Cancer Research Consortium of West Michigan (CRCWM)

CRCWM Project Summary/Abstract
The Cancer Research Consortium of West Michigan (CRCWM) is an NCI Community Oncology Research
Program (NCORP) comprised of eleven hospitals and health systems and a medical school member. CRCWM
covers the west half of Michigan and cares for almost 16,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients and their families
per year. Formed from two experienced Community Clinical Oncology Programs (CCOPs) in 2014, CRCWM has
a 50-year history of bringing cancer clinical trials and education to the community, continues to be a major
accruer to National Cancer Institute (NCI) studies, and is acknowledged by the NCORP division as a high-
performance program.
With over 140 oncology physician investigators, 75 oncology nurse practitioners/ physician assistants, and a
well-established research operations team of 40 research nurses and coordinators, CRCWM has the ability to
enroll patients with cancer related diagnoses across the continuum and to address NCI goals of expanding
participation of underrepresented individuals in clinical trials. This application reiterates our commitment to high-
quality research and ongoing alignment with the NCI Cancer Plan and initiatives.
Strategic goals to meet this mission and vision include:
1. To maximize accrual of patients to cancer clinical trials sponsored by the NCI including priority studies for
treatment, cancer control/prevention/screening, molecular/precision medicine, and imaging.
2. To be strong contributors to Cancer Care Delivery Research (CCDR).
3. To maximize the sharing of NCI scientific findings into clinical care through education and engagement of
clinical partners and health systems.
4. To contribute to better understanding of health care gaps experienced by individuals who may be
underrepresented (e.g., rural, adolescent/young adult, and elderly) within our communities.
5. To optimize our contribution to the national scientific research agenda by expanding our leadership and
committee participation in the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN)/NCORP research bases and the
mentoring of young investigators.
CRCWM is well-positioned to continue forward this next year with the scope of work demonstrated consistently
throughout this grant cycle and by our long history of experience and success.

Grant Number: 3UG1CA189860-11S1
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: KATHLEEN BUTLER