Amanda Pullinger, Co – Founder at Global Female Investors Management, LLC, shared on LinkedIn:
“Thanks to Morgan Robinson for the kind invitation to attend my first AACR Grantee Summit in Philadelphia, representing Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer. As an organization, DDF has given over $2.5 million in stomach cancer GI cancer grants over the past decade, with a significant proportion being administered through AACR.
Margaret Foti, CEO of American Association for Cancer Research noted that AACR is the oldest and largest professional organization in the world dedicated to cancer research. As such, DDF is proud to sit alongside many others who are investing in this important work, especially for diseases that remain challenging, deadly and underfunded.
The Summit was a wonderful way to meet early career scientists from around the world, hear from experienced medical professionals across cancer disciplines and to engage with other patient advocacy organizations.
In particular, I was impressed with the practical career advice given to early career researchers. It took me back to very similar advice that I gave for years to the next generation of women and men in the finance industry. In summary:
- Work hard but ensure you spend enough time building connections too
- Focus on becoming an expert in your area and communicate that expertise (in the cancer research world that means Papers, Papers, Papers!)
- Learn how to effectively communicate your ideas. Know your audience. Find opportunities to speak in front of different audiences.
- Build your peer network from an early stage in your career
- Find your sponsors. Mentors are great but sponsors are critical!
- Show up in person and meet people, lots of people. You never know when your network will prove of value – but it will at some point in your career!
- Be visible, speak up, ask questions, create your own branding online
A shout out to the fantastic speakers: Manuel Hidalgo Medina, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue – Massachusetts General Hospital, John Wherry – University of Pennsylvania, Ashani Weeraratna – John Hopkins University, Jon Retzlaff, Peter Sorger – Harvard University, Ravi B. Parikh – Emory University, John Zhang, Ruby O’Lexy;,Lillian Siu – Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, William Pao, and David Tuveson – Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
And congrats to all the AACR grantees who presented posters and showed up! Really fun to meet some of you including María Florencia Mercogliano Mercedes Fuertes Maria Florencia Cayrol and Karmella Haynes.
At Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer, we are keen to advance global stomach cancer research by connecting researchers to each other, and researchers to funding. Check out our recent series Where Research Leads where I interviewed past recipients of DDF’s AACR gastric cancer grants.
We look forward to announcing our next AACR gastric cancer grantee recipient soon.”
Other articles featuring Amanda Pullinger on OncoDaily.
