“Spatial Soiree” (GALA DINNER)

MONDAY 7 DECEMBER 2026

Boulevard Room, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

ANNABELLE GURWITCH is an actress, activist, and New York Times Bestselling author of six books and two-time finalist for the Thurber Prize.

Her essays have appeared in The New Yorker, New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, and Hadassah Magazine amongst other publications. Her six books include the New York Times bestseller and Thurber Prize finalist I See You Made an Effort.

Annabelle co-hosted the fan favorite Dinner & a Movie on TBS, was a regular commentator for NPR. She is serving in leadership as a patient advocate with the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). She is a Jewish mother, a terrible gardener, even worse ukulele player, a lung cancer survivor,and an unrepentant cat lady who lives in Los Angeles.

Her forthcoming memoir The End of My Life is Killing Me, the unexpected joys of a cancer slacker will be published by Zibby Media, March 17, 2026.

Jared K. Burks, Ph.D., is a prominent molecular biologist and technologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he serves as a Professor, Associate Director of Shared Resources for the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG), Executive Director of Shared Resource Technologies, Director of Flow Cytometry & Cellular Imaging Core and Director of Innovation Nexus. Recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Research Specialist in Spatial Biology (R50 award), he specializes in spatial biology and has introduced several innovative technologies such as live cell imaging, eight-color TSA imaging, mass cytometry (suspension and imaging), and sequential immunofluorescence. READ MORE

Please contact Sally Wills for information about purchasing tables.