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University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center researcher Loïc Le Marchand has been named the recipient of the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research-American Cancer Society Award for Research Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. This national award recognizes exceptional research achievements in the fields of cancer epidemiology, biomarkers and prevention.
Le Marchand is a Professor in the Population Sciences in the Pacific Program (Cancer Epidemiology) at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, where his pioneering work has transformed the understanding of cancer risk across diverse populations. He is being honored for his innovative research into the genetic, behavioral, and environmental risk factors for cancer, with a special focus on multiethnic populations.
Among his many contributions, Le Marchand’s studies have illuminated racial and ethnic disparities in lung cancer risk and underscored the role of visceral adiposity in cancer susceptibility. As the principal investigator since 2012 of the Multiethnic Cohort Study — a groundbreaking study to understand ethnic differences in cancer, tracking approximately 215,000 people across five ethnic groups in Hawaiʻi and California — Le Marchand has led impactful international collaborations that have advanced equitable cancer prevention and screening practices, helping to address critical health disparities on a global scale.
Le Marchand is scheduled to deliver his award lecture, "Elucidating Cancer Etiology through Multi-Ethnic Studies,” on April 29 during the 2025 AACR Annual Meeting at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, Illinois. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the first and largest cancer research organization dedicated to accelerating the conquest of cancer.
“This award is really a recognition for the important work conducted by population scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center and their efforts to understand reasons for the cancer risk differences observed among the various ethnic groups in Hawaiʻi,” Le Marchand said. “Findings from this collective work have helped to set priorities for cancer prevention in our state, as well as on the U.S. mainland. Personally, I hope this award will help to garner support for this unique research at a time of great peril for biomedical research due to the ongoing changes in federal policies.”
Dr. Naoto T. Ueno, Director of the UH Cancer Center, added: “This major national award reflects not only Dr. Le Marchand’s contributions to the Multi Ethnic Cohort, but also our UH Cancer Center’s contributions, aimed at understanding the risks related to our population, including Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. The knowledge and understanding in this field has progressed significantly over the past several decades due to Dr. Le Marchand’s tremendous efforts.”
For more information about the AACR Annual Meeting and award presentations, visit www.aacr.org.
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About the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center
The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center is dedicated to saving lives in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, and inspiring hope by working to conquer cancer. The flagship priority is to understand and address cancer health disparities. The center strives to achieve this through research, education, patient care, and community outreach, focusing on the unique and diverse ethnic, cultural, and environmental characteristics of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.
The UH Cancer Center is one of only 74 institutions designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), representing a significant mark of excellence, and is the only NCI-designated cancer center in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The center contributes more than $57 million to Hawaiʻi's economy through scientific research, clinical trials, and other activities.
As part of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the UH Cancer Center operates out of facilities located in Kakaʻako. The center directly employs more than 300 faculty and staff, with an additional 200 affiliate members and cooperative agreements with organizations that are part of the Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium. The consortium includes The Queen’s Health Systems, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, Kuakini Medical Center, Adventist Health Castle, Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association (HMSA), and the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), all working together with the UH Cancer Center to advance cancer research and treatment in the state.
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