University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center researcher Loïc Le Marchand has been named the recipient of the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) — 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 UH 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.
“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.”
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. Since 2012, he has served as the principal investigator of the Multiethnic Cohort Study—a groundbreaking project tracking approximately 215,000 individuals across five ethnic groups in Hawaiʻi and California. Through this work, he has led impactful international collaborations that have advanced equitable cancer prevention and screening practices, helping to address critical health disparities on a global scale.
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.”
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. AACR is the first and largest cancer research organization dedicated to accelerating the fight against cancer.
