2025 MCC Research Symposium

View the PDF agenda

View speaker details

2025 Agenda: 

7:00 AM | Registration and Breakfast
8:00 AM | Welcome Address with Jeffrey Miller, MD & Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD
8:30 AM | Visualizing The Benign to Malignant Switch with Scott Lowe, PhD 
                 BJ Kennedy Keynote Lecture
9:30 AM | Poster Session One
10:30 AM | Chemoprevention Strategies for Oral Cancer with Frank Ondrey, MD, PhD, FACS
10:50 AM | AI-Based Approach for Predicting Outcome and Treatment Response for Ovarian Cancer with Martina Bazzaro, PhD
11:05 AM | Computational model of Nominating Drug Combinations with R. Stephanie Huang, PhD
11:25 AM | Education & Training Overview with Emily Kraeske
11:30 AM | Lunch 
12:15 PM | Faculty Flash Talk Competition
                 Madjda Bellamri, PhD
                 Eric Rahrmann, PhD
                 Timothy Griffin, PhD
                 Brittany Hartwell, PhD
                 April Wilhelm, MD, MPH
                 Jeremy Allred, MD
1:00 PM | Abstract Winners Section
                 Olanrewaju Ajeigbe
                 Eduardo Osegueda, MPH
                 Alexander Tsai, MD, PhD
1:55 PM | Mentor Award
2:00 PM | Poster Session Two 
3:00 PM | Enhancing Immunotherapy Efficacy For Targeting Pancreatic Cancer with Ingunn Stromnes, PhD
3:20 PM | Supercharging Cell-Based Therapies for Lymphoma: From CAR-T to NK Cells and Beyond with Veronika Bachanova, MD, PhD
3:35 PM | Beyond Appointments: Assessing the Full Time Costs of Cancer Care with Rachel Vogel, PhD
4:00 PM | Poster Session Three and Reception
5:00 PM | Adjourn

View the abstract website

View top 10 abstract presenter details 

2025 Top Three Abstract Winners

• Olanrewaju Ajeigbe

• Eduardo Osegueda, MPH

• Alexander Tsai, MD, PhD
   

2025 Top Ten Abstract Winners

• Trang Dang, PhD

• Garrett Draper

• Paarth Dodhiawala

• Madeline Lee, PhD

• Jacque Lyman, MS

• Emilio Tarcitano, PhD

• Lilin Wang
   

Poster Guidelines

• View all poster session logistics here, including links to poster templates & recommended printers. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions regarding abstracts. 

Nominations have closed. The winner will be announced at the MCC Research Symposium!

The mission of the Masonic Cancer Center’s Annual Cancer Research Symposium is to engage our 500+ members including faculty, researchers, trainees, and students in celebration of research accomplishments and to create a motivational event to spur new ideas and collaborations towards developing new research.

Industry partners are crucial collaborators to scientific progress and are invited to participate as exhibitors. Your support will help us achieve our goals in building this robust event while sharing your products with attendees.

Review the Sponsorship Opportunities

Please contact Lissa Martinez Huebner, Senior Event Coordinator, with any questions at [email protected] or 612-624-7552.

We welcome all attendees! The event is developed for MCC faculty, staff, trainees & students to celebrate research accomplishments and to develop new collaborations. However, if you are curious about MCC, not sure how you fit into the puzzle, or are an outside participant, you are still welcome to attend. 

Thank you for your courtesy! The Symposium is being recorded, and we want to be sure that we are putting our best foot forward, filling the event space with active participants. Please use the room immediately adjacent to the registration desk (M Club Room) for meetings or active work times. The Symposium will be streamed via Zoom in this space, so you won’t need to worry about missing anything.

Yes, lactation rooms are located on the main event floor (Club Cambria), next to the restrooms. We’ve reserved an additional space, suite 604. This is located on the 6th floor (Indoor Club Room).

Enter Huntington Bank Stadium through the Benton County entrance - be sure to stop by the registration table on your way in! 

Poster logistics information has been refreshed for 2025! Be sure to review logistics details here. You can also expect to receive a number of emails from [email protected] with this information. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. 

Parking is available in the Victory lot and Maroon lot. Please expect to pay a parking fee of $6.00 - $10.00.

Great! The nearest light rail stop is Stadium Village, a quick 2 minute walk away from the stadium. You may access this stop via the Green line.

You will have the opportunity to share this information during registration! Our team will be in touch to ensure that meal options meet your needs. If you have any concerns, please reach out. 

Please reach out to the event coordinator at [email protected].

There are two places that you can go to with questions: please see the team at the registration desk on the first floor, or visit the information table located by the escalators in Cambria Club. 

You will receive a survey link after the event. If you have any pressing thoughts, we would love to hear them from you directly! Please reach out to [email protected].