December 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of President Nixon signing the National Cancer Act of 1971.

To celebrate that visionary and transformative bipartisan legislation, the Richard Nixon Foundation hosted the first Nixon National Cancer Conference on December 1st and 2nd. This two-day gathering consisted of distinguished Nobel laureates, cancer center directors, clinicians, researchers, and public health officials to assess the past, analyze the present, and envision the future of cancer treatment and research.

The first panel consisted of Nobel laureate James P. Allison, Ph.D., Nobel laureate David Baltimore, Ph.D., Nobel laureate Phillip Sharp, Ph.D., and was moderated by Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D. This panel stepped back to the past and assessed the National Cancer Act – Discovering Cancer’s Secrets. Each panelist reflected on how the National Cancer Act of 1971 directly impacted their professional careers. If you were unable to watch, you can watch this panel’s discussion here or read the full transcript here.

The second panel featured Stephan A. Grupp, M.D., Ph.D., Lori J. Pierce, Ph.D., Peter Pisters, M.D., and was moderated by Steven T. Rosen, M.D. The panel discussed The National Cancer Act – Saving Lives, from Hopelessness to Hope and focused on current cancer research. If you weren’t able to tune in live, you can watch this panel here or read the full transcript here.

Between the second and third panel, a luncheon reception was presented by UCI Health. Following the luncheon, the Director of the National Cancer Institute, Ned Sharpless, M.D., spoke virtually to conference attendees on the work of the National Cancer Institute. Watch his full remarks here or read the full transcript here.

The third and final panel looked ahead to the future of cancer research and discussed The National Cancer Act – Changing the Future of Cancer. The panel consisted of Mauro Ferrari, Ph.D., William L. Li, M.D., Larry Norton, M.D., Stephen Hahn, M.D., and was moderated by Anna Barker, Ph.D. To watch the full panel, click here or read the full transcript here.