ECOG-ACRIN Recognizes Early-Career Investigators

At the General Session of the Virtual Fall 2020 Group Meeting, ECOG-ACRIN leadership presented Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE (University of Pennsylvania) with the 2020 Young Investigator Award, the Group's highest distinction. The award recognizes extraordinary scientific achievements and research leadership contributions made by investigators during the early years of their careers.

Read the feature on Dr. Ky in this issue.

Sanjay Chandrasekaran, MD (Emory University) received the 2020 Paul Carbone, MD Fellowship Award, a $25,000 research grant for fellows in oncology or hematology who are conducting research but have not yet been appointed to a first full-time faculty position. Dr. Chandrasekaran’s research focuses on repurposing small-molecule inhibitors to stimulate anti-cancer immunity in patients. His project intends to demonstrate that PI3K delta/gamma inhibition abrogates the immunosuppressive activity of myeloid-derived suppressor cells on T-cells.

Two presenters from the 2020 Young Investigator Symposium received awards of distinction—an annual tradition. Edina Wang, MD (Medstar Georgetown University Hospital) won the distinction award for clinical research for her presentation Deep Learning-Based Hippocampus Segmentation Using MRI for Hippocampal Avoidance Radiation Therapy. Ravi Patel, MD, PhD (University of Pittsburgh Hillman Cancer Center) secured the distinction award for translational research; his presentation was titled Low Dose Systemic Targeted Radio-Pharmaceutical Therapy Enhances Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Blockade. Meet the nine 2020 Young Investigator Symposium presenters.

TMIST Trial Breaks Monthly Accrual Record

The TMIST breast cancer screening trial continues to regain momentum after the COVID-related shutdown of cancer screenings earlier this year. Enrollment in October was 2112 patients—marking the first time ever that monthly accrual rose above 2000. October enrollment was 54% higher than September. Read TMIST news and updates in the third quarter site newsletter.

Sarcoma Working Group Adds Co-Chair, Seeks New Members

Richard Riedel, MD (Duke University), has been appointed co-chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Sarcoma Working Group, joining Chair Kenneth Cardona, MD (Emory University), and Imaging Chair Ronnie Sebro, MD (University of Pennsylvania). They are looking for new members. Physicians, scientists, nurses, clinical research associates, patient advocates/patient representatives, and other healthcare professionals may be eligible. Interested individuals should email Dr. Cardona directly.

American College of Radiology Honors Barry Siegel

Barry Siegel, MD, who serves on several ECOG-ACRIN committees and is the principal investigator for Washington University in St. Louis, received the Gold Medal Award, the American College of Radiology’s highest honor, for more than 40 years of leadership in the field of nuclear medicine. The honor recognizes his role in developing positron emission tomography (PET) into a major clinical and research tool and his efforts to elevate the quality of imaging clinical trials. Read more.

American Society of Hematology Lauds Leukemia Leaders

Ari Melnick, MD (Weill Cornell Medicine) was one of two research leaders to receive the 2020 Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize from the American Society of Hematology at its recent annual meeting. The award recognizes Dr. Melnick for contributions to the field’s understanding of the epigenetic landscape of hematologic malignancies. Read more.

Adolfo Ferrando, MD, PhD (Columbia University Institute for Cancer Genetics) received the 2020 William Dameshek Prize for his outstanding research on the impact of NOTCH1 mutations on T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Read more.

Drs. Melnick and Ferrando are long-time members of the ECOG-ACRIN Leukemia Committee.

Two ECOG-ACRIN Leaders Named Giants of Cancer Care^®

OncLive^® inducted Keith Flaherty, MD (Massachusetts General Hospital) and Sagar Lonial, MD (Emory University) into its 2020 Giants of Cancer Care program. Giants of Cancer Care celebrates the achievements of leading researchers and educators whose discoveries have helped propel the field forward and established the building blocks for future advances. Drs. Flaherty and Lonial are recognized for their work in the fields of melanoma and myeloma respectively. Read more.

Reminder to Research Staff: Slides and Presentations Available

Numerous educational resources and presentations from the recent Group Meeting are available to download and view on demand. They include slides from the CRA Committee Session and the Oncology Nursing Committee Session, as well as several pre-recorded educational presentations. Visit the Member Website, Clinical and Administrative Resources section, and look for the link at the top of the page, "Virtual Fall 2020 Group Meeting Educational Session Resources." Among the topics:

• RECIST 1.1 Training Presentation
• Regulatory Considerations with COVID-19
• Auditing in the Wake of COVID-19 - Embracing the Remote Audit Process