needs. Dr. Hait is also Treasurer of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Before joining Johnson & Johnson in 2007, Dr. Hait was the founding Director of The (Rutgers) Cancer Institute of New Jersey. From 1993 to 2007 he was Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and Associate Dean for Oncology Programs at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey -- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest cancer research organization dedicated to preventing and curing cancer, headquartered in Philadelphia. With more than 35,000 cancer researcher, physician-scientist, health care professional and patient advocate members residing in 101 countries, the AACR brings together the greatest minds in cancer research to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer through research, education, collaboration, and communication. For more information, visit www.AACR.org.
Philadelphia Media Network, LLC, is the publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com. With its multiple brand platforms and integrated print and digital products, PMN is the region’s largest media network and the industry’s technological leader and innovator. The newspapers have won a combined 23 Pulitzer Prizes.