Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025
2–5:30 p.m. ET
Tinkham Veale University Center
| 2-2:05 p.m. |
Introduction Christopher Hubert, PhD, and Natalie Silver, MD Co-Chairs, Annual Scientific Retreat Organizing Committee Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC)
|
| 2:05–2:25 p.m. |
Year of Accomplishments Gary Schwartz, MD |
|
2:25–2:30 p.m. |
Emerging Leader Program Awards Cynthia Owusu, MD Associate Director, Academic and Organizational Excellence Case CCC Population and Cancer Prevention Program Member |
| 2:30 p.m. | TED Talk Sessions |
| 2:30–2:50 p.m. |
Baiju Shah, JD Cleveland’s Back: How the city and region have transformed since the nadir of the 1980s, where we stand today, and what progress is still needed |
| 2:50–3:10 p.m. |
David Margolius, MD State of Cleveland’s Health
|
| 3:10–3:30 p.m. |
Alique Topalian, PhD, MPH Reclaiming meaning: Life after cancer |
| 3:30–3:40 p.m. |
Poster Transition |
| 3:40-5:30 | Poster Session and Reception |
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025
7:30 a.m.–4:50 p.m. ET
Corporate College East
| 7:30 a.m. |
Breakfast |
|
8–8:10 a.m. |
Welcome Remarks Chris Hubert, PhD |
| 8:10–8:30 a.m. |
Introduction, Vision, and Strategic Directions Gary Schwartz, MD |
| 8:30–8:45 a.m. |
Session I: Cancer Health Outcomes Introduction: "How to Engage the Community as a Cancer Center" Moderator: Kristina Austin, MSEd, LSW |
| 8:45–9:05 a.m. |
"Shifting the Cancer Curve through Prevention" Darcy Freedman, PhD, MPH, Case Western Reserve University |
| 9:05–9:25 a.m. |
"Molecular Mediators of Cancer Disparities" Dan McGrail, PhD, Cleveland Clinic |
| 9:25–9:45 a.m. |
"East Palestine" Fred Schumacher, PhD, Case Western Reserve University |
| 9:45–9:55 a.m. |
Trainee Talk Platelets drive immune suppression and glioblastoma growth in a sex-dependent manner via PAR4 signaling Anthony Sloan, PhD Justin Lathia Lab, Cleveland Clinic Research |
| 9:55–10:05 a.m. |
Panel Discussion/Questions |
| 10:05–10:20 a.m. |
Break |
| 10:20–10:25 a.m. |
Session II: Molecular Genetics in Oncology Introduction Moderator: Shalini Moningi, MD |
| 10:25–10:45 a.m. |
"PhosphoER: Structure-Function Toward Small Molecule Discovery" Sichun Yang, PhD, Case Western Reserve University |
| 10:45–11:05 a.m. |
"Non-Canonical Roles of Epigenetic Modifiers in Regulating Transcription and Cell Fate" Kaixiang Cao, PhD, Case Western Reserve University |
| 11:05–11:25 a.m. |
"Sibling Rivalry: Distinct Assembly and Opposing Functions of EphA1 and EphA2 Kinases in Carcinogenesis" Bingcheng Wang, PhD, MetroHealth Medical Center |
| 11:25–11:35 a.m. |
Trainee Talk Wild-type IDH1 inhibition induces homologous recombination deficiency and enhances PARP inhibitor sensitivity in pancreatic cancer Mehrdad Zarei, PhD Jordan Winter Lab, University Hospitals Seidman |
| 11:35–11:45 a.m. |
Panel Discussion/Questions |
| 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. |
Lunch/Program Breakout Rooms
|
| 1-1:15 p.m. |
Break |
| 1:15–1:20 p.m. |
Introduction to Keynote Address Ted Teknos, MD |
| 1:20–2:20 p.m. |
Keynote Address "Head and Neck Cancer Immunotherapy: Dangers and Opportunities" Robert Ferris, MD, PhD
|
| 2:20–2:30 p.m. |
Break |
| 2:30–2:35 p.m. |
Session III: Next-Gen Strategies in Cancer Therapy Introduction Moderator: Jacob Miller, MD |
| 2:35–2:55 p.m. |
"Redefining and Targeting Immunosuppressive Myeloid Cells in Solid Tumors" Tyler Miller, MD, PhD |
| 2:55–3:15 p.m. |
"How Biomarkers are Changing the Management of Head & Neck and Squamous Cell Cancer" Shlomo Koyfman, MD |
| 3:15–3:35 p.m. |
"Function and Target of ETV6 in Ewing Sarcoma" Yuan Gao, PhD |
| 3:35–3:45 p.m. |
Trainee Talk A closed-loop optical brain-machine interface for real-time modulation of glioblastoma-affected brain circuits Kemal Ozdemirli, PhD Murat Yildirim Lab, Cleveland Clinic Research |
| 3:45–3:55 p.m. |
Panel Discussion/Questions |
| 3:55--4:05 p.m. |
Poster Awards & Concluding Remarks Chris Hubert, PhD Natalie Silver, MD, MS, FACS |
| 4:10–4:30 p.m. |
Program Leaders/Executive Committee Closed Session |