The University of Illinois Cancer Center invites you to the 2025 Dr. Gary Kruh Cancer Research Symposium and Student/Trainee Poster Competition on April 18. The student/trainee poster competition is open to all University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) students, postdocs and fellows. The poster abstract submission deadline is March 28 at 5 p.m.
This annual celebration of scientific inquiry and innovation in cancer research, held in honor of the late Cancer Center Director Gary Kruh, MD, PhD, features presentations by nationally renowned cancer researchers and a community advocate. The list of speakers is below.
The event will be held at UIC Student Center West, 828 South Wolcott Avenue, in the Thompson Rooms (2nd floor).
The list of speakers is below.
Cancer Prevention and Control
Elena Martinez, PhD, MPH
University of California, San Diego
Moores Cancer Center
Elena Martinez, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist with expertise in cancer disparities research. She is Professor in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science and Associate Director of Population Sciences at UC San Diego’s Moores Cancer Center. Nationally, she has established strong leadership and commitment to the area of cancer health disparities, particularly in relation to Hispanic/Latino populations in the U.S. She is immediate past President of the American Society for Preventive Oncology; has served on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Board of Scientific Counselors and Board of Scientific Advisors; and was 1 of 28 members nationally who served on the prestigious Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel. She is multiple principal investigator (MPI) of several NCI-funded team science research projects that focus on addressing disparities and inequities, in addition to MPI of the UC San Diego Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) award. She also serves as a mentor in the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials program.
Cancer Biology
Ernst Lengyel, MD, PhD
Arthur L. and Lee G. Herbst Distinguished Service Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Chicago/UChicago Medicine
The Lengyel lab has elucidated, at least in part, the first critical steps of ovarian cancer metastasis by paying close attention to the host microenvironment. They have collected the 25 most commonly used ovarian cancer cell lines from all over the world, including those which are chemotherapy resistant. They have established several mouse models for ovarian cancer and using a genetic mouse model (K-rasG12D/+/Pten-/- — established by Tyler Jacks, PhD), a syngeneic orthotopic mouse model using mouse ovarian cancer cells (ID8 — established by K. Roby, PhD), and several xenograft ip models using primary and cultured human ovarian cancer cells. He has also established a prospective ovarian cancer tissue bank and, together with two gynecologic pathologists, they have assembled 13 tissue arrays including normal tissue, borderline tumor and primary tumor, and corresponding metastasis. As a surgeon, the main focus of his practice is patients with ovarian cancer.
Translational Oncology
Roger Davis, PhD, FRS
H. Arthur Smith Professor and Chair
Program in Molecular Medicine
UMass Chan Medical School
Roger Davis, PhD, FRS, is the H. Arthur Smith Professor and Chair, Program in Molecular Medicine at the UMass Chan Medical School. His studies of signal transduction mechanisms led to the molecular cloning of the first human stress-activated MAP kinase, the cJun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK). Subsequent studies defined the molecular structure of the JNK pathway, including the identification of upstream and down-stream pathway components and scaffold proteins. This signaling pathway is activated in response to many pathological / physiological stimuli and is implicated in inflammatory diseases (e.g. arthritis), cancer, stroke, heart disease and diabetes. The overall goal of his research is to understand the molecular basis for these diseases and to design novel therapeutic strategies.
Community Advocate
Karen Hall
Founder and CEO
Cancer Support Team, Inc.
Karen Hall is an accomplished professional with a wealth of experience and expertise in the healthcare industry. She is a two-time cancer survivor, mother, caregiver, advocate, volunteer and former Health Care Ministry Director. Her cancer journey began in 2006, when an annual mammogram detected the disease. She underwent a mastectomy, reconstructive surgery and years of treatment. Eight years later, an aggressive tumor surfaced, resulting in even more treatments. However, she defined cancer as “an opportunity for God to reveal Itself in and through her body.” So, she faced the situation head-on and got RADICAL about LIVING instead of consumed with dying. She trusted the medical team and became her own advocate. She shares her story to remind people that no matter how difficult things may seem, there is always hope. She wants us to all be advocates for each other and support those who are fighting their own battles.
About Gary Kruh, MD, PhD
Kruh was appointed as director of the Cancer Center in 2007 and remained in the position until his death in January 2011. During his tenure as Cancer Center Director, Kruh made great strides in creating a strong Cancer Center identity and unifying a diverse group of laboratory, clinical and population science researchers to work together toward a common goal. He 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 clinical oncology programs, which led 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.