Agenda
Agenda subject to change
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Wednesday February 18, 2026
7:30 am – 5:45 pm
CourtyardExhibitors 7:00 am – 5:45 pm
CourtyardRegistration 7:00 am – 8:30 am
CourtyardBreakfast 8:30 am – 9:00 am
La Villita BallroomWelcome 9:00 am – 9:30 am
La Villita BallroomA Special Welcome From Mays Cancer Center Executive Director
Lei Zheng, MD, PhD
Mays Cancer Center
9:30 am – 10:15 am
La Villita BallroomKeynote: Moving Forward and Staying the Course
Robert A Winn, MD
Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology,
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Senior Associate Dean for Cancer Innovation and Professor of
Pulmonary Disease and Critical
Care Medicine, VCU School of Medicine
10:15 am – 10:30 am
CourtyardBreak/Exhibit 10:30 am – 11:45 pm
La Boveda
MissionConcurrent Panels A & B
Panel A (Pediatric Cancers) ~ Silent Crisis: "Why Latino Children
are Falling Throughthe Cracks
of Pediatric Cancer Care in America."Adam De Smith, PhD
University of Southern California
Jenny Ruiz, MD, MSCE
University of Pittsburg
Panel B (Aging and Cancer) ~ Navigating Cancer and Culture:
Transforming Geriatric Oncology Care
for Latino PatientsEnrique Soto Perez de Celis, MD, PhD
University of Colorado Cancer Center
Melody K. Schiaffino, PhD
University of California, San Diego
11:45 am – 12:00 pm
CourtyardBreak/Exhibit 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm – 1:15 pm
CourtyardBreak/Exhibit 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm
La Villita BallroomPlenary Session 1: Rising Tide of
Infection-Related Cancer in Latino Communities.
Patricia D. Jones, MD
University of Miami
Luis Carvajal – Carmona, PhD
University of California, Davis
Ana Patricia Ortiz, PhD, MPH
University of Puerto Rico
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm
La Villita BallroomPlenary Session 2: Too Young, Too Soon:
Unmasking the Rise of Early-Onset Cancer in Latinos
Marcela Mazo Canola, MD
UT Health San Antonio
Sukeshi Patel Arora, MD
UT Health San Antonio
Narjust Florez, MD
Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center
3:45 pm – 4:00 pm
CourtyardBreak/Exhibit 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm
La Boveda
Mission
Concurrent Panels C & D
Panel C (Survivorship) ~ Juntos en la Lucha: Building a Future of Survivorship
For LatinosJean Edward, PhD, RN, CHPE
University of Kentucky
Betina R. Yanez, PhD
Northwestern University
Frank Penedo, PhD
University of Miami
Panel D (Technology & Communication) ~
Tech y Comunidad: Revolutionizing Cancer
Care for Latinos Through Innovation & Connection
Yonaira Rivera, PhD
Rutgers
Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla, MD, MSEd
Massive Bio
Carmina G. Vale, PhD, MPH
UNC Gillings School of Public Health
5:15 pm – 5:30 pm
CourtyardBreak/Exhibit 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
La Villita BallroomEarly-Stage Investigator Session 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
SPC & Mentor Dinner -
Thursday February 19, 2026
7:00 am – 6:00 pm
CourtyardExhibitors 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
CourtyardRegistration 7:00 am – 7:30 am
Outside LawnYoga Session on Lawn 7:00 am – 8:00 am
CourtyardBreakfast 8:00 am – 8:30 am
La Villita BallroomWelcome 8:30 am – 9:30 am
La Villita BallroomKeynote: Bridging International and National Latino Research to Serve its Populations
Mariana Chavez MacGregor, MD
MD Anderson Cancer Center
9:30 am – 9:45 am Break/Exhibit 9:45 am – 11:00 am The Genetic Gap: Why Latino Biomarkers Matter
Jose Trevino, MD
Virginia Commonwealth University
Luis Raez, MD
Memorial Cancer Institute
Elad Ziv, MD
UCSF Hellen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
11:00 am – 11:30 pm
CourtyardBreak/Exhibit/Reset 11:30 pm – 12:30 pm
La Villita BallroomLunch 12:30 pm – 1:50 pm
La Villita BallroomEmerging Voices, Evolving Science: From Innovation to Impact ¿Estamos Listos?
Carmen E. Guerra, MD, MSCE, FACP
University of Pennsylvania
1:50 pm – 2:10 pm
CourtyardBreak/Exhibits 2:10 pm – 3:30 pm
La Villita BallroomBeyond the Barriers: From Law to Life
Xuesong Han, PhD
American Cancer Society
Elena Rios, MD
National Hispanic Health Foundation
3:30 pm – 3:35 pm
CourtyardBreak/Exhibits 3:35 pm – 5:00 pm
La Boveda
MissionConcurrent Panels E & F
Panel E ~ Our Air, Our Water, Our Health: The Environmental Impact on Latino Cancer Risk
Leticia Nogueira, PhD, MPH
American Cancer Society
Roxana Chicas, PhD, RN, FAAN
Emory University
Panel F ~ Research and Patient Leadership
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm
CourtyardBreak/Exhibit/Reset 5:30 pm – 5:45 pm
La Villita BallroomWelcome to Poster Session 5:45 pm – 8:00 pm
La Villita BallroomPoster Session and Reception -
Friday February 20, 2026
7:00 am – 12:30 pm
CourtyardExhibitors 7:00 am – 12:30 pm
CourtyardRegistration 7:00 am – 8:00 am
CourtyardNetworking Breakfast 8:00 am – 8:15 am
La Villita BallroomWelcome 8:15 am – 9:15 am
La Villita BallroomSpecial Virtual Session featuring International Latin American Researchers 9:15 am – 10:15 am
La Villita BallroomFireside Chat featuring Cancer Center Directors
Ruben Mesa, MD
Atrium University
Carlos Arteaga, MD
UT Southwestern
10:15 am – 10:30 am Courtyard Break/Exhibits 10:30 am – 11:15 am
La Villita BallroomThink Tank: Latino Cancer Researchers Against Cancer
Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPH, MPH
UT Health San Antonio
11:15 am – 12:15 pm
La Villita BallroomIndustry Panel (Platinum Sponsors) 12:15 pm – 12:30 pm
La Villita BallroomClosing Remarks and Q&A