AACR Announces 2025 Scientific Achievement Award Recipients
Awardees to be recognized at the AACR Annual Meeting 2025 in Chicago
CHICAGO – The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will honor the following cancer researchers and physician-scientists during the AACR Annual Meeting 2025, to be held April 25-30 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois.
AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research: Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR (Photo)
This award honors individuals who have made significant fundamental contributions to cancer research, either through a single scientific discovery or a body of work. These contributions, whether in research, leadership, or mentorship, must have had a lasting impact on the cancer field and must have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to progress against cancer.
Jain, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is the director of the Edwin L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Andrew Werk Cook Professor of Radiation Oncology (Tumor Biology) at Harvard Medical School. He is being recognized for his lifelong achievements and pioneering contributions that have transformed the scientific understanding of the tumor microenvironment and its role in cancer progression and treatment. Most notably, his groundbreaking hypothesis of vascular normalization reshaped the use of antiangiogenic therapy and led to FDA-approved drug combinations. Jain’s visionary integration of engineering and oncology has advanced drug delivery, immunotherapy, and cancer treatment strategies, while his celebrated mentorship and leadership have inspired countless scientists, clinicians, and physician scientists.
Jain’s award lecture will be held on Sunday, April 27, at 3 p.m. CT.
AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Cancer Research: Han Liang, PhD (Photo)
This award recognizes early-career investigators for meritorious achievements in basic cancer research.
Liang is the Barnhart Family Distinguished Professor in Targeted Therapies, a professor and deputy department chair in the Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and a professor in the Department of Systems Biology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is being recognized for his celebrated contributions to cancer bioinformatics and systems biology, advancing the understanding of the molecular basis of human cancers through multidimensional omics analyses, innovative computational tools, and systems-level approaches. Liang has led pioneering efforts in pan-cancer analyses, RNA editing in cancer, and tumor-microenvironment interactions, uncovering novel tumor-intrinsic and microenvironmental vulnerabilities and therapeutic strategies.
Liang’s award lecture will be held on Monday, April 28, at 5:30 p.m. CT.
AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Blood Cancer Research: Louis M. Staudt, MD, PhD, FAACR (Photo)
This award, supported by AbbVie, recognizes individuals on the basis of their meritorious achievements and contributions to any aspect of blood cancer research.
Staudt, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is the chief of the Lymphoid Malignancies Branch and an NIH Distinguished Investigator at the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health. He is being recognized for his pioneering contributions to the molecular classification of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) including the identification of clinically distinct DLBCL subtypes through genomic profiling and the development of functional genomic screens to uncover new therapeutic targets. His discovery that activated B cell-like DLBCL relies on chronic B-cell receptor signaling led to the development of targeted therapies, including the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib, which significantly improved survival for patients with molecularly defined lymphoma subtypes. Staudt’s continued leadership in refining lymphoma taxonomy and advancing novel combination therapies exemplifies the power of precision oncology in transforming patient outcomes.
Staudt’s award lecture will be held on Tuesday, April 29, at 4:30 p.m. CT.
AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research: Shiva Malek, PhD (Photo)
This award is presented for outstanding, novel, and significant chemistry research that has led to important contributions in basic cancer research, translational cancer research, cancer diagnosis, the prevention of cancer, or the treatment of patients with cancer.
Malek is the executive vice president and global head of oncology disease area at the Novartis BioMedical Research. She is being recognized for her invaluable contributions to the chemical biology of kinase signaling, including elucidating the complex dynamic effects of small-molecule inhibitors on the mitogen-associated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and their implications for cancer therapy. Malek is renowned for discoveries in RAF inhibitor-induced paradoxical activation, the kinase-independent role of BRAF in MAPK signaling, and the mechanisms of resistance to next-generation RAF inhibitors. Her innovative work has not only deepened the mechanistic understanding of oncogenic kinase networks but has also directly influenced the design of novel therapeutic strategies that continue to shape the future of targeted cancer treatment.
Malek’s award lecture will be held on Monday, April 28, at 5 p.m. CT.
AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research: Robert C. Bast Jr., MD (Photo)
This award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the education and training of cancer scientists and physicians at any career level and in any area of cancer research.
Bast is the director of translational research career development and the Harry Carothers Wiess Distinguished University Chair for Cancer Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he is also a professor in the Department of Experimental Therapeutics. He is being recognized for his extraordinary leadership and enduring dedication to the education and training of generations of physician-scientists, clinician-investigators, and translational researchers. Bast’s visionary mentorship and pioneering initiatives have profoundly shaped the careers of countless trainees, fostering their development into independent leaders in cancer research and clinical care. His commitment to advancing educational programs, from oncology fellowships to translational research training, has had a transformative impact on the field, ensuring the continued growth of a highly skilled and innovative cancer research community.
AACR James S. Ewing-Thelma B. Dunn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pathology in Cancer Research: Matthew L. Meyerson, MD, PhD, FAACR (Photo)
This award, named for the AACR’s first President, James S. Ewing, MD, and the AACR’s first female President, Thelma B. Dunn, MD, both of whom were pathologists, serves to recognize and celebrate pathologists who have significantly contributed to advancing cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Meyerson, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is the Charles A. Dana Chair in Human Cancer Genetics and director of the Center for Cancer Genomics at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is also a professor of genetics and medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is being recognized for his significant discoveries including the identification of key oncogenic mutations and the development of genomic diagnostic approaches that have driven major advancements in cancer diagnostics and treatment. Meyerson’s groundbreaking work on CDK and telomerase genes, and EGFR and RAF mutations, has shaped targeted therapies, and his discoveries in cancer microbiomics and noncoding genome alterations have deepened our understanding of tumor biology. His leadership in large-scale cancer genomics initiatives and his mentorship of the next generation of cancer researchers have had a lasting impact on the field, advancing precision oncology and molecular pathology.
Meyerson’s award lecture will be held on Sunday, April 27, at 3:15 p.m. CT.
AACR-Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research: William N. Hait, MD, PhD, FAACR (Photo)
This award recognizes true champions of cancer research whose leadership and extraordinary achievements in cancer research have had a major impact on the field. Such achievements may include contributions to the acceleration of progress against cancer, raising national or international awareness of the importance of cancer research, or other ways of demonstrating a sustained extraordinary commitment to cancer research.
Hait, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, served as the global head of Janssen Research and Development and was the executive vice president, chief of external innovation, and medical safety and global public health officer at Johnson & Johnson prior to his retirement in 2024. He is being recognized with this award for his extensive contributions to cancer pharmacology, drug discovery, and precision medicine, including early recognition of adverse signal transduction events capable of driving malignant cell growth and advancements in the development of targeted therapies. His research on cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase, EF-2 kinase, and multidrug resistance mechanisms laid the foundation for transformative cancer treatments. As a quintessential leader in both academia and industry, Hait developed New Jersey’s first and only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute, and spearheaded the development of oncology drugs that have improved outcomes for millions of cancer patients. His leadership and dedication to cancer research have profoundly shaped the field, inspired countless generations of scientists, and have propelled significant innovation in the design and development of novel cancer treatments.
Hait’s award lecture will be held on Monday, April 28, at 4:15 p.m. CT.
AACR Team Science Award: MSK-IMPACT Team
This award, supported by Loxo@Lilly, recognizes outstanding interdisciplinary research teams for their innovative and meritorious science that has advanced or likely will advance our fundamental knowledge of cancer, or a team that has applied existing knowledge to advance the detection, diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of cancer.
The MSK-IMPACT Team of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is being recognized for its pivotal advancements in clinical genomic sequencing that have transformed oncology practice, clinical trials, and cancer discovery research. The team developed and implemented a groundbreaking next-generation sequencing platform, which enabled the comprehensive molecular characterization of over 125,000 tumors and drove significant insights into cancer biology, biomarker-driven therapies, and precision oncology. By integrating MSK-IMPACT into a CLIA-compliant laboratory from inception, the team ensured that each patient directly benefits from their genomic data, facilitating informed decision-making for the most appropriate treatment and/or clinical trial. Their innovative work has set new standards for integrating genomic data into clinical care, propelling landmark clinical trials, and advanced data-sharing initiatives worldwide.
The team members include (Group Photo):
- Michael Berger, PhD (Team Leader) (Photo)
- Maria E. Arcila, MD
- Chaitanya Bandlamudi, PhD
- Ryma Benayed, PhD
- A. Rose Brannon, PhD
- Debyani Chakravarty, PhD
- Donavan T. Cheng, PhD
- Mark Donoghue, PhD
- JianJiong Gao, PhD
- David Hyman, MD
- Marc Ladanyi, MD
- Brian Loomis, PhD
- Diana Mandelker, MD, PhD
- Khedoudja Nafa, PharmD, PhD
- Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH
- Mark Robson, MD
- Nikolaus Schultz, PhD
- David B. Solit, MD
- Zsofia K. Stadler, MD
- Aijazuddin Syed, MS
- Barry S. Taylor, PhD
- Ahmet Zehir, PhD
- Liying Zhang, MD, PhD
The team will be honored during the meeting’s Opening Ceremony on Sunday, April 27, which begins at 7:45 a.m. CT.
AACR-American Cancer Society Award for Research Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention: Loïc Le Marchand, MD, PhD, MPH (Photo)
This award, supported by the American Cancer Society, recognizes outstanding research accomplishments in cancer epidemiology, biomarkers, and prevention.
Le Marchand is a professor in the Population Sciences in the Pacific Program at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center. He is being recognized for his revered contributions to cancer epidemiology and prevention, particularly through innovative research on genetic, behavioral, and environmental risk factors in multiethnic populations. Le Marchand’s seminal work has elucidated racial and ethnic disparities in lung cancer risk and demonstrated the impact of visceral adiposity on cancer susceptibility. His leadership of the Multiethnic Cohort Study has fostered global collaborations that have and continue to shape equitable cancer prevention and screening initiatives, addressing health disparities across diverse populations.
Le Marchand’s award lecture will be held on Tuesday, April 29, at 3 p.m. CT.
AACR-Cancer Research Institute Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology: Crystal L. Mackall, MD, FAACR (Photo)
This award, supported by the Cancer Research Institute, recognizes active scientists whose outstanding and innovative research has had a major impact on the cancer field and has the potential to stimulate new directions in cancer immunology.
Mackall, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor and professor of pediatrics and medicine at Stanford University, the founding director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, and director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Stanford. She is being honored for her illustrious contributions to cancer immunotherapy, including enhancing CAR T-cell therapies, defining resistance mechanisms, advancing consensus treatment algorithms, and leading groundbreaking clinical trials that have fundamentally shaped the field. Mackall is internationally recognized for her seminal discovery of the role of IL-7 in T-cell homeostasis and her unwavering dedication to translational research, leading to the establishment of novel immunotherapeutic strategies for pediatric cancer patients.
Mackall’s award lecture will be held on Tuesday, April 29, at 3 p.m. CT.
AACR-G.H.A. Clowes Award for Outstanding Basic Cancer Research: Karen H. Vousden, PhD, FAACR (Photo)
The AACR’s oldest award, supported by Loxo@Lilly, is intended to recognize individuals who have made outstanding recent accomplishments in basic cancer research.
Vousden, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is a principal group leader at the Francis Crick Institute and former chief scientist at Cancer Research UK. She is being recognized for her discoveries in tumor suppressor biology and cancer metabolism, which have contributed to the understanding of metabolic adaptations that sustain cancer growth and identifying novel therapeutic vulnerabilities. Vousden’s research elucidated the regulation of p53 by MDM2, defined key metabolic dependencies in cancer cells, and revealed the impact of dietary interventions on tumor progression. Her insights into reactive oxygen species in tumor development and metastasis have informed therapeutic strategies, while her scientific leadership and translational impact have and continue to advance cancer biology.
Vousden’s award lecture will be held on Monday, April 28, at 5:30 p.m. CT.
AACR-Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship: Daniel J. Drucker, MD (Photo)
This award, supported by the Irving Weinstein Foundation, acknowledges individuals whose outstanding personal innovation in science and whose position as a thought leader in fields relevant to cancer research has the potential to inspire creative thinking and new directions in cancer research. The recipient is selected by the AACR President.
Drucker is a senior investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, part of Sinai Health, and a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is being recognized for unparalleled scientific contributions to endocrinology, physiology, and metabolism, including the elucidation of glucagon-like peptide (GLP) function in modulating insulin secretion, blood glucose levels, appetite regulation, and nutrient absorption. Drucker’s innovative research has laid the foundation for the development of novel therapeutics for diabetes, obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, short bowel syndrome, and inflammatory bowel and cardiometabolic disorders. His pioneering discoveries continue to shape metabolic research and may serve as a catalyst for future advancements in cancer biology and therapeutics.
Drucker’s award lecture will be held on Sunday, April 27, at 4 p.m. CT.
AACR-Joseph H. Burchenal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research: Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD(Photo)
This award recognizes outstanding achievements in clinical cancer research.
Shaw is chief of strategic partnerships at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She is being recognized for her revered clinical and translational research that has transformed the treatment of oncogene-driven lung cancers. Shaw’s groundbreaking work in defining ALK- and ROS1-positive lung cancers and leading the preclinical and clinical development of first and next generation inhibitors has established new standards of care, dramatically improving patient outcomes. Additionally, her research on resistance mechanisms and innovative strategies to overcome resistance have helped guide the development of targeted therapies across numerous other molecularly defined subsets of cancer.
Shaw’s award lecture will be held on Monday, April 28, at 5 p.m. CT.
AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship: Christopher R. Flowers, MD (Photo)
This lectureship, supported by Gilead and Kite Oncology, recognizes outstanding scientists who have made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who have, through leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of minority investigators in cancer research.
Flowers is head of the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he is also the chair and a professor in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma. He is being recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to understanding disparities in lymphoma incidence, treatment, and outcomes, particularly in underrepresented and understudied patient populations, which has led to the characterization of age-of-onset and survival disparities among lymphoma patients and the identification of predisposing genetic abnormalities such as SETD2 mutations in African American patients. Further, Flowers’ steadfast collaborative leadership in outcomes research and cohort studies including the Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes (LEO) study has resulted in the creation of the largest, most representative lymphoma patient dataset and sample repository in the United States that continues to support research that directly informs health equity-focused clinical trials.
Flowers’ award lecture will be held on Monday, April 28, at 3 p.m. CT.
AACR Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship: Ronald A. DePinho, MD, FAACR (Photo)
This award, supported by the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund, recognizes individual scientists whose novel and significant work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the detection, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of cancer, and who embodies the dedication of Princess Takamatsu to multinational collaborations.
DePinho, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is the Harry Graves Burkhart III Distinguished University Chair in Cancer Biology, a professor in the Department of Cancer Biology, and past president at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is being recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to telomere biology in cancer and aging, including the creation of the first telomerase knockout mouse, which demonstrated how telomere dysfunction links cancer and aging. DePinho’s pioneering mouse models established concepts such as tumor maintenance, collateral lethality, and synthetic essentiality, shaping cancer target discovery and therapeutic strategies. His work in pancreatic, colorectal, prostate, and brain cancers anticipated mechanisms of resistance, guiding the development of novel treatments. His discovery of the reversibility of aging and the identification of telomerase as a master regulator of aging-related genes have opened therapeutic avenues aimed at enhancing health-span and treating aging and age-associated diseases.
DePinho’s award lecture will be held on Sunday, April 27, at 4:30 p.m. CT.
AACR-St. Baldrick’s Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pediatric Cancer Research: Charles G. Mullighan, MBBS (Hons), MSc, MD (Photo)
This award, supported by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, recognizes individuals who have significantly contributed to any area of pediatric cancer research, resulting in the fundamental improvement of the understanding and/or treatment of pediatric cancer.
Mullighan is a member and division director of research in the Department of Pathology, coleader of the Hematological Malignancies Program, and senior deputy director at St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also the director of the Center of Excellence for Leukemia Studies, medical director of the St. Jude Biorepository, and the William E. Evans Endowed Chair at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He is being recognized for his groundbreaking genomic discoveries that have reshaped the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Mullighan’s seminal research has defined novel ALL subtypes, identified key genomic drivers of disease, and established precision medicine approaches that have transformed risk stratification and therapeutic strategies. His groundbreaking studies of BCR-ABL1-like ALL led to the implementation of sequencing-based diagnostics and targeted kinase inhibitor therapies, dramatically improving outcomes for high-risk patients. Moreover, his work on clonal evolution and relapse has provided fundamental insights into treatment resistance, informing strategies to prevent disease recurrence.
Mullighan’s award lecture will be held on Monday, April 28, at 5 p.m. CT.
AACR-Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research: Toni K. Choueiri, MD (Photo)
This award, supported by the Waun Ki Hong Endowment Fund, recognizes worthy cancer researchers who have conducted highly meritorious translational and clinical cancer research anywhere in the world and who have not yet reached 51 years of age at the time of the award presentation.
Choueiri is director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, coleader of the Kidney Cancer Program at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, and the Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is being recognized for his transformative advancements in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which significantly extended patient survival rates for those with metastatic and high-risk disease. Choueiri has led paradigm-shifting clinical trials that resulted in FDA approval of multiple novel therapies, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors, HIF-2α inhibitors, and personalized cancer vaccines in RCC. His translational research has uncovered critical biomarkers of response and toxicity, in turn expanding the understanding of tumor immunogenicity, and informing precision medicine approaches in kidney cancer.
Choueiri’s award lecture will be held on Sunday, April 27, at 4:30 p.m. CT.
AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Lectureship: Shelley L. Berger, PhD, FAACR (Photo)
This award, supported by Gilead and Kite Oncology, is presented to outstanding scientists who have made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who have, through leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of women in science.
Berger, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is the Daniel S. Och University Professor with appointments in both the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the founder and director of the Penn Epigenetics Institute and the codirector of the Tumor Biology Program at the Abramson Cancer Center. She is being recognized for her fundamental discoveries in cancer epigenetics, including how histone modifications and transcription factors regulate cancer, aging, and T-cell function. Berger’s groundbreaking research has elucidated key mechanisms of p53 regulation, chromatin remodeling, and immune cell epigenetics, advancing our understanding of cancer biology and therapeutic strategies. She is also recognized for her transformative leadership in mentoring the next generation of scientists, expanding opportunities for researchers from all backgrounds, and shaping national policies to strengthen the biomedical workforce.
Berger’s award lecture will be held on Tuesday, April 29, at 5 p.m. CT.
Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research: Douglas Hanahan, PhD, FAACR (Photo)
This award, supported by the Pezcoller Foundation, is presented to scientists of international renown who have made a scientific discovery in basic cancer research or who have made significant contributions to translational cancer research.
Hanahan, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, is the Ludwig Distinguished Scholar at the Lausanne Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. He is being recognized for pioneering the engineering of mouse models of tumorigenesis that uncovered mechanisms of stepwise cancer progression involving interactions among diverse cells in the tumor microenvironment; and for advancing mechanism-guided therapeutic targeting in preclinical trials, revealing treatment benefits and adaptive resistance, thereby informing innovative hallmark cotargeting strategies to prolong treatment efficacy.
Hanahan’s award lecture will be held on Sunday, April 27, at 12 p.m. CT.