Our vision is to eliminate cancer health inequities and improve cancer outcomes for all.
Let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the University of Illinois Cancer Center’s collective accomplishments in 2024. I am truly proud and privileged to engage in this journey with our researchers, faculty members, providers, and staff. It is an honor to have led the Cancer Center to UIC’s first National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) submission in pursuit of NCI designation. With a ranking of Excellent to Outstanding, and a truly competitive score, the Cancer Center will continue our team-based approach to resubmit the CCSG in 2027. We could not have come this far without your support, world-class science, mentoring, and commitment to our communities.
Our commitment to research excellence and elevating the community voice ensures that patients receive the highest level of care during their cancer diagnosis and treatment. We will strive to grow the clinical enterprise. Together, we will discover new ways to treat cancer through basic, translational and clinical research, offer access to equitable precision clinical trials including early-phase clinical trials, and promising treatments to patients throughout the Catchment Area of Cook County and across Illinois. We will advance our mission and provide outreach, engagement and education for our communities and health care professionals.
With the support of UIC institutional leaders, Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda PhD, Provost Karen J. Colley, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
Robert Barish, MD, UI Health
CEO Mark Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, MBA, MHA, Cancer Center members, staff, and trainees, we will be successful in our pursuit to have the prestigious honor of an NCI designation for the Cancer Center.
JAN KITAJEWSKI, PHD DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CANCER CENTER
Who We Serve
We are located in and serve communities throughout Cook County, Illinois including Chicago. Our Special Geographies Areas – 20 zip codes wherein we have a clinical presence or partnership – face more poverty, crime and pollution than other areas of Chicago, Cook County and the USA.
Our Core Values
INCLUSION
We include the diverse voices of those we serve in all aspects of our work to ensure the communities’ involvement in our research and priority setting.
COMPASSION
We foster a patientcentered and inclusive environment that uplifts and values all individuals.
ACCOUNTABILITY
We are persistent in meeting our moral obligation to our communities, particularly the underserved, through outreach and easy access to the latest advances.
RESPECT
We strive to be trustworthy and uphold the highest standards in conducting research and delivering compassionate care.
EXCELLENCE
We foster a culture of innovation and excellence through collaboration and teamwork to reduce the cancer burden and address cancer health inequities.
Click or scan the QR code to learn more about the University of Illinois Cancer Center and our mission.
Equitable Precision Oncology Begins by Elevating the Voice of Our Communities
The Office of Community Engagement and Health Equity (CEHE)
Led by Yamilé Molina, PhD, and a 16 member Community Advisory Board, the Cancer Center has prioritized community engagement as a cornerstone of our scientific and outreach efforts.
With over $7.8 million of external funding between 2019 and 2023, our initiatives have successfully engaged local residents as partners and leaders in cancer research.
This bidirectional engagement fosters ownership and trust, ensuring that our research is both relevant and impactful.
Our diverse, multilingual staff and long-term partnerships have empowered over 75,000 patients through education and preventive measures, while our advocacy efforts have influenced policies that advance health equity in underserved areas.
“ I believe what makes us special is how we interact directly with the communities we serve
We do not just talk about populations we serve; we go to the communities, answer any questions and provide resources. We care about the communities we conduct research with and meet them where they are. ”
– MONÉT JONES, MPH, MSW, LSW RESEARCH SPECIALIST, CEHE
CEHE Employees in the Community
Active Community Partnerships
UNITY Summit
The University of Illinois Cancer Center, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society and Genentech, hosted a successful UNITY Summit, featuring a panel of leading national cancer experts discussing equity in precision prevention oncology. The event was held at Reggie’s Chicago.
TOPICS COVERED WERE:
“The Value of Equitable Precision Prevention and Oncology”
“Equity-Driven Approaches for Risk Identification and Risk Prediction”
“Scaling Equitable Delivery of Risk-Appropriate Care: Precision Prevention and Oncology.”
Notable speakers included:
Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Society of Clinical Ongologists (ASCO)
Kathy Goss, PhD Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Capacity Building at the American Cancer Society
Melissa B. Davis, PhD Director of the Institute of Translational Genomic Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine
Clayton Yates, PhD
John R. Lewis Professor of Pathology, Oncology, and Urology and Director of Health Disparities and Global Health Equity at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Community Events Attended
Gallery of Hope
The University of Illinois Cancer Center hosted “Gallery of Hope,” an evening at a neighborhood Chicago art gallery where cancer survivors and their families, healthcare providers, scientists and Cancer Center staff connected with each other while working together on a collage of the City of Chicago flag.
The Cancer Center’s Translational Oncology Research Program, Office of Community Outreach and Engagement and Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion collaborated to create the event that was held at Gallery Guichard in Chicago’s South Side Bronzeville neighborhood.
The goal of the event was to create an inclusive space to share cancer experiences through art.
ON THE AIRWAVES Partnerships with
Transdisciplinary Research Highlights
Late-Stage Breast Cancer Among Latinas
A multidisciplinary Cancer Center team, including researchers, a physician and a research trainee, works to understand and address latestage breast cancer among Latinas.
Identifiable risk factors and social determinants of health (SDOH), including neighborhood deprivation, low healthcare access and few accredited facilities, along with low social support for individuals, all predict distress and delayed breast cancer diagnoses.
Empowering Latinas to become change agents for their social networks and interventions at the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) resulted in increased use of cancer genetic services and increased risk-appropriate breast cancer screening.
Reducing Cancer Risk
Communities the Cancer Center serves in Cook County are interested in research about how to reduce cancer risk.
Research from a multidisciplinary team, including a cancer research trainee, is focused on intermittent fasting.
Their work suggests:
• Time-restricted eating was effective for weight loss in a racially diverse population.
• Alternate-day fasting plus exercise helped reduce fatty liver disease.
Breast Cancer Biomarker
Results of the Cancer Center’s Community Health Needs Assessment indicated that 25% of Black women surveyed wanted research to inform future personalized cancer treatments.
Researchers at the Cancer Center, including in the Breast Cancer Working Group, are focused on equitable precision oncology.
Some of that work raises the possibility that a widely used breast cancer biomarker might underestimate the benefit of chemotherapy for non-Hispanic Black women. This could result in misguiding treatment recommendations and perpetuate disparities in breast cancer survival.
Licorice Root and Prostate Cancer
A clinical trial to study whether a compound derived from licorice root impacts prostate cancer is a shining example of translational and community-engaged research.
Patients will receive the active compound in licorice root (glycyrrhizin) in the weeks between when they are diagnosed and have surgery so researchers can see if there are anti-cancer effects that could benefit patients.
Based on earlier laboratory findings made by scientists, the clinical study was designed with community input to reach Black male patients because they have higher death rates from prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer and Vitamin D
Prostate cancer is a focus of Cancer Center scientists in their drive for equitable precision oncology.
That work, which spans research programs, suggests that:
• Vitamin D deficiency drives prostate cancer tumor formation and progression.
• Vitamin D supplementation may improve prostate cancer outcomes in Black men, who have an unequal burden of the disease.
• Tissue cultures (organoids) from Black men reveal mechanisms for an increased incidence of lethal prostate cancer.
“Clinical trials set the standard of care for prostate cancer and other cancers, but very few of them include minority men.”
– NATALIE REIZINE, PHD
READ THE ARTICLE IN UIC MAGAZINE HERE
The Hope Leaders program, run by the Cancer Center’s Office of Community Engagement and Health Equity, empowers community organizations to communicate the health needs of the communities they represent directly to Cancer Center researchers. Additionally, it allows researchers and their labs to engage community partners about projects that may ultimately benefit local diverse populations, while giving community partners opportunities to provide input about experimental design, processes and findings.
The 2024 cohort included:
Andrei Karginov, PhD, and his lab partnered with Peer Plus Education and Training Advocates
Jeffery, PhD, and her lab paired with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council.
Team Science Pilot Awards
Philanthropic funds supported team initiatives with two awards in 2024.
“Establishing the UIC Cohort for Detection of Early Onset Cancer Among Latino Populations”
This collaborative research project aims to gather pilot data to develop a nextgeneration cancer cohort to understand the causes and racial and ethnic disparities in early-onset cancers.
The project is lead by Kristen Malecki, PhD, MPH; Yamilé Molina, PhD; and Lisa TussingHumphreys, PhD, MS, RD (pictured from left to right above) and brings together epidemiologists, social scientists, cancer biologists and oncologists.
“Tissue Microenvironmental Regulation of Pre-Cancer Progression to Invasive Lung Cancer”
Co-Principal Investigators Jalees Rehman, MD; Andrei Karginov, PhD; Ekrem Emrah Er, PhD; Ameen Salahudeen, MD, PhD; and Alexander Adibekian, PhD (pictured from left to right above) will lead a lung cancer research project that could lead to improved screening, including new therapies that would allow healthcare providers to “freeze” pre-cancer cells in time and prevent them from becoming aggressive.
Constance
Clinical Research
Clinical Research and Trials
Oana Danciu, MD, serves as the Associate Director of Clinical Research, where she and her teams have significantly enhanced cancer clinical trials through efficient protocols and data management.
By prioritizing the enrollment of historically excluded populations, particularly in breast cancer and Phase 1 trials, the Cancer Center has expanded the Clinical Trials Office staff by 48% since 2019.
“Usually they do the surgery first, then chemo. But this one with the clinical trial, it was the chemo first, and then surgery, and then radiation and everything came to work out just fine.
I’m glad I started the clinical trial because it really helped me.”
– YOLANDA JOHNSON
“I was presented with an opportunity to be in a trial, and I accepted it for several reasons. The primary reason is my granddaughter. And if I could do anything to make sure she doesn’t have to go through this journey, then I accepted being in a trial.” – PAMELA THOMAS HALL
CLINICAL TRIALS
210 INTERVENTIONAL TRIALS OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT
133 TREATMENT ACCRUALS
39 INVESTIGATOR-INITIATED TRIALS OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT
45% INCREASE IN INTERVENTIONAL TRIAL ACCRUALS IN 2024
88% CLINICAL TRIAL PARTICIPANTS ARE MINORITIES
JAN KITAJEWSKI, PHD DIRECTOR,
Developing the Next Generation Cancer Research Training and Education (CRTEC)
Under the leadership of Larisa Nonn, PhD, CRTEC has cultivated a culture of inclusivity, excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Supporting trainees, including postdocs and medical students, CRTEC has secured substantial funding and developed early pathway programs to guide students from diverse backgrounds into cancer research careers.
Our commitment to diversity and health equity initiatives ensures that the next generation of researchers is well-equipped to lead and innovate in oncology.
Summer research programs are central to our mission. The goal of these programs is to build a pipeline of researchers and trainees who will continue to address the needs of diverse patient populations.
DICR Students in the Community
Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) students volunteered at the American Cancer Society (ACS) Walk and Roll fundraiser. They staffed a water station halfway to the 5K finish line on the lakefront trail near Arvey Field in Grant Park and prepped about 600 cups of water for thirsty participants. The Walk and Roll is the longest-running cancer fundraiser in Illinois, now in its 53rd year.
DICR students also completed the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce 2024 Dragon Boat Race For Literacy in June. Families from across the city and suburbs gathered to enjoy spirited competition and cultural festivities, all in support of promoting literacy and education.
The Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship at UIC
Generous grant support beginning in 2024 from Eli Lilly and Company to the Cancer Center is elevating the training of Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellows at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. The Lilly funding not only enables growth of the number of fellows in the cohort but also expands curricula and training on delivering equitable precision oncology through safety net healthcare delivery models.
The Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship at UIC is an urban-based, three year, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited program. The program is dedicated to offering patients compassionate and competent care while providing fellows with a state-of-the-art medical education.
2024 Travel Awardees
The Cancer Center annually funds two rounds of Travel Awards each year. Students, postdoctoral fellows and clinical residents/ fellows engaged in cancer-related research and mentored by faculty at the University of Illinois Chicago are eligible.
Sabrina Iddir, MD
“Predicting Malignant Transformation of Choroidal Nevi Using Machine Learning”
ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN VISION AND OPHTHALMOLOGY (ARVO) ANNUAL MEETING SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
MENTOR: Michael Heiferman, MD
Vipin Singh Rawat, PhD
“Therapeutic Enzyme Depletion of L-Serine for the Treatment of Serine Auxotrophic Tumors”
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH (AACR) ANNUAL MEETING SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
MENTOR: Jonathan Coloff, PhD
Sanjay Ganesh
“Predicting Malignant Transformation of Choroidal Nevi Using Machine Learning”
2024 AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
ANNUAL MEETING
MENTOR: Michael J. Heiferman, MD
Sai Komakula, PhD
“Contribution of Myeloid Cell-Derived HMGB1 to the Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma”
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF LIVER DISEASES (AASLD) – THE LIVER MEETING 2024 SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
MENTOR: Natalia Nieto, PharmD, PhD
Ahmad Nassar, MD
“Hispanic Patients Receiving PediatricInspired Asparaginase-Containing ALL Regimens Have High Rates of Hepatotoxicity, Pancreatitis and Treatment Change”
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEMATOLOGY (ASH) ANNUAL MEETING, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
MENTOR: John (Sean) Quigley, MD
COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD (CAB)
Representing the voices of our community, this group of cancer survivors, state representatives, federally qualified health center leaders, NCIdesignated health center leaders, minority group representatives, community-based organization members and faith leaders help integrate outreach and engagement in all Cancer Center endeavors — ranging from strategic planning to research to fundraising — through meaningful partnerships across Chicago communities and beyond.
Dr. Gary Kruh Cancer Reserach Symposium and Student/Trainee
Poster Competition
2024’s Symposium drew 183 attendees and 54 student posters for the annual celebration of scientific inquiry and innovation in cancer research. The event, held in honor of late Cancer Center Director Gary Kruh, MD, PhD, featured presentations by nationally renowned cancer researchers and a high-profile patient advocate before wrapping up with a busy student poster competition. The prize for winning posters in four categories was $500.
Featured Speakers
Wenora Johnson Patient Advocate, Cancer Survivor
Victoria Seewaldt, MD, PhD
Associate Director, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Ruth Ziegler Professor and Chair, Department of Population Sciences
John Blenis, PhD
Weill Cornell Medicine Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Professor in Cancer Research
Associate Director, Basic Science Professor, Pharmacology Director, Pharmacology
PhD Program
Peter Sorger, PhD
Harvard Medical School
Otto Krayer Professor of Systems Pharmacology
Department of Systems Biology Head, Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science
Acting Director, Harvard-MIT Center for Regulatory Sciences
Poster Competition Winners
Cancer Biology Category
Soeun Kang
“Hexokinase 2 Regulates AntiTumor Functions of CD8+ T Cell Via Reprogramming Glucose Metabolism”
Purab Pal
“Ceramides Induce A Lethal Level of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress to Preferentially Kill Endocrine TherapyResistant Breast Cancer Cells”
Cancer Prevention and Control Category
Madeleine W Fine
“First Steps to Mirna-Based Oral Tumor Classifier Validation”
Nyahne Bergeron
“Leveraging African American Women as Change Agents to Reduce ObesityRelated Breast Cancer Risk: An Evaluation of a Network-Based Pilot Intervention Promoting the Mediterranean Diet”
Translational Oncology Category
Dahee Jung
“Engineered Anti-CD40 Agonist Antibody as a Novel Cancer Neoantigen Vaccine Delivery System”
Courtney Ketchum
“Extraneural Metastasis of Glioblastoma: A Review Of Literature”
Multidisciplinary Category
Adriana Duraki
“Vitamin D Deficiency Leads to a Proinflammatory Microenvironment in the Prostate That Supports Carcinogenesis”
ASPO Pre-Conference Workshops
Ahead of the American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) Annual Meeting, the Cancer Center hosted two pre-conference health equity workshops for attendees that included a bus tour through the Cancer Center’s catchment area of Cook County, a majority minority county that includes Chicago.
About 75 people registered for the two workshops “Environmental Justice and Cancer Health Equity” and “Social Determinants of Health and Equity in Genetic Services: Risk-Informed Care.”
The first workshop, held at Triton College in the River Grove community, was a chance for cancer researchers
and local decision-makers to discuss achieving health equity through addressing environmental injustices. As part of the bus tour, attendees visited the west Cook County communities of Maywood, Broadview, Bellwood and Oak Park where the focus was on soil remediation, solar energy, air quality improvement and flood control measures.
The second workshop, held at the UI Health Mile Square Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), was an opportunity for researchers interested in health equity to network and lead discussions about precision preventative oncology to increase the uptake of cancer genetic services.
Molina Featured in UI Health Video Series
The UI Health “Portraits of Health Equity” video series spotlighted several clinicians, researchers, educators and community-based practitioners who are pursuing health equity through their work at UI Health, with a mission to improve the health of vulnerable populations and marginalized communities across Chicago and beyond.
“ The University of Illinois Chicago has been my favorite place to work... because the mission is equity and it’s real, it’s genuine, it’s in practice. I have been surrounded by a community of individuals who are invested in equity, and they do so with community, not on community. I think one of the things that really distinguishes us in terms of being a Cancer Center, in terms of being a minority serving institution, is the focus on embedding community in every type of science, in every type of learning process. Communities can understand what we’re doing in the lab. They can understand technically hard information and concepts, and they can help us, they can improve upon it. ”
– YAMILÉ MOLINA, PHD ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT
UIC Flames Partnership
The Cancer Center continued its partnership with the Flames Athletics Program in 2024 as an opportunity to share information about cancer awareness, prevention, screening and clinical trials with our community of students, faculty, staff, their friends and families, and sports fans at games.
ENACT 2.0 – Community Health Worker Professional Development and Training Collaborator for Certification Program
In 2024, the Office of Community Engagement and Health Equity (CEHE) at the University of Illinois Cancer Center continued its partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health to support the implementation of the Community Health Worker (CHW) Certification Program. Through this partnership, we completed an environmental scan of CHW assets in Illinois and we are currently supporting the development of the program’s curriculum and evaluation components.
Read the 2024 reports at the links below:
ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN OF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER TRAINING ASSETS (ENACT)
ILLINOIS COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER COMMON INDICATOR AND TRAINING EXPERIENCES SURVEY
“ We are in the heart of the community.
We ensure that the voice of the community is included and drives all aspects of the work we do by fostering strong partnerships with local organizations, schools, and businesses. We engage directly with the people we serve. This strong sense of community involvement enhances the university’s mission of improving lives through improved healthcare access leading to improved health outcomes. ”
Cancer Survivorship, Prevention and Genetics in Primary Care
The Cancer Center’s Survivorship Program at UI Health, embedded in the Mile Square Health Center network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), offers personalized, compassionate cancer care to Chicagoland’s vulnerable populations, focusing on holistic well-being and a fulfilling life.
Stronger Together Cancer Health Equity Summit
With our partners, Wellness House, the Cancer Center hosted the Stronger Together Cancer Health Equity Summit to discuss diversity across clinical trials. The June 14 event for cancer health professionals focused on fostering education, collaboration and generating solutions to address local disparities in cancer care featured keynote speaker Otis W. Brawley, MD, MACP, FRCP(L), FASCO, FACE, the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Speakers from the Cancer Center included UI Health Oncology Service Line Medical Director and Cancer Center member Kent Hoskins, MD, and Cancer Center Director of Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Clinical Programs Pamela Ganschow, MD.
Surviving and Thriving: Opportunities to Give Back and Get Back
The Cancer Center hosted a survivorship event at the UI Health Mile Square Health Center during June, National Cancer Survivorship Month.
People shared their stories, connected and celebrated with other survivors and their families. There were two panel discussions presented in English and Spanish.
Survivor organizations shared information and survivors learned about networking opportunities.
CANCER SURVIVORSHIP
BY THE NUMBERS
182
PATIENTS ENROLLED IN THE SURVIVORSHIP COHORT STUDY
130
REFERRALS TO THE CANCER SURVIVORSHIP CLINIC
60+
PROFESSIONALS/PROVIDER EDUCATED IN CANCER SURVIVORSHIP LECTURE SERIES
378
CANCER SURVIVORSHIP PATIENT VISITS CONDUCTED AT OUR FQHC
MiFamCan
Continuing in 2024, MiFamCan, a UI Healthwide quality improvement project designed to enhance cancer genetic services among minority populations is now integrating universal hereditary cancer risk assessments into Mile Square Federally Qualified Health Center’s primary care clinics, mammography centers and other UI Health clinical sites.
This year, the program expanded to include two new Mile Square Health Center (MSHC) locations in the South Shore and Auburn Gresham neighborhoods of Chicago. The program now serves five Mile Square Health Center sites.
TestMiGenes
> 10,000 PATIENTS SCREENED IN 2024
>14,000 PATIENTS SCREENED TO DATE
> 2,500 PATIENTS IDENTIFIED ELIGIBLE FOR GENETIC TESTINGS
3,500 PATIENTS SCREENED IN PRIMARY CARE TO DATE
SCREENINGS PROVIDED IN:
• Primary Care Settings
• Mammography Clinics
• Emergency Departments
• Community Partnerships
An initiative aimed at developing and testing new models of care and implementing solutions for integrating cancer genetic services into primary care at FQHCs.
Launched 2 different service delivery models (standard of care enhanced with patient navigation and mainstream genetic testing) at MSHC sites to compare effectiveness.
NEW INITIATIVES LAUNCHED IN 2024
Primary Care Genetics Rotation in collaboration with Northwestern University’s Genetic Counseling Graduate Program
Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Rotation for Internal Medicine Residents
Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Fellowship for Primary Care Providers
Trained 10 students
11 abstracts accepted to 9 different conferences including 3 for oral presentations
Launched in 2024 the Cancer Center presented its first Continuing Medical Education Series. Topics included:
• Advances in Diagnosing and Managing Genitourinary, Gastrointestinal and Thoracic Cancers
• Women’s Cancers
• Hematologic Malignancies
• Lung, Head, Neck and Colorectal Cancers
• Breast and Genitourinary Cancers
Cancer Center Deputy Director VK Gadi, MD, PhD, was the winter series course chair and Cancer Center member Ryan Nguyen, DO, was the summer series course chair. Both are oncologists at UI Health.
The Illinois Cancer Health Equity Research (I-CHER) Center
The I-CHER Center is a solutions-oriented consortium focused on cutting-edge precision science and new solutions to social risks that can enable equitable precision oncology. It is funded through a four-year, $4.2 million award (20222025) from the American Cancer Society (ACS).
A diverse scientific workforce spearheads this impactful research, and an active and engaged Community Advisory Board ensures community leadership in the work.
The I-CHER Center has catalyzed 12 studies focused on scalable solutions addressing unique multilevel risks faced by marginalized individuals through exemplar innovations, including:
• Organizational strategies to extend access to cancer genetic services and riskappropriate care
• Communication tools to amplify the quality of patient-provider communication for cancer clinical trials and screenings
“ We have built an exceptional clinical and research enterprise that meets the needs of the communities throughout the state with whom we partner for the goal of ending cancer. Now, patients and their families affected by these terrible diseases have a voice that is being heard loud and clear by important stake holders such as government, pharmaceutical industry, and funding agencies. Together, we work towards eliminating the suffering that cancer causes for all citizens of Illinois. ”
VK GADI, MD, PHD DEPUTY DIRECTOR,
• Research on therapeutic targets, biometric screenings, and care delivery strategies that could be delivered in safety net settings
I-CHER interventions have reached over 10,000 residents, primarily from medically underserved areas, produced 11 funded and competitively scored grants, including from the National Institutes of Health.
Cancer Center members, trainees and coauthors were featured in 29 studies at ASCO.
Policy and Advocacy
Cancer Genetic Testing Bill
Representatives of the University of Illinois Cancer Center were back at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield to advocate for the “Cancer Genetic Testing” bill introduced in the Illinois Senate.
Pamela Ganschow, MD, Director of Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Clinical Programs, and Vivian Pan, MS, CGC, Senior Genetic Counselor, recently participated in a press conference to discuss the vital role of genetic testing in cancer prevention. They highlighted the importance of the proposed legislation, which is also supported by the Illinois Society of Genetic Professionals. Pan represented both the Cancer Center and the Society, underscoring the unified support for this crucial healthcare initiative.
CANCER-GENETIC TESTING
Diversity in Clinical Trials Bill
Illinois State Rep. Marcus Evans, Jr., a member of the Cancer Center’s Community Advisory Board, introduced the “Diversity in Clinical Trials” bill in the House. Several community advocates and University of Illinois Cancer Center leaders and staff traveled to the Illinois State Capitol to show support for the proposed legislation.
DIVERSITY IN CLINICAL TRIALS
Cancer Center at AACI/AACR Hill Day
Cancer Center Director, Jan Kitajewski, PhD, and Cancer Center member Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, attended the 2024 Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) and American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual Hill Day in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Senator Richard Durbin and Virginia U.S. Representative Rob Wittman were honored with Cancer Research Ally Awards, which recognize members of Congress for their support of and advocacy for cancer research.
Philanthropy at the Cancer Center
The Cancer Center aims to enhance growth through targeted recruitment of diverse faculty, innovative team science and commercialization efforts.
Key initiatives include the recruitment of physician-scientists, pilot grant funding for collaborative research and the launch of Pangaea AI to improve patient outcomes. The plan emphasizes equitable precision oncology and the importance of community engagement.
Brett Krause Memorial Fund
Jonathan Litwiller, MD, and Abigail Litwiller, MD, generously funded the Brett Krause Memorial Fund at the University of Illinois Cancer Center.
Brett Krause, Abigail’s brother, passed away from Renal Cell Carcinoma in 2020. Brett’s cancer journey, like many, was full of unexpected costs and challenges.
Living in Bloomington, Illinois and receiving treatment in Chicago was one of these challenges. Because of their personal experience with coordinating transportation, the Litwiller family has endowed a fund that will provide transportation costs to people seeking cancer services at UI Health from screening through survivorship.
The Brett Krause Memorial Fund will help Brett’s legacy live on by helping other families access treatment and care from world-class physicians and staff at the University of Illinois.
Warnecke Fellowship 2024
After earning his PhD at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Read joined the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) as a postdoctoral fellow in pathology in January 2024. His advisor is Larisa Nonn, PhD, a Professor in the Department of Pathology, who also serves as Associate Director for Career Enhancement and Education at the Cancer Center. Additionally, Read is an Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) Fellow, a program of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to develop a diverse group of highly trained scientists to address the nation’s biomedical research needs that develops both their research and teaching skills.
Care for Communities. Science for the World.
The Cancer Center is pleased to recognize support of its “Care for Communities. Science for the World.” philanthropic campaign from more than 550 donors who have made more than 600 gifts to date.
Donors to the campaign make possible the highest levels of research, care, education and training, and community support through gifts at all levels.
550 DONORS 600 GIFTS TO DATE DONATE HERE
Why I Gave
I believe in the mission of the University of Illinois Cancer Center and the people it touches every day!
BECAUSE MY MOM IS A CANCER SURVIVOR.
Because my husband received excellent care from the Cancer Center.
Because I lost a good friend this past year. BECAUSE I AM A PROUD ALUM.
I understand cancer research is important to overcome any cancer.
EVERYONE deserves to receive the best care for their health needs and the Cancer Center makes this possible.
Inaugural Cancer Center 5K Walk and Run
The University of Illinois Cancer Center’s inaugural 5K Walk and Run was held at UIC’s Curtis Granderson Stadium on September 14. Nearly 300 generous donors participated.
Every donation is helping accelerate ongoing work toward our vision to eliminate cancer health inequities and improve cancer outcomes for all.
The high-energy community event featured dozens of walkers and runners, some pushing strollers, lapping the baseball field with UIC mascot Sparky. Each lap included passing through the Cancer Center’s giant inflatable walkthrough educational colon nicknamed CECIL (pictured at left and bottom right.) A swinging music playlist and super-sized lawn games rounded out the fun.
Participants in the event included Cancer Center members, staff, administration, UIC students and trainees, community partners, community members and friends.
Register for the 2025 Cancer Center 5K now! Visit the link or scan the QR code to register and setup your team. givebutter.com/ CancerCenter20255K
