Cancer Research Office
The Cancer Research Office (CRO) supports and coordinates the vast majority of adult clinical research in medical oncology, malignant hematology, benign hematology, neuro-oncology, radiation oncology and chemoprevention at UMass Cancer Center.
The major functions of the CRO are to:
- Ensure that cancer-relevant clinical research is conducted according to federal, state and institutional regulations
- Maintain the highest level of quality assurance through close monitoring of clinical trial data
- Monitor and educate institutions and other groups affiliated with the Cancer Center with regard to appropriate clinical trial conduct
To support these functions, the CRO:
- Provides clinical trial administration to assist in the preparation and processing of all regulatory, contractual and Institutional Review Board (IRB) documents
- Provides hands-on clinical trial coordination and data management by working directly with the clinical care team to manage and facilitate all activities for patients involved in clinical research trials
- Serves as the coordinating office for studies conducted for the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group and other National Cancer Institute study groups and consortiums
For the past four years, the CRO has received recognition from ECOG-ACRIN for their research performance, with commendation in the following areas:
- 2019 — Outstanding accrual, data quality, and imaging submission; Excellent data timeliness
- 2020 — Outstanding accrual and lab sample submission; Excellent data quality and timeliness; Outstanding administrative participation
- 2021 — Outstanding accrual and administrative participation; Excellent data quality
- 2022 — Outstanding accrual and data management
CRO Staff
Medical Director
William Walsh, MD
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Associate Medical Director
Jan Cerny, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Director, Leukemia Program
Co-Director, Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program
Clinical Research Nurse Manager
Cara Gregoire, RN, BSN, MHA
Our staff of Clinical Research Nurses and Clinical Research Coordinators is divided into disease-based specialty teams designed to support the multidisciplinary clinical oncology teams/clinics.
The CRO team is supported by the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) Office of Clinical Research (OCR). The CRO also works collaboratively with pharmacists in Investigational Drug Services.
![staff picture.jpg](/contentassets/ba69751fdf9b445e9a57d0cf3d88f656/staff-picture.jpg)
Contact Information
55 Lake Avenue North, S4-301
Worcester, MA 01655
Phone: (508) 856-3216
Fax: (508) 856-2073
Email: cancer.research@umassmed.edu