The Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology

Registration is closed for the symposium and we will not be taking onsite registration.

Dr. Alex Kentsis welcomes you to The Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology.

The Tow Center for Developmental Oncology unites scientists across MSK to develop fundamental insights into the molecular mechanisms of cancers in children and young adults, and to devise new approaches for definitive therapy and control.

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The Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology will bring together outstanding scientists from across the country to discuss the latest discoveries into the molecular mechanisms of cancers in children and young adults and the development of new approaches for their definitive therapy and control. The symposium is the first of its kind which is dedicated to new science at the interface of human development and cancer pathogenesis. This program will feature interactive discussions of fundamental and translational research to address unanswered questions in the field of developmental oncology.

There are many unanswered questions that need to be addressed for childhood and young adult cancers:

• What causes cancer in children and young adults without inheritance of cancer-predisposing mutations or exposure to environmental mutagens? How do predisposing alleles and exposures contribute to cancer development?
• What developmental processes are dysregulated to cause mutations and cell transformation in otherwise healthy tissues?
• How do mutations in developmental pathways involving transcription factors and epigenetic signaling cause cancer?
• How do we design effective therapeutics to block, activate, and modulate protein interactions that control transcription factors and other developmental regulators?
• How do we identify targets for immune therapy in developmental tumors that have relatively few mutations?

This two-day live in-person symposium will provide an intimate and exciting setting to share new advances for these questions. It will also allow an opportunity for established and young investigators to discuss new questions and interdisciplinary approaches of relevance to young-onset cancer biology.

Who Should Attend

The target audience for this symposium includes scientists, physicians, APPs, nurses, and other healthcare providers interested in learning the latest advances in our understanding of the biology and therapy of childhood cancers. We are pleased to invite students and trainees to attend this symposium on a complimentary basis (please see details below).

We are pleased to offer symposium attendees a special discounted rate at two hotels in the vicinity of Memorial Sloan Kettering. Please select the 'Hotel' tab above for details. 

Safety Precautions Due to COVID-19

The MSK CME team is closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on our ability to host in-person events. We thank you for your cooperation as we work together to meet the challenges posed by COVID-19. All registrants will be notified if there are any changes. Your health and safety, and that of our patients and employees, is our highest priority.

1. Explain biologic and developmental causes of childhood cancers.
2. Review recently developed therapies for patients with childhood and young-onset cancers.
3. Discuss new biologic questions in order to accelerate the development of definitive therapies for patients.

In-Person Registration Fees*

• All Healthcare Providers: $25
• Industry Professionals: $45**
• Students and Trainees: complimentary; please see details below***

*In-person Attendance Requirements: All in-person attendees at MSK CME events must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least two (2) weeks prior to the event. A copy of your COVID-19 vaccination card(s) must be uploaded during registration. All in-person attendees are required to wear masks at all times at all MSK locations (regardless of vaccination status). Please review the current Health & Safety Guidelines for more information.

**Industry professionals may attend MSK CME activities for their own education. Marketing, sales, and promotion of products and services is strictly prohibited at MSK CME activities. For more information, please visit our Help page.

Registration Discounts/Promotions

• ***We are pleased to invite students and trainees to attend this symposium on a complimentary basis. If you are a student or trainee interested in attending, please email [email protected] for a promotional code (registration is required in order to attend).
• For students, residents, fellows, and postdocs in need of financial support for travel and hotel, please email [email protected] a request explaining your needs in 250 words or less.
• A registration discount is available for MSK Alumni and MSK Cancer Alliance to attend a MSK CME course. If you are a member of one of these groups, contact [email protected] for details.
• Registration is complimentary for all MSK employees; however, you must complete registration through the 'Register' tab above in order to attend this course. If you are registered for this course and are unable to attend, please notify [email protected].

Please note that after your payment has been processed, no further promotional discounts or adjustments will be made to your registration. 

Cancellation Policy

Registration for this symposium is non-refundable. MSK CME reserves the right to cancel or postpone any course due to unforeseen circumstances. In the unlikely event, we must cancel or postpone this course, you will be notified via email from MSK CME ([email protected]). We will refund the registration fee in full but are not responsible for any related costs, charges, or expenses to participants, including fees incurred by airline/travel/lodging agencies. At any time, you may substitute another registrant in your place after contacting MSK CME with the relevant information. Please note that if it has been more than 120 days since payment was processed, a W9 form must be submitted in order to process your refund and your refund will be issued in the form of check payment. Refunds are not subject to tax.

If you are not feeling well or exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 please refrain from attending and contact MSK CME ([email protected]).

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center designates this live activity for a maximum of 9.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

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The Robert Steel Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Research was established to honor the memory of Robert Steel, who died in 1984 at the age of eighteen after a heroic two-year struggle against rhabdomyosarcoma. Throughout the years, the Foundation supported MSK programs and initiatives devoted to speeding progress against childhood cancers, and its farsighted generosity has made The Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology possible. By bringing together leading scientists to address the latest challenges and opportunities in pediatric cancer research and treatment, The Robert Steel Symposium in Developmental Oncology continues to advance the vital work launched by the Robert Steel Foundation for Pediatric Cancer Research more than three decades ago.

We are pleased to offer symposium attendees a special discounted rate at two hotels in the vicinity of Memorial Sloan Kettering:

Courtyard Marriot, Midtown East
866 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10022
View website

To receive the MSK discounted rate, please identify yourself as attending a MSKCC event when booking over the phone at +1 (212) 644-1300.

The Kimberly Hotel
145 E 50th Street, New York, NY 10022
View website

Please email [email protected] or call +1 (212) 702-1600 and identify yourself as attending an event at "Memorial Sloan Kettering" to receive the MSK discounted rate on any room.

Course Organizers

Alex Kentsis, MD, PhD
Associate Member
Molecular Pharmacology Program
Director, Tow Center for Developmental Oncology
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Andrew Kung, MD, PhD
Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Agata Smogorzewska, MD, PhD
Associate Professor 
The Rockefeller University

Course Speakers 

Sam Behjati, BMBCh, PhD
Group Leader, Wellcome Sanger Institute 
Cambridge University

Ester Calvo Fernández, PharmD
PharmD, PhD Candidate
Columbia University

Sisi Chen, PhD
Research Associate
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Adam Durbin, MD, PhD
Assistant Member
Division of Molecular Oncology
Department of Oncology
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Arielle Elkrief, MD
Research Fellow, Ladanyi Lab
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Katherine Gadek, PhD
Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Fellow 
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Liron Grossmann, MD
Hematology-oncology fellow
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Alejandro Gutierrez, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Boston Children’s Hospital

Luz Jubierre Zapater, PhD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Claudia Kleinman, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Human Genetics 
McGill University

Coraline Mlynarczyk, PhD
Research Associate in Medicine
Weill Cornell Medicine

Michelle Monje-Deisseroth, MD, PhD
Professor of Neurology and, by Courtesy, of Neurosurgery, of Pediatrics, of Pathology and of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences 
Stanford University

Anand Patel, MD, PhD
Instructor
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Zulekha Qadeer, PhD
Postdoctoral Scholar
University of California, San Francisco

Miguel Rivera, MD
Associate Professor of Pathology
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School

Charles Roberts, MD, PhD
Director, Comprehensive Cancer Center 
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Kimberly Stegmaier, MD
Co-Director, Pediatric Hematologic Malignancy Program 
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School

Palaniraja Thandapani, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
NYU School of Medicine

Andrew Webster, PhD
Rockefeller University

Peng Wu, MD, PhD
Instructor
Stanford University School of Medicine

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies (commercial interests). All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.