Membership

Membership by the Numbers

AACR members attend the opening plenary session at the AACR Annual Meeting 2016.

With a focus on innovative cancer science and a staunch commitment to improving the lives of cancer patients worldwide, the 37,000 members of the AACR work together to pursue their common mission of preventing and curing all cancers. AACR programs and initiatives foster collaborations across the cancer research community, building productive relationships among scientists, clinicians, and patient advocates to catalyze discoveries and translate those advances to cancer patients.

Members by Category

Active Members: Established laboratory researchers, physician-scientists, clinicians, and population scientists

Associate Members: Young laboratory scientists and physicians-in-training (graduate students, medical students and residents, and clinical and postdoctoral fellows)

Student Members: Undergraduate and high school students

Emeritus Members: Active members who have reached the age of 70 years

Affiliate Members: Other health care professionals (practicing oncologists, nurses, laboratory technicians, non-scientific corporate professionals, and patient advocates)

5,433
New members joined the AACR in 2016.

58
Nobel Laureates have been members of the AACR.

198
Patient advocates are members of the AACR. An additional 800 patient advocates have been actively involved in AACR Survivor and Patient Advocacy activities.

2,839
Individuals have been AACR members for more than 25 years.

130
Individuals have been AACR members for more than 50 years.

108
Countries are represented by AACR members.

Members by Continent /
Top Three Countries per Continent

Note: Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.

Members by Work Setting

Members by Race/Ethnicity

Members by Degree

Members by Gender

Members by Location

AACR Membership: Harnessing the Power of Diversity

Early-career scientists discuss choosing a postdoctoral position with Beverly D. Lyn-Cook, PhD, at a Women in Cancer Research Career Mentoring session at the AACR Annual Meeting 2016.

The AACR takes a deliberate approach to diversifying the cancer research community through programs designed to highlight and empower those who have been historically underrepresented in the scientific community. Through Minorities in Cancer Research (MICR), Women in Cancer Research (WICR), and the Associate Member Council (AMC), the AACR provides brilliant scientists with the support they need to flourish, maintaining a robust cancer workforce that is diverse in its makeup but uniform in its dedication to patients.

AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research (2016 Council Chair: Rick A. Kittles, PhD)

  • MICR is a membership group within the AACR committed to preventing and curing cancer while meeting the professional needs and advancing the careers of minority scientists. In 2016, the MICR Council provided another example of the AACR’s leadership with regard to the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Upon review of the initial report from the Blue Ribbon Panel, the council sent a letter to NCI Acting Director Douglas R. Lowy, MD, FAACR, on behalf of the cancer health disparities research community. The letter recommended that the panel’s report be modified to directly address the issue of cancer disparities. As a result of the council’s efforts, the final Blue Ribbon Panel report highlighted the inclusion of diverse patient populations in several of its recommendations.
  • The AACR-MICR Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship, which celebrates an outstanding scientist who has specifically furthered the advancement of minority investigators, marked its tenth anniversary in 2016. This year’s lecturer was Worta McCaskill-Stevens, MD, MS, of the National Cancer Institute. Dr. McCaskill-Stevens presented her lecture, “Community Clinical Trials: A Path to Leveling the Cancer Research Playing Field,” at the AACR Annual Meeting in New Orleans to an inspired audience ranging from early-career to senior scientists.

Women in Cancer Research
(2016 Council Chair: Patricia M. LoRusso, DO)

  • WICR is a membership group within the AACR committed to recognizing women's scientific achievements and fostering their career development and advancement in cancer research.In 2016, WICR presented two Professional Advancement Sessions to support the career development of women investigators. “Thriving in an Extroverted World,” which was held at the AACR Annual Meeting, focused on the roles of introverts and extroverts in career advancement. “Navigating the Role of Gender in Professional Development” took place during the AACR conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, October 20-23, in Boston, Massachusetts.
  • For nineteen years, the prestigious AACR-WICR Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship has highlighted an outstanding investigator who has furthered the advancement of women in science through her work. In 2016, the AACR honored Angelika Amon, PhD, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Amon presented her lecture, “Effects of Aneuploidy on Cell Physiology and Its Role in Tumorigenesis,” at the AACR Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

Associate Member Council
(2016 Chair: Diana M. Merino, MSc, PhD)

  • In 1996, AACR Past President Lee W. Wattenberg, MD, FAACR, proposed that the growing cohort of early-career scientists that comprised the AACR’s associate membership have their own leadership body within the organization. That year the Associate Member Council (AMC) was established to advocate for the needs of young investigators.
  • In 2016, the council marked its twentieth anniversary, celebrating its milestone with reflections from former members in the form of a tribute video (available on the AACR YouTube channel). Throughout its 20-year history—during which the number of associate members increased from 2,700 to 13,000—the AMC has provided a strong platform for early-career scientists by engaging in peer-to-peer mentoring, offering career development programs, organizing workshops on grantsmanship, and fostering interactions with scientific leaders in the cancer community.
  • On February 23-24, the AMC held its first-ever Early-Career Hill Day in collaboration with the AACR Office of Science Policy and Government Affairs. Fifteen associate members (including four council members) and one member of the Science Policy and Government Affairs Committee conducted a total of 36 meetings with congressional offices in a single day. The meetings focused on members who served on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as well as the authorizing committees for the NIH.

    The participants shared their personal stories as early-career investigators, thanked Congress for providing $2 billion for the NIH in the FY2016 omnibus bill, expressed support for the president’s budget request for the vital Cancer Moonshot Initiative, and asked the representatives to provide robust, sustained, and predictable funding increases for the NIH in FY2017 and beyond.
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