SPOREs
Prostate
Cores
Prostate SPORE Cores
Core 1: Administration, Planning and Evaluation
Co-Principal Investigators:
Philip W. Kantoff, MD
Lewis Cantley, MD
Martin G. Sanda, MD
Glenn Bubley, MD
Anthony D’Amico, MD, PhD
Meir Stampfer, MD
Participating Institution(s):
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
SPORE Administrator’s Contact Information:
Roxanne Elkashawy
Grants Management Specialist III, Medical Oncology
DF/HCC SPORE in Prostate Cancer, Program Administrator
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
44 Binney Street, D1230
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Tel: 617.632.6534
Fax: 617.632.2165
roxanne_elkashawy@dfci.harvard.edu
Core 1: Introduction
The purpose of the Administration, Evaluation, and Planning Core is to ensure the coordination of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) Prostate Cancer SPORE components and to provide oversight and leadership of the scientific, administrative, and fiscal aspects of the SPORE.
The DF/HCC Prostate Cancer SPORE is a large organization, with research performed in six institutions. Despite its size, its strength is that the SPORE and the performance institutions are part of an existing cancer research organization, the DF/HCC. We take advantage of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s (DFCI) large and efficient administrative staff and its central Research Administration office. This office is also responsible for administering the DF/HCC. The DF/HCC Prostate Cancer SPORE utilizes the DF/HCC’s operating procedures for expenditure reporting oversight. DF/HCC provides both fiscal and administrative oversight to its operations, and the DF/HCC Prostate Cancer SPORE uses the same structure.
Within the DF/HCC Prostate Cancer SPORE, there are several layers of oversight and evaluation. Dr. Kantoff, as SPORE Director, monitors the progress of the Projects and Cores and oversees the Career Development Program (along with Drs. Sanda and D’Amico), the Developmental Projects Program (along with Drs. Cantley and Stampfer), and all other proposed activities. Within the DF/HCC, Dr. Kantoff has the authority and resources to ensure the success of this SPORE. Our Governance Committee, made up of senior members of the DF/HCC Prostate Cancer Program, meet monthly to provide immediate decision-making. We have two strong Co-PIs. Dr. Kantoff will be joined by Lewis Cantley, PhD, Professor of Systems Biology and Chief, Division of Signal Transduction at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, to assume the responsibility as Co-PI of the SPORE. Dr. Cantley, a member of the National Academy since 2001 and the PI of a PO1 on signal transduction in prostate cancer, brings outstanding basic science expertise to our Program and SPORE. Meir Stampfer, MD, Dr.P.H., Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, will also serve as Co-PI. Given Dr. Stampfer’s interest and expertise in prostate cancer and the centrality of population science in this SPORE application, his leadership is welcome. We have a strong Internal Advisory Board, comprised of prominent members of the Harvard Medical School community and representing the participating institutions and major cancer research disciplines. Our External Advisory Board will meet in the Boston area annually during the five-year funding cycle. The membership and functions of these committees are discussed in detail in the description of this Core.
The Administration, Evaluation, and Planning Core allows for the provision of stimulating intellectual activities, organization of venues for planning future research through seminars and retreats, and the oversight of research and spending. This Core also provides the tools to work with institutions inside and outside of Harvard University to leverage the considerable power of the SPORE in order to raise more research funding for prostate cancer.
Core 1: Specific Aims
The Specific Aims of the Administration, Evaluation, and Planning Core are to:
1. Monitor research progress and plan for the future
2. Foster collaborative research within the SPORE and between SPOREs
3. Integrate the Prostate SPORE into the DF/HCC structure
4. Provide necessary resources and fiscal oversight
5. Promote rapid dissemination of significant research findings
A description of each of these specific aims is provided below:
Monitor Research Progress and Plan for the Future
Research progress and future research plans are discussed annually with the Internal Advisory Board and External Advisors at the SPORE Retreat. The Administration, Evaluation, and Planning Core organizes these meetings. The Governance Committee directly monitors research by reviewing presentations and reports provided by the Project and Core leaders in the SPORE, and it is charged with ensuring that the research is directed toward eventual application to practice. The Governance Committee provides the administrative leadership and oversight of the Developmental Projects and Career Development Programs. We include, and fund, the participation of prostate cancer survivors in all SPORE planning and educational activities.
Foster Collaborative Research within the SPORE and between SPOREs
The Administration, Evaluation, and Planning Core encourages collaboration between investigators. This is accomplished through research seminars, retreats, and monthly SPORE meetings. One of the responsibilities of the SPORE Administrator is to assure that these meetings occur. In addition, the SPORE fosters collaborative grant applications, such as PO1s, DOD grants, and Nodal Point grants funded by the DF/HCC core grant.
Integrate the DF/HCC Prostate Cancer SPORE into the Structure of the DF/HCC
The individuals named and justified in this application administer the day-to-day operations of the DF/HCC Prostate Cancer SPORE through the DFCI. Our SPORE Administrator and Grants Management Specialist, Roxanne El-Kashawy, oversees administrative activities and fiscal management of the SPORE. In addition, the central administrative offices of the DFCI and DF/HCC provide oversight and support. Centralized purchasing and payroll functions, as well as on-line financial reporting are provided to the SPORE. Both the Center Scientific Committee and the DF/HCC Executive Committee monitor SPORE research. Reports go to the DF/HCC External Advisory Board. The SPORE uses the DF/HCC Intranet, which is available to the entire Cancer Center, for publicizing its events.
Provide Necessary Resources and Fiscal Oversight
The appropriate allocation of funds is a function of this Core. The SPORE Director oversees this function, with input from the Governance Committee as well as the Internal and External Advisory Boards. Our SPORE Administrator establishes cost centers and reporting practices that reflect those used in the DF/HCC. In addition, central accounting and reporting mechanisms used by DFCI and DF/HCC are provided to the Prostate Cancer SPORE. Our SPORE Administrator provides financial progress reports regularly to the projects, cores, and Governance Committee. Overseeing our Grants Management Specialist’s activities is Steve Hoffman, our Business Manager. Given the extent of the research involved in this SPORE, it is necessary to secure and distribute resources that complement the funds provided through funding of the SPORE. Substantial funds have been allocated for this purpose in the last funding cycle, and future plans are described in detail in Institutional Support in the description of this Core.
Promote Rapid Dissemination of Significant Research Findings and Free and Open Communication and Resource Exchange between the DF/HCC SPORE and Other Institutions
The Core organizes travel to the annual SPORE Workshop and to the Prostate Cancer SPORE winter meeting. We work with the Technology Transfer Office and follow the guidelines established for research within the DF/HCC, to seek intellectual property rights and offer unrestricted licensing of technology developed in the SPORE. The Governance Committee of the SPORE encourages early publication, and the Administration, Evaluation, and Planning Core promotes rapid dissemination, of breakthroughs and improvements in treatment, through travel to the annual SPORE Workshops and through appropriate media connections.
