The Significance of Membership
Membership Application and Review
Breakthrough Newsletter Member Profiles
The Significance of Membership
The mission of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is to translate today’s discoveries into tomorrow’s strategies to effectively reduce cancer throughout its continuum from disease prevention, initiation and detection, to its progression and treatment. The Cancer Institute relies on the research capacity and intellectual capital of its researchers and investigators, its clinicians, staff and community partners to facilitate a culture of innovation dedicated to reducing cancer morbidity and mortality.
The Cancer Institute provides:
- An environment to stimulate, support and facilitate multi- and transdisciplinary collaborations among academic researchers, clinicians and community stakeholders that synergize cancer investigation with a single focus on lessening cancer’s negative impact.
- Excellence in translating discoveries made in the laboratory, the clinic and the community into new applications that enhance cancer prevention, diagnosis, care and survivorship.
- A high-caliber technology infrastructure for research and patient care.
- A sustainable resource for clinical care and patient access to effective, advanced and novel therapies.
- A conduit to address cancer health disparities in the context of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.
Membership Benefits
- Access to Cancer Institute-supported shared resources.
- Eligibility to apply for targeted funding, developmental funds and interim research support as available or offered by the Cancer Institute.
- Eligibility to participate in program development planning.
- Eligibility to market, post, be featured on the Cancer Institute website and other online activities as developed by the Cancer Institute.
- Eligibility to apply for start-up packages, bridge funding and Cancer Institute-supported leadership positions.
- Access to Cancer Institute meeting facilities.
Membership Categories
Membership in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is available through application to any faculty member who is engaged in cancer research or is actively pursuing cancer-related research projects. Areas of cancer research include basic, translational and clinical research; pharmaceutical sciences; population sciences; and behavior and psychosocial science. The following membership categories and requirements were developed in accordance with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) guidelines to ensure that the Cancer Institute meets the requirements of an NCI Cancer Center Support Grant. All members must agree to the objectives set forth above in the Significance of Membership as well as to the Cancer Institute Mission.
Full Member
- Engages in independent cancer-related research with scientific productivity;
- Has published a cancer-related article in a peer-reviewed journal within the past two years;
AND at least one of the following:
- Conducts cancer research as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-investigator (Co-I) of a current or recent (within the last two years) cancer research grant funded by the NCI, NIH or one of NCI’s approved peer-review funding organizations (K awards and other training grants are excluded);
- Conducts cancer research as a PI of a cancer-related subproject on a multi-component peer-reviewed grant (e.g., SPORE, P01, P20);
- Conducts cancer research as PI on a sub-award from a peer-reviewed funding source passing through another institution;
- Serves as site PI for cancer-focused cooperative group clinical research (e.g. site PI for SWOG, GOG, etc.);
- Conducts cancer research as a PI or Co-I of a peer-reviewed, funded, cancer-related, investigator-initiated clinical trial, or;
- Is an individual of strategic importance to the research mission of the Cancer Institute as determined by a research program leader and the Cancer Institute Executive Director; or
Associate Member
- Demonstrates an interest in cancer research through previous cancer-related research grant funding or publications;
AND at least one of the following:
- Is actively applying for funding to support cancer-related research;
- Conducts cancer-related research as a PI or Co-I of a current or recent (within the last two years) cancer research grant funded by a non-peer-reviewed funding organization;
- Conducts cancer-related research as a PI, Co-I or sub-I of an IRB-approved clinical trial;
- Conducts cancer-related research as a PI or Co-I of an IACUC-approved study.
- Individuals without a history of cancer-related research who are currently pursuing funding for a cancer-related project (including K awards and other training grants) may be approved for membership at the discretion of Cancer Institute leadership.
Membership Responsibilities
Research Responsibilities
Members of the Cancer Institute are expected to do the following:
- Clearly and consistently demonstrate collaboration and interaction with other Cancer Institute investigators.
- Inform Research Program leaders of cancer-related intramural research proposals and extramural grant applications to which the member plans to apply or from which an award has been received. Keeping leaders informed of grant activities allows them to better plan and implement programs.
- Support the Cancer Institute’s mission, goals, and priorities.
Administrative Responsibilities
- Maintain a current CV and NIH biosketch and provide them to the Cancer Institute administration on request.
- Submit all UAMS-based internal cancer-related clinical studies involving humans and/or human specimens/data to the Cancer Institute Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee ; the Cancer Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs office, which then submits to the UAMS IRB; and the appropriate Disease Oriented Committee.
- Actively engage with the Cancer Institute by regularly attending meetings, participating in programs and activities and serving on program and review committees as needed.
- Participate in Cancer Institute inquiries and research audits as needed.
Membership Application and Review
Membership in the Cancer Institute is open to all faculty. The application process begins with completion of the online membership application. Applications undergo review by research program co-leaders, an administrative committee and the Cancer Institute Executive Director. Following review, the applicant will receive notice of membership via email if membership is deemed appropriate. Annual review of Cancer Institute members by Cancer Institute senior leadership may result in a change in status. The Cancer Institute Executive Director has final authority on approval, disapproval or termination of membership. All questions regarding membership should be directed to Cancer Institute Membership Director, Lee Smith at hsmith@uams.edu.