The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will inaugurate 106 distinguished physicians and researchers into its newly launched AACR Academy in April to recognize and honor their scientific contributions to the fight against cancer.

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will inaugurate the first class of the Fellows of the AACR Academy—106 individuals who have made exceptional contributions to cancer research or cancer-related biomedical science—as part of the organization's annual meeting, which will be held in Washington, DC, April 6–10.

AACR created the Academy to recognize and honor distinguished physicians and researchers whose scientific contributions have significantly furthered progress in fighting cancer. The inductees were chosen by a group of their peers following a rigorous evaluation of their scientific achievements. One person was selected to join the group for each year of the organization's 106-year history.

“Our Board of Directors made the decision to establish the AACR Academy as a mechanism for recognizing scientists whose contributions to the cancer field have had an extraordinary impact,” explains AACR CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc). “Membership in the Fellows of the AACR Academy will be the most prestigious honor bestowed by the American Association for Cancer Research.”

The inaugural class of Fellows will be inducted into the AACR Academy on April 5 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Additional members of the Academy will be elected annually by a vote of the group's members. In honor of the 11 founding members of the AACR, no more than 11 individuals will be chosen per year.