AACR Global

With members in 143 countries, AACR reaches across national borders to forge the connections and collaborations that are critical to reducing cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality worldwide. In 2025, AACR worked with a wide range of organizations to offer programs on five continents in support of the global cancer workforce.

FORMALIZING PARTNERSHIPS TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS AGAINST CANCER

AACR collaborates with partner organizations around the world to advance its strategic priorities through joint initiatives in research, education, training, knowledge exchange, and professional development. To better define these synergistic relationships and establish an official framework for cooperation and mutual support, AACR and its partners develop Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs).

In November, while attending the Chinese Congress of Holistic Integrative Oncology (CCCHIO), 2025–2026 AACR President Lillian L. Siu, MD, FAACR, represented AACR to sign an MOU with the China Anti-Cancer Association (CACA). AACR leadership also ratified a similar agreement with the Korean Cancer Association (KCA) at their Annual Meeting in July.

SUPPORTING CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNITIES IN AFRICA

In March, 2024–2025 AACR President Patricia M. LoRusso, DO, PhD (hc), FAACR, led an AACR delegation to Kenya as part of a new AACR initiative to strengthen clinical cancer research training in Africa. During the listening tour, Dr. LoRusso met with AORTIC President Miriam Mutebi and leaders in cancer research and patient care from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Aga Khan University Hospital, Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital (KUTRRH), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), and the Kenya National Cancer Institute.

AACR will work with these leaders to develop educational opportunities that will foster capacity building at African institutions and help create and sustain a thriving clinical cancer research workforce on the continent.

2024–2025 AACR President Patricia M. LoRusso meeting with leaders in cancer research and patient care during a listening tour in Kenya

JOINT CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

AACR worked with cancer research organizations around the world to produce the following joint conferences, educational workshops, and symposia in 2025:

AACR-JCA Joint Conference: From Cancer Discovery Science to Therapeutic Innovation
February 1–5; Maui, Hawaii
The 13th edition of this collaboration with the Japanese Cancer Association (JCA) was chaired by Catherine J. Wu, MD, FAACR, and Hiroyuki Mano, MD, PhD. The conference brought together basic and translational scientists and clinical researchers from the U.S., Japan, and around the world to present the latest advances.
JCA-AACR Precision Cancer Medicine International Conference: New Frontiers in Precision Cancer Medicine through Innovative Modalities
June 28–30; Kyoto, Japan
Launched in 2021, the third edition of this semiannual conference was chaired by Motohiro Kato, MD, PhD, and Victor Velculescu, MD, PhD, FAACR. Twelve international experts joined 12 leading Japanese researchers to showcase cutting-edge science and clinical innovation.
AACR-KCA Joint Conference on Precision Medicine in Cancer
November 13–14; Busan, Korea
Since its launch in 2018, this annual conference has provided a critical venue for scientific exchange and collaboration; a highlight of the program is the Waun Ki Hong Memorial Lecture, which is presented in memory of former AACR President and Fellow of the AACR Academy Waun Ki Hong, MD, FAACR. At the seventh edition of the conference—which was chaired by Ricky W. Johnstone, PhD, and Se-Hoon Lee, MD, PhD—Hyun Cheol Chung, MD, honored Dr. Hong with a lecture titled “A journey through the pivotal milestones of precision oncology: The mentor’s guidance.”
EORTC-ESMO-AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop
June 14–19; Sint-Michielsgestel, Netherlands
Directed by Saskia Litière, PhD, Christoph Massard, MD, PhD, and Dr. LoRusso, this European edition of the long-standing AACR workshop trained early-career investigators in the best practices of clinical trial design.

AACR on Campus

AACR on Campus is an international outreach program designed to support early-career scientists and clinicians at research institutions in countries that are building cancer research capacities. AACR partners with a local host organization to develop a program tailored to serve the interests and needs of the community, including education and training in cancer research and clinical innovations, scientific publishing and communication, research integrity, and career development. In 2025, the AACR on Campus program expanded to two new countries:

AACR on Campus Taiwan
(In Partnership with the National Health Research Institutes and National Cheng Kung University)
November 1–5; Taipei, Taiwan / Tainan, Taiwan
AACR partnered with the National Health Research Institutes and College of Medicine at National Cheng Kung University to host AACR on Campus programs in Taipei and Tainan, respectively. Dr. Siu and a team of AACR leaders joined local faculty and staff to provide training in areas that are directly relevant to the cancer research community in Taiwan, including immunotherapy, molecular imaging in translational medicine, genomic analyses of cancer, spatial transcriptomics, and phase I clinical trial study design. The scientific sessions were supplemented with professional development workshops on scientific communication and grant writing.

2025-2026 AACR President Lillian L. Siu participates in a panel discussion during the AACR on Campus event in Taiwan

AACR on Campus Malaysia
In Partnership with Cancer Research Malaysia
November 10–14; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia / Kuching, Malaysia
Former AACR President Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, joined Paul C. Boutros, PhD, MBA, AACR Board Members Electra D. Paskett, PhD, FAACR, and Timothy A. Yap, MBBS, PhD, and other leaders in the field to bring AACR on Campus to Kuala Lumpur and Kuching. The program addressed regional priorities—with sessions on cancer immunotherapy; cancer genomics in precision oncology; early detection, prevention, and screening strategies; and innovations in early clinical trial design—and included professional development topics such as scholarly publishing and poster presentation skills.

Former AACR President Elizabeth M. Jaffee and other AACR leaders at the AACR on Campus event in Malaysia

Other International Collaborations

International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML)
June 17–21; Lugano, Switzerland
AACR CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), and ICML Organizing Committee Chairman Francesco Bertoni, MD, chaired an AACR-ICML Joint Session on “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Oncology.”
13th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research (ASGCR)
September 16; Virtual
As the flagship meeting of the NCI Center for Global Health (CGH), ASGCR convenes leaders in global oncology to discuss trends in global cancer research and control, and to map out collaborative efforts to advance the field. AACR organized this symposium in collaboration with the NCI CGH along with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH), AORTIC, the American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO), Red de Institutos e Instituciones Nacionales de Cáncer - Sociedad Latino Americana y del Caribe De Oncología Médica (RINC-SLACOM), the National Cancer Grid of India, and Tata Memorial Hospital. The symposium abstracts were published along with a commentary on the meeting in a special online-only supplement to the AACR journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Read the symposium abstracts and related commentary in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

AACR CEO Margaret Foti and ICML Organizing Committee Chairman Francesco Bertoni chairing the AACR-ICML Joint Session at ICML 2025

13th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research (ASGCR)
September 16; Virtual
As the flagship meeting of the NCI Center for Global Health (CGH), ASGCR convenes leaders in global oncology to discuss trends in global cancer research and control, and to map out collaborative efforts to advance the field. AACR organized this symposium in collaboration with the NCI CGH along with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH), AORTIC, the American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO), Red de Institutos e Instituciones Nacionales de Cáncer - Sociedad Latino Americana y del Caribe De Oncología Médica (RINC-SLACOM), the National Cancer Grid of India, and Tata Memorial Hospital. The symposium abstracts were published along with a commentary on the meeting in a special online-only supplement to the AACR journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Read the symposium abstracts and related commentary in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

Frontiers in Cancer Science
November 5–7; Singapore
AACR worked with the Singapore-based organizers of Frontiers in Cancer Science (FCS) to offer three joint Education Sessions:

“DNA Damage and Its Repair for Precision Oncology,” presented by Daniel Durocher, PhD
“Cancer Predisposition in Asia: Insights from Singapore,” presented by Joanne Ngeow, PhD
“Why Do Different Cancers Get Different Mutations?,” presented by Paul C. Boutros, PhD

Chinese Congress of Holistic Integrative Oncology (CCHIO)
November 5–9; Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
The AACR made several contributions to the program for this landmark event, which was jointly organized by CACA, the World Association for Integrative Oncology (WAIO), and the Yunnan Anti-Cancer Association (YACA). Dr. Siu delivered two presentations during the Congress, an outline of AACR’s outreach efforts related to China as well as a summary of the September AACR-FDA workshop on Approaches to Novel Oncology Endpoint Development. In addition, AACR Vice President of Education Frédéric Biemar, PhD, discussed AACR’s engagement efforts in the Asia-Pacific region.

ESMO Asia Congress 2025
December 5–7; Singapore
AACR and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) partnered to present a Collaborative Session on “Streamlining Molecular Oncology through Innovation and Frameworks.” AACR President-Elect Keith T. Flaherty, MD, FAACR, represented AACR in the session and delivered a presentation titled “Early drug development in molecular oncology: Innovation from preclinical to phase I trials.”

TRAVEL AWARDS AND SEED GRANTS

Through a wide range of grants and awards, the AACR champions emerging scientists from around the world—directly supporting their research projects or enabling them to share their work with the cancer research community at the AACR Annual Meeting.

AACR Global Scholar-in-Training Awards (GSITA). The AACR GSITA program supports attendance at the AACR Annual Meeting of meritorious early-career scientists from countries that are building cancer research capacities. The 2025 scholars, who were selected through a rigorous peer-review process, represented Argentina, Brazil, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Jordan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey, and Zambia.
Learn more about the impact of the AACR GSITA program on the AACR Blog, Cancer Research Catalyst
Learn more about the 2025 AACR GSITA recipients on the AACR Blog

AACR Global Scholar-in-Training Award recipients at the AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR on Campus Poster Prizes In addition to the comprehensive training provided to attendees, the AACR on Campus programs in Taiwan and Malaysia also presented travel awards of up to US$2,500 to early-career scientists to support their attendance at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026. A total of four meritorious poster presenters from the programs earned the opportunity to present their work to the global cancer research community in San Diego, California.
Frontiers in Cancer Science (FCS) Poster Prizes. During the FCS conference held in Singapore, AACR granted travel awards of up to US$2,500 to two meritorious international poster presenters so that these investigators could attend the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 in San Diego, California, to present their work.
Beginning Investigator Grants for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat). Administered by AACR, BIG Cat is an initiative launched by the AORTIC in collaboration with the NCI CGH. The program aims to strengthen cancer research capacity across Africa and addresses the continent’s growing cancer burden by supporting early-career African investigators conducting innovative, regionally relevant research projects.
BIG Cat grants provide up to US$55,000 for two-year cancer research projects conducted in Africa by African investigators. A total of three grants were awarded in 2025 to recipients in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Maximizing Opportunity for New Advancements in Research in Cancer (MONARCA) Grants. Launched in 2022, AACR MONARCA Grants support an AACR-led initiative to alleviate the public health burden of cancer in Latin America by developing a pipeline of talented investigators in the region. The grants provide US$55,000 over two years to early-career cancer scientists who are residing in Latin American countries and support research that addresses the region's most urgent cancer challenges. A total of three MONARCA grants were awarded in 2025 to recipients in Argentina; to date, projects have also been funded in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.

AACR BIG Cat grant recipient Adwoa Bemah Boamah Mensah

Adwoa Bemah Boamah Mensah, PhD, is an oncology nurse, lecturer, and researcher. Born and raised in Ghana, she works in the Ashanti Region of the country, which recently reported a 33% increase in cancer cases between 2023 and 2024—including a 92% increase in breast cancer diagnoses. In her training and work as a nurse, Dr. Mensah witnessed firsthand the challenges facing cancer patients and caregivers related to late-stage diagnosis, inadequate palliative care, and high mortality. These experiences compelled her to focus her research on the sociocultural, structural, and systemic factors contributing to delayed cancer diagnosis and poor survival outcomes in her home country.

In 2022, Dr. Mensah and her colleagues reported on the low rates of breast self-examination among Ghanaian women, particularly among those with limited education and those living in rural areas. That same year, she was awarded a Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat). The BIG Cat grant—which is administered by the AACR in collaboration with AORTIC and the NCI CGH—enabled Dr. Mensah to lead the development of Mbreastcheck, a culturally tailored mobile health app that delivers personalized cancer education and self-breast examination tutorials in local languages to Ghanaian women.

While Mbreastcheck is still in a developmental phase, preliminary studies showed that users were more likely to report practicing breast self-examinations. The app has also inspired positive behavioral changes, countered misinformation, and helped to rebuild trust in health care systems.

As Dr. Mensah notes, “Digital care, informed by research and aligned with local context, can improve cancer care outcomes.” With the assistance of the AACR-administered BIG Cat grant, she is building the capacity to improve cancer outcomes in Ghana and around the world.

Learn more about Dr. Mensah’s work on the AACR Blog.

Frontiers in Cancer Science (FCS) Poster Prizes. During the FCS conference held in Singapore, AACR granted travel awards of up to US$2,500 to two meritorious international poster presenters so that these investigators could attend the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 in San Diego, California, to present their work.
Beginning Investigator Grants for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat). Administered by AACR, BIG Cat is an initiative launched by the AORTIC in collaboration with the NCI CGH. The program aims to strengthen cancer research capacity across Africa and addresses the continent’s growing cancer burden by supporting early-career African investigators conducting innovative, regionally relevant research projects.
BIG Cat grants provide up to US$55,000 for two-year cancer research projects conducted in Africa by African investigators. A total of three grants were awarded in 2025 to recipients in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Maximizing Opportunity for New Advancements in Research in Cancer (MONARCA) Grants. Launched in 2022, AACR MONARCA Grants support an AACR-led initiative to alleviate the public health burden of cancer in Latin America by developing a pipeline of talented investigators in the region. The grants provide US$55,000 over two years to early-career cancer scientists who are residing in Latin American countries and support research that addresses the region's most urgent cancer challenges. A total of three MONARCA grants were awarded in 2025 to recipients in Argentina; to date, projects have also been funded in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.