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On October 29-30, 2024, the ACCC Community Oncology Research Institute (ACORI) hosted the Community Oncology Inclusive Clinical Trial Design Summit in Arlington, VA. The event brought together stakeholders including academic and community cancer center practitioners and researchers, advocacy organizations, government agencies, and industry partners to discuss strategies to increase patient access to clinical trials in the community setting. Five priority areas were identified that characterize actionable strategies to promote fair and accessible clinical trial design that is representative of all patients with cancer: strengthening the clinical trial workforce, optimizing trial design, engaging communities outside of clinical trial interactions, decentralizing clinical trials, and leveraging artificial intelligence/digital health tools for increased access and efficiency.
ACCC is committed to providing support in these priority areas to increase representative participation and opportunities in clinical trials for oncology patients across the US. In this episode of CANCER BUZZ, Kimberly Demirhan, MBA, BSN, RN, assistant director of education programs at ACCC, discusses the 5 priority areas identified at the ACORI Summit and ways to transform how we think about access to trials, especially leveraging AI and digital tools to do so.
“We looked at optimizing trial design to reflect real world patient populations ... assessing eligibility criteria to make it more reflective of the patient populations that we see out in the community.”
“[We suggest] simplifying protocols so we're not accidentally eliminating patients [due to] benign factors, and then really engaging our community providers early on in the design process.”
“It’s a really important time to be addressing [AI] and looking at the opportunities we have to transform the way we think about clinical trials, how we think about the delivery and access to them.” – Kimberly Demirhan
Guests:
Kimberly Demirhan, MBA, BSN, RN
Assistant Director, Education Programs
Association of Cancer Care Centers
Resources:
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s)/faculty member(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of their employer(s) or the Association of Cancer Care Centers.
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At the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, the Louisiana Oncology Society received the ASCO Jeffrey C Ward Affiliate Advocacy Award for advancing critical advocacy priorities that have translated into meaningful legislative victories. The Iowa Oncology Society and Washington State Medical Oncology Society were also recognized for their advocacy efforts in 2025 at the meeting, receiving second place awards.
