The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), a co-sponsor of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, will recognize two researchers for significant contributions to breast cancer research during SABCS 2025.
Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, is the 2025 recipient of the AACR Distinguished Lectureship in Breast Cancer Research, supported by Aflac, Inc. He will present an award lecture on Thursday, December 11, from 4:30 to 5 p.m. CT in Hemisfair 1-2 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
Sara M. Tolaney, MD, MPH, is the 2025 recipient of the AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research, supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She will present an award lecture on Friday, December 12, from 1:30 to 2 p.m. in Stars at Night 1-2.
AACR Distinguished Lectureship in Breast Cancer Research
The AACR Distinguished Lectureship in Breast Cancer Research was established to recognize outstanding science that has inspired, or has the potential to inspire, new perspectives on the etiology, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of breast cancer.
Dr. Park is the Benjamin F. Byrd, Jr. Chair in Oncology and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and serves as Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
AACR said it is recognizing Dr. Park for groundbreaking research that has transformed the understanding of breast cancer at both the molecular and clinical level.
“His work has defined how PI3K/AKT signaling becomes deregulated during tumor progression, providing critical insights into therapeutic resistance, invasion, and metastasis,” according to a statement from the AACR.
Notably, the AACR added, Dr. Park pioneered the use of cell-free DNA as a minimally invasive biomarker.
“This approach has revolutionized precision cancer medicine by enabling clinicians to detect genetic mutations, monitor disease progression, and track minimal residual disease in patients with breast cancer, in turn making it possible to identify metastatic potential in early-stage patients before disease progression.”
AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research
The AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research was established to honor an investigator whose novel and significant work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the etiology, detection, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of breast cancer.
Dr. Tolaney is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and serves as Chief of the Division of Breast Oncology, Associate Director of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers, and Senior Physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
AACR is recognizing Dr. Tolaney for pioneering work optimizing targeted therapies for HER2-positive breast cancer through innovative clinical trials.
“Specifically, Tolaney’s APT trial demonstrated the efficacy of a less intensive regimen involving paclitaxel and trastuzumab for early-stage, node-negative disease, effectively transforming national and international clinical treatment guidelines,” the AACR wrote in a statement. “Her leadership in establishing biomarker-driven personalized therapy approaches for cancer, including the development of CDK4/6 inhibitors, has significantly advanced care in both metastatic and adjuvant settings, shaping the future of precision oncology for patients with breast cancer.”
