Events
Upcoming Events
The UT MD Anderson Cancer Neuroscience Program (CNP) will host its second annual Scientific Retreat on Saturday, August 22, 2026, from 8 a.m until 5 p.m. in the UT MD Anderson Cancer Prevention Building (CPB), 8th Floor Ballrooms. This event is one of the most important gatherings of the year for the CNP community, bringing the cancer neuroscience community from across the institution and the greater Texas Medical Center/Texas region together for an engaging and inspiring day of connection, discovery, scientific exchange, discussion and collaboration!
Agenda Highlights
This year’s agenda features a compelling range of topics and perspectives from across cancer neuroscience. Attendees will hear latest research updates, engage directly with colleagues across the field and celebrate the remarkable work taking place across all four CNP research themes. Additional highlights will include scientific presentations from CNP faculty, competitively selected trainee oral presentations, poster sessions and networking opportunities.
Recognition of the 2026 CNP trainees of the year
- Elizabeth O. Hileman, Ph.D., CNP Director, Research Planning & Development
- Christina Abi Faraj, M.D. – Trainee of the Year, Clinical Research
- Khalil Ali Ahmed Kasm, Ph.D. – Trainee of the Year, Basic/Translational Research
- Kaylene Lu – Trainee of the Year, Graduate Student Research
Social & Affective Neuroscience theme session
- Moderators: Jeffrey Wefel, Ph.D., and Kyle Noll, Ph.D.
- Moran Amit, M.D., Ph.D.: Psychedelics and Cancer: State of the Field and the UTMDA Psychedelic Oncology Program
- Francesco Versace, Ph.D.: Personalized Neurostimulation for Cancer Prevention: From Mechanisms to Clinical Interventions
- Bojana Milutinovic, Ph.D.: Crosstalk Between Glioma and Stress-Response Neurons Mediates Tumor Growth and Tumor-Induced Stress
Brain Health & Neuroprotection theme session
- Moderators: Peter Grace, Ph.D., and Jeffrey Wefel, Ph.D.
- David Tweardy, M.D.: TTI-101: A Candidate Therapeutic for Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Impairment
- Sahil Bajaj, Ph.D.: Brain Age and Morphometric Markers of Behavioral Difficulties in Children with NF1
- Michelle Mulholland, Ph.D.: Nonhuman Primate Resources for Use in Cancer Neuroscience Research at the Keeling Center
Keynote Lecture: Sex Differences in Stroke and Vascular Dementia
Louise McCullough, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor and Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Distinguished Chair
Department of Neurology
Associate Vice President for Research, UTHealth Neurosciences
Founder and Director, BRAINS Research Laboratory
Co-Director, UTHealth Neurosciences
UTHealth Houston
Distinguished trainee oral platform presentations
- Moderators: Jian Hu, Ph.D., and Cande Gomez-Manzano, M.D.
- Andres R. Lopez-Rivas (Graduate Student, Neuro-Oncology): Delta-24-RGD Oncolytic Virotherapy Induces IFN-α Signaling Associated with a Paradoxical Immune Resistance in Glioblastoma
- Shashank S. Kamal (College Student, Head & Neck Surgery): Live-Cell Imaging Reveals Psilocybin Restores Directional Mitochondrial Transport in Cisplatin-Injured Human Peripheral Nerve
- Akhila Parthasarathy (Graduate Student, Neuro-Oncology): p300/CBP Inhibition Potentiates and Sustains Delta-24-RGD-Induced Immune Remodeling in Diffuse Midline Glioma
Discovery Neuroscience theme session
- Moderators: Jian Hu, Ph.D., and Yuan Ph, Ph.D.
- Megan Uhelski, Ph.D.: Deciphering the Role of NaV1.8 in Trigeminal Sensory Neuron Excitability Induced by Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Modified by Neurotoxic Chemotherapy
- Yu "Leo" Lei, Ph.D.: Remodeling Opioid-Induced Metabolic Stress to Improve Anti-Tumor Immunity
- Xiling Shen, Ph.D.: Targeting the Vagus Nerve as an Intelligent Strategy to Prevent the Development and Progression of Pancreatic Cancer
Brain & Nervous System Tumors theme session
- Moderators: Thomas Beckham, M.D., Ph.D., and Chad Quarles, Ph.D.
- Christopher Young, M.D.: Developing an Endovascular Neurosurgical Oncology Program: Delivery of Cellular Therapeutics Across the Blood-Brain Barrier for the Treatment of Glioblastoma
- Indranil Guha, Ph.D.: Leveraging MRI-Based Detection of Glioma Neuronal Functional Connectivity to Map Early Tumor Invasion
- Kunal Rai, Ph.D.: Building T Cell Products in NF1-Associated MPNST Through Antigen Discovery and Epigenome Targeting
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Cancer Neuroscience: From Glioblastoma MRI to Clinical Trials: Building Trustworthy AI for Cancer Neuroscience
Xiaoqian Jiang, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President for Medical Artificial Intelligence
Department of Health Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Christopher Sarofim Family Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Bioengineering
CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research
Director, Center for Secure Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare (SAFE)
McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics
UTHealth Houston
Ongoing Events
Mei Rui, D.M.A., director of the Music-in-Medicine Program, at a Music-in-Medicine concert
The UT MD Anderson Cancer Neuroscience Program is proud to champion the work of the Music-in-Medicine Program. This unique concert series is led by Mei Rui, D.M.A., a globally renowned, classically trained concert pianist and assistant professor of Neurosurgery. The series brings world-class musicians from around the globe to perform for patients, caregivers, families, staff and visitors. These immersive concerts offer a powerful experience of music’s healing potential. As an integral component of several of Dr. Rui’s clinical trials, these live performances integrate real-time brain-computer interface mapping and neurophysiological data collections on stress and inflammatory biomarkers and brain dynamics to quantitatively capture and assess the powerful therapeutic impact of an immersive live performance on cancer patients, providers and caregivers.
Past Events
The UT MD Anderson Cancer Neuroscience Program and Wiley's Advanced Portfolio hosted the third biennial International Cancer Neuroscience Symposium on February 18–20, 2026, in the Texas Medical Center. This dynamic, three-day hybrid event will feature key insights and the latest, cutting-edge research from more than 30 leading international experts in the field of cancer neuroscience.
Keynote speakers included Nobel Laureate James P. Allison, Shawn Hervey-Jumper, Guido Kroemer, Frank Winkler, Sebastien Talbot and Erica Sloan.
The goal of this event was to bring together world-renowned experts in oncology, neuroscience, cancer biology, neuro-immunology, neurotoxicity and mental health to foster innovation in cancer research and patient care through a unique integration of these disciplines.