Demonstrating its commitment to advancing immunotherapy and supporting the next generation of scientific leaders, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Forward Fund is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 fellowships, awarding a total of $430,000 to support groundbreaking cancer research initiatives.
“With the invaluable support of our industry partners, we are thrilled to empower early career investigators whose work is driving progress in cancer immunotherapy,” said SITC Vice President Sandra Demaria, MD. “These fellowships not only advance critical scientific discoveries, but also help shape the future of our field and improve outcomes for patients worldwide.”
The 2025 fellowships are made possible through the Forward Fund, established by SITC to advance the science and application of cancer immunology and immunotherapy by supporting education and research initiatives. Since 2014, SITC has awarded more than $6 million to emerging researchers pursuing innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges in immunotherapy.
SITC will recognize the recipients during its 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting this November at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.
The 2025 SITC Forward Fund fellowship recipients are:
SITC-Genmab Cancer Immunotherapy in Hematologic Malignancies: DLBCL, FL, and CLL Translational Fellowship
Award Amount: $100,000 (one year)
Awardee: Mohamad Ali Najia, PhD
Institution: Boston Children's Hospital
Project Title: “Epigenetic reactivation of endogenous retroelements to stimulate anti-tumor immunity in DLBCL”
SITC-Merck Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Fellowship
Award Amount: $100,000 (one year)
Awardee: Anna Ralser, MD, PhD
Institution: The J. David Gladstone Institutes
Project Title: “Inducing immune niches to unlock anti-tumor responses in immunotherapy-resistant CRC”
SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Fellowship
Award Amount: $100,000 (one year)
Awardee: Ivan Susin Pires, PhD
Institution: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Project Title: “Engineering Multivalent Nanobody Constructs for Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy”
NCI Immunotherapy Fellowship
Award Description: One-year full time position at the NCI
Awardee: Matthew Rosenthal, MD
Institution: The George Washington University
The 2025 SITC Forward Fund fellowships were made possible through the generosity of EMD Serono, Genmab, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.
To learn more about current and past SITC fellowship recipients, visit the SITC website.