A regional program focused on advancing precision cancer care will bring together leading oncology and pathology experts from across the Mid-Atlantic on July 17, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, located at One Bethesda Metro Center, 7400 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland.
The event, part of the Advancing Pathology Education and Advancing Precision Oncology initiative, is designed to strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers and clinicians working across the diagnostic-to-treatment continuum in cancer care. Set in the Washington, DC region, home to a dense concentration of biomedical research institutions and health policy organizations, the program aims to accelerate dialogue on how biomarker-driven diagnostics and targeted therapies are reshaping the field of oncology.
The symposium is co-chaired by Jonathan R. Brody, PhD, who holds the Endowed Gerlinger Surgical Chair and serves as Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Surgery at Oregon Health & Science University, along with Michael J. Pishvaian, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Together, the two chairs will guide a full day of programming centered on gastrointestinal malignancies, including pancreatic, colorectal, and hepatobiliary cancers, with particular attention to clinically actionable biomarkers such as RAS, CLDN18.2, BRAF, and MTAP.
A full day of biomarker-focused sessions
The program opens at 7:00 AM with registration and check-in, followed by a welcome and introduction at 7:55 AM. The morning’s scientific sessions begin with a look at RAS biology and translational advances, presented by Sandra Misale, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, followed immediately by a talk on clinical advances in RAS-driven cancers from Nilofer Azad, MD, FASCO, Professor of Oncology and Associate Director of Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. Co-chair Jonathan Brody will then present on combination strategies targeting RAS.
The morning’s keynote address, delivered at 9:30 AM, will be given by Andrea Cercek, MD, Section Head of Colorectal Cancer and Ford Family Endowed Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who also founded and co-directs the center’s Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer. Her keynote will address neoadjuvant immunotherapy in locally advanced MMRd colorectal cancer, a topic reflecting the growing role of immune-based approaches ahead of surgery for select colorectal cancer patients.
Following a breakfast and exhibits break at 10:00 AM, the program moves into a session on CLDN18.2-targeted therapy, with Haeseong Park, MD, MPH, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute presenting translational advances, and Matthew Strickland, MD, of Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute following with a talk on clinical applications of CLDN18.2-directed treatment. At 11:30 AM, Nima Sharifai, MD, PhD, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine will discuss the pathologist’s role in identifying and interpreting biomarkers in gastrointestinal cancers.
The pre-lunch block turns to BRAF-targeted therapy, with Valerie Lee, MD, of Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center presenting on the shift from poor prognosis to precision targeting, followed by Eric Christenson, MD, also of Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, addressing combination strategies in BRAF-targeted treatment.
After a lunch and exhibits break at 1:00 PM, the program includes a non-CME industry session at 1:30 PM featuring Ronan Kelly, MD, MBA, FASCO, of the Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, focused on VYLOY® (zolbetuximab-clzb) as a first-line treatment option for patients with advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) cancer.
The afternoon sessions resume at 2:45 PM with a presentation on translational advances in MTAP-deleted tumors by Lei Zheng, MD, PhD, of UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center. Emanuel Petricoin, PhD, of George Mason University will then broaden the discussion beyond genomics, presenting on the use of clinical proteomics and drug target activation profiling at the bedside. Kathleen M. Mulvaney, PhD, of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech’s Cancer Research Center DC will close out the individual talks with a session on combination strategies for MTAP-directed therapy.
The day concludes at 4:15 PM with a panel discussion bringing together speakers to integrate the day’s biomarker advances into precision oncology practice, before the program adjourns at 4:45 PM.
Credit and registration
The symposium is complimentary for oncology and pathology professionals from academic centers, hospitals, and research institutions, and offers 6.5 hours of combined CE/CME/CPE credit, along with ABPath MOC credit, for attendees seeking to fulfill continuing education requirements.
By uniting specialists in gastrointestinal oncology, pathology, and translational research for a single day of programming, the Bethesda program reflects a broader push across the diagnostics and oncology communities toward more precise, equitable, and patient-centered cancer care.