Scientific Symposium
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Co-Hosted by 
*Speakers subject to change
State-of-the-Art of Translational Research and Investments in Oncology
9:00 – 9:30 am:
Meet and Greet
9:30 – 9:40 am:
Welcoming Remarks
Web Cavenee, Ph.D.
Chair, National Foundation for Cancer Research Scientific Advisory Board
Emeritus Professor of Medicine, UCSD
Sujuan Ba, Ph.D.
CEO of National Foundation for Cancer Research & CEO and Co-Founder of AIM-HI Accelerator Fund
9:40 – 10:00 am:
Keynote Presentation
Doug Lowy, M.D.
Principal Deputy Director, NCI
“Preventing Cancer and Improving Treatment for Cancer Patients”
10:00 – 11:00 am:
Immunotherapy: State of the Art and Future Trends
Moderator: Steve Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Surgery Branch, NCI
Presentation by Suzanne Topalian, M.D.
Professor, Surgery and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University
Assoc. Dir. Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute Cancer Immunotherapy
“Immune checkpoint blockade: unleashing the immune system against cancer”
Presentation by Scott Lippman, M.D
Director, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego
“Chromosome 9p loss drives immune evasion and checkpoint-inhibitor resistance in HPV— HNSC”
Panel Discussion:
Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Professor of Oncology, John Hopkins University
Jeremiah Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Chemistry, MIT
John Schiller, Ph.D.
Deputy Chief, Laboratory of Cellular Oncology
Head, Neoplastic Diseases, NCI
Ben Yong, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer, BeiGene
11:00-11:15 am: Break
11:15 am – 12:15 pm:
Precision Medicine in Cancer
Moderator: Raju Kucherlapati, Ph.D.
Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
Presentation by Jennifer Grandis, M.D.
American Cancer Society Professor; Professor, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Francisco
“Precision Head and Neck Cancer Medicine”
Presentation by Hai Yan, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Professor of Neuro-Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine; CSO and Co-Founder of GeneTron Health
Panel Discussion:
Ron DePinho, M.D.
Professor, Department of Cancer Biology, Past President
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Carlo Croce, M.D.
John W. Wolfe Chair in Human Cancer Genetics, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Bruce Johnson, M.D.
Chief Clinical Research Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Monica Bertagnolli, M.D.
Professor, Surgery, Harvard Medical School
12:15 - 3:00 pm: Break for Lunch
3:00 – 4:00 pm:
Investments in Oncology Startups: Opportunities and Challenges
Moderator: Jimmy Lu
Co-Founder, R3Bio
Presentation by Tom Miller
Founder and Managing Partner, GreyBird Ventures
Panel Discussion:
Dimitra Georganopoulou, Ph.D.
Innovation – MIT linQ CATALYST | QRAL | Keiretsu Forum
Benjamin Chen, Ph.D.
Partner, Panaceas Venture
Catherine Pan
Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Fei Shen, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund USA
4:00 – 4:15 pm:
Closing Remarks
Web Cavenee, Ph.D.
Chair, National Foundation for Cancer Research Scientific Advisory Board, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, UCSD
Sujuan Ba, Ph.D.
CEO of National Foundation for Cancer Research
CEO and Co-Founder of AIM-HI Accelerator Fund
Special Thanks To Our Sponsors!
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Sponsorship Opportunities
Inquiries regarding sponsorship of the October 30, 2021 event can be made by e-mail at Sponsorship@nfcr.org or by phone at 1-800-321-CURE (2873).
Learn more here about the many marketing, business development, brand exclusivity, knowledge leadership, and goodwill generation benefits of sponsorship of the Day to Celebrate Progress in Cancer Research and Entrepreneurship.
