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Researchers, clinicians, students and senior leadership from VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center shared more than 70 posters and presentations at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting this week. This represented VCU Massey’s largest ever presence at the annual conference held in San Diego this year, which brings together 22,000 scientists, patients, advocates, and survivors from around the world with a focus on cancer research.

“The AACR Annual Meeting is one of the major meetings nationally, in which VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center has been able to be at the forefront of driving better science,” Robert A. Winn, M.D., director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, said. “When I first started, we had about 13 posters and presentations at the AACR Annual Meeting and now in 2026 to have more than 70 shows the growth and status of our cancer center.”

For 117 years, the AACR Annual Meeting has brought the global scientific community together to share the latest breakthroughs in cancer research, prevention and treatment. The theme for this year’s conference “Precision, Partnership, Purpose” was especially pertinent for Massey leaders who have attended for decades as a hub for new ideas.

“AACR is the biggest cancer research conference. The latest research is here, being developed by student postdocs and junior faculty” Venkata Battula, Ph.D., assistant director of Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination Efforts (CRTEC) at VCU Massey said. “I come to AACR for three reasons: learning,collaboration, and networking, to connect with others and look for opportunities to partner in the future.” VCU Massey Senior Research Specialist Erica Peterson presents her poster on how glycan signatures can predict chemotherapy response in ovarian cancer. One of the prominent features of the annual meeting are the poster presentations, where graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty can share their findings. VCU Massey saw research presented on a number of subjects including ways to overcome drug resistance in pancreatic cancer treatment, tumor resistance in breast cancer models, and skeletal muscle gene expression.

Reflecting Massey’s national impact at AACR, Emily K. Zboril’s, M.S., research poster titled "Lasofoxifene Acts As A Selective Estrogen Receptor Agonist in The Bone Microenvironment." Her team's findings around bone preservation in breast cancer treatment were picked up in a press release published by more than 100 media outlets.

“The power is in those poster sessions where young minds bring up their data and other people come and talk,” Jose Trevino, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief at VCU Massey Cancer Center, said. “I think that also promotes Massey as an institution. We are a cancer center to be reckoned with, but we have to maintain that. When we present our data, when we bring us all together as a group it can be incredibly impactful.”

Massey senior leadership participated in several key panels on a variety of topics throughout the weekend. On Saturday, Winn participated in a panel discussion on systemic barriers to accruing patients to clinical trials alongside experts including Konstantin H. Dragnev, M.D., of Dartmouth Cancer Center, Roy Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., Yale Cancer Center, Patricia LoRusso, D.O., of Yale Cancer Center, Electra Paskett, Ph.D., of The Ohio State University, Camille Campbell, a Biopharma Leader & Health Equity Expert, Yu-Wei Chen, M.D., M.S. of UC San Diego Health, and Chika Nwachukwu, M.D., Ph.D. of UC San Diego Health. The group discussed opportunities for clinical trialists to do trials differently, including thinking outside of the box, and bringing trials to patients, particularly in rural areas, in order to promote sustainable access.

Robert A. Winn, M.D. takes part in a panel discussion on building an effective mentorship team. In a separate panel discussion, Winn and other Stand Up to Cancer-supported investigators including Shawna V. Hudson, Ph.D., of Rutgers Cancer Institute, Jennifer Haas, M.D., M.Sc., of Massachusetts General Hospital, and Nina A. Bickell, M.D., of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, presented findings aimed at reducing cancer health disparities through improved access to screening and care. Winn struck a similar tone to focus on the community after revealing his team’s findings focused on the I-95 corridor of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

“My pitch to cancer centers to reduce cancer health disparities is that your technology doesn’t matter if there is not an infrastructure to support it,” Winn said during his presentation. “We’re so busy driving high tech, but we also need to be high touch to be impactful.”

Massey’s reputation as one of the nation’s premier “community-focused” cancer centers was on display with the growing presence of the science of Community Outreach and Engagement at the AACR Annual Meeting. Kim Rhoads, M.D., M.S., MPH, associate director of community outreach and engagement, chaired a panel discussion called “Science of Community Outreach and Engagement: Navigating Change and Maintaining Impact” with leading COE experts like Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Pamela C. Hull, UK Markey Cancer Center, and Lorna H. McNeill, UT MD Anderson Cancer. Rhoads says while COE became a requirement for the Cancer Center Support Grant in 2012, she believes COE should be a mission and not a mandate.

“Massey is on the forefront of what needs to happen in all of the research that we're doing,” Rhoads said. “The fact Massey leads with Community Outreach and Engagement is a real opportunity for me to make sure what we're doing is not just generating data for data sake, it's actually generating data to actually make something better. I think it's a huge opportunity for us to be on stage on a podium talking about the future of COE and the challenges that COE faces in the current environment.”

A particularly engaging panel discussion on building an effective mentorship team featured several Massey leaders, including co-moderator Katherine Tossas Ph.D., director of Catchment Area Data Analytics (CADA) and associate co-director of global oncology, and panelist Dimple Patel, Ph.D., associate director for innovation, leadership, and professional development. Tossas and Patel challenged students and early career professionals to find mentors who would advocate and support them.

Katherine Tossas Ph.D., director of Catchment Area Data Analytics (CADA) and associate co-director of global oncology, co-moderated a panel discussion on building effective mentorship teams. “We all need mentors across every stage of our career and not only mentors, but also sponsors,” Tossas said. “I think understanding that mentorship doesn't have to be just someone who is in your direct line of expertise, but mentorship can be someone who can help you think differently about your science.”

“I think particularly in education, for these young trainees or early investigators, it's so important to get a community around you that will help you and lift you up in your science, in your research,” Patel said. ” I'm excited that we have a program at Massey through the Office of Innovation, Leadership and Professional Development in Executive Leadership Academy for Cancer Centers (ELACC) that is training future cancer center leaders where they will implement mentoring programs for others, and they will be mentored.”

From high school students on up, the AACR Annual Meeting also serves as an opportunity to pique the interest for the future of the National Team of Cancer Fighters. As has become a yearly tradition, Dr. Trevino served as a speaker for a special program for high school students where he shared his story of growing in a poverty-rich area of Monterrey, Mexico, to becoming a leading surgical oncologist.

Dr. Winn continually refers to the AACR Annual Meeting as a conference where moments are created to drive momentum and better science, which lead to better health outcomes locally and globally. A record number of posters and presenters shows Massey left a distinct impact on cancer research at all levels in San Diego.

“Coming here with Massey we come in as a team. We think about it strategically and collectively, what are the sessions not only we're going to attend, but what are the sessions I'm going to impact?” Tossas said. “When you come to a conference, you want to be intentional and when you're intentional at a conference like the AACR annual meeting, there’s magic that can happen."

Written by: Preston Willett