Kathleen O鈥機onnor, PhD, associate director of cancer education and mentoring at the , has been elected president-elect of the for 2026.
Dr. O鈥機onnor will serve as CABTRAC鈥檚 president-elect in 2026 before assuming the role of president in 2027. The position carries a three-year commitment that includes serving as past president in 2028. O鈥機onnor has served on CABTRAC鈥檚 Board of Directors since 2021.
CABTRAC is a national nonprofit organization that works with more than 80 institutions across the U.S. to train the next generation of cancer researchers. The consortium was established in 2005 and partners with the National Cancer Institute鈥檚 (NCI) cancer training branch. CABRAC hosts an annual retreat, which is open to all members and their trainees to network and discuss current topics affecting the cancer research training community.
Dr. O鈥機onnor is a professor in the 海角禁区 College of Medicine Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. At Markey, she co-directs two NCI T32 training programs: the and . She also directs the , the , Markey鈥檚 American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant, and the Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination component for Markey鈥檚 Cancer Center Support Grant.
Dr. O鈥機onnor鈥檚 research focuses on understanding how cancer cells spread to other parts of the body. Her lab studies a specific protein called integrin 伪6尾4 and its role in breast, colon and pancreatic cancers.
CABTRAC brings together individuals and institutions dedicated to training cancer researchers. The organization aims to reduce cancer deaths through a collaborative network that shares the goal of improving graduate, medical and postdoctoral training programs in cancer biology.