Research Symposium

9th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium

The Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute Annual Research Symposium  brings together trainees, staff, principle investigators and clinicians affiliated with the institute for a day of presentations and discussions around the diverse range of cancer research carried out within Charbonneau. This diversity in cancer research includes biomedical, clinical, health services, and social, cultural environmental and population health research. Each year we invite an external keynote speaker who is an internationally recognized leader in one or more of these areas to present their cutting-edge research and join in with discussions throughout the day. Additional oral presenters are chosen to introduce our newest recruited faculty members, highlight established Charbonneau investigators that have made outstanding contributions to cancer research, and give opportunities for our senior trainees to share their exciting research results.

Program Schedule

Friday, May 10, 2024 | Theatre 4

8:30 am - 9:00 am

  • Registration desk outside Theatre 4

9:00 am - 9:05 am

  • Welcome address from Dr. Jennifer Chan, Director of the Charbonneau Cancer Institute, and introduction of keynote speaker Dr. Eliezer Van Allen

9:05 am - 10:00 am

  • KEYNOTE LECTURE | Dr. Eliezer Van Allen, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Division of Population Sciences at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Session Chair: To be announced

10:05 am - 10:30 am

  • Dr. Ana Nikolic, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

10:30 am - 10:45 am

  • Varsha Thoppey Manoharan, PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Sorana Morrissy

10:45 am - 11:00 am

  • Coffee Break

11:00 am - 11:30 am

  • Dr. Omar Khan, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Oncology

11:30 am - 11:45 am

  • Lisa Yamaura, PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Prism Schneider

11:45 am - 1:00 pm

  • Conference Lunch in the HRIC Atrium

Session Chair: To be announced

1:10 pm - 1:35 pm

  • Dr. Jongbok Lee, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

1:35 pm - 1:50 pm

  • Dr. Pedram Mojabi, Postdoctoral Fellow supervised by Dr. Elise Fear

1:50 pm - 2:05 pm

  • Samir Assaf, PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Sam Weiss

2:05 pm - 2:30 pm

  • Dr. Darren Brenner, Associate Professor, Department of Oncology

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm

  • Poster Session with Reception in the HRIC Atrium

4:00 pm - 4:45 pm

  • Charbonneau Service Awards, presented by Dr. Aaron Goodarzi
  • Presentation of Awards for Trainee Posters & Oral Talks
  • Closing Remarks

Keynote & Talks

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Eliezer Van Allen

Dr. Eliezer (Eli) Van Allen is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Division of Population Sciences at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and an Institute Member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. As both a medical oncologist and computational biologist, he develops algorithms to dissect high-dimensional data directly from cancer patients and uses these insights to address major open questions in the field. Dr. Van Allen’s research has led to significant advances in understanding the molecular origins of cancer, using artificial intelligence to discover novel resistance mechanisms to cancer therapies, and defining how genomics can guide clinical decision-making. Through these initiatives, he created the field of clinical computational oncology to advance and enable precision cancer medicine worldwide. Originally from Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Van Allen studied Symbolic Systems at Stanford University, obtained his M.D. from UCLA, and completed a residency in internal medicine at UCSF before coming to Boston and completing a medical oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center program.

Dr. Eliezer Van Allen

Faculty and Trainee Speakers

Ana Nikolic

Dr. Ana Nikolic

Faculty Speaker

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Omar Khan

Dr. Omar Khan

Faculty Speaker

Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Oncology

Jongbok Lee

Dr. Jongbok Lee

Faculty Speaker

Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Darren Brenner

Dr. Darren Brenner

Faculty Speaker

Associate Professor, Department of Oncology

Varsha Thoppey Manoharan

Varsha Thoppey Manoharan

Trainee Speaker

PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Sorana Morrissy

Lisa Yamaura

Lisa Yamaura

Trainee Speaker

PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Prism Schneider

Dr. Pedram Mojabi

Dr. Pedram Mojabi

Trainee Speaker

Postdoctoral Fellow supervised by Dr. Elise Fear

Samir Assaf

Samir Assaf

Trainee Speaker

PhD Candidate supervised by Dr. Sam Weiss


  • 1st Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium  |  January 30, 2015  |  Download program
  • 2nd Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium  |  February 5, 2016  |  Download program
  • 3rd Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium  |  January 30, 2017  |  Download program
  • 4th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium  |  February 2, 2018  |  Download program
  • 5th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium  |  February 11, 2019  |  Download program
  • 6th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium  |  February 10, 2020  |  Download program
  • 7th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium  |  May 27, 2022  |  Download program
  • 8th Annual Charbonneau Research Symposium  |  April 28, 2023  |  Download program