Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), is the chief executive officer of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the first and largest cancer research organization in the world. Its mission is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication and collaboration. Under her visionary leadership, the AACR has grown from about 3,000 members to 35,000, including laboratory, translational, clinical and population scientists, healthcare professionals and cancer advocates in 101 countries.
Her dedication and commitment to solving cancer through research are further reflected in the AACR’s portfolio of eight highly ranked, peer-reviewed journals and the vast array of events and workshops it offers annually.
Dr. Foti is also a passionate advocate for increased federal funding for cancer research and biomedical science to improve public health, spur more progress, inspire more hope and save more lives from cancer. During Dr. Foti’s tenure, the AACR has become an outspoken proponent of policies that support all areas of cancer research and prevention, including regulatory policies that accelerate drug development, drug approval and clinical research, and that amplify the voice of cancer researchers, patients, survivors and caregivers on Capitol Hill.
Her commitment to advocacy was evident in April 2013 in Washington, D.C., when she spearheaded the Rally for Medical Research, an event that brought more than 200 organizations and 10,000 people to the streets of D.C. to call for increased investment in the National Institutes of Health. The momentum from that day has continued in the form of an annual Rally for Medical Research Hill Day in which more than 300 national organizations participate.
Chairperson and founder of the Friends of Cancer Research, Ellen Sigal, PhD, who recently awarded Dr. Foti with the Ellen Sigal Advocacy Award, remarked about Dr. Foti, “Her dedication to cancer research, trailblazing work as CEO of the AACR and steadfast advocacy for science and patients are unparalleled and invaluable to all in the community.”
