Dear Friends and Colleagues,
What a year it has been! Unfortunately, we are unable to gather in Daytona Beach, Florida for our Annual Conference. Instead, we transitioned to a virtual Annual Conference through an online platform that will be available to you and all the rest of our oncology community from around the world. Nearly all of the presentations and sessions that you would have found in person will be brought to you virtually, both live online and on demand, at your leisure for up to a year. We hope this will become a way to feel connected to our community, learn at your own pace and discover technology and services from the industry.
Our keynote speakers are looking forward to meeting you virtually and include Elias Sayour, MD, PhD. Dr. Sayour is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics and Principal Investigator of the RNA Engineering Laboratory within the Preston A. Wells, Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy and University of Florida Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program. Dr. Sayour trained at Duke University where he completed a pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship and NIH research fellowship in cancer biology and developmental therapeutics. He completed his PhD in 2015 at Duke University. Dr. Sayour will discuss his laboratory’s work and new approaches to immunotherapy of brain tumors and osteosarcoma, with a translational outlook on his research.
Mitchell S. Steiner, MD, FACS is a board certified urologist and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and has held numerous academic appointments, including Assistant Professor of Urology, Cell Biology, and Pathology at Vanderbilt School of Medicine from 1993 to 1995 and Chairman and Professor of Urology, Director of Urologic Oncology and Research and the Chair of Excellence in Urologic Oncology at the University of Tennessee from 1995 to 2004. Dr. Steiner holds a BA in Molecular Biology and Chemistry from Vanderbilt University and an MD from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Steiner is the President and Chief Executive Officer of VERU Inc., an oncology biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing novel drugs. He will discuss the development of a novel oral selective antitubulin agent that targets alpha and beta tubulin of microtubules for advanced prostate cancer as well as for other forms of metastatic cancers, in addition to its application in comparative oncology.
You will also find a Resident Review Workshop on Thursday evening, concurrent specialty sessions on Friday and Saturday, a three-day technician workshop, abstract presentations and more. We look forward to your participation.
We are glad you can join us from the comfort of your own home or office and hope that you all stay healthy and safe until we can meet again in person.
Amandine Lejeune, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)