Big Ten CRC News & Events
January 2021
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Monika Joshi appointed chief scientific officer |
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Monika Joshi, MD, MRCP, associate professor of medicine at Penn State College of Medicine and a medical oncologist at Penn State Cancer Institute, has been appointed as the chief scientific officer of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium. She succeeds Ruth O’Regan, MD, who now serves as chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Rochester. She will serve a three-year, renewable term in her new role. Dr. Joshi has been active in the Big Ten CRC since the consortium’s founding. In addition to leading multiple Big Ten CRC studies, she served on the Big Ten CRC Steering Committee and as a co-chair of the Genitourinary Clinical Trial Working Group.
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Loehrer, Indiana University honored during summit |
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The Big Ten CRC honored Indiana University and Patrick J. Loehrer, Sr., MD, director of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, with two new awards during the Big Ten CRC Virtual Summit on Friday, January 8. The Big Ten CRC Institutional Leadership Award will be presented annually to the member institution that provides the greatest overall contribution to the success of the consortium, as determined by investigator participation in Clinical Trial Working Groups and patient enrollment on Big Ten CRC clinical trials. Indiana University received the award for 2020. The Pat Loehrer Award for Exemplary Collaboration in Cancer Research will be presented annually to an individual researcher who best demonstrates collaboration within the Big Ten CRC, as determined by Big Ten CRC leaders. Dr. Loehrer, whose vision and leadership were key in the Big Ten CRC’s establishment and continued growth, was chosen for the inaugural award named in his honor.
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Virtual Grand Rounds: A silver lining for Big Ten collaboration during pandemic |
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In a recent holiday post on his blog Holden the Line on Cancer, George Weiner, MD, director of the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, reflected on the resilience, creativity, and enduring commitment that has kept research collaborations strong throughout this tumultuous year. As one example, Dr. Weiner writes about the newly introduced Big Ten CRC Grand Rounds: "New collaborations between cancer centers in the Big Ten are starting to emerge from these discussions. Hopefully Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Grand Rounds will continue post-pandemic and be seen as a silver lining that emerged from this very difficult time."
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Hrinczenko: A bright future for research at MSU |
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After more than 20 years in cancer research, Borys Hrinczenko, MD, PhD, sees a bright future. As a lung cancer specialist at the Michigan State University Breslin Cancer Center, he has led numerous clinical trials and helped pioneer new therapies, including checkpoint inhibitors, harnessing the body’s immune system against lung cancer. Twenty years ago, he could offer his lung cancer patients few viable treatments. More recently, "I’ve had patients who have done quite well on checkpoint inhibitors," Hrinczenko said. That includes a small group of long-term survivors with advanced lung cancer. He expects more breakthroughs as the Breslin Cancer Center looks forward to moving into a new hospital in early 2022 now being built by McLaren Health Care in partnership with MSU and adjacent to the East Lansing campus. Breslin is reorganizing its clinical trials office to improve efficiency and forming alliances with several other cancer groups, including the Karmanos Cancer Institute, which is part of McLaren.
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MSU seeks candidates for open position in urology |
The Michigan State University Division of Urology seeks a board-eligible / board-certified candidate for a full time, associate / assistant professor faculty position in the urologic surgery division. Residency training in urological surgery with fellowship training or significant experience in genitourinary oncology, urologic oncology, or minimally invasive / robotic surgery with an oncology focus is recommended.
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University of Michigan
Investigator Spotlight
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University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center member Ajjai Alva, MBBS is an associate professor of hematology/oncology and member of the Big Ten CRC’s Genitourinary Clinical Trial Working Group. He has participated in four Big Ten CRC trials with a few more in the pipeline. In a recent member feature, Dr. Alva shared why he is glad to be part of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: "The Big Ten CRC provides wonderful opportunities to collaborate with our peers at all stages of concept and protocol development and execution. Several of them have become steadfast friends and colleagues."
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