GEM Meeting in Bordeaux: New International Collaborations for Melanoma Research

From October 15 to 17, the annual meeting of the Genes, Environment and Melanoma (GEM) Study was held in Bordeaux, bringing together researchers from one of the world’s leading international networks dedicated to epidemiological and genetic research on melanoma.

Stefano Rosso, former GEM member and Chair of the Enrico Anglesio Prize Jury, presented a lecture entitled “Cancer in Migrants” during the session devoted to translating research findings into strategies for prevention, early detection, and treatment.

The meeting provided an important opportunity for scientific exchange among researchers from Europe, the United States, and Australia, with sessions focusing on melanoma genetics, risk prediction tools, population-based screening programs, and emerging approaches to prevention.

Professor Irene Orlow (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York) and Professor Anne Cust (University of Sydney), who have recently joined the international jury of the Enrico Anglesio Prize, attended the meeting. Their participation further confirms the Prize’s high international scientific standing and strengthens the Fund’s connections with the global melanoma research community.

NAACCR 2026 Scientific Conference Fellowships

The Fondo Elena Moroni awarded four scholarships to support online participation in the 2026 Annual Scientific Conference of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR).

The scholarships were awarded to:

Yosr Ayeedi, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia
Michela Bersia, University of Turin, Italy
Chloe Guillaume, Martinique Cancer Registry, Martinique
Luis Gabriel Parra Lara, Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia

The initiative reflects the Elena Moroni Fund’s commitment to supporting young researchers and promoting international collaboration in cancer epidemiology and cancer registration

The NAACCR 2026 Virtual Conference, themed “True North: Aligning Data, Discovery, and Impact” focused on advances in cancer surveillance and cancer registry science.

The program featured plenary sessions on artificial intelligence in cancer registries, childhood and adolescent cancers, the global role of cancer registries, and emerging developments in the field.

Concurrent sessions covered geospatial epidemiology, data quality, registry standards, risk factors, predictive modeling, and innovative uses of cancer data for research and cancer control.

https://www.naaccr2026.org/

Sorriso RAI Cinema Channel Prize to Gerry Ciccimarra

Gerry Ciccimarra, the filmmaker who directed the recording of the 2022 EAP Award Ceremony video, has recently received the “Sorriso Rai Cinema Channel” Award at the XIX Festival Internazionale della Cinematografia Sociale “Tulipani Neri.” The winning short film is titled “Carattere Unico.”

Gerry Ciccimarra’s recent works also include “Mercadante” (2025), “Power Flow” (2024), and “Jazzo Interno” (2023).

The Fondo Elena Moroni warmly congratulates Gerry on this well-deserved recognition.

link to the Gerry Ciccimarra website: https://www.gerryciccimarra.com

The Italian Pandemic Preparedness Plan. Where are we?

According to the latest news, reported in an article in Il Sole 24 Ore published on February 23, 2026, Italy has not yet published the 2025–2029 Pandemic Plan. The most recent draft dates back to summer 2025 and is currently the subject of back-and-forth discussions between the Ministry of Health, the Regions, and the Ministry of Economy, which has raised concerns about financial coverage

Stefano Rosso and Iacopo Baussano go back to their previous article where they estimated the epidemic dynamic of Covid-19 in Piedmont in 2020. They investigated how the SIR/SEIR models worked against what happened in the view of using this approach for tackling the future challenges that will come.

Here below the link to the article (italian only)

Piano Pandemico fermo: cosa insegna COVID-19

2025 IACR Conference

The 2025 IACR Conference took place in Izmir from November 4–7, bringing together researchers from all continents. Participants enjoyed a rich scientific programme featuring nearly 100 oral presentations and about 150 posters.

Stefano Rosso presented the first results of the Cancer RADAR study in the “Innovation, Research, and Policy” section, along with a poster on a side analysis of cervical screening effects in migrant populations in Turin. The poster won third prize among all posters.

The book of abstracts is available here: https://www.iacr2025.com/scientific-programme

Prof Vesna Zadnik on sabbatical in Oslo

Prof. Vesna Zadnik, Director of the Slovenian Cancer Registry and Vice Chair of the Enrico Anglesio Prize Jury, began a sabbatical at the Cancer Registry of Norway in August 2025.

The primary objectives of her sabbatical include:

Comparative Analysis: Evaluating the operational, procedural, and reporting differences between the Cancer Registry of Norway and the Slovenian Cancer Registry.
Cancer Watch Project: Contributing expertise to the ongoing Cancer Watch initiative.
Epidemiological Research: Undertaking an in-depth study focused on socioeconomic disparities in cancer incidence and quality of care indicators (PROMIS) for melanoma, breast, and colorectal cancers.

Cancer RADAR

The Early Detection, Prevention and Infections Branch of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has launched Cancer RADAR, a research project mapping cancer risk among people with a migration background in Europe. This study evaluates the availability of routine data for assessing cancer risk in these populations.

The selected cancer types—breast, colorectal, cervical, stomach, liver, and lung—are either infection-related or amenable to early detection through screening. In collaboration with population-based cancer registries, the project developed a framework to collect data stratified by country of birth. Cancer RADAR also supports the WHO Action Plan for Refugee and Migrant Health, which emphasizes improved migration health governance and data-driven policies.

The scientific board included Stefano Rosso, Jury President of the Enrico Anglesio Prize, who presented the first results at the 2025 IACR Conference in Izmir.

Alumni Webinar: 2023 EAP & Satellite Prize Winners Reveal Their Awarded Projects

On 8th Febraury 2024, Alice Bernasconi, winner of the Enrico Anglesio Prize, and Giulia Capitoli, winner of the Elvo Tempia Special Prize, presented their awarded works in a webinar organized by the Alumni Committee. The event was open to all interested people and a vivid discussion followed the main presentations. The recording of the event can be found here.

Calum Muir Award

The North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) have awarded Roberto Zanetti, President of the Fondo Elena Moroni and past President of the International Association of Cancer Registries, with the prestigious Calum Muir Award. At a special ceremony at their Annual Conference in New Orleans on 22 June 2023, the award was presented by the current President of NAACCR, and Data Quality Control Director at Cancer Registry of Greater California, Dr Winny Roshala.

Dr Zanetti, who greeted the audience and thanked the NAACCR Board with a video presented during the ceremony, received this award ‘in recognition of his long and distinguished career in cancer surveillance, contributions to the advancement of cancer epidemiology and cancer control, and his outstanding mentorship, vision, and leadership in the field’.

Furthermore, the Calum Muir Award was brought and officially presented by Dr. Betsy Kohler at the ENCR-IACR Conference held in Granada the 14-15 November, 2023.

**Zanetti in video at the award ceremony (Picture courtesy of Prof. Claudia Allemani)**

Alumni Committee Meeting in Granada (Spain)

The Alumni Committee Cabinet is glad to announce that, thanks to the support of Fondo Elena Moroni, a meeting will be held during the ENCR-IACR Conference in Granada (Spain) on Thursday 16 November at 12.30PM CET (GMT +1). All Alumni attending the Conference are warmly invited to join in-person.

In addition the event will be also streamed live via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87394481347?pwd=dHFCOTF1VmdRUXFkdHU0NU85aVlxQT09, Meeting ID: 873 9448 1347, Password: 1111) to allow participation of those Alumni unable to travel to Granada.

During the meeting the Alumni will have the opportunity to meet some members of the Cabinet, to expand their network and connections and to be informed on the Community past and future activities.