Vision Statement
Cancer deaths are increasing worldwide, with hundreds of millions of individuals at increased risk, and millions dying of the disease. Combating this public health crisis is one of the highest priorities in global health of all time. Despite the many challenges that we face from this disease, there is hope for significant advances in the years to come, with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) having the potential to serve as a key catalyst for progress.
Fortunately, exciting discoveries in cancer prevention and screening, precision diagnosis, new therapeutic interventions, and the intersection of AI with large-scale molecular and clinical data promise new avenues in medicine and oncology that have never been previously possible and may be more impactful than any we have witnessed in our lifetimes.
The AACR has a unique and pivotal opportunity to foster and encourage these types of discoveries, and the organization has the potential to be the worldwide leader in our progress against cancer. An exciting vision for the future is one where the AACR fully transcends its borders to become the premier cancer research organization worldwide.
The organization has a membership of more than 60,000 basic, translational, clinical, and population researchers from the U.S. and 140 countries around the world, many of whom have had a significant role in nearly all major discoveries to date in cancer research. Although the membership of the AACR is already broad and growing, a testament to the great leadership of the organization, we can and should broaden it further, by joining forces with those from emerging disciplines impacting cancer research, including chemistry and chemical biology, biostatistics, mathematics, biomedical engineering, computational biology, artificial intelligence/machine learning, as well as population, health disparities, and implementation sciences, as these will dramatically impact future breakthroughs. Direct outreach to individuals with these expertises would be an important goal in increasing the impact of the AACR.
The diversity of members in the AACR, both geographically and in their expertise, has the potential to make a dramatic impact against this global disease. As cancer knows no boundaries, we need to find better ways to work together to harness the creative potential of our diverse global members to accelerate new discoveries, technologies, and innovations. Expanding thematic meetings to share new discoveries at worldwide locations, developing mechanisms by which scientists connect with like-minded investigators worldwide, and encouraging increased submissions to our broad array of leading journals all have the potential to bring together new and diverse ideas that lead to more collaborations, practice-changing discoveries, and global transfers of technological advances like no other organization in the field.
As evidence indicates that some the greatest strides in reducing cancer mortality will be through early detection and intervention, we should aim to renew emphasis on existing cancer screening methods as well as catalyze cutting-edge science involving multidisciplinary expertise. These could focus on innovative research that aims to leapfrog today’s practices, resulting in new diagnostic and screening approaches that are cost-efficient and have the potential for dramatic impact on individuals around the world who need them most.
Ultimately, in these times of global conflict and fragmentation, I believe that the AACR has the important responsibility to robustly communicate the progress and importance of cancer research to an array of policymakers, legislators, and regulatory bodies, and to partner with organizations around the world to catalyze funding for cancer research and provide new avenues in the global war against cancer. Through its role as a hub of knowledge and innovation, the AACR has the potential to stimulate progress against cancer like never before, having a lasting impact for cancer patients and for individuals at risk of cancer worldwide for years to come.
Research Interests
Cancer genomics; genomic and epigenetic landscapes of human cancers precision medicine; breast, colorectal, brain, pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancer; artificial intelligence; machine learning; liquid biopsy approaches for early detection and monitoring of cancer patients; disease interception; global gene expression analyses; tumorigenesis; PIK3CA; PI3K and IDH1.
Current Affiliations
Professor, genetic medicine; professor, medicine; co-leader, Lung and Head and Neck Cancer Program and affiliate faculty, Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; affiliate faculty, Institute of Computational Medicine; affiliate faculty, McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine; professor, pathology; and professor, oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; co-director, cancer genetics and epigenetics and director, Cancer Genomics Laboratory, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, Maryland; affiliate faculty, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Previous Positions
Associate director, precision medicine (2018-2022) and director, cancer genetics (2004-2013), Ludwig Center, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center; associate director, Johns Hopkins Individualized Health Initiative, Johns Hopkins University (2018-2022), Baltimore, Maryland; associate professor, oncology (2006-2001) and assistant professor, oncology (2002-2006), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Education
BS, biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California (1992); MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (1999); PhD, human genetics and molecular biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (1999).
Postdoctoral Training
Postdoctoral fellow, oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1999-2001), Baltimore, Maryland.
Selected AACR Service, Honors, and Awards
Member, AACR Lung Cancer Task Force (2024-present); cochair, Fellows of the AACR Academy Science and Science Policy Subcommittee (2024-present); member, Annual Meeting Education Committee (2023-2024); cochair, Annual Meeting Program Committee (2023-2024, 2018-2019, 2014-2015); elected Fellow, Fellows of the AACR Academy (2022); chair, AACR Team Science Award Committee (2021-2023); scientific editor, AACR Journal, Cancer Discovery (2020-present); member, Cancer Progress Report Steering Committee (2018-2019); chair (2016-present) and member (2014-2016), Publications Committee; chair (2016-2017) and member (2016-2019), Science Policy and Government Affairs Subcommittee; member, GENIE Steering Committee (2015-2017); member, AACR NextGen Transformative Grants Scientific Review Committee (2015-2017); co-chairperson, Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research (2015); member, Board of Directors (2013-2016); recipient, AACR Team Science Award (2013, 2014, 2017); chair, AACR Basic Cancer Research Grants Scientific Review Committee (2012-2014); member, Education and Training Committee (2012-2015); recipient, AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research (2009).
Selected Non-AACR Service, Honors, and Awards
Recipient, Precision Medicine World Conference (2025); elected fellow, National Academy of Inventors (2023); chair, Scientific Advisory Committee, Romanian Institute of Genomic Research (2023-present); recipient, Doctor Honoris Causa by Carol Davila University of Medicine Bucharest (2023); recipient, Health Care Innovation Award, Baltimore Business Journal (2022); recipient, Victor Babeş Honorary Scientist Award (2021); recipient, Best in Tech Award for DELFI Diagnostics, Baltimore Business Journal (2021); recipient, Carol and Dick Hertzberg Prize for Technological Innovations, UCSD (2018); recipient, Centennial Award of Excellence, Government of Romania (2018); member, External Advisory Board, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute (2017-present); elected member, American Association of Physicians (2018); foreign honorary elected member, Romanian Academy (2017); member, Scientific Advisory Committee, the Mark Foundation (2017-2020); recipient, Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Maryland (2016); member, Executive Oversight Committee, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center (2016-present); co-leader, Stand Up to Cancer Molecular Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer Dream Team (2015); honoree, Highly Cited Researcher by Thompson Reuters (2014); elected member, American Society for Clinical Investigation (2014); recipient, Ad Astra Prize for Excellence in Research in the Life Sciences (2014); elected member, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society (2014); member, Editorial Board, Discoveries (2013-present); elected member, Sir William Osler Interurban Clinical Club (2011); recipient, Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (2011); recipient, National Brain Tumor Society Founders Award (2009); recipient, European Association of Cancer Research and Carcinogenesis Young Investigator Award (2008); member, Editorial Board, Carcinogenesis (2008-present); member, Editorial Board, Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (2007-present); recipient, Judson Daland Prize, American Philosophical Society (2007); recipient, Sir William Osler Young Investigator Award, Interurban Clinical Club (2006); recipient, Pew Scholar Award, the Pew Charitable Trusts (2004).