Symposium Program:
7:30-8:00 Registration and Breakfast

8:00-8:05 Opening, Shou-Jiang (SJ) Gao, PhD, Co-Leader of Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh Foundation Endowed Chair in Drug Development for Immunotherapy, and Professor of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

8:05-8:15 Robert Ferris, MD, PhD, Director, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Hillman Professor of Oncology, Associate Vice Chancellor for Cancer Research, Co-Director, Tumor Microenvironment Center, Professor of Otolaryngology, of Immunology, and of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh
“Welcome Remarks”

8:15-8:30 Anantha Shekhar, MD, PhD, Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences and the John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
“Welcome Remarks”

Section 1: Viral cancers and vaccines, Section Chair: Patrick Moore, MD, MPH
8:30-9:15 Douglas R. Lowy, MD, Deputy Director, National Cancer Institute
“Controlling HPV-Associated Cancers Through Vaccination and Screening”

9:15-10:00 Blossom Damania, PhD, Boshamer Distinguished Professor, Vice Dean for Research University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“Oncogenic human herpesviruses”

10:00-10:45 Jeffrey I. Cohen, MD, Chief, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases; Chief, Medical Virology Section, National Institute of Health “Use of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies to Prevent Epstein-Barr Virus Infection/Disease”

10:45-11:00 Break
Section 2: Keynote presentation by Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Charles M. Rice, Section Chair: Haitao Guo, PhD

11:00-12:00 Charles M. Rice, PhD, 2020 Nobel Prize Laureate, Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Professor in Virology, The Rockefeller University
“Chronic viral hepatitis and cancer: Insights from promising new models and approaches”

12:00-1:00 Lunch

Section 3: Viral oncogenesis and anti-viral, Section Chair: Yuan Chang, MD
1:00-1:20 Haitao Guo, PhD, Professor and Co-Leader, Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
“Epigenetic regulation of HBV cccDNA minichromosome and antiviral approach”

1:20-1:40 Masa Shuda, PhD, Assistant Professor, Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center “Why does Merkel cell polyomavirus cause cancers with a Merkel cell phenotype?”

1:40-2:00 Renfeng Li, PhD, Associate Professor, Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
“Decoding EBV reactivation: unleashing therapeutic potential against virus-associated cancers”

2:00-2:20 Kathy Shair, PhD, Assistant Professor, Cancer Virology Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center “Towards reducing the burden of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by studying the molecular properties of Epstein-Barr virus”

2:20-2:50 Robert Ferris, MD, PhD, Director, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Hillman Professor of Oncology, Associate Vice Chancellor for Cancer Research, Co-Director, Tumor Microenvironment Center, Professor of Otolaryngology, of Immunology, and of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh “Optimizing standard and innovative therapies for HPV+ head and neck cancer ”

2:50-3:00 Break

Section 4: Community Outreach and Engagement of viral cancers, Section Chair: Monica Baskin, PhD
3:00-3:30 Jose Zevallos, MD, MPH, Professor and Chairman, Department of Otolaryngology, the Eugene N Myers, M.D. Professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
“Clinical care of HPV-associated cancer”

3:30-4:00 Chari Cohen, PhD, President, Hepatitis B Foundation
“Strategies for Community Engagement on Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer”

4:00-4:30 Shannon Christy, PhD, Assistant Member, Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center
“Conducting community-engaged HPV vaccination research”

4:30-5:00 Monica Baskin, PhD, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Community Health Equity, Health Sciences, Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, School of Medicine, Associate Director of Community Outreach and Associate Director of Health Equity, Hillman Cancer Center “Community Engagement around Viruses and Vaccines: Who, what, when and why?”

5:00-5:30 Marty Griffin, Cancer survival advocate, American investigative reporter and radio talk show host, KDKA-TV and KDKA-AM radio in Pittsburgh
“Cancer survival”

5:30-5:40 Closing ceremony

5:40 Adjournment

5:40-6:30 Reception