Global Summit and Award Ceremonies
for Cancer Research & Entrepreneurship
Upcoming: Saturday, October 22, 2022
Co-Hosted by



The Asian Fund for Cancer Research, National Foundation for Cancer Research, and AIM-HI Accelerator Fund will co-host a trio of programs celebrating cancer research success and the impact of oncology innovation. Featured Programs include New Frontiers in Cancer Research, Women’s Leadership Luncheon, and Szent-Györgyi Prize Award Ceremony.
The event will be held live in Washington, DC, USA, and also streamed online for those unable to attend in person. Attendees will include cancer research donors, cancer patients, academic and industry professionals, and other public members interested in learning about cancer research discoveries and the powerful disease-fighting products and tools.
We hope you will join us!

Why Should You Attend This Event?
- Be inspired by world-renowned speakers on the latest landscape change of translational cancer research
- Actively engage in thought-provoking discussions with key opinion leaders
- Personally interact with award-winning pioneer scientists and join the celebration of their breakthrough cancer discoveries
Program Agenda
Part I: New Frontiers for Cancer Research
8:45 am -12:25 pm
8:45-8:55 am:
Opening and Welcome Remarks
Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., CEO of NFCR, Co-Founder of AIM-HI, & Founder of AFCR
Session I: Molecular approaches to understand and treat cancer
8:45-10:30 am:
Moderator: Web Cavenee, Ph.D., Chair of NFCR Scientific Advisory Board; Distinguished Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Diego and Director of Strategic Alliances, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Panel Members:
- Ken C. Anderson, M.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Professor of Medicine, Harvard; Physician Oncology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Teresa Davoli, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Cancer Genetics and Genomics, New York University
- Aaron N. Hata, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard
- Isidore Rigoutsos, Ph.D., Professor in Computational Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University
- Suzanne Topalian, M.D., Professor of Oncology and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University
- Katherine Uyhazi, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania
10:30-10:45 am Coffee Break
Session II: New Approaches to Treat Breast, Pancreatic and Head and Neck Cancer
10:45am-12:20 pm:
Moderator: Jennifer Grandis, M.D., American Cancer Society Professor of Otolaryngology, University of California, San Francisco
Panel Members:
- Lisa Coussens, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology, Oregon Health and Sciences University
- Daniel A. Haber, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
- Courtney Houchen, M.D., Professor, Chief of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, Oklahoma University School of Medicine
- Daniel E. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco
- Kornelia Polyak, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard
- Xiang-Lei Yang, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Medicine, Scripps Research
12:20-12:25 pm:
Closing Remarks:
Alfred Slanetz, Ph.D. Chairman of Board of Directors, NFCR; CEO of Geneius Biotechnology
Part II:Luncheon Award Ceremony for Entrepreneurship & Women’s Leadership
12:30-2:00 pm
12:30-2:00 pm:
Emcee: Rose Wang, MBA, Executive Advisor of AIM-HI Accelerator Fund
Introduction of the AIM-HI Leadership & Entrepreneurship program:
Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., CEO of NFCR, Co-Founder of AIM-HI, & Founder of AFCR
Award Presentation of the AIM-HI Beacon Award for Women Leaders in Oncology
- Overview of the Beacon Award Selection Process: Web Cavenee, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the Selection Committee of the Beacon Award
- Introduction of the Awardee by the Nominator, Raju Kucherlapati, Ph.D., Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
- Presenting the Beacon Award Medallion to the Recipient by the Award Selection Committee Members
- 2022 Beacon Award Winner Award Speech: Anna Barker, Ph.D., Chief Strategy Officer of Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine
Award Presentation of the Top Finalists for the 2022 Women’s Venture Competition & 2022 BRACE Award Venture Competition: Pamela Garzone, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the Competition Selection & Judging Committees; Chief Development Officer of Anixa Biosciences
Women’s Venture Competition: Dimitra Georganopoulou, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the Competition Investment Committee; General Partner of Qral Ventures
- Johanna Webb, President of RiverWalk Therapeutics
- Revital Mandil-Levin, Ph.D., CEO & Co-Founder of Nanocarry Therapeutics
- Rosa Hwang, M.D., Co-Founder of Stellanova Therapeutics
BRACE Award Venture Competition: Beverly Lu, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the Competition Investment Committee; Investment Manager, Health of Emerson Collective
- Li Chai, M.D., Co-Founder of Believer Pharmaceuticals
- Rajiv Datar, Ph.D., Co-Founder & CEO of Propelle Therapeutics
Closing Remarks: Rose Wang
2:00-2:15 pm Coffee Break
Part III: AIM-HI Portfolio Companies Showcase
2:15-4:00 pm
2:15-4:00 pm:
Welcome and Opening Remarks:
Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., CEO of NFCR, Co-Founder of AIM-HI, & Founder of AFCR
Presentation:
- Lora Green, Ph.D., J.D., Partner, Patents & Innovations, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati:
- Critical Intellectual Property Protection Strategies & Common Pitfalls for Early-stage Companies
Panel Discussion: Opportunities & Challenges Facing Leadership of Early-stage Oncology Companies
Moderator: Raju Kucherlapati, Ph.D., Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Panel Members:
- Pritesh Gandhi, PharmD, CEO of TellBio
- Vlad Hogenhuis, M.D., MBA, CEO of Chimera Bioengineering
- John Luk, DMedSc, EMBA, CEO of Arbele Bio
- Ken Malone, Ph.D., CEO of Rasio Therapeutics
- María Varela, CEO of Ardan Pharma
Closing Remarks:
Charlie Weatherspoon, Chair of the Board of the Director, AIM-HI Accelerator Fund
4:00-6:00 pm Intermission
Part IV: 2022 Szent-Györgyi Prize Dinner & Award Ceremony – Black-Tie Optional
6:00-7:00 pm Cocktail Reception / 7:00-8:30 pm Dinner & Award Ceremony
6:00-7:00 pm:
Cocktail Reception
7:00-8:30 pm:
Dinner & Award Ceremony
Moment of Silence
Opening and Welcome Remarks: Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., CEO of NFCR, Co-Founder of AIM-HI, & Founder of AFCR; Co-Chair of the 2022 Selection Committee for the Szent-Györgyi Prize
Introduction of the 2022 Szent-Györgyi Prize Winner:
Doug Lowy, M.D., 2018 Szent-Györgyi Prize Winner; Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute
Award Trophy Presentation:
Dr. Sujuan Ba, Co-Chair of the 2022 Selection Committee for the Szent-Györgyi Prize
2022 Szent-Györgyi Prize Winner Award Speech:
Rakesh K. Jain, Ph.D., Andrew Werk Cook Professor of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School; Director, Edwin L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital
Introduction of Lance Kawaguchi, Board Member of NFCR & Chair of AFCR; CEO of Cure Brain Cancer Foundation: Sujuan Ba, Ph.D.
Introduction of Cancer Research Advocates: Lance Kawaguchi
Chelsea Hu, BASIS Independent, McLean
Greyson and Katie Banovich: Phoenix, AZ
Acknowledgments & Closing Remarks: Lance Kawaguchi
Sponsorship Opportunities
Inquiries regarding event sponsorship can be made by e-mail at contact@afcr.org.