Wayne State University (WSU) has been an active institutional member of the Southwest Oncology Group for over 25 years, enrolling over 4500 patients onto clinical trials. Over these years, their faculty have played an important role in support of SWOG, by providing leadership in the administrative and scientific functions of SWOG, and also by meeting and exceeding patient accrual goals in a continuous and consistent manner. Thus, WSU has remained in the first quartile of institution's performance evaluation conducted by SWOG in each of the last five years. The clinical research program in cancer at WSU has been organized along the lines of multidisciplinary disease oriented studies and in a manner which resembles the organ committee orientation of SWOG. Thus, their faculty's representation in scientific SWOG committees is constituted by individuals with expertise and commitment towards those areas of research. Accordingly, the translation of ideas into SWOG studies as well as the incorporation of SWOG studies and those of NCI designated high priority trials into WSU treatment priorities, are easily facilitated. In addition, the demographics of their region and the commitment of investigators to make clinical trials available to all patients, is clearly identified in their recruitment of minorities (33 percent) and women (46 percent) into SWOG clinical trials. The SWOG membership in WSU and the diversity of disciplinary involvement by their faculty has continued to grow over the years. To date, 87 WSU members are currently serving on 38 committees. Similarly, 60 SWOG studies list a WSU member as a study chairman or as study coordinator since the last competing application was submitted. Dr. Lawrence Flaherty, a SWOG member since 1986 and Vice-Chairman of the SWOG Melanoma Committee, becomes the Principal Investigator of this competing renewal at the departure of Dr. Manuel Valdivieso for another institution. He will maintain the prominence of WSU as a SWOG member institution.
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