September 2024 news briefs

The NCI Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Annual Plan & Professional Judgment Budget Proposal: Leading Progress Against Cancer has been released. It presents NCI’s assessment of the optimal funding needed — $11.5 billion in FY26 — to fully capitalize on the extraordinary scientific opportunities before us and advance our shared goal of ending cancer as we know it.

The FY26 annual plan and budget proposal builds on the momentum created by the Cancer Moonshot and reflects our vision for future progress. It covers the entire NCI portfolio and highlights four important areas of opportunity for FY26, illustrating how sustained investments in each area would support the goals of the National Cancer Plan. These include addressing the rise in cancer among young adults, understanding the comprehensive effects of cancer on the body, identifying ways to alleviate the financial burdens associated with cancer care, and developing vaccines that can prevent or treat cancers.

Explore and share the annual plan.

The IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center Office of Inclusive Excellence values your perceptions and perspectives. As such, the office is asking for 15 minutes of your time to complete the 2024 Cancer Center Climate Survey. This survey is aimed at identifying the impact of our work in the cancer center and to make it more inclusive and valuable to all members, staff and trainees.

This survey is for faculty, staff, and trainees affiliated with the cancer center. Your responses are important to us and will remain confidential. The survey will be available Oct. 1. The deadline to complete the survey is Oct. 31. As a thank you for completing the survey, you will receive cancer center swag through campus mail. You may reach out by email at cancoie@iu.edu with questions or concerns.

On Aug. 9, Outrun the Sun celebrated its 20th anniversary with hundreds of friends during its Sunset Soirée. The day was proclaimed Outrun the Sun Day by the City of Indianapolis, and the cancer center served as a proud sponsor. Check out this video of Outrun the Sun’s impact over the past two decades.

End Lung Cancer Now, an initiative of the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, recently launched a digital campaign to raise awareness and fight the stigma and nihilism surrounding lung cancer. Three stories will be published and promoted through digital advertising. The first story, Anyone With Lungs Can Get Lung Cancer: Screening & Health Education Saves Lives, offers an in-depth look at lung cancer screening and risk factors.

Cancer center director Kelvin Lee, MD, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI). The two-year term will begin in October. Read more.