Sylvester Researcher Assumes National Leadership Role with NRG Oncology

Tracy Crane, Ph.D., RDN, is appointed vice chair of the organization’s Cancer Prevention and Control Committee.

NRG Oncology recently appointed Tracy E. Crane, Ph.D., RDN, co-leader of the Cancer Control Research Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, as vice chair of the NRG Oncology National Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Cancer Prevention and Control Committee.

NRG Oncology is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network group focused on improving outcomes for adults with cancer through international clinical research, including research underway at Sylvester. NRG Oncology announced Dr. Crane’s appointment in July at the NRG Oncology Summer 2023 meeting in Philadelphia.

NRG Oncology plays a pivotal role in orchestrating practice-changing, multi-institutional clinical and translational research for research groups nationally and internationally, according to Dr. Crane.

“As the vice chair for cancer prevention and control, I have the opportunity to influence research priorities and work with the NCI and NCORP to advance new concepts in research. I work directly with NRG Oncology committees, as well as the other NCI cooperative groups,” Dr. Crane said.

In its announcement release, NRG Oncology referred to Dr. Crane as a “distinguished leader in cancer control with her research priorities focused on improving adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors including diet, physical activity and tobacco abstinence to reduce the risk of cancer and improve outcomes for cancer survivors.”

At the NRG Oncology Summer 2023 conference, Dr. Crane presented a new NRG Oncology Health Care Delivery Research concept entitled, “Managing symptoms and psychological distress during oral anti-cancer treatment.” Dr. Crane is co-principal investigator on the NCI – National Institutes of Health-funded grant for this study, along with Alla Sikorskii, Ph.D. (Michigan State University), and Terry Badger, Ph.D., RN (University of Arizona).

Dr. Crane directs lifestyle medicine, prevention and digital health at Sylvester and is an NCI- and American Cancer Society-funded researcher. She will launch a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study in spring 2024. Dr. Crane also co-authored the American Cancer Society’s latest guidelines for optimizing cancer survivor nutrition and physical activity. In her new NRG Oncology role, Dr. Crane will help lead research involving multidisciplinary investigators, from medical oncologists to statisticians, at more than 1,300 research sites worldwide for years to come.

Tags: Dr. Tracy Crane, National Community Oncology Research Program, NCI, NRG Oncology, Tags: Cancer Control Research Program