Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University (Winship) is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the state of Georgia, despite Georgia being the eighth most populous state in the nation. Within Georgia, cancer is the second leading cause of death, with 48,850 new cancer cases diagnosed each year1. Since March 1, 2014, when Winship became a NCI National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) Lead Academic Participating Site (LAPS), Winship has played a unique role in leading research in the NCTN groups in the four most important measures of success: 1) Winship has exceeded its enrollment target for NCTN trials; 2) Winship has provided significant leadership to both the NRG and the ECOG-ACRIN groups; 3) Winship has been active in designing and supporting clinical trials in all NCTN network groups; and 4) Winship leadership has been successful in mentoring the next generation of cancer researchers. Winship members are well represented in the NCI's NCTN steering committees and task forces. Approximately 30% of Winship patients enrolled to NCTN trials are of African descent. Additionally, Winship has been among the top three centers for the past four years and the highest in 2016 to enroll children and adolescents with cancer to the Children's Oncology Group (COG) indicating Winship's leadership in the NCTN. The Atlanta VA Medical Center, currently an affiliate of our LAPS, was the top enroller to NCTN trials nationally among VA hospitals for the first two years of the award period. Winship has also leveraged its statewide partnerships with the Georgia National Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) and the Georgia minority underserved NCORP to enhance accruals to NCTN trials throughout Georgia. With an enthusiastic institutional commitment to its role in the NCTN, Winship proposes the following specific aims for this application: 1) Expand its many leadership roles within the NCTN and the network groups; 2) Enroll Winship patients onto a wide spectrum of NCTN trials, emphasizing enrollment of historically under-represented minority patients; 3) Provide mentorship and guidance to early career investigators for participation in the NCTN; and 4) Develop novel clinical trials in the NCTN based on research ideas generated at Winship.
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University has made outstanding contributions to the NCTN in multiple ways, including providing scientific leadership, service to the network groups, robust patient enrollment, participation in important NCI steering committees and task forces, and providing mentorship to the next generation of researchers. As Georgia's only comprehensive cancer center, Winship is well positioned to continue its major contributions to the NCTN in every possible manner.
