5 Pew-Stewart Scholars Selected to Advance Cancer Research

PHILADELPHIA, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust today announced the 2026 class of the Pew-Stewart Scholars Program for Cancer Research.

These five early-career scientists will each receive a four-year grant to pursue breakthroughs across cancer development, diagnosis, and treatment. This is the 13th year the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust has partnered with Pew to build a legacy of innovative cancer research.

"Each year, millions of Americans grapple with the fear and uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis, but Pew-Stewart scholars offer hope for a better future," said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew's senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement. "We're honored to support these five scientists as they seek biomedical breakthroughs and work to improve patient outcomes."

This group of scientists will investigate big questions about the disease, from understanding what drives cancer development and spread to exploring creative avenues for new treatments.

"For more than a decade, Pew-Stewart scholars have been at the forefront of discovery in cancer research," said Helen Piwnica-Worms, Ph.D., chair of the Pew-Stewart program's national advisory committee. "Through their scientific curiosity and expertise, I know these five Pew-Stewart scholars will carry on that tradition. I look forward to watching where their discoveries lead."

The 2026 Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research are:

Sarah Aitken, M.B.Ch.B., Ph.D.
Yale University
Dr. Aitken will combine molecular biology, genomics, and image analysis to study how mutations arise and lead to cancer initiation and evolution.

Alexander Gitlin, M.D., Ph.D.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Gitlin will uncover how cell signaling controls the nature and magnitude of inflammation in normal physiology and in disease, focusing on the intersection of inflammatory signaling and cell death pathways.

Anna-Maria Globig, M.D.
Allen Institute
Dr. Globig aims to understand the communication between the nervous and immune systems and to identify strategies for therapeutically targeting this crosstalk to enhance anticancer immunity.

Roarke Kamber, Ph.D.
University of California, San Francisco
Dr. Kamber will explore how immune cells called macrophages interact with cancer cells and how they could be leveraged to treat tumors.

Ahmad Nabhan, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Nabhan seeks to decode communication between stem cells and their localized environment and to recode this crosstalk as a precision therapeutic approach.

Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress.

Erin Davis, [email protected]

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SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts