NCI Clinical Trial Research Strategy, Harnessing Innovation, and Implementation

University Of California, San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

I am a board-certified radiation oncologist and Professor in the Department of Radiation Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. My clinical and research work spans the entire spectrum of gynecologic oncology clinical trials, with a strong emphasis on translational science and national leadership within the NRG Oncology cooperative group. Over the past 16 years, I have held several leadership roles within NRG Oncology. I began as a core member of the Radiation Oncology Committee for GOG (2009–2015) and subsequently served on the Phase I Developmental Therapeutics and Cervical Cancer Committees. From 2015 to 2018, I was Co-Chair of the GYN Developmental Therapeutics Committee and received a National Service Award from NRG Oncology in 2018 for my leadership as Co-Chair of the Phase I Committee. Since 2018, I have served as Co-Chair of the NRG Cervical Cancer Committee, where I lead national efforts in trial development, strategic prioritization, patient accrual, and dissemination of findings. I have played a principal role in 16 NRG proposals since 2018, serving as a lead investigator, mentor, or key study team member. I am deeply committed to mentoring early-stage investigators and building clinical trial capacity both nationally and at my home institution. At UC San Diego, I serve as Co-Leader of the Gynecologic Oncology Disease Team at the Moores Cancer Center (MCC) and as UCSD’s Co-PI for the VICKtOrY Early Clinical Trials Consortium (UM1CA186689), a component of the NCI ETCTN network. I collaborate closely with the clinical trials office and the Community Outreach and Engagement team to broaden access to NCI clinical trials. My own research focuses on advancing therapies for high-risk, node-positive cervical cancer. I have developed and led a series of NCI-funded trials as principal investigator, including GOG 9929, a Phase I study of sequential ipilimumab after chemoradiotherapy, and NRG GY017, a Phase I study of atezolizumab as an immune primer in combination with chemoradiation. In November 2024, I became named national PI of NCI funded NRG GY037, a Phase III trial evaluating induction pembrolizumab and chemotherapy prior to chemoradiation and immunotherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer. With the support of the R50 Research Specialist Award, I will: 1) Provide national leadership in clinical trial development within the NRG Oncology network; 2) Design and submit novel, biomarker-driven clinical trials; 3) Mentor early-career investigators in trial development and implementation;4) Lead translational science efforts using biospecimens from NRG trials; and 5) Enhance access to and enrollment in NCI-funded clinical trials.