Cancer Research of Wisconsin and Northern Michigan (CROWN) Consortium

The Cancer Research of Wisconsin and Northern Michigan (CROWN) Consortium is a collaboration among three major cancer care systems in Wisconsin: St. Vincent Hospital Cancer Centers (SVHCC), Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Southeast Wisconsin, Inc., Ministry Healthcare, Inc., and Columbia St. Mary’s, Inc. (collectively, Ascension Wisconsin), and Aspirus, Inc. SVHCC serves as the primary performance site. Together, these institutions and their affiliates provide access to National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored clinical trials across a wide geographic region that includes both urban and rural areas in Wisconsin and northern Michigan. The CROWN Consortium aims to broaden participation in clinical trials through expanded recruitment infrastructure, shared operational resources, and regular coordination via established consortium committees. The consortium supports implementation of Cancer Care Delivery Research (CCDR) across multiple sites and actively contributes to NCORP Research Base activities, including committee service, protocol input, and mentoring of early-career investigators. The CROWN Consortium brings a robust research infrastructure and multidisciplinary expertise across medical and radiation oncology, pediatric oncology, and palliative care. It offers a comprehensive portfolio of clinical trials to the community setting, including studies in cancer prevention, control, care delivery, imaging, treatment, and biospecimen collection. These efforts serve to increase trial access and generate broadly applicable research findings from a range of practice settings. The specific aims of the CROWN Consortium include 1) broadening consortium participation in NCI-sponsored clinical trials by expanding recruitment, clinical capabilities, and resource sharing; 2) execution of high-quality Cancer Care Delivery Research (CCDR) across the consortium; and 3) increasing investigator engagement in NCORP initiatives by contributing to best practices and research findings. The CROWN Consortium strengthens the NCORP network by expanding access to clinical trials through the implementation and evaluation of trials across the community oncology landscape.