calendar
March 25, 2025
Tuesday
8:00 AM to 5:15 PM

contact
Stanford Cancer Institute
location
291 Campus Drive
Stanford, California 94305
Li Ka Shing Center

About Event

The 2025 Stanford Cancer Institute Retreat was held on March 25, 2025, and we extend our sincere thanks to all the speakers and attendees who made the event a resounding success. With over 350 participants, the event showcased the latest advancements in cancer research, fostered meaningful collaborations, and strengthened our community within the Stanford Cancer Institute.

The event featured an annual update from Steven Artandi, MD, PhD, director of the Stanford Cancer Institute, and scientific talks covering key areas such as Clinical and Translational Advances, Population Sciences, Cancer Biology, New Therapeutic Modalities, and Cancer Immunotherapy. In addition, over 50 posters were showcased. View the photos of the day’s memorable presentations and connections here.

We appreciate everyone who joined us for this important gathering!

Agenda & Speakers

8:00 - 8:30 am

Registration Desk Open & Continental Breakfast

8:30 am - 8:50 am
Welcome & SCI Update

Steven Artandi, MD, PhD
Director, Stanford Cancer Institute

Lloyd Minor, MD (Recorded message)
Dean, School of Medicine, Stanford University

8:50 - 9:35 am
Session 1: Clinical and Translational Advances

James Ford, MD [Chair]
Professor, Medicine and Genetics

Kara Davis, DO
Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Hematology & Oncology
Uridine as a Targetable Metabolic Dependency in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Melinda Telli, MD
Director, Clinical Research, Stanford Cancer Institute
Leveraging ctDNA-MRD in Early Breast Cancer

Jason Gotlib, MD, MS
Professor, Medicine (Hematology)
Pemigatinib for Myeloid/Lymphoid Neoplasms with FGFR1 Rearrangement

9:45  - 9:55 am
Break

9:55 - 10:40 am
Session 2: Population Sciences

John Witte, PhD, MS [Chair]
Professor, Epidemiology and Population Health, Biomedical Data Science and Genetics

Allison Kurian, MD, MSc
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Population Health
Leveraging Population-Based Data for High-Impact Clinical Research

Marvin Langston, PhD
Assistant Professor, Epidemiology and Population Health
Adiposity, Hypertension, and Renal Cell Cancer: Towards a Cardiometabolic Framework for Prevention and Survivorship

David Rehkopf, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Population Health
Real-World Data Resources at the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences

10:40 - 11:25 am
Lightning Talks

11:30 - 12:30 pm
Poster Judging and Lunch Break

12:30 - 1:15 pm
Concurrent Breakout Session

1) Stanford Cancer Institute Data Dashboard Demonstration (Main Room)

Alyce Adams, PhD
Associate Director, Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement, Stanford Cancer Institute

Dinah Trevil, MPA
Executive Director, Office of Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement, Stanford Cancer Institute

2) Deep Data Needs and Challenges in Precision Health (Room LKSC 208)

Amir Bahmani, PhD, MS
Director, Stanford's Deep Data Research Center

1:15 - 1:25 pm
Break

1:25 - 2:10 pm
Session 3: Cancer Biology

Roeland Nusse, PhD [Chair]
Professor, Development Biology

Paul Mischel, MD
Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pathology
Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA): Cancer’s Dynamic Circular Genome

Sydney Lu, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Medicine (Hematology)
Identifying and Targeting Transcript Alterations Mediated by Oncogenic SF3B1 Mutations

Julien Sage, PhD
Professor, Pediatrics - Hematology & Oncology and Genetics
Functional Interactions Between SCLC Cells and Immune Cells

2:10 - 2:20 pm
Break

2:20 - 3:05 pm
Session 4: New Therapeutic Modalities

Rajat Rohatgi, MD, PhD [Chair]
Associate Director, Basic Science, Stanford Cancer Institute

Katherine Ferrara, PhD
Professor, Radiology and Division Chief for the Molecular Imaging Program
Radiotheragnostic Design and Deployment at Stanford

Gerald Crabtree, MD
Professor, Pathology and Developmental Biology
Rewiring Cancer Drivers to Activate Cell Death

Steven Banik, PhD
Associate Professor, Chemistry
Detecting and Rewiring Cellular Interactomes

3:05 - 3:15 pm
Break

3:15 - 4:15 pm
Session 5: Cancer Immunotherapy

Edgar Engleman, MD [Chair & Speaker]
Professor, Pathology and Medicine 
Deciphering the Tumor Immune Landscape

Lingyin Li, PhD
Professor, Biochemistry
Innate Immune Checkpoint Blockade With an ENPP1 Inhibitor

Ansuman Satpathy, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Pathology
Designer Genes and Cell States for Cancer Immunotherapy

Allison Betof Warner, MD, PhD
Director, Stanford Advanced Melanoma Program
Ushering in the Era of Solid Tumor Cell Therapy

4:15 pm
Closing Remarks

Steven Artandi, MD, PhD
Director, Stanford Cancer Institute

4:15 - 5:15 pm
Poster Session & Reception

Stanford Cancer Institute Data Dashboard Demonstration (Main Room)

The Stanford Cancer Institute Data Dashboard is an interactive tool that offers access to a wide range of publicly available cancer data, focusing on cancer burden and social determinants of health. Through the Tableau application, it provides data for the 10-county area served by the Institute, as well as statewide cancer data. The dashboard features online mapping, tables, and download options, making it a valuable resource for researchers, community partners, and others to support cancer control research and interventions.

Speakers:
Alyce Adams, PhD
Associate Director, Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement, Stanford Cancer Institute

Dinah Trevil, MPA
Executive Director, Office of Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement, Stanford Cancer Institute

Deep Data Needs and Challenges in Precision Health (Room LKSC 208)

We are at the early stages of a generation-defining revolution in biology. Over the past two decades, breakthroughs in genetics and genomics—paired with advances in AI and machine learning—have created unprecedented opportunities to transform global healthcare. Data has become a digital specimen, but as the volume and variety of biomedical data continue to grow across diverse formats and platforms, we face critical challenges in integration, storage, computation, and security.

This talk will explore approaches to managing large-scale medical studies in a secure and scalable manner. Through key examples, we will examine the current landscape, highlight promising research directions, and discuss the broader impact of these challenges on bioinformatics from a computer science perspective.

Speaker: 
Amir Bahmani, PhD
Director, Stanford's Deep Data Research Center

 

Chairs

Edgar Engleman, MD

Edgar Engleman, MD

Professor
Pathology and Medicine 

James Ford

James Ford, MD

Professor
Medicine and Genetics

Roeland Nusse, PhD

Roeland Nusse, PhD

Professor
Development Biology

Rajat Rohtagi, MD, PhD

Rajat Rohtagi, MD, PhD

Associate Director, Basic Science
Stanford Cancer Institute

John Witte, PhD

John Witte, PhD, MS

Professor
Epidemiology and Population Health, Biomedical Data Science and Genetics

Speakers

Alyce Adams, PhD

Alyce Adams, PhD

Associate Director, Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement Stanford Cancer Institute

Amir Bahmani, PhD

Amir Bahmani, PhD, MS

Director
Stanford's Deep Data Research Center

Steven Banik, PhD

Steven Banik, PhD

Associate Professor
Chemistry

Allison Betof Warner, MD, PhD

Allison Betof Warner, MD, PhD

Director
Stanford Advanced Melanoma Program

Gerald Crabtree, MD

Gerald Crabtree, MD

Professor
Pathology and Developmental Biology

Kara Davis, DO

Kara Davis, DO

Associate Professor
Pediatrics - Hematology & Oncology

Edgar Engelman, MD

Edgar Engelman, MD

Professor
Pathology and Medicine 

Katherine Ferrara, PhD

Katherine Ferrara, PhD

Professor, Radiology
Division Chief for the Molecular Imaging Program

Jason Gotlib, MD

Jason Gotlib, MD, MS

Professor
Medicine (Hematology)

Allison Kurian, MD, MSc

Allison Kurian, MD, MSc

Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Population Health

Marvin Langston, PhD

Marvin Langston, PhD

Assistant Professor
Epidemiology and Population Health

Lingyin Li, PhD

Lingyin Li, PhD

Professor, Biochemistry

Sydney Lu, MD, PhD

Sydney Lu, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor
Medicine (Hematology)

Paul Mischel, MD

Paul Mischel, MD

Professor and Vice Chair for Research
Department of Pathology

David Rehkopf

David Rehkopf, PhD, MPH

Associate Professor
Epidemiology and Population Health

Julien Sage, PhD

Julien Sage, PhD

Professor
Pediatrics - Hematology & Oncology and Genetics

Ansuman Satpathy, MD, PhD

Ansuman Satpathy, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Pathology

Melinda Telli, MD

Melinda Telli, MD

Associate Director, Clinical Research
Stanford Cancer Institute

Dinah Trevil, MPA

Dinah Trevil, MPA

Executive Director, Office of Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement
Stanford Cancer Institute

Registration

There is no registration fee for this event. We encourage Stanford Cancer Institute members, students, residents, and fellows to register to assist with general planning. 

For general registration questions, please contact Rachel Chen. 

Registration is closed

Poster Session

Stanford Cancer Institute members, students, residents, fellows, and staff are invited to participate in the poster sessions. If you would like to showcase your research or a shared resource available for principal investigators, please submit your abstract via the retreat registration form. The deadline to submit your abstract is March 19. Further instructions on poster setup and judging criteria will be emailed to you after the submission period closes.

Submission: Open
Deadline: March 20, 3:00 pm

Poster session information

After you check in at the registration desk in the Li Ka Shing Center lobby, please set up the poster in your designated spot. 

Posters will be on display throughout the day. Presenters should plan on being stationed by their work to answer questions during the lunch break and reception. Official prize judging will happen during the lunch break, and awards will be announced at the reception.

All posters must be removed after the reception that evening.

Poster specifications

  • Please bring your posters ready for display.

  • Dimensions: Poster dimensions can be up to a maximum of 48x36 inches.

  • Poster Tack Boards: A tack board will be provided to support the posters and supplies (extra tacks, tape).

Poster printing resources:

Should you have any questions about your poster session, contact Sei Lee, PhD.

Travel Information

Location

Berg Hall, 2nd floor,
Li Ka Shing Center
291 Campus Drive, Stanford CA. 

For driving directions and map, see here.

Parking

Stock Farm Lot and Garage
360 Oak Rd, Stanford

Via Ortega Garage
285 Panama

Roth Way Garage
355 Roth Way

FAQs

Where do I check in?
Please check in at the registration desk in the Berg Hall lobby, Li Ka Shing Center, 291 Campus Drive, to receive your name badge.

Where can I register for the event?
Please pre-register here. On-site registration will also be available.

Who can register?
Stanford Cancer Institute members, students, residents, fellows, and staff. Stanford affiliates who study cancer research.

I will not be able to attend the entire retreat. If I register, will I have access to all the sessions?
The sessions will not be recorded.

Where do I submit my poster abstract?
Please register and state that you would like to submit a poster abstract. Continue to enter the information requested in the form. 

The deadline to submit an abstract is March 20. 

More information can be found here.

Where do I bring my poster?
After check-in at the registration desk, go to Berg Hall A to hang up your poster.

What is the accessibility at Li Ka Shing Center?

  • The main entrance to the building has power-operated doors, located on the south side entrance (facing Campus Drive). 

  • Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are available for both men and women restrooms.

  • The nearest disabled parking spaces are located in L-15 (south of the building). Additional disabled parking is available in lots L-16, L-18, and Parking Structure 5 (west of the building).

If you have additional questions, please contact Rachel Chen.