 |
NCI Appoints New Deputy Director
Dr. Mark Clanton, former president-elect
of the American Cancer Society,
has been named deputy director for
Cancer Care and Delivery Systems
at NCI. Dr. Clanton received his
M.D. from Tulane University Medical
School and his M.P.H. in Health
Policy and Management from the
Harvard School of Public Health;
he also holds a certificate in finance
from the Cox School of Business at
Southern Methodist University and is
a graduate of Howard University. He
is a fellow of the American Academy
of Pediatrics. With 10 years of experience
with managed care and health
plan administration, he was the first
African American to be promoted to
the post of Chief Medical Officer of
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas.
At Blue Cross, he was the executive
responsible for new medical technology
assessment, medical policy development,
health services research, and
leading the pharmacy drug program
for more than 1 million members.
3,000 Patients Accrued to Cancer Trials Support Unit
Recently, NCI's Cancer Trials Support
Unit (CTSU) achieved a significant
milestone when it enrolled its 3,000th
patient on a clinical trial. CTSU was
created to make NCI-supported
Cooperative Group treatment trials
more accessible to qualified oncologists
and their patients. It also has
helped coordinate the multiple Cooperative
Group regulatory systems,
thereby helping to reduce the administrative
burden on physicians participating
in these large, multicenter
trials. Since opening in October 2000,
CTSU now offers a menu of 49 protocols
across a variety of common solid
tumors and hematologic cancers. Investigators
and their staffs can access
CTSU at www.ctsu.org, where protocol-specific and general educational
materials can be easily downloaded.
"CTSU has made it possible for investigators
to participate in trials that are
best for their patients, even if the trial
is not being led by their group. This is
helping to shorten the time needed to
complete some important protocols,
such as CALGB C40101, ECOG 3200
and NCIC-CTG MA.27. The original
vision of the CTSU is starting to be
realized," said Steve Riordan, CTSU
project director.
New Deputy Directors Announced at All-Hands Meeting
Speaking at his second "all-hands"
meeting since becoming NCI director,
Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach
announced the establishment of four
new deputy director positions that
"will be arrayed across the realm
of the discovery, development, and
delivery continuum," and "help to
organize and orchestrate the entire
NCI portfolio."
Dr. Anna Barker, currently deputy
director for Strategic Scientific
Initiatives, has been named deputy
director for Advanced Technologies
and Strategic Partnerships. Dr. Mark
Clanton will serve as deputy director
for Cancer Care and Delivery Systems.
Negotiations are ongoing with candidates
for the position of deputy director
for Integrative Biology and Molecular
Oncology as well as deputy director for
Translational and Clinical Sciences.
NCI at AAAS
Attendees at the 2004 annual meeting
of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science can
visit NCI in the meeting's exhibit hall
from Feb. 13 through 16. Attendees
will be able to learn about NCI, its
research resources, and opportunities
for training.
|
