2024 Minority and Minority-serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Awardees

The AACR is very pleased to administer this important program, which provides funds for the participation of full-time minority faculty members and faculty members of Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) at the AACR Annual Meeting 2024. Recipients of this award are scientists who are working at the level of assistant professor or above who are engaged in meritorious basic, clinical, or translational cancer research. 

Now in its 27th year, this award program has been supported by a generous grant provided by the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. The Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) works to increase the number of underrepresented minorities participating as competitive NCI/ NIH-funded cancer researchers. The Board of Directors of the AACR expresses its appreciation to the CRCHD for its long-term and generous support of faculty members and congratulations to the Minority and Minority-Serving Institution Faculty awardees. 

The names and affiliations of the 2024 Minority and Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholars are listed below, along with the numbers and titles of their presentations.

Congratulations 2024 Minority and Minority-serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Awardees!

Matias A. Bustos, PhD

Assistant Professor
Saint John’s Cancer Institute
Santa Monica, California

Eric A. Adjei Boakye, PhD

Assistant Professor
Henry Ford Health
Detroit, Michigan

Jennifer M. Crook, PhD, BSN, AAS

Assistant Professor
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida

Ricardo Cruz-Acuña, PhD

Assistant Professor
Columbia University Medical Center
New York, New York

Maribella Domenech, PhD

Professor
University of Puerto Rico
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

Giulio Francia, PhD

Assistant Professor
University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, Texas

Gelila K. Goba, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Joni D. Nelson, PhD, MS, BS

Assistant Professor
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina

Francisco Sanchez-Vega, PhD, M Eng

Assistant Professor
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York

Panneerdoss Subbarayalu, PhD

Assistant Professor
Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, UT Health San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas

Enrique I. Velazquez Villarreal, MD, MPH, MS, PhD

Assistant Professor
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Duarte, California

Suryavathi Viswanadhapalli, PhD

Assistant Professor
UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas

Igor Vivanco, BA, PhD

Senior Lecturer
King’s College London
London, United Kingdom

Fern Webb, BA, MS, PhD

Associate Professor
University of Florida
Jacksonville, Florida