NCI Research Specialist (Clinician Scientist) Award for Improving Cancer Screening and Clinical Trial Enrollment

I am the Stevenson Chair and Associate Professor of Urologic Oncology, as well as Adjunct Associate Professor of Medical Oncology, at the Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC), University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, where I am deeply involved in advancing NCI-sponsored clinical research. I hold leadership roles within the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) as a SWOG Genitourinary (GU) Committee Board Member, GU Liaison to the Surgery Committee, and Site PI for SCC GU clinical trials. At the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Medical Center (OKC-VAMC), I am the SWOG Site PI and have established a program offering NCI-sponsored trials to veterans who previously had limited options. As both a surgeon and clinical trialist, I have developed investigator-initiated trials that uniquely integrate surgical interventions with emerging therapeutics. Additionally, I mentor junior investigators in clinical trial development, supporting them as local PIs of NCTN trials and investigator-initiated trials (IITs). At SCC, I chair the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC), overseeing clinical trial data integrity and patient safety, and serve as Disease Site Chair for GU oncology, where I lead a multidisciplinary team and manage SCC’s clinical trial portfolio. Under my leadership, SCC has maintained top-tier enrollment rates among NCTN Lead Academic Participating Sites (LAPS). My work is essential to SCC’s growth as an NCI-designated Cancer Center. Through this application, I aim to 1) leverage novel mHealth applications to boost NCI trial accrual, 2) promote clinical trial enrollment representative of our catchment area population, 3) expand veteran access to NCI-sponsored trials, and 4) create leadership opportunities for SCC investigators in NCI-sponsored trials. An R50 Clinical Research Specialist award would allow SCC to protect my time for these impactful research activities. Achieving these goals will significantly enhance SCC's clinical research enterprise and contribute meaningfully to the NCI’s mission.