Cancer Today Features Advocate Brian Jones

In June, Cancer Today published a feature on Brian Jones, prostate cancer survivor, research advocate, and member of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) Genitourinary Cancer Committee and Cancer Research Advocates Committee. Brian was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer in 2015. Now in remission, he is passionate about helping others—especially other Black men—facing the disease. His advocacy began close to home when his brother-in-law, father, and father-in-law also received prostate cancer diagnoses. Today, Brian’s advocacy work extends further into the community through his involvement with organizations like Zero Prostate Cancer and ECOG-ACRIN. Read the full story.

ECOG-ACRIN Alums Welcome New Baby

Many couples can say they met at work; fewer can say they met their obstetrician-gynecologist there. Cindy Glennon and Mike Phillips are one such couple. The two met as data management associates in the ECOG-ACRIN Operations Office in Boston, where they also got to know Tiffany Phyoe, another data management associate. All three eventually left to pursue new opportunities—but in July, Tiffany (now Dr. Tiffany Phyoe-Battaglia) delivered Cindy and Mike’s second child, a baby girl named Zoe.

After leaving ECOG-ACRIN, Tiffany pursued a career in obstetrics-gynecology and is now at North Shore Physicians Group, a member of the Mass General Brigham integrated healthcare system. The three (plus baby Zoe) took a moment to document the happy event with an impromptu photo.

Save the Date for the Fall 2024 Group Meeting

Mark your calendar for our Fall 2024 Group Meeting, to be held in person at the Marriott Harbor Beach Hotel in Fort Lauderdale from Wednesday, November 6-Friday, November 8. Sessions will likely begin mid-morning on Wednesday and end mid-afternoon on Friday (subject to change). Registration will open later this month—look for an email to all ECOG-ACRIN members announcing when registration is available. As usual, the meeting is open to researchers and staff affiliated with member institutions, ECOG-ACRIN patient advocates, industry representatives, and other invited individuals.

Important note: Special accommodations are being prepared for this meeting, and some sessions may be available in a hybrid format. Please also note that the meeting begins the day after the national Election Day. Be sure to plan accordingly.

Call for Abstracts: 2024 Young Investigator Symposium

ECOG-ACRIN is accepting research abstracts from early-career investigators interested in presenting their research as part of the upcoming Fall 2024 Group Meeting (see above). Researchers may be eligible to apply if they are engaged in clinical, translational, imaging, or basic cancer research or in non-cancer-related research that has application to cancer biology, prevention, screening, diagnosis, imaging, or treatment. View the full eligibility criteria and the official abstract submission form.

The Symposium will take place in person during the Fall Group Meeting; the specific day/time will be announced in the coming weeks. The deadline for abstract submissions is Thursday, September 12, 2024, 11:59 PM (Eastern Time).

CRA Core Committee Adds New Members

The ECOG-ACRIN Clinical Research Associates (CRA) Core Committee, led by Christine Jerome, MS, CCRP, and LaToya Strickland, MBA, CCRP, recently elected several new members to help further its mission to assist principal investigators in the development and coordination of ECOG-ACRIN clinical trials and facilitate patient participation. The committee is also responsible for creating educational materials, developing policies, and providing guidance for ECOG-ACRIN studies. The new members are listed below, and the full committee roster is available on ecog-acrin.org.

• Bryan James Burton
  Emory University/Winship Cancer Institute
• Vilma Calderon
  Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/Tisch Cancer Institute
• Lauren Farnon
  Fox Chase Cancer Center
• Stacy Hetrick
  Geisinger Cancer Institute
• Tolulope Ogunkelu
  John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County
• Rebecca Sinkes
  Carle Cancer Institute