AACR CEO Dr. Margaret Foti to Receive Gallery of Success Award from Temple University

PHILADELPHIA — Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), has been selected as a Temple University Gallery of Success honoree for 2021. She will receive her award during a virtual ceremony this evening, May 10.

Each year, Temple University showcases exceptional alumni from its 17 schools and colleges in its Gallery of Success, both online and on campus. Foti earned her bachelor’s degree from Temple University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication.

After beginning her AACR career in an editorial position with the journal Cancer Research, Foti progressed through several key editorial and management roles in scientific publishing to become chief executive officer. Under her leadership, AACR membership has grown from 3,000 members to over 48,000 in 127 countries and territories, and the AACR’s portfolio of peer-reviewed scientific journals has increased from one to 10, including the recently announced open access journal Cancer Research Communications. She has also launched two other AACR publications: Cancer Today, a magazine for cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers; and Leading Discoveries, a publication that highlights the extraordinary research of AACR members as well as the AACR’s scientific programs and philanthropic initiatives.

In addition, Foti’s leadership was instrumental in the production of two landmark annual reports: the AACR Cancer Progress Report and the inaugural AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report published in 2020. These reports highlight the critical need for increased annual federal funding for government entities fueling the progress against cancer, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Under her guidance, the AACR has also served with distinction as the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). In this capacity, Foti and the AACR staff have brought significant expertise to their work with SU2C, especially in the scientific peer review of projects, scientific project management, grants administration, communications, and science policy.

Foti’s contributions have been widely recognized with numerous awards from organizations around the world. Her lengthy list of formal recognitions includes honorary degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Rome La Sapienza and the University of Catania in Sicily, and an honorary degree in medicine from the University CEU of San Pablo in Madrid. In 2019, she was honored as one of the Women of Inspiration and Influence by the Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation. She was also recognized with the 2018 Women for Oncology Award from the European Society for Medical Oncology, the 2016 PHL Life Sciences Ultimate Solution Award, the Ovarcome Excellence 2016 Award, the 2016 James Ewing Layperson’s Award from the Society of Surgical Oncology, the 2016 Honorary Member Award from the Oncology Nursing Society, and as a 2015 honoree of “the one hundred” by Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Additionally, she received the 2015 Children’s Champion Award from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the 2014 Ellen V. Sigal Advocacy Leadership Award from Friends of Cancer Research, the 2014 Morton M. Kligerman Visiting Professorship Award from the University of Pennsylvania, the 2013 Stanley P. Reimann Honor Award from Fox Chase Cancer Center, and the 2013 Distinguished Partner in Hope Award during the Annual Colorectal Cancer Conference hosted by the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, among others prior to 2013.

Foti is one of the most influential voices in advancing the field of cancer research, both in the U.S. and abroad. She was elected president of three professional societies in scholarly publishing and in cancer research. She has also served as a board member, committee member, and consultant to a number of other nonprofit organizations. Her legacy includes a generation of young women, minority scientists, and investigators-in-training whose careers have been advanced as a result of her mentorship and support. Further, throughout her long and distinguished career, her commitment at the AACR to accelerating advances against cancer through cutting-edge cancer research and improved patient care has saved innumerable lives from cancer all over the world.

In 2007, the AACR established the Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research, which is given annually in her name. Her visionary leadership, combined with her steadfast focus on the AACR’s mission, continues to drive the field toward the vital goal of preventing and curing all cancers.