American Association for Cancer Research

The mission of the AACR is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, collaboration, science policy and advocacy, and funding for cancer research.

• Name — American Association for Cancer Research • Headquarters — 615 Chestnut St., 17th Floor Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106-4404 • Membership — More than 58,000 • Language — English • Num Staff — More than 230 • Website — https: www.aacr.org/

The AACR was founded on May 7, 1907, in Washington, D.C., as the "Association for Cancer Research" by a group of scientists consisting of four surgeons, five pathologists, and two biochemists. The founding members were Silas P. Beebe, George H. A. Clowes, William Coley, James Ewing, Harvey R. Gaylord, Robert B. Greenough, J. Collins Warren, George W. Crile, Leo Loeb, Frank Burr Mallory, and Ernest E. Tyzzer. They organized annual meetings to coincide with the meetings for the much larger meetings of the American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists. At the first meeting in New York City in November 1907, nine papers were presented. For the first 30 years, the group functioned as a select group of scientists, but with the expansion of cancer research in the 1930s, membership and interest grew. The society was officially incorporated in 1940.

• Illustration — Vice President Joe Biden speaking at the 2016 AACR annual meeting about the Cancer Moonshot project

AACR's annual meeting attracts more than 23,000 participants from around the world and has been described as the "main forum to present and discuss cancer-related research." Attendees gather to discuss over 7,000 abstracts and to hear more than 500 invited presentations on significant discoveries in basic, clinical, and translational cancer research. Scientific award lectures, grant writing workshops, networking events, and educational sessions round out this comprehensive program.

In addition to the annual meeting, the AACR organizes approximately 30 other conferences and workshops each year, including: • Smaller, more focused Special Conferences that are designed to share the latest advances in rapidly developing areas of cancer research; • Larger International Conferences that recur on a regular basis, including collaborative programs such as the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics Conference, and the Biennial Meeting on Advances in Malignant Lymphoma; • Educational Workshops that train early-career investigators in clinical trial design, molecular biology, integrative molecular epidemiology, translational research, and related fields.

Cancer Research is the second most-frequently cited cancer journal in the world. Papers are peer-reviewed, and only those that meet high standards of scientific merit are accepted for publication. The journal publishes significant, original studies, reviews, and perspectives on all areas of basic, clinical, translational, epidemiological, and prevention research in cancer and the cancer-related biomedical sciences. Some of the topics include biochemistry; chemical, physical, and viral carcinogenesis and mutagenesis; clinical research including clinical trials; endocrinology; epidemiology and prevention; experimental therapeutics, molecular targets, and chemical biology; immunology and immunotherapy including biological therapy; molecular biology, pathobiology, and genetics; radiobiology and radiation oncology; cell and tumor biology; tumor microenvironment; systems biology and other emerging technologies.

The AACR launched Cancer Discovery in 2011 as a selective journal for basic, translational, and clinical cancer research. Cancer Discovery has become a premier journal in the field of cancer research, with a 2020 impact factor of 39.397 that is the highest among the AACR journals. Research published in the journal includes identification of actionable genomic alterations in cancer, mechanisms of therapy resistance, clinical trials on targeted therapy, and cancer immunotherapy research including immune checkpoint blockade and Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

The AACR Foundation for the Prevention and Cure of Cancer is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides financial support for scientific research, education, and communication. The foundation funds programs deemed by the AACR to be of the highest priority and impact in promoting research, supporting scientists, and raising awareness. Eighty-eight cents of every dollar raised by the AACR Foundation directly supports cancer research.

Following the Cancer & Evolution Symposium in October 2020, organized by Frank H. Laukien, James A. Shapiro, Denis Noble, Henry Heng and Perry Marshall, this Working Group was integrated into the AACR to facilitate an interdisciplinary approach to the study of cancer. The group now presents the monthly Cancer Evolution Seminar Series.

The names of the presidents from 1907 to 1960 were reported by Triolo in 1961. • Year — Name — Institution • 2025-2026 — Lillian Siu, MD — Princess Margaret Cancer Centre • 2024-2025 — Patricia M. LoRusso, DO — Yale School of Medicine • 2023-2024 — Philip Greenberg, MD — Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center • 2022-2023 — Lisa Coussens, PhD — Oregon Health & Science University • 2021-2022 — David Tuveson, MD, PhD — Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory • 2020-2021 — Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD — David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA • 2019-2020 — Elaine R. Mardis, PhD — Nationwide Children's Hospital • 2018-2019 — Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD — Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center • 2017-2018 — Michael A. Caligiuri, MD — City of Hope • 2016-2017 — Nancy E. Davidson, MD — University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine • 2015-2016 — Jose Baselga, MD, PhD — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center • 2014-2015 — Carlos Arteaga, MD — Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center • 2013-2014 — Charles L. Sawyers, MD — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center • 2012-2013 — Frank McCormick, PhD — UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center • 2011-2012 — Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH — Dana Farber Cancer Institute • 2010-2011 — Elizabeth H. Blackburn, PhD — Salk Institute for Biological Studies • 2009-2010 — Tyler Jacks, PhD — David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research • 2008-2009 — Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD — Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center • 2007-2008 — William N. Hait, MD, PhD — UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School • 2006-2007 — Geoffrey M. Wahl, PhD — Salk Institute for Biological Studies • 2005-2006 — Peter A. Jones, PhD, DSc — USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center • 2004-2005 — Lynn M. Matrisian, PhD — Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center • 2003-2004 — Karen H. Antman, MD — Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center • 2002-2003 — Susan Band Horwitz, PhD — Albert Einstein College of Medicine • 2001-2002 — Waun Ki Hong, MD — University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center • 2000-2001 — Tom Curran, PhD — St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital • 1999-2000 — Daniel Von Hoff, MD — University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio • 1998-1999 — Webster K. Cavenee, PhD — University of California, San Diego • 1997-1998 — Donald S. Coffey, PhD — Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine • 1996-1997 — Louise C. Strong, MD — University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center • 1995-1996 — Joseph R. Bertino, MD — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center • 1994-1995 — Edward Bresnick, PhD — Dartmouth Medical School • 1993-1994 — Margaret L. Kripke, PhD — University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center • 1992-1993 — Lee W. Wattenberg, MD — University of Minnesota Medical School • 1991-1992 — Harold L. Moses, MD — Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center • 1990-1991 — I. Bernard Weinstein, MD — Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University • 1989-1990 — Harris Busch, MD, PhD — Baylor College of Medicine • 1988-1989 — Lawrence A. Loeb, MD, PhD — University of Washington School of Medicine • 1987-1988 — Enrico Mihich, MD — Roswell Park Cancer Institute • 1986-1987 — Alan C. Sartorelli, PhD — Yale University School of Medicine • 1985-1986 — Arthur B. Pardee, PhD — Dana–Farber Cancer Institute • 1984-1985 — Isaiah J. Fidler, DVM, PhD — The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center • 1983-1984 — Gertrude B. Elion, DSc — Burroughs Wellcome Company • 1982-1983 — Gerald C. Mueller, MD, PhD — McArdle Memorial Laboratory, University of Wisconsin • 1981-1982 — Sidney Weinhouse, PhD — Temple University Fels Research Institute • 1980-1981 — Bayard D. Clarkson, MD — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center • 1979-1980 — Paul P. Carbone, MD — University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center • 1978-1979 — Hugh J. Creech, PhD — Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center • 1977-1978 — C. Gordon Zubrod, MD — University of Miami School of Medicine • 1976-1977 — Elizabeth C. Miller, PhD — McArdle Memorial Laboratory, University of Wisconsin • 1975-1976 — Charlotte Friend, PhD — Mount Sinai School of Medicine • 1974-1975 — Van R. Potter, PhD — McArdle Laboratory, University of Wisconsin • 1973-1974 — Michael B. Shimkin, MD — University of California, San Diego • 1972-1973 — Emmanuel Farber, MD, PhD — Children's Center Research Foundation • 1971-1972 — Emil Frei III, MD — M.D. Anderson Cancer Center • 1970-1971 — James F. Holland, MD — Roswell Park Memorial Institute • 1969-1970 — Abraham Cantarow, MD — Jefferson Medical College • 1968-1969 — Chester M. Southam, MD — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center • 1967-1968 — Lloyd W. Law, PhD — National Cancer Institute • 1966-1967 — Henry S. Kaplan, MD — Stanford Medical Center • 1965-1966 — Joseph H. Burchenal, MD — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center • 1964-1965 — Paul C. Zamecnik, MD — Harvard Medical School • 1963-1964 — Arthur C. Upton, MD — Oak Ridge National Laboratory • 1962-1963 — Alfred Gellhorn, MD — College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University • 1961-1962 — Thelma B. Dunn, MD — National Cancer Institute • 1960-1961 — Murray J. Shear, PhD — National Cancer Institute • 1959-1960 — Theodore S. Hauschka, PhD — Roswell Park Memorial Institute • 1958-1959 — Harold L. Stewart, MD — National Cancer Institute • 1957-1958 — Jacob Furth, MD — Roswell Park Memorial Institute • 1956-1957 — Albert Tannenbaum, MD — Medical Research Institute, Michael Reese Hospital • 1955-1956 — Howard B. Andervont, DSc — National Cancer Institute • 1954-1955 — Austin M. Brues, MD — Argonne National Laboratory • 1953-1954 — Harold P. Rusch, MD — McArdle Memorial Laboratory, University of Wisconsin • 1952-1953 — Stanley P. Reimann, MD — Institute for Cancer Research, Philadelphia • 1951-1952 — Paul E. Steiner, MD, PhD — Institute for Cancer Research, Philadelphia • 1950-1951 — Edmund V. Cowdry, PhD — Washington University School of Medicine • 1949-1950 — Joseph C. Aub, MD — Massachusetts General Hospital • 1948-1949 — Charles B. Huggins, MD — University of Chicago School of Medicine • 1947-1948 — John J. Bittner, PhD — University of Minnesota Medical School • 1946-1947 — William U. Gardner, PhD — Yale University School of Medicine • 1945-1946 — Shields Warren, MD — New England Deaconess Hospital • 1944-1945 — Shields Warren, MD — New England Deaconess Hospital • 1943-1944 — Shields Warren, MD — New England Deaconess Hospital • 1942-1943 — Shields Warren, MD — New England Deaconess Hospital • 1941-1942 — Carl Voegtlin, PhD — National Cancer Institute • 1940-1941 — Burton T. Simpson, MD — New York State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases • 1939-1940 — Clarence C. Little, DSc — Jackson Laboratory • 1938-1939 — George H.A. Clowes, PhD — Eli Lilly and Company • 1937-1938 — James Ewing, MD — The Memorial Hospital for the Treatment of Cancer and Allied Diseases • 1936-1937 — William H. Woglom, MD — College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University • 1935-1936 — Elexious T. Bell, MD — University of Minnesota Medical School • 1934-1935 — Millard C. Marsh, MS — New York State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases • 1933-1934 — Ward J. MacNeal, MD, PhD — New York University College of Medicine • 1932-1933 — Edward B. Krumbhaar, MD — University of Pennsylvania • 1931-1932 — Francis Carter Wood, MD — College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University • 1930-1931 — Clarence C. Little, DSc — Jackson Laboratory • 1929-1930 — Frank B. Mallory, MD — Harvard Medical School • 1928-1929 — J.F. Schamberg, MD — University of Pennsylvania • 1927-1928 — Aldred Scott Warthin, MD, PhD — University of Michigan Medical School • 1926-1927 — Burton T. Simpson, MD — New York State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases • 1925-1926 — Channing Simmons, MD — Massachusetts General Hospital • 1924-1925 — Erwin F. Smith, ScD — US Department of Agriculture • 1923-1924 — William Duane, PhD — Harvard Medical School • 1922-1923 — Willy Meyer, MD — New York Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital • 1921-1922 — James B. Murphy, MD — Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research • 1920-1921 — Robert B. Greenough, MD — Harvard Medical School • 1919-1920 — H. Gideon Wells, MD — University of Chicago School of Medicine • 1918-1919 — Edwin R. LeCount, MD — Rush Medical College • 1917-1918 — Francis Carter Wood, MD — College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University • 1916-1917 — Harvey R. Gaylord, MD — New York State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases • 1915-1916 — H. Gideon Wells, MD — University of Chicago School of Medicine • 1914-1915 — S. Burt Wolbach, MD — Harvard Medical School • 1913-1914 — Gary N. Calkins, PhD — Columbia University • 1912-1913 — Ernest E. Tyzzer, MD — Harvard Medical School • 1911-1912 — Leo Loeb, MD — Washington University School of Medicine • 1910-1911 — Frank B. Mallory, MD — Harvard Medical School • 1909-1910 — Harvey R. Gaylord, MD — New York State Institute for the Study of Malignant Diseases • 1908-1909 — James Ewing, MD — Cornell University Medical School • 1907-1908 — James Ewing, MD — Cornell University Medical School

Since establishing its grant program in 1993, the AACR has awarded more than $425 million in funding to more than 800 scientists for cancer research projects that aim to advance the understanding and treatment of cancer. AACR grants support researchers, both domestically and abroad, at every career stage, from fellowships to career development awards to major grants for independent investigators. The AACR is the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, a movement to accelerate innovative cancer research, get new therapies to patients quickly, and save lives.

American Association for Cancer Research is associated with United States.