Dear Colleagues,
I’m beginning this month’s President’s Message on a somber note. As many of you likely saw, our field recently lost a pair of luminaries in Giorgio Parmiani, MD, and José Baselga, MD. Dr. Parmiani, a 2008 recipient of SITC’s Smalley Award, served our society and worked with fellow members for decades, a few of whom shared thoughts in remembrance of Giorgio, which you can view here. Dr. Baselga, a targeted therapist whose chief area of research focused on breast cancer, served at a variety of academic medical institutions and companies over the years, most recently at AstraZeneca LP. Their contributions to science were vast and neither will be soon forgotten. Our thoughts are with their families and friends.
The passing of the noted Italian and Spanish researchers is a reminder that our connection within this scientific community is not limited by geographic boundaries. In fact, SITC members now represent more than 60 countries around the world, a number than has grown significantly in recent years. Inherently, and quite thankfully, this fact means that the SITC family features an increasingly diverse community of basic scientists, translational researchers and clinicians. Our society’s ability to seamlessly and graciously welcome new professionals from this global scientific community underscore the role we can play in breaking down walls to cultivate new relationships and create opportunities for scientists from all societal and cultural backgrounds.
Sadly, these concepts continue to be incredibly relevant in some very unfortunate respects. I am heartbroken by the recent acts of violence that have occurred against Asian Americans in the United States. My thoughts go out to all of those individuals, and their families, who have been hurt and/or affected by the actions of the hateful and uncaring.
As witnessed last summer during the Black Lives Matter protests, our country continues to reckon with the way it addresses racial inequities. As a young Asian boy growing up in West Virginia, it wasn’t always easy to see a future for myself in a true leadership position; CEOs and Presidents did not look like me. For decades, Asians have often been overlooked, particularly when considered for roles beyond the front lines of science and medicine. Even casual or professional conversations can feature micro aggressions or unconscious bias, which are damaging and ultimately limit or outright deter future professional growth.
To achieve change, a community must raise their voices to have difficult issues acknowledged and addressed. From my experience, I see that it’s often too easy to sweep discrimination under the rug. It is why I was proud that on June 3, 2020, SITC published a statement in support of justice and equality. Simple as that may have seemed, it clearly communicates the society’s values and support for all individuals to achieve their full potential.
Now, as our society’s first President of Asian descent, I will work with our members to shed light on existing inequities and find ways to address them that lead to tangible benefits for all. This year, SITC established a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. Co-chaired by SITC Vice President Leisha Emens, MD, PhD, and SITC Board Member Adekunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, FRCOG, FACOG, this task force will focus on improving opportunities for research, education and professional development that promote diversity, equity and inclusion in SITC and the greater cancer immunotherapy field.
SITC has a range of activities dedicated to early career scientists seeking to connect these young investigators at an early stage of their training to make new connections in the field and build their status within cancer immunotherapy research. Further, SITC is proud to offer a 2021 SITC Fellowship, made possible by an educational grant from Nektar Therapeutics, that focuses on equity and inclusion in cancer immunotherapy (applications are due by April 2 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, by the way).
These are just a few ways in which SITC is working to address racial disparities in our field. I look forward to connecting with more of our members in the future to hear how we’re doing, and I’m also eager to continue the conversation in this space in the coming months, so be sure to follow along.
Sincerely,
