ECOG-ACRIN appoints seven researchers to scientific committee leadership positions

(Press-News.org) The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) announces new appointments of cancer researchers to lead committees in its expansive scientific program. ECOG-ACRIN is at the forefront of research spanning the cancer care spectrum, from early detection to management of advanced disease. These impactful appointments, which are effective immediately, underscore the group’s commitment to wide-ranging cancer research excellence and premier professional opportunities for researchers. 

Angela M. DeMichele, MD, MSCE, is chair of the Breast Cancer Committee, succeeding  Antonio C. Wolff, MD. A medical oncologist at Penn Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. DeMichele is also the Mariann T. and Robert J. MacDonald Professor in Breast Cancer Care Excellence, co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program, and co-director of the 2-PREVENT Breast Cancer Translational Center of Excellence. She co-chaired the ECOG-ACRIN Breast Cancer Committee since 2017. 

Christopher E. Comstock, MD, is chair of the Prevention, Screening and Surveillance Committee, succeeding Etta D. Pisano, MD. Dr. Comstock is an attending radiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and a professor of clinical radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University. He was imaging chair for the ECOG-ACRIN Breast Cancer Committee since 2013. 

Naomi B. Haas, MD, is chair of the Genitourinary Cancer Committee, succeeding Michael A. Carducci, MD. A medical oncologist at Penn Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Hass is also director of the Prostate and Kidney Cancer Program and a professor of medicine (hematology-oncology). She co-chaired the ECOG-ACRIN Genitourinary Cancer Committee since 2013 and chaired the committee’s Renal Subcommittee since 2011. 

Kathleen J. Yost, MD, is chair of the Community Advisory Committee, succeeding Michael A. Thompson, MD, PhD. Dr. Yost is a medical oncologist in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and principal investigator for the Cancer Research Consortium of West Michigan NCORP. Prominent in the scientific community as a physician investigator who consistently enrolls patients on clinical trials and oversees a large number of researchers in evaluating clinical trials for scientific merit and feasibility, she brings strong community-based leadership to ECOG-ACRIN.  

Yana G. Najjar, MD, is chair of the Immunotherapeutics/CIMAC Subcommittee within the Developmental Therapeutics Committee, succeeding Ignacio I. Wistuba, MD. Dr. Najjar is a translational investigator and cutaneous oncologist at the University of Pittsburgh and the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, where she is also an associate professor of medicine and director of the Clinical and Translational Research Center. CIMAC stands for the NCI’s Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Centers. 

Bryan P. Schneider, MD, is co-chair, translational science, for the Breast Cancer Committee, filling a new position. Dr. Schneider is a medical oncologist at the Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine and the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he is also the Vera Bradley Professor of Oncology, professor of medicine and medical and molecular genetics, and founding director of the IU Health Precision Genomics Program. At ECOG-ACRIN, he concurrently chairs the Germline Genomics Committee.  

Habib Rahbar, MD, is imaging chair for the Breast Cancer Committee, succeeding Christopher E. Comstock, MD. Dr. Rahbar is a radiologist in breast imaging at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he is also a professor of radiology and vice chair of clinical operations in the Department of Radiology, and co-director of the Quantitative Breast Imaging Lab. He chaired the ECOG-ACRIN Radiomics Working Group since 2018. 

About ECOG-ACRIN 

The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) is a membership-based scientific organization known for advancing precision medicine and biomarker research through its leadership of major national clinical trials that integrate cutting-edge genomic approaches. Nearly 21,000 member researchers and advocates from approximately 1,400 cancer centers and community hospitals collaborate to design studies across ECOG-ACRIN’s nearly 40 scientific committees. ECOG-ACRIN is funded primarily by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, through the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) and NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP). To learn more, visit www.ecog-acrin.org and follow us on X/Twitter @EAonc, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. 

 

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