Turning Science into Survival
This year, unprecedented progress in pancreatic cancer is fueling a sense of urgency and opportunity like never before. We’re excited to bring leaders in pancreatic cancer research together to talk about where we are and where we’re headed.
You’re invited to PanCAN’s Scientific Summit, September 24 – 25, 2026 in San Diego, CA.
Our Community for Progress will be discussing cutting-edge research accelerating progress for patients and families. Join us for conversation, networking and collaboration.
All together, we can turn science into survival.
PanCAN Scientific Summit is a closed, invitation-only event. Please do not forward the registration page. For questions, please contact scientificsummit@pancan.org.
Our high-level agenda is below. Please check back for more details closer to the event.
All Times Pacific
Thursday, September 24, 2026
6:30 — 8:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception & Scientific Poster Session
US Grant Hotel
Palm Court Room, lobby level
Friday, September 25, 2026
8:30 a.m. — 3:30 p.m.
Scientific Sessions
US Grant Hotel
Presidential Ballroom, second floor
326 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101
PanCAN’s Scientific Summit is taking place at the US Grant Hotel. The hotel is approximately 3 miles from the San Diego International Airport (SAN) and about 1 mile from the Hilton Bayfront San Diego where the AACR Conference on Pancreatic Cancer will be held Sept. 25 — 28.
Please check back for information on our presenters.
Please check back for participant contact information after the event.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
PanCAN Travel Scholar
ackerms@email.unc.edu
George Acquaah-Mensah, PhD
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
PanCAN SPARK
george.acquaah-mensah@mcphs.edu
Andy Aguirre, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Presenter
andrew_aguirre@dfci.harvard.edu
Ajay Athavale, MSc
DNAnexus
PanCAN SPARK
aathavale@dnanexus.com
Thi My Tien Bach, PharmD
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
PanCAN SPARK, Presenter
tbach1@stu.mcphs.edu
Aaliyah Balagtas, MD
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
PanCAN Travel Scholar
abalagtas@sbpdiscovery.org
Gregory Beatty, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, PanCAN Precision Promise, Presenter
gregory.beatty@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Jordan Berlin, MD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
jordan.berlin@vumc.org
Akash Boda, PhD
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
PanCAN Travel Scholar
arboda@mdanderson.org
Jon Brody, PhD
Oregon Health & Science University
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
brodyj@ohsu.edu
Regan Butchness
Astellas Pharmaceuticals
Industry
regan.butchness@astellas.com
Bailey Bye
University of Kansas Medical Center
PanCAN Travel Scholar
bbye3@kumc.edu
Leena Chaudhuri, PhD
EMD Serono
Industry
leena.chaudhuri@emdserono.com
Wansu Chen, PhD
Kaiser Permanente Southern California
Grantee, Presenter
wansu.chen@kp.org
James Cleary, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Scientific Collaborator
james_cleary@dfci.harvard.edu
Sheena Clift, PhD
Verastem Oncology
Scientific Collaborator
sclift@verastem.com
Guillaume Cognet, PhD
University of Chicago
Grantee, Presenter
cognetg@uchicago.edu
Howard Crawford, PhD
Henry Ford Pancreatic Cancer Center
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
hcrawfo1@hfhs.org
Jash Datta, MD
University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
PanCAN Precision Promise
jash.datta@med.miami.edu
Lyanne Delgado
Stony Brook University
PanCAN Travel Scholar, Presenter
lyanne.delgadocoka@stonybrook.edu
Efrat Dotan, MD
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
efrat.dotan@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Stephanie Dougan, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
PanCAN Precision Promise
stephanie_dougan@dfci.harvard.edu
Brian Elenbaas, PhD
Astellas Pharmaceuticals
Industry
brian.elenbaas@astellas.com
Will Freed-Pastor, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Grantee, Presenter
william_freed-pastor@dfci.harvard.edu
Udhayvir Grewal, MD
Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University
PanCAN SPARK, Presenter
udhayvir.singh.grewal@emory.edu
Arjun Gupta, MD
University of Minnesota
Grantee, Presenter
guptaarjun90@gmail.com
Clay Gustafson, MD, PhD
Revolution Medicines
Industry
cgustafson@revmed.com
Brett Hall, PhD
Immuneering Corporation
Industry
bhall@immuneering.com
Verastem Oncology
Grantee, Presenter
jhayslip@verastem.com
Thomas Heineman, MD, PhD
Oncolytics Biotech
Grantee, Presenter
theineman@oncolytics.ca
Connor Hennessey
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
PanCAN Travel Scholar
cjhennessey97@gmail.com
Peter Hosein, MD
University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
phosein@med.miami.edu
Ling Huang, PhD
Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University
PanCAN SPARK, Presenter
lhuang4@hfhs.org
Will Hwang, MD, PhD
Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts General Hospital
Grantee, Presenter
whwang1@mgh.harvard.edu
Lingyan Jiang, PhD
Revolution Medicines
Industry
jjiang@revmed.com
Tal Kan, PhD
Novocure
Industry
tkan@novocure.com
Heather Kling, PhD
Global Coalition for Adaptive Research
Scientific Collaborator, Presenter
hkling@gcaresearch.org
Nektarios Kostopoulos, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
PanCAN Travel Scholar
nektarios.kostopoulos@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Robert Krajla, MD
Panomics
PanCAN SPARK
robert@panomics.bio
Sita Kugel, PhD
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Scientific Collaborator
skugel@fredhutch.org
Paul Kurywchak, PhD
Skipper BioMed
Scientific Collaborator
paul@skipperbiomed.com
Ashley Laursen, PhD
Ipsen Pharmaceuticals
Industry
ashley.laursen@ipsen.com
Tiane Li
City of Hope
PanCAN Travel Scholar
tili@coh.org
Andrew Lowy, MD
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
alowy@health.ucsd.edu
Anirban Maitra, MBBS
NYU Langone Health
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board Emeritus, PanCAN Early Detection Initiative
anirban.maitra@nyulangone.org
Meg Mandelson, PhD, MPH
Benaroya Research Institute
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board Emeritus
mmandelson@benaroyaresearch.org
Michael May, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Scientific Collaborator
maym@mskcc.org
Rob Murray
Global Coalition for Adaptive Research
Scientific Collaborator
rmurray@gcaresearch.org
Alexa Nero, PharmD
Novocure
Industry
anero@novocure.com
Jeremy Nigri, PhD
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Grantee
jeremy@cshl.edu
Marcus Noel, MD
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
marcus.s.noel@gunet.georgetown.edu
Kayla Nolan
Mayo Clinic Graduate School
PanCAN Travel Scholar
larue.kayla@mayo.edu
Jonathan Nowak, MD, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
PanCAN Precision Promise
janowak@bwh.harvard.edu
Catherine O'Connor
Harvard Medical School
catherine_oconnor@hms.harvard.edu
Mercy Ojetunde
West Virginia University
PanCAN SPARK, Presenter
mmo00005@mix.wvu.edu
Lucy Oldfield, PhD
University of Liverpool
Presenter
lucy.oldfield@liverpool.ac.uk
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, PanCAN Precision Promise
oreillye@mskcc.org
Jon Pachter, PhD
Verastem Oncology
Grantee, Presenter
jpachter@verastem.com
Marina Pasca Di Magliano, PhD
University of Michigan
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
marinapa@umich.edu
Ivana Peran, PhD
Georgetown-Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Grantee, Presenter
ip62@georgetown.edu
Philip Philip, MD, PhD
Henry Ford Hospital
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
pphilip1@hfhs.org
Vince Picozzi, MD
Virginia Mason
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, PanCAN Precision Promise
vincent.picozzi@commonspirit.org
Mike Pishvaian, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
mpishva1@jhmi.edu
Marcin Puto, PharmD
Ipsen Pharmaceuticals
Industry
marcin.puto@ipsen.com
Carolyn Ragsdale, PharmD
Partner Therapeutics
Industry
carolyn.ragsdale@partnertx.com
Shafia Rahman, MD
Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
PanCAN Precision Promise
shafia.rahman@osumc.edu
Nicolette Rodriguez, MD, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Grantee, Presenter
njrodriguez@bwh.harvard.edu
Sameek Roychowdhury, MD, PhD
Ohio State University
PanCAN SPARK, Presenter
sameek.roychowdhury@osumc.edu
Panot Sainamthip, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
SPARK
panot_sainamthip@dfci.harvard.edu
Yuki Sato, DVM
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
PanCAN Travel Scholar, Presenter
satoyu@mail.uc.edu
Rosie Sears, PhD
Oregon Health & Science University
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
searsr@ohsu.edu
Nara Shin, PhD, MSc
Partner Therapeutics
Industry
nara.shin@partnertx.com
Mallika Singh, PhD
Revolution Medicines
Industry
msingh@revmed.com
Harsh Singh, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
PanCAN SPARK, Presenter
harshabad_singh@dfci.harvard.edu
Despina Siolas, MD, PhD
Weill Cornell Medicine
PanCAN SPARK, Presenter
des2025@med.cornell.edu
Morgan Smith, PharmD, BCOP
Bristol Myers Squibb
Industry
morgan.smith@bms.com
Meenakshi Somadasan, MSc
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
PanCAN SPARK, Presenter
meenakshi_somadasan@dfci.harvard.edu
Dustin Srinivas, PhD
Skipper BioMed
Scientific Collaborator
dustin@skipperbiomed.com
Radu Tanasa, MSc
Panomics
PanCAN SPARK
radu@panomics.bio
Colin Weekes, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
cdweekes@mgh.harvard.edu
Joshua Wheeler, MD, PhD
Genialis
PanCAN SPARK
josh.wheeler@genialis.com
Bechien Wu, MD
Kaiser Permanente Southern California
Grantee, PanCAN Early Detection Initiative, Presenter
bechien.u.wu@kp.org
Jen Jen Yeh, MD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
PanCAN Scientific and Medical Advisory Board
jjyeh@med.unc.edu
Ben Zeskind, PhD
Immuneering Corporation
Industry
bzeskind@immuneering.com
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Is financial support available?
PanCAN grantees and Scientific Summit presenters will be contacted individually regarding travel and lodging reimbursement. We will not be able to offer financial support for other attendees this year. Please reach out to scientificsummit@pancan.org if you have further questions.
HOTEL
Are discounted room rates available at the US Grant Hotel for Scientific Summit attendees?
A limited number of guest rooms have been set aside at our negotiated rate of $309+ tax during the Scientific Summit. This rate is available from Thursday, Sept. 24 through Monday, Sept. 28. Please use this link to make your reservation. Discounted rooms are first come, first served. Check-in time at the hotel is 4 p.m. Check-out time is 12 p.m. Please request early check-in or late check-out directly with the hotel.
NOTE: If you are a poster presenter or speaker at the Scientific Summit, we will reserve a guest room on your behalf for the night of Thursday, Sept. 24. No action is required on your part.
AIR TRAVEL
I will be flying to the Scientific Summit. Which airport is closest?
The San Diego International Airport (SAN) is located about 3 miles from the hotel. Allow at least 15 minutes transfer time as traffic can be heavy.
PARKING
I am driving to the Scientific Summit. Is there parking at the US Grant Hotel?
The hotel offers valet parking. The valet parking entrance is located at the main hotel entrance on Broadway. Self-parking is available at the Civic Center Garage, which is located an approximate 3-minute walk from the hotel.
ATTIRE
What is the attire for the Scientific Summit?
The attire for the Welcome Reception and Scientific Summit is business/business casual. Layers are recommended as room temperatures can vary. As always, we encourage you to wear purple to show your support for the pancreatic cancer cause!
REGISTRATION
How can I confirm my Scientific Summit registration?
Online registrations are confirmed by email immediately following submission. If you have questions about your registration, or need to make changes, please contact our team at scientificsummit@pancan.org.
FURTHER ASSISTANCE
I have additional questions. Whom can I contact?
Please contact our team at scientificsummit@pancan.org. We are happy to help and provide more information.
THANK YOU
We're looking forward to seeing you at PanCAN Scientific Summit 2026 on September 24 & 25 in San Diego, CA





