The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
Authors: Eric Stahlberg (MD Anderson Cancer Center), Patricia Kovatch (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), Stephen Litster (Google LLC)
Abstract: This year continues the series of HPC and Cancer BoF sessions where the SC community gathers to share thoughts, insights, challenges, and opportunities in using HPC to ignite innovation and advance cancer research, improving outcomes of research and patients. Past BoFs have highlighted topics including data sharing, workforce development, digital twins, AI, drug discovery, and other areas where HPC plays a key role to impact cancer. This year's session will explore the topic of Cancer Team Data Science, taking the opportunity to discuss multiple collaborative topics while providing a key networking opportunity for those with an interest to impact cancer.
Long Description: Cancer and HPC has been and continues to be a clear priority topic for a Birds of a Feather session at SC. Cancer closely impacts everyone and serves as prime example where HPC is not only helpful, but essential to making progress against this deadly disease. Cancer has also been highlighted in several past sessions at SC conferences, including plenary panels, helping to expand awareness of how cancer has been a driving use case for advancing computing, data and even deep learning with the NCI-DOE collaboration. In addition to HPC, advances in AI, medical internet of things, cloud computing, communications, and networking together with new approaches such as digital twins, learning health systems and federated learning are pervasive through the SC conference and all efforts involved with cancer team data science.
Cancer remains a priority globally as a challenge to address, and serves as a unique opportunity to foster international collaborations. The innovative use of HPC and advanced data technologies are being used to impact and improve cancer research and clinical care across all communities
The BoF session provides a critical intersection point for the HPC community on an annual basis where those with a personal interest in contributing to improved outcomes for cancer bring their various backgrounds to learn, connect and ideally join in future efforts where HPC is impacting cancer. Each year attendees are asked if they want the BoF next year and the answer is a resounding yes, even with varied attendance from year to year. The reasons for this are clear as individuals engage in the cancer challenge and realize how critical having a community and connections will be to engaging and making progress against multiple cancer challenges.
The emphasis on cancer team data science this year is deliberate, to reinforce the opportunities in collaboration, from resources to data, to funding and expertise. The introductory panel for this coming year will bring together multiple perspectives from technology, contributors, scientists, the clinic, and patients to realize the goals of the BoF, where HPC will ignite future collaborations to help end cancer.
The BoF session, with its interactive format for attendees, also provides an opportunity for sharing many perspectives among attendees, aiding in building the broader community at SC as well as form subgroups with common collaborative interests in specific areas to lead to future efforts involving HPC and cancer.
This will be the tenth Birds of a Feather session for HPC and Cancer since starting in 2015, each with substantial participation and attendance. The same is expected for SC25 as the opportunities and demand for employing computing and data science to impact are growing globally. Outreach has already begun to local communities in St. Louis with an interest in cancer to also bring them to the conference and participate in the BoF. Overall, we believe that a BoF for HPC and Cancer will be a key part of the conference for many, impacting their future directions to employ HPC in cancer.