Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D.
Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., and Mark Yarchoan, M.D., discuss breaking research at AACR meeting
On April 17, Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., became president of the American Association for Cancer Research, the world’s oldest and largest cancer science organization. Jaffee, an international leader in pancreatic cancer research and cancer immunology, is deputy director of the Kimmel Cancer Center, co-director of the Skip Viragh Center for Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Research and Patient Care, and associate director of the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
During her term as president, Jaffee says AACR will focus on:
- Cancer Health Disparities
- Cancer Prevention, Early Detection, and Interception
- Combination Therapies and Precision Oncology (immunotherapy/radiation/targeted)
- Convergence Science
- Hematologic Malignancies
- Implementation and Behavioral Sciences
- Novel Clinical Trial Designs
- Pathology
- Pediatric Cancer
- Radiation Science and Medicine
- Survivorship Research
Her goals include engaging engineers, mathematicians, physicists, and computational biologists, chemists and experts in other relevant fields, such as artificial intelligence, to apply their expertise toward existing cancer problems.
“We are at an unprecedented time in history, when new treatments and technologies are rapidly reshaping patient care,” says Jaffee. “Together we will prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, communication, and collaboration.”
Jaffe was also elected to the American Association for Cancer Research Academy. The Academy recognizes and honors distinguished scientists whose major scientific contributions have propelled significant innovation and progress against cancer. Jaffee was honored for developing cancer vaccines and vaccine combinations that overcome tumor-associated immune tolerance.
These latest honors underscore Jaffee’s extensive contributions to cancer research. She also serves as co-chair of the Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel and its Immunology Working Group, and chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board.