UNC Lineberger’s annual scientific symposium has always been a gathering place for big ideas in cancer research. But this year’s meeting stood out.
In addition to being the 48th annual meeting, it marked the kickoff of UNC Lineberger’s 50th anniversary as a National Cancer Institute–designated cancer center and celebrated Shelley Earp, MD, for his leadership that has helped shape the cancer center, UNC and the national cancer research community.
The strong attendance and energy were reflective of the occasion’s significance. Some 350 people attended in person and 200 joined virtually. Over a day and a half, the symposium featured 15 presentations around the theme: “Cancer Discovery and Application – The Road to Improved Patient Outcomes – A Symposium Celebrating UNC Lineberger’s 50 Years of Discovery.”
Highlights included a tribute to founding director Joseph Pagano, MD, and engaging talks from national leaders such as Nobel Laureate William Kaelin, MD, on the VHL tumor suppressor gene; Edison Liu, MD, a former UNC Lineberger member, on the genomic biology of triple-negative breast cancer; and Tony Hunter, PhD, on tyrosine phosphorylation, its impact on cancer therapy, and his longtime friendship with Earp.
A lively “fireside chat” between Ned Sharpless, MD, former director of the NCI and UNC Lineberger, and Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, former UNC Lineberger member, past NCI director, and now CEO of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, offered an insider’s perspective on current challenges and opportunities facing the NCI. They also shared humorous stories from their careers, including their time at UNC Lineberger.
Robert Ferris, MD, PhD, UNC Lineberger’s executive director and chief of Oncology Clinical Services at UNC Health, said the symposium provides opportunities to forge collaborations, learn about new scientific advances, and hear how research is improving cancer care in North Carolina as well as on national and international levels.
“This year is particularly special because it marks UNC Lineberger’s 50th anniversary and pays tribute to our former director, Dr. Shelley Earp, who built such a culture of collaboration that we can celebrate in a truly meaningful way,” Ferris said.
Albert Baldwin, PhD, Blossom Damania, PhD, and Earp oversaw the symposium’s planning, in partnership with Jessica Platz, Jeanne Guerra, Jason Piper, and other members of the executive director’s office, including Danette Cousin, Mackenzie Ingle, Tammy McNamara and Kyndal Palme, along with Elizabeth Gorsuch from the Division of Hematology and Chesley Kalnen from communications.
Baldwin noted that the symposium, launched in 1977 to raise awareness of the then-nascent UNC cancer center, has grown into the Southeast’s longest-running and best-attended annual biomedical conference.
“This is an opportunity to bring in national and international leaders and learn from them,” Baldwin said. “They often share unpublished work, which is very generous – it allows us to see discoveries six months or a year before they’re published. And it also gives these leaders the chance to see the work we’re doing. It’s mutually beneficial and keeps us all at the forefront of cancer research.”
