Charting the Future of Gynecologic Cancer Research: 2025 Pathways to Progress Summit Recap
Last month, more than 80 clinical researchers, scientific leaders, policy experts, and patient advocates convened at Johns Hopkins University for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology’s Pathways to Progress Summit. Held July 11–12, 2025, and co-led by Amanda Fader, MD; Karen Lu, MD; and Matthew Powell, MD, the summit marked a critical moment in shaping the future of gynecologic cancer care and research.
Over two powerful days, attendees collaborated to identify urgent research priorities and build actionable strategies that will guide SGO’s scientific, clinical, and advocacy initiatives.
Driving Innovation Through Collaboration
The summit opened with a series of Rapid-Fire Innovation Talks—concise, high-impact presentations that sparked new ideas across a range of focus areas, from cell therapy development and health equity to implementation science, artificial intelligence, and biomarker discovery. Featured speakers included renowned leaders such as Sarah Adams, MD; Anil Sood, MD; Carol Aghajanian, MD; Rebecca Stone, MD, MS; Sean Dowdy, MD; David Shalowitz, MD, MSHP; and Bert Vogelstein, MD.
Reflecting on the summit, co-leader and past SGO President Dr. Fader shared, “The SGO Presidential leadership takes great pride in the innovative ideas, collaborative spirit, and impactful action plans that emerged from the SGO Pathways to Progress Research Summit. By uniting a diverse, international group of interdisciplinary research stakeholders, we fostered a rich dialogue and developed exciting action plans that challenged traditional paradigms, encouraged innovative thinking, and prioritized patient-centered care.”
Emerging Priorities and Guiding Principles
Throughout the summit, cross-cutting themes emerged that will inform SGO’s evolving priorities. Participants emphasized the urgent need for more effective therapies for treatment-resistant disease, as well as the development of innovative clinical trial models that better integrate biomarker-driven strategies. There was a strong call to expand public health efforts around HPV vaccination, obesity and endometrial cancer prevention, and opportunistic salpingectomy. Leaders emphasized equitable access to care, especially in underserved and rural regions, as both a moral and clinical imperative, and they identified international collaboration as a key driver in advancing research on rare tumors. Attendees also called for deeper integration of patient advocates in trial design and review processes, and for greater use of AI and big data to enhance diagnostic precision and personalize treatment across gynecologic cancer care.
“The summit affirmed that many of the challenges in gynecologic cancer research and care are universal across institutions in the U.S. and globally,” Dmitriy Zamarin, MD, noted. “We need to do more on the level of cancer prevention and early diagnosis for all our cancers. Access and participation in clinical trials remain a challenge, which will only be exacerbated by declines in funding for research.”
A Roadmap for the Future
One of the summit’s most significant outcomes is the development of a formal research agenda, set to be published in Gynecologic Oncology in the coming months. This agenda will serve as a strategic roadmap for SGO’s ongoing efforts to inspire multidisciplinary research that improves outcomes and equity for people with gynecologic cancers.
Patient advocate and cervical cancer survivor, Ashley Kulp, attended this year’s summit, finding hope not only for herself, but the entire cervical cancer community. “The experience at SGO this weekend left me completely overwhelmed in the best way,” Ashley shared. “I’m still processing how much it means to be surrounded by brilliant, compassionate people who are genuinely pushing forward for patients like me. I’m incredibly grateful.”
Early-career professionals also found the experience deeply meaningful. “Being part of the Pathways to Progress Summit was a true privilege, especially for someone early in their career,” Nancy Zhou, MD, shared. “It was an inspiring space for reflection and collaborative innovation and deepened my commitment to the future of gynecologic oncology.”
SGO thanks all attendees and partners who contributed their expertise, insight, and passion to this forward-looking summit. Stay tuned for the formal research agenda to be published in Gynecologic Oncology.