AACR Members Help Tell the Story of Cancer and Cancer Research in New Documentary

March 30, 2015 by

The American Association for Cancer Research is a production supporter of CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, a new documentary directed by Barak Goodman and executive produced by Ken Burns that premieres tonight, tomorrow, and Wednesday on PBS stations across the country. The three-part, six-hour film – based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, by Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, PhD – provides an unprecedented overview of the past, present, and future of cancer research. More than 40 members of the AACR, including the AACR’s President-elect José Baselga, MD, PhD, and immediate Past President Charles Sawyers, MD, are featured in the documentary, along with 17 fellows of the AACR Academy.

AACR President-elect José Baselga, MD, PhD, is among the many AACR members featured in CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES.

AACR President-elect José Baselga, MD, PhD, is among the many AACR members featured in CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES.

As a supporter, the AACR had the opportunity to host several community preview screenings of the documentary:

Feb. 26, Petco Park, San Diego. Organized in partnership with San Diego PBS member station KPBS, Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), and the San Diego Padres, the screening featured a panel discussion on the state of cancer research with Cancer Prevention Research Editor-In-Chief and AACR Director Scott Lippman, MD; former AACR Director Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD; AACR Past President and Trustee Geoff Wahl, PhD; and patient advocate and Scientist↔Survivor Program participant Bianca Lundien Kennedy. [Photos]

March 10, AACR Headquarters, Philadelphia. AACR CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), hosted a screening for cancer center communications professionals with the film’s director, Barak Goodman, at the AACR’s conference center. [Photos]

Lori Wilson, MD, a Johns Hopkins patient featured in the documentary, was among the panelists at the AACR's Baltimore event with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Photo credit: Ark Media.

Lori Wilson, MD, a Johns Hopkins patient featured in the documentary, was among the panelists at the AACR’s Baltimore event with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Photo credit: Ark Media.

March 23, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore. This event featured a screening and panel discussion with Barak Goodman, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Margaret Foti, and scientists and patients featured in the film. The panel discussion was moderated by William Nelson, MD, PhD, director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and editor-in-chief of Cancer Today, the AACR’s quarterly magazine for cancer patients, survivors, and their friends and family.

You can learn more about the origins of CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES in the Cancer Today cover story on the documentary. More information about the AACR’s involvement is available at www.AACR.org and www.AACRFoundation.org.

The documentary was featured in a Cancer Today cover story.

The documentary was featured in a Cancer Today cover story.

The history of cancer research is inextricably linked to the history of the American Association for Cancer Research. Since its inception, the AACR and its members have been at the forefront of the most innovative discoveries that are benefiting cancer patients. We are proud to support this important film that tells the story of cancer and cancer research.

Tune in to CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES on your local PBS station March 30, 31, and April 1. And keep an eye out for our new “Why, How” awareness campaign, launching in 15 markets during the documentary tonight.