2023 - BACR non-student Travel Award to attend the Gordon Research Seminar and Conference (GRC) on Hormone Dependant Cancers in Maine, USA

I am an early career post-doctoral researcher at Imperial College London, investigating the role of non-coding enhancer RNAs in prostate cancer progression. I was recently awarded a BACR non-student Travel Award, which enabled me to attend and present my work at the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) and Conference (GRC) on Hormone Dependant Cancers in Maine, USA in August 2023. The GRS, which is held just prior to the GRC, is specifically aimed at early career researchers (ECRs). Besides excellent scientific talks, this year’s GRS included a very insightful keynote session on career development by Prof. Kornelia Polyak from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School and a panel discussion on mentorship and making an impact, with panellists from both academia and industry.  This was followed by the GRC, which had a packed scientific program, starting with a keynote session on advances in targeting hormone receptors. There were several other fascinating sessions on different aspects of hormone dependent cancer biology such as tumour immunology, DNA repair, the role of the tumour microenvironment in disease progression and ongoing clinical trials. 

My participation in the GRS/GRC included presenting a poster at both events and chairing a scientific session at the GRS, which were invaluable experiences for my professional development. During the poster presentations, I interacted with several attendees who provided constructive feedback and insightful questions. I have since been able to incorporate some of this feedback into my work. Since this conference emphasizes presentation of unpublished data, it was exciting to hear about and discuss the latest findings in the field. This has provided fresh perspectives and sparked ideas for new directions that I can take with my research. Throughout the conference I was also able to build connections with leading researchers and fellow ECRs. These connections have opened avenues for future collaborations and mentorship opportunities. 

Overall, attending and actively participating in the GRC and GRS was a highly beneficial experience for me as an ECR. The knowledge gained, feedback received, and connections made will undoubtedly contribute to my future research endeavours and professional growth. I would like to thank the BACR for making this possible!

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