JAMA Oncology Podcast Highlights EA9131

The JAMA Oncology Author Interviews Podcast recently featured Anand P. Jillella, MD (Georgia Cancer Center at August University), principal investigator of the EA9131 clinical trial, as its sole author of choice for the month of February 2025. This unique study led to a dramatic decrease in early deaths from acute promyelocytic leukemia, a rare and aggressive—yet highly curable—cancer. On the podcast, Dr. Jillella and host Vivek Subbiah, MD, discuss the inspiration behind the study, its implementation, and its impact. Listen to the full episode or read the publication in JAMA Oncology.

Ticiana Leal Tapped to Lead Winship Clinical Trials Office

Ticiana Leal, MD, is now the medical director of the Clinical Trials Office at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. At Emory, she is also an associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, and Thoracic Oncology Disease Team Leader in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the School of Medicine. Dr. Leal specializes in caring for patients with lung cancer, mesothelioma, and thymic malignancies. She is a member of the ECOG-ACRIN Thoracic Cancer Committee and led the EA5161 study for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. She also served as the ECOG-ACRIN representative for the Lung-MAP national lung cancer trial and as chair of the Lung-MAP Scientific and Sub-Study Leadership Committee from 2023-2025. Read the press release.

Yelak Biru Departs IMF

Cancer research advocate, myeloma survivor, and non-profit executive Yelak Biru retired from his role as president and chief executive officer of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), effective February 28, 2025. Yelak served in the position for three years and had a major impact on the IMF in all areas, including research, education, patient support, and advocacy. He has been a myeloma patient advocate for over two decades and continues to be an inspiration to patients and physicians worldwide. Yelak is a longtime member of both the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Advocates Committee and the Myeloma Committee and will continue to serve in those roles. Read the press release.

JNCI Monographs Series Features NCORP Statisticians

This month, JNCI Monographs published a series of articles titled Statistical and Practical Considerations in Design and Analysis of Clinical Trials with Patient-Centered Outcomes. This series originated from consensus meetings collectively hosted by members of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Division of Cancer Prevention and statisticians from each of the seven research bases in the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).

ECOG-ACRIN Associate Group Statistician Jon A. Steingrimsson, PhD (Brown University), is the senior author of several articles. Co-authors from ECOG-ACRIN include Elodia B. Cole, MS (American College of Radiology), Jean Cormack, PhD (Brown University), Fenghai Duan, PhD (Brown University), Constantine A. Gatsonis, PhD (Brown University), Ju-Whei Lee, MS (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), and Etta D. Pisano, MD (American College of Radiology).

The late Worta McCaskill-Stevens, MD, MS, championed this endeavor, and the series is dedicated to her memory. Learn more at JNCI Monographs.

Register Now for the Spring 2025 Group Meeting

Registration is now open for the ECOG-ACRIN Spring 2025 Group Meeting, taking place May 13-15 in Tampa, FL. After registering, you will be able to visit the meeting website as needed to view the latest schedule, session agendas, and other important information as it becomes available.

Important note: Special accommodations are being prepared for this meeting, and some sessions will be available in a hybrid format (both in-person and virtually).

Training Opportunities for Clinical Research Professionals

At the upcoming Group Meeting in Tampa, ECOG-ACRIN is holding several training opportunities for clinical research personnel. See below for details.

Training Workshop
This session will take place on Thursday, May 15, from 8:00 AM-12:00 PM. The workshop is geared toward clinical research associates, coordinators, and research nurses 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; and site auditing and monitoring. If you are interested in attending, be sure to select this session during the Group Meeting registration process.

Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) Workshops
The ECOG-ACRIN Adverse Events Team will be holding two 90-minute workshops for attendees new to using the CTEP-AERS system. There are limited slots available, as these are hands-on workshops that include entering mock adverse events into a test/practice environment. A workstation will be available for each attendee during the session. Sign up to reserve your spot.

ECOG-ACRIN Training Lab
This computer lab will be available Tuesday-Thursday for site personnel to view and explore various educational and reference materials, including the Training Reference Library of videos hosted on YouTube. An extensive list of videos, courses, and tip sheets will be available, and volunteers from ECOG-ACRIN’s audit team and/or data management team will be present to answer questions. Sign up to reserve a time.

Group Meeting Travel Funding Opportunities

Radiation Oncologist Travel Awards
ECOG-ACRIN offers travel grants to encourage radiation oncologists to attend the meeting in person and actively participate in the development of radiation oncology-driven clinical trials and secondary analyses from completed studies. Learn more and apply by Friday, March 21, 2025, at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time).

Clinical Research Associate Travel Awards
The Clinical Research Associates Committee is accepting applications for four travel awards to support clinical research professionals to attend the meeting in person. Data managers, clinical research associates, or clinical research coordinators/nurses with no other form of travel support are eligible. Learn more and apply by Monday, March 31, 2025, at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time).

Edith Peterson Mitchell, MD Health Equity Travel Scholarships
Named after the late Edith P. Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCCP, FRCP (London), these travel scholarships provide support to attend the meeting. The opportunity is open to trainees, including students, residents, fellows, and early-career investigators, who self-identify with populations historically excluded from medicine and science. Early-career researchers who have a primary focus on health equity may also apply. Learn more and apply by Friday, April 11, 2025, at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time).