Co-sponsored by the Center for Social and Behavioral Science (CSBS) and the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL), the Cancer Research Symposium united researchers across the Illinois campus interested in research addressing aspects of the cancer care continuum. The event kicked off with breakfast and welcoming remarks from CSBS Director Eva M. Pomerantz and CCIL Associate Director for Administration Barry Schatz.

The first keynote speaker, Salma Shariff-Marco, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco, joined in person to highlight a series of grant funded projects focused on Leveraging Geospatial Data and Methods to Investigate Cancer Disparities. Following Prof. Shariff-Marco’s presentation and Q&A, the audience engaged in small group discussions concerning how social determinants of health and geospatial data could inform their cancer related research moving forward.

The second keynote speaker, Virginia Sun, a professor in the Division of Nursing Research and Education, Department of Population Sciences at the City of Hope, joined the symposium virtually to highlight her NIH and PCORI funded program of research focused on Interventions for Quality of Life and Quality of Care in Cancer Survivorship. The presentation evoked a lively conversation among attendees concerning intervention design for both cancer patients and caregivers. The symposium concluded with lunch, and CSBS and CCIL leadership previewing forthcoming opportunities for cancer research working groups and funding to support social and behavioral research across the cancer care continuum.