Fifth Annual Kruh Symposium Coming April 29

The fifth annual Dr. Gary Kruh Cancer Research Symposium and Student Poster Competition will be held virtually on Friday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to presentations from nationally renowned cancer researchers from the basic, population, and clinical/translational disciplines, six students and postdocs (two from each of the three Cancer Center research programs – Cancer Biology, Translational Oncology, Cancer Prevention and Control) will take home $500. Posters will be judged by cancer center members and patient advocates, with winners being announced at the conclusion of the symposium.

Featured speakers will be:

Benjamin O. Anderson, MD, FACS
Medical Officer, Cancer Control, World Health Organization (WHO)
Professor of Surgery and Global Health Medicine, University of Washington
Discussion topic: The Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI): Addressing Disparities While Improving Outcomes Through Health System Strengthening

Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Discussion Topic: Breast Tumor Evolution

Ramona Burress, PharmD, MS
Associate Director, Diversity & Inclusion in Clinical Trials
Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Discussion Topic: Importance of Diversity in Clinical Research

Jay Shendure, MD, PhD
Director, Allen Discovery Center for Lineage Tracing
Director, Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine
Professor, Genome Sciences, University of Washington
Discussion Topic: Genomic Approaches to Reconstructing Cancer Metastasis

The Dr. Gary Kruh Cancer Research Symposium and Student Poster Competition is held in honor of the late Dr. Gary Kruh, the Cancer Center’s previous director from 2007 until his death in January 2011. During his tenure as Cancer Center director, Dr. Kruh made great strides in creating a strong Cancer Center identity and unifying a diverse group of 180 laboratory, clinical, and population science researchers to work together towards a common goal.

During his tenure, Dr. Kruh reconfigured the Cancer Center’s research programs to focus on cancer control and population science, carcinogenesis and chemoprevention, experimental therapeutics and imaging, and tumor cell biology. He was instrumental in the development of a partnership between the American Cancer Society and UIC’s clinical oncology programs, leading to the opening of the first Comprehensive Patient Navigation Center at UIC. His ability to bring disparate groups together and inspire them toward a common goal was truly a gift and he will always be remembered for his leadership, vision, energy, sense of humor, and integrity.

There’s still time to register for the event, so do so here.

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