$4.6M awarded to start new clinical trials at Northwell's Cancer Institute

MANHASSET, N.Y., Oct. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute of Cancer Research at The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research has been awarded a five-year, $4.6 million National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) grant. Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes was one of only 32 institutions nationwide to receive funding from this prestigious program – and Northwell's Cancer Institute was the only cancer center in the tri-state area to participate.

"This significant NCI grant will help Northwell's Cancer Institute to initiate new research clinical trials for our cancer patients and those seeking cutting-edge care in their community," said Vincent Vinciguera, MD, professor of the Institute of Cancer Research at the Feinstein Institutes and professor of Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine. "Our goals for this grant, which extends to 2023, are to increase the diversity and inclusion of underrepresented populations in our clinical trials. Our focus will include outreach to Latino communities in Nassau County and Queens and to recruit patients into relevant clinical trials."

NCORP is a national network of investigators, cancer care providers, academic institutions and other organizations that brings cancer clinical trials and cancer care delivery studies to people in their communities. The grants are designed to help improve outcomes for cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship by funding clinical trials and cancer care delivery to professionals in their own communities. Previously known as the NCI Community Clinical Oncology Program, Northwell Health Cancer Institute has completed more than 350 NCI-sponsored and funded clinical cancer research trials involving nearly 9,000 participants over a 30-year period.

In 2014, the Feinstein Institutes received a five-year, $4.1 million NCI grant that allowed Northwell Health to open an additional 46 clinical trials and accrue 446 new patients through 2019.

"As the Northwell Cancer Institute continues to expand across the region, we must seek ongoing participation in national grants to stay at the forefront of advances in cancer care and offer patients in our diverse communities the most advanced treatment possible," said Richard Barakat, MD, director of the Institute of Cancer Research at the Feinstein Institutes, physician-in-chief and director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, and senior vice president of the health system's Cancer Service Line.

Additionally, to increase access to cancer services and clinical trials, Northwell Health Cancer Institute and nearly a dozen community-based cancer organizations and government groups two years ago formed ACCESS Consortium. The consortium last month launched a new consumer-based website: https://www.canceraccessconsortium.com/.

"Expanding clinical trials is a major focus of Northwell's mission to give tens of thousands of active and future cancer patients the best options for innovative treatment," said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes. "The NCI support of our efforts is a valuable asset for our patients."

About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State's largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, about 750 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 70,000 employees – 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We're making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York. Home to 50 research labs, 2,500 clinical research studies and 4,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes is raising the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health innovations and outcomes, and molecular medicine. We're making breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we're producing knowledge to cure disease, visit feinstein.northwell.edu.

SOURCE The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research

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