Optimization of strategies to improve NCI-sponsored clinical trial participation throughout the Weill Cornell Medicine - Meyer Cancer Center Sphere

The Meyer Cancer Center (MCC) of Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM), and NewYork Presbyterian Medical Center (NYP) is a matrix cancer center serving a catchment area of approximately 6 million patients in following locations: WCM, located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYP Lower Manhattan (NYP-LM) located in lower Manhattan south of Greenwich Village (with virtually all cancer care occurring at WCM), NYP-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital (NYP-BMH), located in Park Slope, and NYP-Queens Hospital (NYP-Q), located in Flushing. WCM was a long-standing main member of CALGB as well as COG, while also having full member status including leadership within and participating in trials for RTOG, ECOG, and ACRIN. Most recently, within the NCTN, MCC/WCM has predominantly been involved in the Alliance, including affiliate membership at the NYP-BMH site and COG while continuing to have some leadership roles in NRG Oncology (including main membership at the NYP-BMH site and affiliate status at the NYP-Queens site). WCM was a founding member of the N01 funded NYCC, now participating in the ETCTN via Ohio State University. The Research Specialist (Clinician Scientist) applicant Dr. Tagawa has been most intimately involved with the NCTN via CALGBAlliance (serving as institutional PI since 2013). He has personally led and mentored others across multiple disciplines and Departments in leading NCI studies. Within the MCC, the applicant leads NCI clinical trials and has served as primary leader of the GU Disease Management Team across the MCC sphere. He is the top oncology accruer to NCTN studies within the MCC. Since his arrival at WCM and as he took over leadership of the Alliance, NCTN accruals have increased overall, as has accruals from high-risk populations. Most of his direct contributions to NCI clinical trials has come via leadership with the Alliance and specific work within the GU committee. He has held a seat on the Board of Directors since 2013 and continues to serve on various Alliance committees. Within the GU group, he has had several concepts move through the Alliance, Task Force, GU Steering, and CTEP. He is now focused on mentoring others in this process, having brought in investigators from multiple disciplines to the committee; for instance, he has mentored a radiation oncologist who is now leading Alliance and NRG studies. Dr. Tagawa plans to continue to expand the MCC NCI trial portfolio into Brooklyn and Queens. With experience and leadership roles both within the Alliance and the MCC, he will leverage infrastructure that he has built for prostate cancer clinical trials to grow the clinical research portfolio across other Disease Management Teams, initially in Brooklyn, then Queens. The applicant stands poised to significantly increase access to and participation in NCI-sponsored clinical trials across the high-risk population within the MCC catchment area.