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 to lessen 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 Categories
Membership in the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is available through application to any UAMS or University of Arkansas at Fayetteville faculty member or trainee who is engaged in cancer research or is actively pursuing cancer-related research projects. Individuals who do not meet these criteria but are critical contributors to cancer research at UAMS may be considered for membership on a case-by-case basis. Areas of cancer research include basic, translational and clinical research, pharmaceutical sciences, population sciences, behavior and psychosocial science, implementation science, community outreach and engagement and community-based participatory research. Membership in the Cancer Institute is a structure required by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for NCI-designated cancer centers. All members must agree to the mission and objectives set forth above in the Significance of Membership. The Cancer Institute offers three categories of membership:Full Member, Associate Member, and Affiliate Member.
Full Member
A Full Member is faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences with active participation in cancer research, patient care, and/or education who substantially contributes to the mission of the Cancer Institute as evidenced by at least one of the following:
- Currently or within a two year period, serves as a Principal Investigator of an independent, cancer-focused, and peer-reviewed research grant funded by the NIH/NCI or one of NCI’s approved peer-review funding organizations.
- Serves as a national or local Principal Investigator for a NCI-NCTN trial.
- Has received support from the Cancer Institute as a newly recruited faculty within three years of initial appointment.
OR
- Provides a significant mission-enabling, leadership, or administrative role within the Cancer Institute as determined by the Director.
Associate Member
An Associate Member is faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences who contributes to the mission of the Cancer Institute through at least one of the following:
- Has an established record of publishing cancer-related articles in a peer-reviewed journals, including one such publication within the past two years
- Is currently participating as Principal Investigator on cancer-focused and extramurally-funded research or clinical trials that do not qualify for full membership.
- Currently serves as Principal Investigator of a cancer-focused and intramurally-funded research project or clinical trial.
- Is an established faculty member within two years of changing focus to cancer research.
To continue membership, Associate Members are expected to make significant efforts to maintain metrics for Associate Membership or become Full Members within three years of appointment.
Affiliate Member
An Affiliate Member engages in cancer-related research as evidenced by at least one of the following:
- Is a trainee or key personnel conducting cancer-focused research under the supervision of and nominated by a Full or Associate Member.
- Is a faculty member outside of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, but at an institution within the state of Arkansas, that is engaged in cancer-focused research.
Membership Responsibilities
Members of the Cancer Institute are expected to do the following:
- Support the Cancer Institute’s mission, goals and priorities.
- Clearly and consistently demonstrate collaboration and interaction with other Cancer Institute investigators as evidenced by:
- Attending at least 50% of the member’s research program meetings annually
- Sharing research, discussing research activity and providing feedback to colleagues in research program meetings
- Participating in other Cancer Institute activities and programs
- Work with Cancer Institute administration to maintain current publication data in theWinthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Research Hub Publication Module.
- Serve on research committees, including, but not limited to, the Cancer Institute Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee (PRMC), the UAMS Institutional Review Board (IRB), the UAMS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Cancer Institute Mentoring committees, Cancer Institute grant review committees and Cancer Institute recruitment committees
- Attend Disease Oriented Committees (DOCs) (if engaged in clinical research)
- Utilize the Cancer Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs (CCTRA) office for all cancer clinical trials workflow and regulatory approvals
Membership Benefits
- Eligible to apply for targeted funding, developmental funds, and interim research support as available or offered by the Cancer Institute
- Eligible to apply for Cancer Institute-supported start-up packages, bridge funding, and pilot funding programs
- Eligible to apply for Cancer Institute shared resource vouchers
- Eligible to serve on Cancer Institute committees
- Eligible to serve in a Cancer Institute leadership position
- Eligible to be featured on www.cancer.uams.edu
- Access to Cancer Institute meeting facilities
- Access to support for hosting cancer research seminar speakers
- Access to Cancer Institute social events
- Access to members-only Cancer Institute educational events such as the annual Cancer Institute Research Retreat
- Access to the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Junior Faculty Mentoring Program
- Regular notification of cancer research funding opportunities
- Ability to generate publication reports through the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Research Hub Publication Module