Dr. Sujuan Ba has over 25 years of experience organizing global cancer research collaborative programs and deploying adventure funding to support innovations.  Besides her role as President & CEO at the National Foundation for Cancer Research, Dr. Ba is also CEO & co-founded AIM-HI Accelerator Fund, a non-profit organization focused on advancing oncology start-ups through venture and impact investments.  Under her leadership, AIM-HI invested in more than a dozen early-stage oncology companies.  Dr. Ba is also a co-founder and a founding board member of the Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR), a non-profit organization pioneering groundbreaking adaptive clinical trial platforms, such as GBM AGILE, to deliver innovative therapies to patients faster.  In addition, she founded the Asian Fund for Cancer Research in 2006 and has served as CEO for the past 16 years.  She is also a scientific advisor and a board member for more than half a dozen oncology start-ups. 

Dr. Ba has led the establishment of NFCR’s annual Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research, an international prize recognizing outstanding scientific achievement in the war against cancer, and has served continuously as co-chair of the Prize Selection Committee since 2006.  The prize has now grown into one of the premier cancer research awards in the world.

Dr. Ba launched the AIM-HI Women’s Venture Competition in 2020, a first-of-its-kind program that provides investment, coaching, and networking opportunities to women-led oncology start-ups.  More than 200 women-led oncology start-ups have gone through the rigorous review and judging process of the Women’s Venture Competition platform.

Dr. Ba also established the AIM-HI Beacon Award for Women Leaders in Oncology in 2022, a one-of-its-kind program recognizing outstanding women pioneers who have significantly impacted cancer patients worldwide through developing, commercializing novel technologies, and implementing public policy.

Dr. Ba received the Leadership Award for Global Advocate for Cancer Research from HKBIO in 2023.  Dr. Ba also received the NBC4 WORKING 4 THE COMMUNITY Award in 2019, recognizing her outstanding achievements as a scientist, leader, and role model in the STEM field.  Dr. Ba also received the inaugural Outstanding Achievement Award from the Society for Neuro-Oncology of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association for her outstanding contribution to international cooperation in 2017.  She was named one of the “Top 300 Women Leaders in Global Health” in 2015 by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies’ Global Health Programme.  She was also awarded the Public Service Award in 2014 by the Chinese Biopharmaceutical Association–USA for her long-term devotion and distinguished service to the global biopharmaceutical community.  She was selected to receive the CRS WOMEN IN SCIENCES Award in 2011.

She is the strategic advisor and A member of the Board of Directors of several oncology companies.  Dr. Ba has served on CRS’s Women in Science Committee (Control Release Society) since 2017.