On May 15, 2026, Yale Cancer Center (YCC) and the Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) Office hosted the Ninth Annual YCC Trainee Research Colloquium. The event brought together trainees, faculty, staff, and institutional partners to celebrate cancer research at Yale.
The largest colloquium to date, this year's event featured more than 60 trainee-led research projects spanning basic, translational, clinical, and population sciences. Through oral and poster presentations, trainees shared their scientific discoveries, highlighted innovative approaches to cancer research, and engaged with colleagues from across the Yale Cancer Center community.
The event concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing exceptional trainee research and contributions to the YCC community.
Research Excellence Award Recipients
- Basic Science: Jennifer Loza – Exploring the Impact of Neoantigen Expression on Lung Tumor Development
- Clinical Science: Lily Waddell – Cancer Treatment Impacts Immune Status in People Living with HIV
- Translational Research: Gregory Breuer – Prognostic Value of Artificial Intelligence-Quantified Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Brain Metastases
- Population Science: Aishwarya Bhattacharya – Neighborhood Food Environment and Overall Survival in Patients with Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer in Connecticut
Best Poster Award
- Ruchi Gupta – Tumor-Specific MHC-II Shapes an Inflamed Immune and Stromal Microenvironment in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
This year also marked the introduction of CRTEC's inaugural Volunteer of the Year Award, recognizing a trainee who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, mentorship, service, and engagement in CRTEC-sponsored programs and events. The first award was presented to Angela Kim for her outstanding dedication and commitment to supporting the Yale Cancer Center trainee community.
CRTEC extends its congratulations to all presenters and award recipients and thanks the faculty judges, session moderators, volunteers, attendees, and planning committee members whose contributions made this year's colloquium a tremendous success.