AACR Grants and Awards

Party with a Purpose Helps Advance Melanoma Research

The 2025 Party with a Purpose gala committee and honorees are pictured with Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the AACR, and Mitch Stoller, the AACR’s vice president of development.

On October 26, 2025, the Friends of the American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR) Foundation hosted the 22nd annual Party with a Purpose gala. Proceeds from event sponsorship, ticket sales, and silent and live auction activities—totaling more than $350,000—will be dedicated to advancing melanoma research.

Each year, the Friends of the AACR Foundation host the Party with a Purpose gala, which celebrates and honors individuals and organizations across the cancer research spectrum for humanitarian efforts, scientific achievement, early career investigation, and community impact. Immediate past president and CEO of the Please Touch Museum and immediate past board chair of Thomas Jefferson University/Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, Patricia Wellenbach was selected as the 2025 Humanitarian honoree. Wellenbach’s experience as a nurse and cancer survivor has deepened her understanding of the importance of cancer research and support for organizations like AACR. “We’re always going to need to nurture the hearts and minds of the future scientists, physicians, researchers, and clinicians who are going to continue to be lifelong learners and explore opportunities for treatments that move toward cures,” she said.

Proceeds from the event—totaling more than $350,000—
will be dedicated to advancing melanoma cancer research.

Two of those lifelong learners and explorers, whose research focuses on melanoma, were also recognized at the event. Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, was the Scientific Achievement honoree, and Alexander Huang, MD, was the Early Career Investigator honoree. As part of being recognized for her work, Dr. Schuchter, who is director of the Tara Miller Melanoma Center and the Madlyn & Leonard Abramson Professor of Clinical Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, selected Dr. Huang for his award, which includes a research grant to fuel his melanoma research. Dr. Schuchter explained her choice by saying, “Dr. Huang is a really special awardee this year, and we are so proud of the work that he does every day. We feel this investment in Alex is going to be so beneficial for so many patients and so many other scientists because he really models what it means to be a scientist in today’s modern, exciting cancer research world.”

The final honor, the Community Impact Award, was presented to the Tara Miller Melanoma Foundation for its mission to support research that seeks to effectively treat and, ultimately, cure melanoma.

AACR is grateful for everyone who made the Party with a Purpose gala 2025 a tremendous success. Special thanks to Friends of the AACR Foundation co-presidents Matthew Ryan and John J. Parker, Sr.; gala cochairs Ida Goldstein and Nancy Rein-Raphael; and Gail Rosen, and the event emcee Loraine Ballard Morrill.

AACR Welcomes Fanconi Cancer Foundation

Fanconi Cancer Foundation aims to improve the lives of people affected by Fanconi anemia (FA) and associated cancers worldwide by funding exceptional research and empowering their community. The organization’s contributions have been instrumental in understanding the disease and improving treatments. Life expectancy for this rare genetic disease has more than doubled. The American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR) is honored to welcome Fanconi Cancer Foundation as a grant partner to provide critical funding to propel research forward.

Meng Wang, MD, PhD, recipient of the inaugural Fanconi Cancer Foundation-AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research.

The Fanconi Cancer Foundation-AACR NextGen Grant for Transformative Cancer Research represents the AACR’s flagship funding initiative to stimulate highly innovative research from young investigators. This grant mechanism is intended to promote and support creative, paradigm-shifting cancer research that may not be funded through conventional channels. It is expected that this grant will catalyze significant scientific discoveries and help talented young investigators gain scientific independence.

Meng Wang, MD, PhD, assistant professor at Weill Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, received the first award from this partnership. Dr. Wang’s research focuses on cancer prevention strategies for people with FA.

AACR Grantee Summit: Igniting Innovation in Cancer Research

For the second consecutive year, the American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR) welcomed grantees, esteemed funding partners, and distinguished special guests to Philadelphia for a two-day summit from October 5-7, 2025. The gathering highlighted impactful research funded by AACR grants and fostered collaboration, partnerships, and networking among attendees.

Cochaired by Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine and Sheila A. Stewart, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, the program offered opportunities to engage in intellectual and social exchanges through scientific presentations, poster sessions, roundtables, and workshops.