Markey Cancer Center Research Day
Markey Cancer Center Research Day is an exciting and informative event that showcases the innovative cancer research projects happening across all disciplines at the University of Kentucky. This single-day event provides a platform for the UK research community to share their work and collaborate with others. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a poster session, attend oral presentations, and hear from experts during the Susan B. Lester and Gilbert H. Friedell, MD, Memorial Lectures.
CANCER RESEARCH DAY
Presented by Markey Cancer Center and Markey Cancer Foundation
2026 MARKEY CANCER RESEARCH DAY
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
UK Gatton Student Center
A recap of 2025's event is available on UKNow.
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RESEARCH DAY
Gilbert H. Friedell Memorial Lecture
Carmen E. Guerra, MD, MSCE, FACP
Ruth C. and Raymond G. Perelman Professor of Medicine
Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement, Abramson Cancer Center
Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Carmen Guerra is a practicing general internist trained in epidemiology and currently the Ruth C. and Raymond G. Perelman Professor of Medicine, Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology and Vice Chair of Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC).
Dr. Guerra’s research has focused on developing and evaluating interventions to increase the participation of populations in cancer screening and early detection programs and cancer clinical trials. Dr. Guerra leads the Penn Medicine Colorectal Cancer Screening Navigation Program and the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, programs that have provided safety net cancer screenings and patient navigation to thousands of individuals in the Philadelphia region. Dr. Guerra is the site Principal Investigator of the NCI’s Self-collection for HPV Testing to Improve Cervical Cancer Prevention (SHIP) Trial at the University of Pennsylvania, a 25-site trial which is comparing the accuracy of self- and clinician-collected HPV samples for cervical cancer screening. Data from this study will be used to support the FDA approval for at-home HPV screening.
About Gilbert H. Friedell
In 1983, Dr. Friedell became the first director of the UK Markey Cancer Center, beginning a legacy of cancer care that continues to grow and make a difference in the lives of Kentuckians every day. At Markey, he co-founded the Kentucky Cancer Registry – now one of the premiere SEER databases in the country – and served as the principal investigator of the National Cancer Institute’s Mid-South Cancer Information Service, a cancer education program that provides easy-to-understand information for cancer patients, survivors, health care providers and more.
Dr. Friedell was a passionate advocate for programs that provided education and increased access to healthcare for the medically underserved, particularly in Appalachian Kentucky. He famously believed that “If the problems are in the community, the solutions are in the community.” With this in mind, he helped launch Kentucky Homeplace, an initiative that has linked tens of thousands of rural Kentuckians with medical, social and environmental services since it began in 1994.
Though he retired from UK in 2000, Dr. Friedell’s influence is still felt strongly in the overarching mission of our cancer center: to conquer cancer in the Commonwealth. We at Markey are proud to uphold the vision and values of Dr. Friedell, building upon his contributions to public health as we continue to care for Kentuckians with cancer.
Susan B. Lester Memorial Lecture
Anil K. Rustgi, MD
Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Medicine
Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Associate Dean of Oncology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Chief, Cancer Services, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Anil K. Rustgi is the Herbert and Florence Irving Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Dr. Rustgi is a world-renowned leader in the field of gastrointestinal oncology. His interdisciplinary research focuses on tumor initiation, the tumor microenvironment and tumor metastasis in the context of gastrointestinal cancers, including cancer of the esophagus, pancreas, and colon.
Dr. Rustgi's lab works to translate their discoveries into improving molecular diagnostics and finding new experimental therapeutics for patients, and is funded through several grants including an NCI P01 (program project on esophageal cancer), three NIH R01 grants (for gastric cancer pancreatic cancer and colon cancer), SU2C and an American Cancer Society Research Professorship. He has more than 400 publications and his work has appeared in high-impact journals such as Nature, Nature Genetics, Nature Medicine, Cancer Cell, Genes and Development, Gastroenterology, Journal of Clinical Investigation, PNAS, JAMA and New England Journal of Medicine.
About Susan B. Lester
The family and friends of Susan B. Lester endowed a lectureship in her honor, and it is this generous donation that makes the Markey Cancer Center Research Day possible.
Mrs. Lester left an indelible mark on her world, serving as a clinical dietician for Eastern State Hospital and for nursing home patients in Eastern and Central Kentucky.
This symposium benchmarks recent advances in cancer research and thus honors Mrs. Lester by underscoring both her generous life and the brave battle she fought against this disease.
Markey Cancer Research Day offers your organization a great opportunity to meet current and potential customers through our Exhibit Hall, program advertising and door prizes. Each year, approximately 400 researchers and clinicians attend the event.
If you would like to be a vendor, have questions or need more information, please contact us.
Sponsorships
This year there are three levels of sponsorship. All include one exhibit booth, which includes eight feet of frontage space, one six-foot table, and two chairs.
- Exhibitor Level: $1,000 – listing in program and signage
- Silver Level: $3,000 – listing in program and signage, 1/2-page ad, choice of table after gold level
- Gold Level: $5,000 – top billing in the program, signage, full-page ad and first choice of table placement
Booths will be reserved on a first come, first-served basis and will be confirmed when payment is received. Payment is accepted by check or credit card.
Door Prizes
Door prizes offer a fun way to reach the Markey community. Vendors may donate any item(s) they wish to the prize pool – regardless of whether the prizes are branded or equipment- or service-related. All door prizes and their sponsors will be listed in the event program and on signage throughout the event — which offers another form of advertising for your company.
To be eligible for the door prizes, attendees must visit the vendors in the Exhibit Hall to get their exhibitor cards stamped. At the end of the event, winners will be drawn during the Wine and Cheese Reception.
Schedule subject to change as details are confirmed.
The following guidelines are to be followed for posters:
- Abstracts are limited to 525 words or less.
- Tables and illustrations should be kept relatively simple.
- Type size, lines, and symbols in illustrations should be sufficiently large and bold to be comprehensible from a viewing distance of up to 6 feet.
- Each poster should contain a top panel containing the title of the abstract and the names of the authors.
- Illustrative material should be arranged in a logical order from top-down and left-to-right.
- The poster board assigned to each presenter has a usable area of 8 feet in width and 4 feet in height.
- Pushpins will be provided.
Markey Cancer Center Research Day (MCCRD) is a single-day event showcasing current cancer research projects throughout all disciplines at the University of Kentucky.
The UK research community will have the opportunity to share its work in an atmosphere of learning and collaboration throughout the day via:
- Poster Session
- Oral presentations (invited from abstract submissions)
- Exhibit Hall/Luncheon
- State of the Cancer Center Address
- Susan B. Lester Memorial Lecture
- Gilbert H. Friedell, MD, Memorial Lecture
Prizes are awarded to graduate students and to post-doctoral fellows for the best posters in categories such as basic science, clinical, translational, population-based and more.
In addition to the poster competition, the judges select abstracts to be presented during the morning oral presentations from among from graduate students, post doctoral fellows and junior faculty members.
Presented by the Markey Cancer Center and the UK Markey Cancer Foundation.
For questions or assistance, please contact Mindy Ross, Events Coordinator for Education and Research.
TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING
Due to construction on Avenue of Champions, access and parking at the Gatton Student Center parking lot will not be available.
- Parking is available in the Cornerstone Garage (PS #5), located at 409 South Limestone, for those with a valid UK permit. Visitor parking is on the upper floors and cost $2/hr, or a max of $16. For parking maps and additional information, visit the UK Transportation website.
- From the Cornerstone Garage, it is a short walk to the Gatton Student Center (160 Avenue of Champions). The pedway is located on the 3rd Level.
- Campus shuttles are also available for those who are coming from south campus. The Blue and White shuttles have stops near the student Center. Please check out the UK Transportation Services website for real-time shuttle information and alternative stops due to Avenue of Champions construction.
