A Message from the President

Dear Colleagues,

In my final Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Presidential Message, I thought I’d start with last month’s 33^rd Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (SITC 2018). We welcomed 5,000 attendees; the society’s highest number to date. Also, SITC now has more than 2,400 society members – the highest number in our history, including researchers, clinicians, patient advocates and students. I would be remiss if I did not express my sincere appreciation to all of our funders who contributed to our success by supporting our many educational programs in 2018. The full list appears below. It has really been an extreme period of growth, both within our society as well as the field in general, and support from our partners has been instrumental.

It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as SITC President, for these last two years, and I look forward to the leadership of Mario Sznol, MD, as incoming President and to continuing to participate in society leadership as Immediate Past President for two more years. This position has allowed me to participate in many field-wide initiatives around both the science (immune biomarkers, SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School, immune responsiveness, cellular therapies, the SITC textbook) and the people in it (women’s networking, young investigators, international outreach, among others). It has put me around the table with my academic colleagues, pharma and biotech collaborators, leaders of related societies and NCI and FDA colleagues to discuss how we can work together towards our shared goals of meaningful science and therapies for patients. All of this work has been enabled and supported by all of you, the staff of SITC and especially Tara Withington, CAE, SITC’s Executive Director.

There has been important progress in the last several years, and there is much more to do. SITC will be a vehicle supporting progress for years to come, and I look forward to working with you all to make it happen.

Sincerely,

SITC President

SITC 2018 Year in Review

SITC experienced a banner year in 2018, including record-breaking attendance at SITC 2018, total society membership figures, and a number of additional SITC educational programs and initiatives experienced unprecedented success.

Re-live these highlights from the past 12 months by downloading the SITC 2018 Year in Review (PDF), from the SITC CONNECT Resource Library.

While SITC is proud to celebrate its accomplishments of the past year, the society remains acutely focused on its future and how it can best continue to train and facilitate professional growth of the future leaders of the field. Such opportunities include the following:

Apply Now: Immunotherapy Fellowship at National Cancer Institute (NCI)

SITC is pleased to once again accept applicants for the NCI Immunotherapy Fellowship, co-sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and SITC and funded in part by an educational grant from EMD Serono.

Conducted at the NCI's Center for Cancer Research in Bethesda, Md., this one-year program allows the fellow to have exposure to multiple clinical immunotherapeutic approaches and key opinion leaders in the field of clinical immunotherapy.

This fellowship, now in its fourth year, was recently awarded the 2018 Education Institution and Federal Laboratory Partnership Award by the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) Mid-Atlantic Region. SITC is proud to partner with the NCI to create more opportunities for early career scientists.

Click here to learn more about eligibility requirements of this fellowship opportunity and to apply.

Attend the 2019 SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School

Join SITC for the 2019 Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School, a comprehensive cancer immunotherapy program in Mesa, Ariz., Feb. 18–22, 2019. Taught by leading experts, this five-day program will provide attendees a deep understanding of the core principles of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy and examine developing areas in the field.

Developed specifically to instruct future scientists and clinicians, the program will first cover the fundamentals of cancer immunotherapy before allowing participants to tailor their experience by selecting the track most relevant to their educational goals.

During the course of the week, attendees will learn about:

• Core principles of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy
• Biomarker technology, validation and clinical integration
• Clinical trial design, data analysis and considerations for combination therapies
• Grant writing to obtain research funding

Organizers for this program are:

• Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD – PICI Research Center, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; University of California, San Francisco
• Leisha A. Emens, MD, PhD – University of Pittsburgh
• Michael A. Morse, MD – Duke University Medical Center

Click here to learn more and register today for the 2019 SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School.

SITC to Host Women in Immunotherapy Network’s Leadership Institute in 2019

SITC has many exciting events and initiatives in development for the coming year, including a one-and-a-half day program that will explore topics specifically designed for women as emerging leaders in the cancer immunotherapy field.

The SITC Women in Immunotherapy Network’s Leadership Institute will help women to develop and enhance leadership skills as well as explore topics around diversity, inclusivity and understanding their role as an emerging leader. Female participants from a variety of settings will be given an opportunity to network and share experiences unique to the female perspective in the field of cancer immunotherapy.

Specific details including dates, location and other registration information will be shared soon. SITC is pleased to offer the forthcoming program for women in the field of cancer immunotherapy. 

Consider a gift to the Forward Fund

SITC has been challenged to raise $300,000, which will be generously matched by an anonymous donor. As you plan your year-end giving, please consider a gift to SITC’s Forward Fund to support early career scientists. Your gift will be matched* and will inspire the next generation of leaders in cancer immunotherapy.

*Match applies to new and increased gifts

Thank you to SITC’s 2018 Supporters

7 Hills Pharma, LLC
AbbVie
Amgen
Astellas and Seattle Genetics
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP
Bavarian Nordic A/S
Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Celgene Corporation
CytomX
Eli Lilly
Fluidigm
Genentech
Gilead Sciences
HalioDx
Incyte Corporation
Janssen Research & Development, LLC
Lilly Oncology
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
Merck & Co., Inc.
NanoString Technologies
Novartis Oncology
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
Pfizer, Inc.
Pfizer/Merck KGaA
Prometheus Laboratories Inc.
Regeneron
Replimune
TESARO, Inc.