Advancing Discovery, Honoring Legacy at Stanford’s Inaugural Gynecologic Oncology Research Symposium

February 2, 2026

Stanford’s inaugural Gynecologic Oncology Research Symposium in honor of Jonathan S. Berek was held on September 12, 2025. The symposium opened with a sense of purpose and with a tribute to a person who helped shape that purpose, Jonathan S. Berek, MD, MMSc. As faculty, trainees, and collaborators gathered, speakers repeatedly returned to the same simple idea: Innovation in cancer research is not optional. It is the only way to give patients the hope they deserve.

Department Chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology Leslie Subak, MD, set the tone, calling gynecologic cancer research vital as she described Stanford as a place where discovery and clinical care sit side by side. “Our benches are next to our bedside,” she said, emphasizing the department’s commitment to translating basic research into real-world therapies that improve outcomes for patients facing ovarian, endometrial, cervical, and other cancers.

Much of the opening session centered on honoring Berek, whose leadership and vision have shaped Stanford’s women’s cancer program for decades. Speakers described him as a pioneer whose work on immunotherapy — proposed more than 40 years ago, long before the field believed it was possible — laid the groundwork for many of today’s advances. They also highlighted the impact of Under One Umbrella, the philanthropic initiative Berek created that has raised more than $74 million, funded 75 clinical trials, supported three endowed professorships, and awarded more than a hundred innovation grants.

This means hope for our patients. And hope is what they so desperately need.

“Jonathan has had an indelible impact on Stanford,” the Former Dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, Philip Pizzo, MD, said. “There are many words I can think of… We’ll just settle on ‘legend.’”

Division Chief of Gynecologic Oncology Oliver Dorigo, MD, expanded on Berek’s scientific legacy before shifting to the larger purpose of the gathering. “This means hope for our patients,” Dorigo said. “And hope is what they so desperately need.”

Foundations in Epidemiology and Tumor Biology

The symposium was a full-day immersion in the latest science, clinical innovation, and translational breakthroughs in women’s cancer research.

Following the welcome remarks, the first session of the day featured talks spanning population science and tumor origins: Keynote speaker Joellen Schildkraut, PhD, MPH, shared new genomic insights into ovarian cancer; Brooke Howitt, MD, reframed the fallopian tube’s central role in high-grade serous carcinoma; and Allison Kurian, MD, MSc, highlighted the evolving landscape of genetic testing and precision oncology.

The second session turned attention to the immune system’s role in gynecologic cancers, ranging from Edward Engleman, MD, PhD’s overview of immunotherapy to presentations on cancer-immune interactions, tumor microenvironment dynamics, and organoid modeling by Livnat Jerby, PhD, Erinn Rankin, PhD, and Calvin Kuo, MD. These talks collectively underscored the field’s momentum toward harnessing immune-based and model-based strategies to better anticipate treatment response and resistance.

Innovation at the Interface of Chemistry and Cancer

The morning sessions set the stage for the afternoon’s keynote address from Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD, a highlight of the day and a fitting bridge between foundational chemistry, translational science, and gynecologic cancer innovation.

School of Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor, MD, introduced Bertozzi by reflecting on Stanford’s history of leadership in precision health and the transformative impact of Bertozzi’s work inventing the field of bioorthogonal chemistry. Her lecture focused on an emerging frontier in cancer biology: the glycocalyx, the dense sugar-coated layer that surrounds every cell. In cancer, she explained, this layer undergoes dramatic changes, becoming hypersialylated and physically fortified by rigid mucins, that allow tumors to suppress immune attack and resist therapy.

Using memorable metaphors, Bertozzi described two complementary therapeutic strategies her lab is advancing: a “molecular-scale lawn mower” designed to clip away sialic acids that shield tumors from immune recognition, and a “chainsaw” approach that uses engineered mucinases to “deforest” the thick mucin structures that give cancer cells their mechanical survival advantages. Both strategies, she noted, must be exquisitely selective to avoid harming healthy tissues that rely on mucins for lubrication and protection.

Her work, now moving into translational pipelines including B7H3-targeted sialidases for ovarian cancer, resonated deeply with the symposium’s morning discussions. The glycocalyx, like immunotherapy and genomics before it, represents a new molecular frontier with the potential to reshape how gynecologic cancers are understood and treated.

Advancing Treatment Through Translation

After Bertozzi’s fascinating lecture, the energy shifted toward clinical translation in the third session. Speakers, including Kristin Bixel, MD, Chris Chen, MD, and Katherine Fuh, MD, PhD, spotlighted the real-world impact of scientific discovery from antibody-drug conjugates to strategies targeting treatment resistance. Their talks traced the path from molecular insights to therapeutic development, illustrating how basic science continuously reshapes the possibilities of gynecologic cancer care.

The final session for the day shifted attention back to cellular therapy and emerging translational tools. Dorigo expanded on the promise and complexity of CAR T-cell therapy for ovarian cancer, outlining early clinical experiences and ongoing efforts to optimize safety and delivery. Crystal Mackall, MD, broadened the discussion with an overview of CAR T-cell progress across cancer types, highlighting the biological and engineering challenges unique to solid tumors and the innovations aimed at overcoming them. Melinda Telli, MD, closed the session by presenting advances in circulating tumor DNA minimal residual disease (ctDNA–MRD) detection in early breast cancer, showing how highly sensitive molecular assays can identify recurrence risk earlier and more precisely than traditional methods.

The symposium closed with a lively, wide-ranging panel discussion moderated by Dorigo, bringing together Philip Pizzo, MD, Joellen Schildkraut, PhD, MPH, Steven Artandi, MD, PhD, Crystal Mackall, MD, and the guest of honor Jonathan S. Berek, MD, MMSc. Their conversation wove together the day’s major themes underscoring the collaborative spirit that defines Stanford’s approach to gynecologic cancer research. As the formal program gave way to a reception, attendees continued their conversations in an atmosphere charged with optimism, curiosity, and a shared commitment to accelerating discoveries that will improve the lives of patients everywhere.