The Newsroom

Thomas George, MD receives ASCO Advocacy Champion Honor

Congratulations to Thomas George, MD from the University of Florida Cancer Center, for recently being honored by the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) as an Advocacy Champion for exemplifying cancer care advocacy in 2022.  Dr. George is the NSABP Foundation Colorectal Cancer Protocol Officer, NRG Oncology Gastrointestinal (Colorectal) Cancer Committee Chair and a founding member of the NRG Oncology Communications Committee.  Read more about Dr. George’s ASCO Advocacy Champion honor here.

The multiplexed IF image taken by Marion Joy, NSABP Foundation Division of Pathology, with the AKOYA instrument in our joint NSABP/HCC Translational Pathology Imaging Lab (TPIL) just made the cover of the April issue of Nature Cancer!

The image is from a cohort of breast cancer specimens that Sayali Onkar evaluated as part of her manuscript, which is the featured article of the issue. Read more

Christine Rudock to retire after 53 years with the NSABP, nine years with NRG Oncology
After a long career with the NSABP and since 2014 with NRG Oncology, Christine Rudock, Publications/Graphics Associate in the Pittsburgh office, will retire on March 31, 2023.

Chris began her career working as a technician in the laboratory of Dr Bernard Fisher, joining his team one week after high school graduation in 1970.  She carried out murine experiments (resulting in a number of publications), interspersed with making slides, posters, and other graphics for meetings and journal manuscripts.  When the lab was closed in the 1980s, Chris took on the role of travel coordinator for NSABP members and continued her graphics work for the next several years.  Since 2007, she has been a fulltime member of the publications department staff in Pittsburgh, specializing in graphics, publications database entry, and abstract and manuscript submissions.  She is the department expert in the NIHMS publications compliance system for NRG Oncology grant requirements.  Chris’ retirement will leave a tremendous vacancy in the publications group: we will miss her talent and dedication.

NRG Oncology Selects Three Awardees for Health Equity Fellowship Program

NRG Oncology (NRG), a National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) group, recently announced that they have named three health equity fellows as a part of the organization’s Health Equity Fellowship Program. Fellowship awardees include Dr. Idalid Franco, Dr. Sophia Kamran, and Dr. Anwaar Saeed.

NRG’s Health Equity Fellowship Program was established by Joan Walker, MD, of the University of Oklahoma and an NRG NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Principal Investigator, to train selected early-stage investigators in the NRG Oncology system by means of a structured mentorship experience. The program has an emphasis on the recruitment of researchers from underrepresented groups. Selected fellows receive an award of $50,000 for two years with an end result of developing a new research protocol within NRG Oncology.

This year, three applicants were able to be selected due to the generosity of donations from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the NSABP Foundation, and the RTOG Foundation,

Dr. Puhalla receives The Pink Pamper 2022 Oncologist of the Year
Sponsored and Presented by AnaOno

Congratulations to Shannon Puhalla, MD, Senior Associate Medical Director of Oncology for the NSABP Foundation, for being the recipient of The Pink Pamper’s 2022 Oncologist of the Year award. The Pink Pamper’s Oncologist of the Year Award recognizes the achievements of an individual who, throughout the span of their career, has made significant contributions that have had a transforming and lasting impact in areas of clinical oncology, patient advocacy activities, and patient care.

Dr. Wolmark to receive Susan G. Komen Brinker Award
Norman Wolmark, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Chairman of the NSABP Foundation, Inc., an NRG Oncology Group Chair and Contact Principal Investigator, will receive the Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Clinical Research from the Susan G. Komen organization, which is their highest scientific honor. Established by Komen in 1992, the Brinker Awards for Scientific Distinction are the marquee scientific awards for honoring leading scientists who have made the most significant advances in breast cancer research and medicine.

“Dr. Wolmark’s contributions can be seen in breast cancer clinics worldwide. His efforts have afforded women more effective and less invasive options for breast cancer care. Additionally, his research has shifted the breast cancer field into preventative and more personalized care leading to better outcomes for so many,” said Komen’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, Chief Scientific and Strategy Officer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Wolmark will present a keynote lecture at the 45^th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, which is being held in-person and virtually December 6-10, 2022.

Foundation Accrual Credit for NRG Oncology Membership Requirements Announcement
NRG Oncology has amended the accrual requirements to achieve and maintain Main, Affiliate, Voting and International Member statuses.  Enrollments to trials conducted by its member foundations, the GOG, NSABP and RTOG Foundations, may now be credited for a portion of the accrual needed to meet the NRG Oncology membership requirements. The NRG Oncology Board of Directors approved this change during its August 25, 2022 meeting.  At the end of each calendar year, the three foundations will provide NRG with a summary of the institutional accruals to its non-NRG Oncology trials.  The NRG Membership Committee will review institutional performance using data that includes those accruals.

In memoriam – James Lloyd Hoehn, MD, FACS

We were saddened to learn of the recent passing of James L. Hoehn, MD, FACS. Dr. Hoehn died at home on the evening of Friday, August 26, 2022.

Dr. Hoehn was a surgical oncologist in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and affiliated with Marshfield Medical Center. He received his medical degree from University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago.

Dr. Hoehn was a great supporter and contributor to the NSABP for many years, beginning in 1981 as an investigator at the Marshfield Clinic. Additionally, he was a member of the NSABP Membership Committee and became the chairman of that committee in 1999. He was also a contributing member of the NSABP Breast Cancer Committee, Breast Cancer Working Group, and the Quality Assurance Committee. He was a Board of Directors member for 9 years, from 1999-2009.  Dr. Hoehn was an active principal investigator with many NSABP breast cancer studies including breast cancer prevention trials.  He contributed to multiple protocol design, volunteered as an auditor, and co-authored several NSABP publications.

Dr. Norman Wolmark, chair of the NSABP Foundation, had the honor of presenting Dr. Hoehn the Distinguished Investigator Lifetime Achievement Award (SPGA) at the NSABP Group Meeting held in Boca Raton in 2011. “Dr Hoehn was a cornerstone of the NSABP and one of its most devoted exponents. His compassion, empathy and friendship were an inspiration to us all,” said Dr. Wolmark.

Dr. Hoehn’s wife, Nancy Goldberg, recalled asking him how he got interested in breast cancer research. His response was “when I saw my first radical mastectomy in training, I thought there had to be a better way.”  He found that better way … “working in the trenches for Bernie,” as he described his experience with NSABP.  He felt it was the most rewarding aspect of his career.

Dr. Hoehn was a lover of dogs and historical preservation. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given in his honor for the Wisconsin Humane Society-Door County Campus (3475 Park Drive, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235); or the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society’s Door County Granary Fund (c/o Door County Community Foundation, 222 N. 3rd, Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235) for the granary preservation project.

Click here to read the full obituary for Dr. Hoehn. Our sincere condolences to Dr. Hoehn’s friends and family.

Jack Berkebile retires from NSABP Foundation
Jack Berkebile, CEO of the NSABP Foundation since 2020, has retired from the organization as of June 30, 2022. Before joining the NSABP Foundation and NRG Oncology in the Pittsburgh Operations Center, Jack spent 17 years with UPMC in Pittsburgh where he worked since 2003, first as the Operations Manager of the Arnold Palmer Pavilion, and in 2009, when he relocated to England to become Director of Oncology Services under UPMC International’s management services agreement with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust. Jack returned to UPMC’s Pittsburgh headquarters in 2011, performing business development for both UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and UPMC International. In 2014, Jack became responsible for UPMC International’s operations in China, where he resided for two years while leading in the development and opening of the Xiangya International Medical Center in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province. We wish Jack all the best in his retirement!

NSABP Foundation Research at 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting
NSABP Foundation clinical trials will be featured during the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting at the GI-Colorectal Cancer session with four poster presentations on Saturday, June 4, 9am-12pm EDT. The full listing of NRG Oncology author/investigators from NCTN-sponsored federal trials and NSABP-RTOG-GOG Foundation research presented during the 2022 ASCO Annual Meeting is available by clicking here.

NSABP Foundation names Priya Rastogi, MD as Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Norman Wolmark, Chairman of the NSABP Foundation and Contact Principal Investigator of NRG Oncology, recently announced the NSABP Foundation’s Medical Director, Dr. Priya Rastogi, will also serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the NSABP effective July 1, 2022. Dr. Rastogi also serves as the NSABP Foundation Chair for Medical Affairs and she is a Board Member of NRG Oncology. We extend our sincere congratulations to Dr. Rastogi! Please click here to read the NSABP press release for more about Dr. Rastogi’s appointment.

NSABP Foundation welcomes Dr. Geyer as Chief Scientific Officer

We are pleased to welcome Charles Edward Geyer, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.P., as the chief scientific officer of the NSABP Foundation.  Dr. Geyer also joins the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center as co-director of its NCI National Clinical Trials Network efforts. Please read the press release from UPMC Hillman Cancer Center for more information about Dr. Geyer’s return to Pittsburgh.

Barbara Good, PhD, to Retire from the NSABP Foundation and NRG Oncology

Barbara Good, PhD, editor for NRG Oncology and director of scientific publications for the NSABP Foundation, will retire at the beginning of 2022 after 23 years with the NSABP and seven years with NRG Oncology. Barbara developed the publications department at the NSABP after having served previously as a medical writer with ECOG, a medical editor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh, managing editor of the journal Laboratory Animal Science, an instructor in medical writing at Carnegie Mellon University, and in several other medical writing and editing positions. She is a former national president of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and a member of the Council of Science Editors, and in 2019 was one of the developers of AMWA’s position statement on predatory publishing in conjunction with the European Medical Writers Association and the International Society for Medical Publications Professionals.

Dr. Good has served as a member of NRG’s Publications and Patient Advocacy Committees and in the past chaired NRG Oncology’s Communications Committee’s working group, which developed the branding for NRG Oncology. She is a breast cancer survivor and over the years has written a column on breast cancer topics for the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition’s publication Frontline. In “retirement,” she will be working as a medical writing consultant and pursuing one of her major interests, animal—specifically dog—rescue. Her staff in Pittsburgh will miss her guidance and expertise. We wish her much luck and will keep in touch!

Congratulations to Marion Joy, PhD

Marion Joy, PhD from the NSABP Foundation Department of Pathology was a Akoya Biosciences image winner for her image of chronic kidney transplant rejection tissue stained with CD31, CD3, CD16, IL21R, CD160, and CD56, using the Vectra Polaris™ imaging system. Read more

Exact Sciences and NSABP Foundation Announce Clinical Validation Study to Detect Minimal Residual Disease in Colorectal Cancer Patients

CORRECT-MRD II study intended to validate the ability of Exact Sciences’ circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) test to detect minimal residual disease (MRD) and predict cancer recurrence. Fight CRC to help inform study design and support recruitment of patients from different racial, ethnic, and underserved populations. Click here to read the Press Release.

Outstanding NSABP Foundation / NRG Oncology Researcher to Receive 2021 PA Breast Cancer Coalition Potamkin Prize

NSABP Foundation and NRG Oncology Breast Cancer Researcher Sandra Swain, MD, FACP, FASCO will be awarded the 2021 Potamkin Prize as announced by NRG Patient Advocate Committee Co-Chair and President of the PA Breast Cancer Coalition Pat Halpin-Murphy. Dr. Swain is a world-renowned researcher and oncologist at Georgetown University Medical Center who currently serves as Co-Chair of the Early Breast Cancer Trialists Collaborative Group (EBCTCG) at Oxford University and as Vice Chair of the NSABP Foundation.

“I cannot think of a more deserving recipient of this award than Dr. Swain,” said Halpin-Murphy. “Her accomplishments, including the groundbreaking CLEOPATRA trial on HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer, have changed the standard of breast cancer care. We are honored to welcome Dr. Swain and to learn about her latest research.”

The first recipient of the Potamkin Prize was Dr. Bernie Fisher whose discoveries transformed standard practice for breast cancer patients. Dr. Swain will receive the award Friday, October 15 during the PA Breast Cancer Coalition Virtual Conference. To hear Dr. Swain’s Opening Session presentation on HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer, visit pbcc.me/conference to register.

During the 2021 ASCO Virtual Meeting, Dr. Priya Rastogi, NSABP Foundation medical director, discusses results from the NRG Oncology/NSABP B-42 trial, which evaluated the utility of the 70-gene MammaPrint assay in predicting the benefit of extended letrozole therapy in patients who had completed 5 years of adjuvant endocrine therapy (Abstract 502). Click here to view the video.

The PALLAS primary manuscript has been released online at Lancet Oncology. PALLAS: Palbociclib with adjuvant endocrine therapy in early breast cancer: interim analysis of a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 3 study.

Dr. Priya Rastogi presented positive primary outcome data from the NSABP B-58/monarchE trial on the role of abemaciclib in early stage, high risk breast cancer during the San Antonio Breast Cancer Annual Meeting that was held virtually December 8-11, 2020. Press releases have been issued from Eli Lilly and Company, and SABCS/AACR

2020 SABCS Meeting

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Annual Meeting is being held virtually December 8-11, 2020. A schedule of presentations by NSABP Foundation is available below.

NSABP B-60 activates! DS8201-A-U305 (Destiny – Breast05; NSABP B60)

Effective November 5, 2020, the NSABP B-60 study has been activated and enrollment may begin once all activation requirements are met. Click below to read the press release from Daiichi-Sanko.

Dr. Wolmark is featured speaker at FDA Oncology Center of Excellence lecture series

Norman Wolmark, MD, Chairman of the NSABP Foundation and Group Chair for NRG Oncology, was the speaker at the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence “Icons in Oncology” during their “Icons in Oncology” lecture series that was held virtually on November 2, 2020, for FDA staff. Dr. Wolmark’s lecture was titled “The Contribution of NSABP Clinical Trials to the Management of Early Breast Cancer: an Odyssey.”

Dr. Wolmark receives 2020 PNC Elsie Hillman Distinguished Scholar Award

Norman Wolmark, MD, Chairman of the NSABP Foundation and of the NCTN group NRG Oncology, was honored with the PNC Elsie Hillman Distinguished Scholar Award during the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center’s Celebration of Hope virtual event held September 17, 2020. The PNC Elsie Hillman Distinguished Scholar Award was established in 2011 by PNC and is presented to exceptional cancer researcher(s) during UPMC Hillman Cancer Center’s Annual Gala. This year’s Gala was held virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  For more information about this year’s Gala and Dr. Wolmark’s award, click below to view the event program.

MonarchE/NSABP B-58 results reported at ESMO Virtual Meeting

Positive study results were recently presented for the MonarchE/NSABP B-58 study, sponsored by Eli Lilly, at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2020 Virtual Congress. This study showed that adding the drug abemaciclib to adjuvant endocrine therapy significantly reduced the risk of recurrence for women with high-risk, early-stage breast cancer, an important development for this patient population. NSABP Foundation Medical Director, Priya Rastogi, MD, was a senior investigator for the trial and a senior author for the published results in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Click below to read the press release.

André Robidoux, MD, long-time researcher with the NSABP and NRG Oncology, dies in Montreal. Click below to read the announcement.

Joan B. Goldberg, MPH, approaches retirement from NRG Oncology and the NSABP Foundation. Click below to read the announcement.

MonarchE/NSABP B-58 trial meets primary endpoint with Abemaciclib combo in HR+, HER2- breast cancer. Click below to read the press release from Eli Lilly.

Update on PALLAS, an International Academic Breast Cancer Study Evaluating Adjuvant Palbociclib. Click below to read the press release.

In memorium – Janet Wolter-Grip, MD

It is with much sadness that we convey the passing of Janet Wolter-Grip, MD, on February 4, 2020, at the age of 93. Dr. Wolter was an oncologist and Professor of Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She was a member of ECOG, as well as the legacy NSABP, serving on executive committees for both cooperative groups.  NSABP awarded her the Investigator Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.  We extend our deepest condolences to her family and colleagues. Click here to read the memorial written by Dr. Wolter’s colleague at Rush University Medical Center, Dr. Melody Cobleigh.