Meetings & Courses Program

Crossroads of Biology

Pancreatic Cancer
June 18 - 25, 2026

Key Dates
Application & Materials Deadline: March 30, 2026
Arrival: June 18th by 6pm EST
Departure: June 25th around 12pm EST

The course will be held at the Laboratory's Banbury Conference Center located on the north shore of Long Island. All participants stay within walking distance of the Center.  CSHL Courses are intensive, running all day and often including evenings and weekends; students are expected to attend all sessions and reside on campus for the duration of the course.

Instructors
Ken Olive, Columbia University
Marina Pasca di Magliano, University of Michigan
Mara Sherman, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Ben Stanger, University of Pennsylvania

Emeritus Instructors
Howard Crawford, Henry Ford Health System
Tony Hollingsworth, University of Nebraska

See the roll of honor - who's taken the course in the past

Pancreatic Cancer is one of the deadliest cancers - tumors are often diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease and metastasize rapidly. This one-week discussion course will provide a comprehensive overview of clinical and biological aspects of pancreatic cancer with special emphasis on disease diagnosis and management, molecular pathways involved in tumor development and progression, mechanism-based therapeutic strategies, advanced research tools, and ethical concerns. Attendees will be able to interact with senior investigators on a one-to-one basis in an informal environment. Non-faculty students may be eligible for partial stipends, depending on stated need. Applications are invited from medical and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty.

Topics include:
  • Organ Overview: Anatomy, Physiology
  • Clinical Aspects of Pancreatic Cancer: Diagnosis, Treatment
  • Molecular Genetics of Pancreatic Cancer: Gene Signatures, Pre-disposition Syndromes
  • Pathobiology of Pancreatic Cancer: Pathways, Cell of Origin, Tumor Microenvironment
  • Tools and techniques: Mouse Models, Imaging, Genomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, Bioinformatics
  • Therapeutics: Target Identification and Validation, Pre-clinical Studies, Clinical Trial Design
  • Resources: Biobanks, Funding Strategies
2026 Invited Speakers
Andrew Aguirre, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Broad Institute, Boston, MA 
Filip Bednar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 
Kate Byrne, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 
Howard Crawford, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI 
Edna Cukierman, Fox Chase Cancer Center/Temple Health, Philadelphia, PA 
Channing Der, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 
Stephanie Dougan, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 
Dannielle Engle, Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA 
Michael (Tony) Hollingsworth, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 
Bryson Katona, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 
Anirban Maitra, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 
Joseph Mancias, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 
Rushika Perera, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 
Jonathan Preall, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Woodbury, NY 
Mallika Singh, Revolution Medicines, Redwood City, CA 
Nina Steele, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 
Herve Tiriac, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 
Katy Wellen, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 
Laura Wood, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 
Teresa Zimmers, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 

Major support for this course may be provided by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health

Scholarship funds are available for partial support of tuition on a merit basis. Please apply in writing when you apply stating the need for financial aid.

Cost (including board and lodging): $3,260 USD

No fees are due until you have completed the full application process and are accepted into the course. 

Before applying, ensure you have:
  1. Personal statement/essay;
  2. Letter(s) of recommendation;
  3. Curriculum vitae/resume (optional);
  4. Financial aid request (optional).
    More details.

This button links to a short form which confirms your interest in the course. No fees are due until you have completed the full application process and are accepted into the course.