New Orleans (NO), Louisiana is a city of 343,000, based on 2010 Census data (60% Black, 33% Caucasian, 5% Hispanic, 3% Asian). Tulane Medical Center {including the medical school, hospital and clinic) has provided health care In NO since 1834. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck and destroyed most of the city with high winds and/or flood waters that took weeks to subside. Since then, many local institutions have rebuilt, including Tulane's cancer research program, which exclusively provides services to several large segments of the community. These include: 1) the Tulane Medical Center/Hospital and Clinic System, including the Tulane Comprehensive Cancer Clinic, the Tulane Medical Center of Louisiana/New Orleans (MCLNO) clinic, and the Tulane Lakeside Clinic;2) the """"""""Medical Homes"""""""" program, based on a series of neighborhood clinics in NO;3) the local Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital;and 4) Tulane Oncology Affiliates, a group of regional private oncology practices. These facts have prompted the leadership of Tulane Cancer Center (TCC) to seek an MB-CCOP grant in order to expand access to clinical research in these populations. Dr, William Robinson, Maxwell E. Lapham Professor of Gynecologic Oncology will serve as PD/PI and has a long record of clinical cancer research success as a Study Coordinator and site PI with GOG, SWOG and ACTG. Dr Marcelo Blaya, Assistant Professor, Medical Oncology, will serve as co-PI, and has extensive experience with NCl cooperative group research as well. Dr Eboni Price, Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, will serve as Co-PD/PI for Cancer Prevention studies. Dr Roy Weiner, Associate Dean of Clinical Research, will serve as Associate PD, and provide senior leadership and advice. Dr Aniko Vigh is the Director of the TCC Clinical Research Office and will serve as Administrator/Manager. This team is well prepared to successfully manage an MB-CCOP in the NO community it serves.
The proposed Tulane MB-CCOP will collaborate with other investigators to develop new agents, improved treatments for cancer patients and strategies for cancer prevention. It will also increase the access of New Orleans area patients to clinical trials and new treatment paradigms, allowing them to continue treatment in their community. Finally, the CCOP will nurture local investigators interested in learning the techniques of clinical cancer research.
