The Illinois Comprehensive Cancer Center (ICC) is a confederation of four specialized Cancer Centers in Chicago and other health institutions and organizations in Illinois. Twelve medical schools, the School of Public Health, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the department of Public Health of Chicago and the State Medical Society and Hospital Association are active participants in the project. During the first 18 months of Core support of this Center, the role of the Center significantly broadened. Meritorious programs within individual institutions have been fostered by the Center as potential models for future consortial activity. Also the principle of multi-institutional programming has been found at times less desirable, if this approach required compromising the quality of the endeavors. Thus, although network-type paradigms remain the goal, single institution projects are forming an important activity of the Center. The functions of the two funded specialized Centers in Chicago (Northwestern and the University of Chicago) have been more closely integrated with the ICC. ICC is also becoming the major means for creating a centralized resource for regional programs in clinical research, basic research, epidemiology and cancer control. The ICC Division of Research Resources, for example provides centralized support in the areas of Computer Services and Biostatistics for all programs of the Center. The Computer Services operation has designed a data base management system which controls and coordinates all applications of the consortial data base, while Biostatistics staff has concentrated in three broad areas of consultation: clinical research, evaluation and cancer control.
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