About the Conference
The Annual AICR Research Conference is the most authoritative source for information on diet, obesity, physical activity and cancer. This event will feature talks from world-renowned scientists in the field of lifestyle and cancer research on the progress we have made in the field so far and what we have to look forward to in the future.
2021 AICR Research Conference will now be fully virtual—November 1–3, 2021
The rising tide of COVID-19 infections has made the cancellation of the in-person component of the 2021 AICR Research Conference unavoidable. Fortunately, we had planned for a hybrid event, so we are well equipped to seamlessly switch to fully virtual. The same incredible speakers and program will be delivered directly to you!
Register today to reserve your spot! This three-day event will feature dynamic topics such as:
- Strength of Evidence—How do we assess it and when is it strong enough?
- Lifestyle Impact on Immunotherapy‚—Emerging roles of obesity, physical activity and diet on immunotherapy
- Cancers on the Rise—The impact of diet, nutrition and physical activity on the incidence of young onset colorectal cancer, liver cancer and childhood cancers
- What Can We Tell Our Patients?—Current knowledge, limitations and opportunities for reducing risk and improving outcomes through diet, nutrition and physical activity in cancer risk and survival
Poster Abstract Submissions
Share your research with the leaders in the field and network with your colleagues by presenting a poster at this year’s conference. Posters must be relevant to cancer or cancer survivorship and address the key exposures of diet, obesity or physical activity. The deadline to submit a poster abstract is September 17, 2021.
Download the 2021 AICR Poster Abstract Submission Guidelines
Poster Abstract Submission Fee: $50
Poster Award: If you are a post-doctoral scholar or a graduate student, you may elect to have your poster considered for the John A. Milner or AICR poster award, respectively. You must indicate during the poster submission process that you would like your poster to be considered.
To receive information about the conference as it becomes available, including the final program, sign up to receive updates.
Register Now
The 27th AICR Research Conference is November 1-3, 2021
A Look Back
2019 Conference Highlights
The 2019 research conference took place May 15–17 at The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC. The meeting consisted of ten scientific sessions, three pre-conference workshops and two poster receptions, all exploring the link between diet, obesity, physical activity and cancer.
Conference Program
Monday 01 November | ||
| 1:00pm – 1:15pm | Conference Opening and Welcome | |
| 1:15pm – 3:00pm |
| |
| 3:30pm – 5:00pm | Poster Session | |
Tuesday 02 November | ||
| 9am – 12noon | Plenary Session 2 Lifestyle impacts on immunotherapy Jennifer McQuade, MD, MS, MA, LAc The impact of host metabolic phenotype on tumor metabolism and response to immunotherapy Lyse Norian, PhD Identifying drivers of obesity-associated immunotherapy resistance Katherine Cook, PhD Crosstalk between diet and microbiota regulates immune checkpoint therapy responsiveness Richard Simpson, PhD Exercise-induced adrenergic stimulation as an adjuvant for cancer immunotherapy | |
| 12noon – 1:00pm | Lunch Presentation Daniel Rosenberg, PhD Potential manipulation of the gut microbiome for cancer prevention | |
| 1:00pm – 2:30pm | Spotlight Session Lifestyle manipulation of the tumor microenvironment Kristy Brown, PhD Obesity increases breast cancer penetrance in BRCA mutation carriers: a role for locally-derived factors Elizabeth Wellberg, PhD FGFR/ER-crosstalk in the breast tumor microenvironment links weight gain and endocrine-therapy resistance in a preclinical model of obesity Lee Jones, PhD Exercise regulation of the tumor microenvironment | |
Tuesday 02 November (continued) | |
| 2:30pm – 5:30pm | Plenary Session 3 Cancers on the Rise Childhood Cancers Lisa Force, MD, MPH The global burden of childhood cancer Elena Ladas, PhD Changing patterns of lifestyle exposures in LMIC – implications for childhood cancer survivors Adult Cancers Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH Young onset colorectal cancer: understanding the rise Rohit Loomba, MD, MHSc Liver cancer – increasing rates and impact of modifiable lifestyle factors |
Wednesday 03 November | |
| 9:00am – 11:00am | Plenary Session 4 What can we tell our patients? Melissa Hudson, MD Health promotion across the cancer care continuum Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD What we know and don’t know about diet after a cancer diagnosis Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH What we know and don’t know in exercise oncology Neil Iyengar, MD Targeting obesity to improve cancer outcomes Structured Panel discussion Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Melissa Hudson, Neil Iyengar, Jeff Meyerhardt, Kathryn Schmitz |
| 11:00am – 12:30pm | Poster Session |
| 12:30pm | Conference Closes |
Wednesday 10 November | |
| 12:00pm – 2:00pm | Satellite Session 1 Lifestyle assessment in the real world –innovation to implementation to impact Daniel Santa Mina, PhD Implementing hospital-based surgical prehabilitation: Strategies to create and measure impact Jennifer Trilk, PhD, FACSM, FAGLN, DipACLM Exercise is Medicine Greenville: Design and implementation of a clinic-to-community, physical activity health promotion model for healthcare providers Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD Opportunities and challenges in adapting, implementing and evaluating diet and exercise interventions in the virtual world |
Wednesday 17 November | |
| 12:00pm – 2:00pm | Satellite Session 2 Dietary patterns in cancer research Fred Tabung, PhD, MSPH Challenges, opportunities and future strategies in dietary pattern research Teresa Fung, ScD, RD Current evidence and impact of dietary patterns on chronic disease risk Melissa Maitin-Shepard, MPP Policy implications of dietary pattern research and practice |
Sponsor the Event
The American Institute for Cancer Research supports the future of medicine with the help of passionate supporters, generous donors, and a remarkable community of civic minded business leaders. Join our work by serving as an event sponsor, and help us forge ahead in the fight for cancer prevention.
Sponsorship opportunities for the November 2021 Conference are coming soon! Please contact j.street@aicr.org if interested in learning more.
2019 Featured Sponsors
A Look Back
2019 Conference Highlights
The 2019 research conference took place from May 15–17 at The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC. The meeting consisted of ten scientific sessions, three pre-conference workshops and two poster receptions, all exploring the link between diet, obesity, physical activity and cancer.
