The American Society of Clinical Oncology has awarded $10,000 grants to five of its state and regional affiliates to fund projects that address the varying needs of oncologists and people with cancer in their communities.
Projects funded through the grant program include a study about the barriers to enrolling in clinical trials, a social networking Web site to improve communications among oncologists in the state, a physician outreach program about meeting the needs of practicing oncologists, a Web site to centralize state-specific cancer information for physicians and patients, and research to determine how a patient navigator’s association can help people with cancer in the state.
The grant recipients will be recognized at the State Affiliates’ Reception, being held May 31 at ASCO's 45th Annual Meeting in Orlando.
“ASCO applauds these state societies for taking the initiative to expand the reach of their organizations and to conduct important research and outreach to cancer patients and their families,” said ASCO president Richard L. Schilsky, MD. “Strong state societies are essential to effective advocacy and are a key resource in helping ASCO address issues affecting the cancer community.”
The 2009 awardees and their projects include:
- The Denali Oncology Group, based in Anchorage, Alaska, will create a Web site of cancer-related resource information for Alaskan physicians, their patients and families. The Web site will include information on available clinical trials and an online database of society members who practice in the state.
- In collaboration with the Georgia Cancer Coalition, the Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology will identify existing resources in the state that offer patient navigation services and will host a stakeholders meeting to assess the need for a Cancer Patient Navigator’s Association.
- Maryland/DC Society of Clinical Oncology: The Society will develop an online social networking Web site, to provide increased opportunities for collaboration among its members. Specifically, the site will help oncologists in Maryland and Washington, D.C., share information on clinical trials, research findings, and other oncology-related topics.
- New York State Society of Medical Oncologists & Hematologists: The Society will develop and promote an outreach project to identify oncology/hematology practice issues that adversely affect patient access to cancer care, including promoting communication between hematologists and oncologists and encouraging clinical research.
- The Northern New England Society of Clinical Oncology will conduct a study to determine the barriers to clinical trials participation. The study will focus on whether the cost of participation contributes to an individuals’ decision to forego trial participation.
ASCO’s State Affiliate Grant Program, created in 2005, provides financial support to state and regional affiliates to help them implement specific year-long projects that will ultimately lead to better treatment for patients.