January 22, 2026:

As we look back on the past year, I want to extend my sincere appreciation to our investigators, 16 member institutions, leadership teams, research staff, and partners across the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium.

Your commitment to advancing collaborative cancer research continues to strengthen the scientific community we have built together.

2025 was marked by both progress and renewed engagement across the consortium. Investigators and research teams from our member institutions came together through working group meetings, concept development, and collaborative mentorship to advance cancer research. We were proud to see strong participation across our programs, with 444 members joining consortium meetings throughout the year and welcoming 41 new members.
At our annual Big Ten CRC Summit, we celebrated research excellence and honored award recipients, including Greg Durm, MD (Pat Loehrer Award), and Howard Bailey, MD (Distinguished Leadership Award). As a consortium, we welcomed new steering committee members, Gustavo Girotto, MD, and Bill Harris, MD, and announced John Hays, MD, PhD, as chair of the committee.

Leadership across working groups also expanded in 2025, with four new co-chairs appointed. Timothy Voorhees, MD, of The Ohio State University was named co-chair of the Lymphoma Working Group; Sarah Weiss, MD, of Rutgers University was appointed co-chair of the Melanoma Working Group; Prajwal Dhakal, MD, of the University of Iowa was named co-chair of the Myeloid Working Group; and Grace Blitzer, MD, of the University of Wisconsin was appointed co-chair of the Sarcoma Working Group.

We also congratulated the University of Wisconsin for receiving the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Institutional Leadership Award, which recognizes institutional commitment, participation, and clinical trial engagement. Additionally, we honored Karen Dutcher, who retired from the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium in 2025, for her outstanding dedication and service as general counsel.

The consortium made important strides in facilitating professional development. Our Breast Cancer Clinical Trial Working Group launched a mentorship program designed to support early-career investigators. The group is now actively developing new clinical trial proposals. This is an important initiative that we plan to extend to other disease team working groups. Across the consortium, 36 clinical trial concepts were presented or discussed in 2025. Throughout the year, the administrative headquarters team conducted site visits to member institutions, fostering connections and encouraging new investigators to engage with the consortium.

As we begin 2026, we are energized by the opportunities ahead. Increasing engagement across all disease working groups, supporting new investigators, and expanding concept submissions remain key priorities. We enter the new year poised for continued growth, strengthened by meaningful partnerships across the consortium and with external collaborators. At the heart of everything we do is a singular purpose: to improve the lives of the patients we serve.

Thank you for your dedication, your partnership, and your shared commitment to advancing cancer research through the Big Ten CRC. I look forward to the progress we will make together this year.

Sincerely,

Monika Joshi, MD, MRCP
Endowed Professor in Cancer Clinical Investigation
Interim Chief, Division of Hematology and Oncology
Department of Medicine, Penn State Cancer Institute
Chief Scientific Officer, Big Ten CRC