Mitch Schnall to Lead Data and Technology Solutions at Penn Medicine

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) has announced that Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, PhD, who has served with distinction as Chair of Radiology at the Perelman School of Medicine since 2012, will step down from that post to take on a newly created role as UPHS Senior Vice President for Data and Technology Solutions. This appointment, which begins on May 1, 2024, is an essential component of Penn Medicine’s aim to become the nation’s most visionary health system in leveraging technology to transform our industry. Read the full announcement.

Dr. Schnall will retain his leadership position as Group Co-Chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN). He will continue to lead the Group’s expanding portfolio of data science initiatives.

Etta Pisano to Lead ARPA-H Clinical Trial Initiatives

The United States Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has appointed Etta D. Pisano, MD (American College of Radiology), as senior portfolio lead, to build the agency’s clinical trial portfolio and lead the ARPA-H Advancing Clinical Trials Readiness Initiative. The first radiologist appointed to such a role, Dr. Pisano is an internationally recognized expert in women’s health, breast cancer research, and artificial intelligence in medical imaging applications. She chairs the Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (TMIST) for ECOG-ACRIN. Read the full press release.

Antonio Wolff to Co-Lead the NCI Breast Steering Committee

Antonio C. Wolff, MD (Johns Hopkins University), has been elected to co-lead the Breast Steering Committee for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He began the three-year term on April 1, 2024. Although the new position has required Dr. Wolff to step down as chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Breast Cancer Committee, he will remain an active member of the Group. Read the full press release.

Pamela Kunz Recognized for Practice-Changing E2211 Study

The Yale Cancer Center has presented its Clinical Cancer Research Award to Pamela L. Kunz, MD, for her leadership of E2211, a phase 2 study for patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). In this trial, the combination of capecitabine and temozolomide demonstrated the longest progression-free survival and highest response rates reported to date for patients with this disease. The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, with the journal editor noting that the combination “represents an appropriate standard-of-care option” for the treatment of advanced low-grade and intermediate-grade pancreatic NETs.

Dr. Kunz was the lead investigator for E2211 and is a member of the ECOG-ACRIN Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Committee. She is an associate professor of internal medicine (medical oncology) at the Yale School of Medicine, director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers, and chief of GI Medical Oncology at the Yale Cancer Center.

New Episode of Keeping Up With the Radiologists

In Episode Three: Are current radiology AI offerings addressing practice needs?, co-hosts Saurabh (Harry) Jha, MD, and ECOG-ACRIN Group Co-Chair Mitchell Schnall, MD, PhD (both University of Pennsylvania) address the shortcomings of artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology in a spirited discussion with Penn Medicine colleagues and Prashant Warier, PhD, co-founder and chief executive officer of artificial intelligence (AI) software developer Qure.ai. Keeping Up With the Radiologists is a new podcast series by AuntMinnie.com and Penn Radiology about the practice of radiology. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Reminder: Register for the Spring 2024 Group Meeting

In case you missed it, registration is open for the ECOG-ACRIN Spring 2024 Group Meeting, taking place in person May 1-3 in Baltimore, MD. View the schedule on the Group Meeting website and register for three days of engaging sessions highlighting the latest in basic, clinical, and translational research. As a reminder, the Group Meetings are in person only. Members unable to attend in person may register for on-demand access to select session recordings (to be posted after the meeting concludes).

Featured Sessions

Group leaders encourage attendees to take part in the following sessions (all times are Eastern Time):

Wednesday, May 1

• Social Determinants of Health Working Group | 1:30-2:30 PM
• Robert L. Comis, MD Translational Science Symposium | 3:00-5:00 PM
• Task Force on Advancement for Women Update | 5:00-6:00 PM
• Health Equity Plenary | 6:30-7:30 PM
• Edith P. Mitchell, MD Memorial Reception | 7:30-8:30 PM

Thursday, May 2

• ComboMATCH and MyeloMATCH Update and Education Session | 8:00-9:00 AM
• General Session | 5:30-7:30 PM
• Reception | 7:30-9:00 PM

Friday, May 3

• Training Workshop for Clinical Research Professionals | 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
  (details below)
• TMIST Update and Education Session | 8:00-9:00 AM

Training Workshop for Clinical Research Professionals

At the upcoming Group Meeting in Baltimore, ECOG-ACRIN is holding a workshop for clinical research personnel on Friday, May 3 from 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM. The workshop is geared to clinical research associates, coordinators, and research nurses who are new to the clinical trial process. Experienced personnel who would like to refresh their knowledge are also welcome. Planned topics include:

• An overview of available online resources
• Registration and roster maintenance
• Regulatory basics including CIRB and site start-up
• Investigational agent management
• Patient case management, including OPEN, RECIST, CTEP-AERS, Rave, and TRIAD
• Site auditing and monitoring

If you are interested in attending, be sure to select this session during the Group Meeting registration process. For those who cannot attend in person, plans are in development for an online training resource. Additional information is forthcoming.

New System for Collecting COI Disclosures

In the next few weeks, ECOG-ACRIN will be launching a new system for collecting a Financial Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Statement from individuals involved in key committee, study, and Group leadership positions. Annual and study-specific collection is required for all research funded under Public Health Service grants (US Department of Health and Human Services) and was previously accomplished in ECOG-ACRIN via a paper-based system. Under this new web-based system, individuals will receive an email with instructions and a URL link to a site where they can review ECOG-ACRIN’s COI policy and complete, sign, and submit their disclosure statements. Note that to access the system, individuals must log in using their CTEP-IAM or ID.me credentials.