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Stanford Cancer Institute

Comprehensive Cancer Research Training Program

calendar
September 16, 2026 to September 17, 2026
8:15 AM to 5:00 PM

contact
Stanford Cancer Institute
location
505 Broadway
Redwood City, California 94063
Stanford Redwood City, Cardinal Hall

About Event

Each year, the Stanford Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Research Training Program welcomes more than 100 young scientists for an immersive learning experience on the science driving advances in cancer care.

As a participant, you can:

  • Broaden your scientific perspective on key cancer topics at sessions led by distinguished Stanford faculty members.
  • Explore professional development opportunities.
  • Network to build lasting mentorships and future collaborations.
  • Showcase your work at the poster session.

Launched in 2007, this annual program is a cornerstone of the Stanford Cancer Institute’s commitment to fostering the next generation of cancer researchers and forging connections with tomorrow’s leaders in cancer care.

We invite participants ranging from community college students to junior faculty. 

Day 1 | September 16, 2026

8:15 - 8:55 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:55 - 9:05 a.m.

Welcome Remarks

 

Steven Artandi, MD, PhD
Laurie Kraus Lacob Director, Stanford Cancer Institute
Chief Cancer Officer, Stanford Medicine – Health Care
Senior Associate Dean for Cancer Programs, Stanford Medicine
Jerome and Daisy Low Gilbert Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry

 

Pauline Funchain, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Cancer Research Training and Education, Stanford Cancer Institute

9:05 - 9:35 a.m.

Plenary Session

 

Rethinking the Rules of Cancer Drug Development: From Mutation to Medicine in the Precision Oncology Era
Vivek Subbiah, MD
Jeffrey and Christina Bird Professor and Professor of Pediatric, Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Drug Development and Precision Oncology, Stanford Cancer Institute

 

9:35- 10:50 a.m.

Session 1: Drug Development

 

Drug Development in the Translational Space
Pamela Munster, MD
Professor of Medicine , Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Early Detection and Interception, Stanford Cancer Institute

 

Cell-Based Drug Discovery for Cancer Therapy
Steven Corsello, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Developing First-in-Class Drugs Against New Targets for Cancer
Nathanael Gray, PhD
Krishnan-Shah Family Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Cancer Drug Discovery, Stanford Cancer Institute

 

Panel Discussion

10:50 - 11:05 a.m.

Break

11:05 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

Session 2: Head and Neck

 

Beyond Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors - Current Status and Future of Head and Neck Cancer Care
Hyunseok Kang, MD, MPH

Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine
Leader, Head & Neck Oncology Clinical Research Group, Stanford Cancer Institute

 

Advances in Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer
Michael Gensheimer, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology - Radiation Therapy, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Enhancer Priming Regulates Rapid Adaptation to Cytokines in the TME
Andrey Finegersh, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Panel Discussion

12:20 - 1:30 p.m.

Networking Mentor Lunch

1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Session 3: How to…

 

Finding Your First Industry Job
Mark Lee, MD, PhD
CEO, N-Power Medicine, Inc.

 

Prompt Smart, Write Human: Navigating the Responsible Use of AI in Grant Writing
Elizabeth Seckel, MA
Director, Research Development, Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Brandi Stephens, PhD
Director Strategic Research Development, Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

2:30 - 2:45 p.m.

Break

2:45 - 4 p.m

Session 4: Cell Therapy

 

T Cell Receptor (TCR) Therapy in Synovial Sarcoma
Nam Bui, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

 

TILs and Next Generation Engineered TILs for Solid Tumors
Kimberly Loo, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

 

If Your First CAR Crashes, Drive Another: ​A CD22-Directed CAR T-cell Therapy for the Treatment of Lymphoma
Matthew Frank, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Panel Discussion

4 - 5:30 p.m.

Poster Session and Networking Reception

Please note that the agenda is preliminary and subject to change.

Day 2 | September 17, 2026

8:15 - 8:50 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:50 - 9:00 a.m.

Welcome Remarks

 

Steven Corsello, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

9 - 9:30 a.m.

Plenary Session

 

Urine Liquid Biopsies for Bladder Cancer Detection and Response Prediction
Maximilian Diehn, MD, PhD

Jack, Lulu, and Sam Willson Professor and Professor of Radiation Oncology, Stanford School of Medicine
Director, Radiation Biology Research Program, Stanford Cancer Institute

 

9:30 - 10:45 a.m.

Session 1: Early Detection of Cancer

 

Interstitial Fluid-Based Liquid Biopsies via Microneedle Array Patches: A Different Vantage Point Than Blood
Joseph DeSimone, PhD

Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University
Director, Cancer Imaging and Early Detection Research Program, Stanford Cancer Institute



Artificial Intelligence in Oncology, Clinical Applications, and Challenges
Janice Lu, MD, PhD
Clinical Professor, Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Biomarker Exploration in GynecologicLiquid Biopsies for Ovarian Cancer Detection
Oliver Dorigo, MD, PhD
Mary Lake Polan Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Panel Discussion

10:45 - 11 a.m.

Break

11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Session 2: Global Oncology and Community Engaged Research

 

Context Matters: Lessons from Developing a Prostate Cancer Screening Intervention in South Africa
Marvin Langston, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Building Cancer Infrastructure in Belize
James Dickerson, MD, MS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Getting Started and Best Practices for Community- and Patient-Engaged Cancer Research
Lisa Goldman Rosas, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Panel Discussion

12:15 - 1:30 p.m.

Networking Mentor Lunch

1:30 - 2:45 p.m.

Session 3: Brain Cancers

 

Anti-CAR Immunity Drives Acquired Therapeutic Resistance to GD2-CAR-T Cell Therapy in Diffuse Midline Glioma
Sneha Ramakrishna, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine 

 

Molecular Imaging of Brain Tumor Metabolism
Corinne Beinat, PhD
Assistant Professor of Radiology, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Beyond the Limits of Surgical Resection: Using CRISPR Screens to Uncover Drivers of High-Grade Glioma Invasion

Laura Prolo, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Panel Discussion

2:45 - 2:55 p.m.

Break

2:55 - 4:10 p.m.

Session 4: Genitourinary Cancers

Spatial Transcriptomic Analysis of En Bloc Bladder Tumor Resections
Kris Prado, MD
Assistant Professor of Urology, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Biomarkers in Kidney Cancer
Alice Fan, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Seeing Enough to Treat Less: Imaging, Targeted Biopsy, and Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Geoffrey Sonn, MD
Professor of Urology, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Panel Discussion

4:10 - 4:20 p.m.

Closing Remarks

 

Pauline Funchain, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Cancer Research Training and Education, Stanford Cancer Institute

Steven Artandi, MD, PhD

Steven Artandi, MD, PhD

Laurie Kraus Lacob Director, Stanford Cancer Institute
Chief Cancer Officer, Stanford Medicine – Health Care
Senior Associate Dean for Cancer Programs, Stanford Medicine
Jerome and Daisy Low Gilbert Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry

 

Corinne Beinat

Corinne Beinat, PhD

Assistant Professor of Radiology, Stanford School of Medicine

Nam Bui

Nam Bui, MD

Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

Steven Corsello

Steven Corsello, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

Joseph DeSimone

Joseph DeSimone, PhD

Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University
Director, Cancer Imaging and Early Detection Research Program, Stanford Cancer Institut

 

James Dickerson, MD, MS

James Dickerson, MD, MS

Director, Cancer Imaging and Early Detection Program, Stanford Cancer Institute
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University

Maximilian Diehn

Maximilian Diehn, MD, PhD

Jack, Lulu, and Sam Willson Professor and Professor of Radiation Oncology, Stanford School of Medicine
Director, Radiation Biology Research Program, Stanford Cancer Institute

 

Oliver Dorigo, MD, PhD

Oliver Dorigo, MD, PhD

Mary Lake Polan Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford School of Medicine

Alice Fan, MD

Alice Fan, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

Andrey Finegersh

Andrey Finegersh, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology, Stanford School of Medicine

Matthew Frank, MD, PhD

Matthew Frank, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

Pauline Funchain

Pauline Funchain, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Cancer Research Training and Education, Stanford Cancer Institute

Michael Gensheimer, MD

Michael Gensheimer, MD

Clinical Associate Professor, Radiation Oncology - Radiation Therapy, Stanford School of Medicine

 

Nathanael Gray, PhD

Nathanael Gray, PhD

Krishnan-Shah Family Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology, Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Cancer Drug Discovery, Stanford Cancer Institute

Hyunseok Kang, MD

Hyunseok Kang, MD

Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine
Leader, Head & Neck Oncology Clinical Research Group, Stanford Cancer Institute

 

Marvin Langston

Marvin Langston, MPH, PhD

Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford School of Medicine

Mark Lee, MD, PhD

Mark Lee, MD, PhD

CEO, N-Power Medicine, Inc.

Kimberly Loo, MD

Kimberly Loo, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

janice lu

Janice Lu, MD, PhD

Clinical Professor, Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

Pamela Munster

Pamela Munster, MD

Professor of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine
Associate Director, Early Detection and Interception, Stanford Cancer Institute

 

Kris Prado

Kris Prado, MD

Assistant Professor of Urology, Stanford School of Medicine

Laura Prolo

Laura Prolo, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, Stanford School of Medicine

Sneha Ramakrishna, MD

Sneha Ramakrishna, MD

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Stanford School of Medicine

Lisa Goldman Rosas

Lisa Goldman Rosas, MPH, PhD

Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford School of Medicine

Elizabeth Seckel

Elizabeth Seckel, MA

Director Research Development, Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

Geoffrey Sonn

Geoffrey Sonn, MD

Professor of Urology, Stanford School of Medicine

Brandi Stephens

Brandi Stephens, PhD

Director Strategic Research Development, Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

Vivek Subbiah, MD, PhD

Vivek Subbiah, MD

Jeffrey and Christina Bird Professor and Professor of Pediatric, Stanford School of MedicineAssociate Director, Drug Development and Precision Oncology, Stanford Cancer Institute

 

Registration is now closed.

Attendees are invited to participate in the poster session. If you want to showcase your work, please register for the program and submit your abstract via the registration form before the September 10th deadline. Further instructions on poster setup will be emailed to you directly.

 

Abstract submission: Register here 
Deadline: September 10, 2026

 

After you check in at the registration desk in the lobby, please bring your posters ready for display and set them up in your designated spot. 

Poster dimensions can be up to 48x36 inches. A foam board will be provided to support the posters and supplies. Presenters should plan on being stationed by their work to answer questions during the reception. A poster template is available for your convenience.

 

Poster printing resources:

Location

This year’s program will be located at:

Stanford Redwood City Conference Center | Cardinal Hall, 1st Floor
505 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063
Google Maps

Parking

Parking map

Visitor parking is available on the first floor of the Barron Parking Garage and outdoor surface lots across from the conference center. Enforcement hours for visitor parking are 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is no parking kiosk. Visitors must purchase parking through ParkMobile.

Stanford visitors (e.g. faculty and staff from the main campus): may use their ‘C’ or ‘A’ parking permits to park in any spaces at the Redwood City campus. 

Stanford Redwood City is five miles from the main campus. If you are taking public transportation to the event, please review the information on the parking and transportation webpage.

Public Transportation

Stanford Redwood City (SWRC) is located five miles from the main campus. If you are taking public transportation to CCRTP, please review the information below.

From Stanford Main Campus to SWRC:

  • Take the Marguerite Shuttle to the Caltrain station
  • Take the northbound train and exit the Redwood City station

Refer to the following links for the shuttle schedules from the Redwood City Caltrain station to Cardinal Hall:

If you have more questions about shuttle services to Stanford Redwood City, please visit the shuttle services page.

FAQ's

How can I become a Stanford Cancer Institute member? 

Please see our website for more information on membership types and eligibility requirements.

 

What are the benefits of attending the Comprehensive Cancer Research Training Program?

Attending networking opportunities and didactic lectures can help you grow your professional network and find encouragement and inspiration for your research.

 

Can middle or high school students attend?

We are not currently accommodating middle or high school students.

 

Do you have to be affiliated with Stanford to attend the Comprehensive Cancer Research Training Program?

You do not have to be affiliated with Stanford to attend the Comprehensive Cancer Research Training Program. We welcome community college, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as postdocs, residents, fellows, and junior faculty members from other universities and community colleges who are interested in pursuing a career in cancer science, learning more about the field, and making connections with their peers and Stanford faculty members. 

 

Can I receive Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for participating?

No. This program is not considered for Continuing Medical Education credits.

 

Can we use Stanford STAP funds to cover the registration fee? 

Yes. After you pay the registration fee, you can submit the receipt for reimbursement to your department. The STAP reimbursement form can be downloaded here. Learn more about the STAP funds reimbursement process.

 

Can my Stanford department cover the registration fee?

Please contact your administrative assistant for approval. Then, ask them to email sci_officeofcrtec@stanford.edu for further instructions.

 

What if I cannot drive to Stanford Redwood City campus?

Please visit the Stanford Redwood City transportation webpage for more options.