SITC is pleased to host the society’s innovative program designed to foster leadership development, collaborations and scientific exchange among early career investigators who are emerging leaders in the field of cancer immunotherapy: Sparkathon 2.0 Accelerator: Optimizing combination therapy based on immunological mechanisms.
Accepted participants in the Sparkathon Class of 2022 meet with luminaries in the field for a two-and-a-half day training June 13-15, 2022. These leaders provided mentorship and the group addressed optimizing combination therapy based on immunological mechanisms. Participants and faculty will also convene at a one-day symposium on Nov. 7, 2022 for additional education and to continue work on program outputs.
Accepted applicants into this elite program will participate for free and receive travel reimbursement to SITC Sparkathon Accelerator. SITC Membership is a requirement for all applicants.
Share this web page or this flyer with other early career scientists who might be interested in applying.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
This two-year program kicked off with an in-person retreat June 13-15, 2022, prior to SITC 2022, in New York City. Sparkathon Class of 2022 participants presented their research on this year’s chosen topic of optimizing combination therapy based on immunological mechanisms. Participants learned from each other and received guidance from the experts in a synergistic and intimate environment.
In addition to addressing the hurdle of optimizing combination therapy, SITC’s Sparkathon 2.0 Accelerator explores topics specifically designed for emerging leaders in the cancer immunotherapy field, including:
- How to manage your lab and team
- How to provide, as well as how to seek mentorship
- Career trajectories across academia, industry and government
Participants spent two-and-a-half days with the top early career investigators and luminaries in the field to advance their work and accelerate the study of optimizing combination therapy based on immunological mechanisms through new knowledge gained, convergent field discussions and long-term cross institutional collaboration. Sparkathon Class of 2022 participants will continue to meet each year at SITC’s Annual Meeting with future Sparkathon Classes, creating a broad network of early career scientists focused on moving the field forward.
Program Organizers
- Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD – University of California San Francisco
- Sandra Demaria, MD - Weill Cornell Medicine
- Jennifer L. Guerriero, PhD – Brigham and Women’s Hospital
- Howard Kaufman, MD, FACS – Ankyra Therapeutics and Massachusetts General Hospital
- Marco Ruella, MD – University of Pennsylvania
Program Faculty
- Brian Brown, PhD - Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD - University of California San Francisco
- Sandra Demaria, MD - Weill Cornell Medicine
- Joseph Elassal, MD - Regeneron
- Jennifer L. Guerriero, PhD - Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Howard Kaufman, MD, FACS - Ankyra Therapeutics and Massachusetts General Hospital
- Amanda Lund, PhD - NYU Grossman School of Medicine
- Nicholas Restifo, MD
- Pedro Romero, MD - Lausanne Branch, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
- Marco Ruella, MD - University of Pennsylvania
- Jeffrey Weber, MD, PhD - NYU Langone Medical Center
- Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Hassane Zarour, MD - UPMC Hillman Cancer Center