Moffitt Postdoc Participation in AACI/AACR Hill Day 2024
The annual AACI/AACR Hill Day was held on May 15, 2024. Hill Day is an event held in collaboration between Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) and American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) that brings “cancer center directors, researchers, physician-scientists, cancer survivors, and other advocates together to build support for a strong federal investment in biomedical research- and cancer research in particular- through National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).”
All the advocates are invited to spend the day sharing their stories and informing legislators on the importance of cancer research funding on Capitol Hill.
This year, Moffitt Cancer Center in collaboration with the Moffitt Postdoctoral Association, had the opportunity to send two postdoctoral fellows to participate in the advocacy, Drs. Rocky Truong and Emma Adhikari, pictured at right, with U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor and Vern Buchanan.
Dr. Adhikari expressed how positive and empowering of an experience it was to participate in Hill Day. As cancer researcher, Dr. Adhikari knows firsthand “the resources that are required for transformative science” and was ecstatic at the opportunity to advocate for this crucial funding. Hill Day facilitated the opportunity for Dr. Adhikari to share her story with U.S. Senator Rick Scott and Rep. Kathy Castor, along with several other U.S. representatives.
“I was able to highlight our cutting-edge work in Dr. Alex Jaeger’s lab on understanding the immunopeptidome landscape in PDAC,” shared Dr. Adhikari, “which will help shape and prioritize the next generation personalized immunotherapies. Sharing my story made me feel proud of my work and contribution to cancer research.”
Dr. Rocky Truong describes his experience at Hill Day as “exhilarating and affirming”. He also had the opportunity to speak with several congressmen and women at the event whom he felt a strong sense of support from. “They listened to me attentively and expressed strong support and commitment to advocating for cancer research funding. This overwhelming support from lawmakers made me feel proud of my work and contributions to the field of cancer research,” expressed Dr. Truong. "This experience reinforced my belief in the importance of our efforts and role of continued federal investment in cancer treatment and care.”