President's Message - January 2020

Dear Colleagues,

In my December President’s Message, I outlined our society’s future ambitions, focused on six strategic goals through 2021. This month, I’d like to describe some of the programs and initiatives to achieve those strategic goals.

SITC strives to be the most comprehensive and reliable resource for information and education on cancer immunotherapy. One way in which our society serves the greater cancer immunotherapy field is through our open access, peer-reviewed Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC). The quality of research presented in the journal has grown over the years and it is now arguably the top journal focusing on cancer immunotherapy. Given this growth, SITC officially transitioned JITC to a new publisher this month, BMJ, giving JITC the optimal platform to engage readers, authors and the greater field of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy. Learn more in this special editorial from JITC Editor-in-Chief Pedro J. Romero, MD.

SITC is invested in developing the next generation of leaders in tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy. To further this mission, we will offer five SITC Fellowship Awards in 2020, providing a total of a half-million dollars in funding opportunities to promising young investigators. The submission period for these funding and award opportunities is Jan. 21–March 2, 2020. Thank you to our industry partners who help make these annual award opportunities possible as we work together to develop the future leaders in the field.

The Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Network (WIN) Leadership Institute is another successful leadership development program that will grow in 2020. The 2019 WIN Leadership Institute held this past August hosted more than 60 emerging female leaders in the field. Because of the strong interest and demand for this program, and the overwhelming positive response to the first program, SITC will host two such events in 2020. I’m proud of SITC commitment to the professional development of women in the field, and I thank Immediate Past President Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD, for her role as a champion for the WIN initiative.

SITC’s main goal of improving cancer care and patient outcomes is reliant upon the commitment of time and expertise from our members from around the globe. The SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines are consensus-based clinical practice guidelines, developed by panels of experts, that help inform oncologists on when and how to use immunotherapy and how to manage the associated toxicities. SITC has now published seven different guidelines, including the recently updated consensus statement on renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which appeared in JITC in December. Five additional guidelines are currently under development and scheduled for publication in 2020.

Don’t forget to register for the free SITC webinar focused on the recently published RCC manuscript. Beginning at 11 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 7, this webinar will include an overview of the manuscript, and will review management of immune-related adverse events. Faculty will also be available for a Q&A session.

Also, please consider attending other SITC programs quickly approaching, including the Cancer Immunotherapy Winter School (Jan. 13–17 in Houston; onsite registration is available) and the Interrogating the Tumor-Specific Surfaceome for Immune Targeting workshop (April 23–24 in San Diego). Additionally, online registration is open for our upcoming Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy™ regional education programs in Charlotte, N.C., on Jan. 23, in Charleston, S.C., on Feb. 1, in Tucson, Ariz., on March 14, in Tampa, Fla., on March 21 and Seattle on March 28.

There are many other programs, initiatives, educational resources and more that SITC has planned in 2020 (here's a preview). I look forward to an exciting year ahead for our society and our members, and I hope to see you in a future SITC program in 2020.

Sincerely,

Mario Sznol, MD
SITC President

President's Message - March 2019

Dear Colleagues,

Last month, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) recognized and celebrated International Day of Women and Girls in Science. With International Women’s Day approaching (March 8), it reminds us of our responsibility and commitment to help advance the careers of women in the cancer immunotherapy field.

As the successor to the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s (SITC) first female president, Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD, I am privileged to continue and expand our society’s support of women involved with research and development in the laboratory, clinic, industry and all other areas related to immuno-oncology.

Dr. Butterfield championed many causes, programs and initiatives during her tenure as SITC President, including working to ensure the society was recognizing and encouraging professional development for women. This included hosting women’s receptions at the past two SITC Annual Meetings, offering women an opportunity to network, celebrate successes and discuss important topics critical to their advancement.

Through Dr. Butterfield’s continued leadership, and with support from many of our fellow colleagues, SITC will host its first-ever Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Network (WIN) Leadership Institute this summer. Scheduled for Aug. 19–20, 2019, in Seattle, the SITC WIN Leadership Institute will provide a forum for attendees to discuss important topics relevant to their advancement, including how to break through the glass ceiling; negotiation tactics; and critical leadership skills. Also of note, the program is free to attend. Women interested in attending this exciting one-and-a-half-day program are encouraged to submit an application by April 15.

SITC is currently recruiting our members to join the Women in Cancer Immunotherapy Network Database. This database will contain a repository of leaders in the field of cancer immunotherapy with an interest in serving as subject matter experts for a variety of potential roles, such as presenting data at SITC meetings, conducting article reviews for the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC), serving in organizer roles to plan future meetings and more.

Those interested in being considered for such future opportunities can submit their credentials via the SITC Volunteer Portal, a members-only benefit. If you have questions about the database, please contact Senior Administrative Manager Rosanne Stelpflug.

I, along with all the leadership of SITC, wholeheartedly support the efforts of the WIN. The WIN is a key part of our society’s commitment to developing future female leaders in science and medicine – some who will hopefully follow Dr. Butterfield’s footsteps and serve as SITC President in the future. I’m also sending a reminder that SITC member registration for the 34^th Annual Meeting & Pre-Conference Programs (SITC 2019) opens soon – on March 26. Scheduled for Nov. 6–10 in National Harbor, Md., SITC 2019 will take our society to new heights and I look forward to seeing new and familiar faces this fall.

Sincerely,

Mario Sznol, MD
SITC President