ASCO grants $50,000 to societies for outreach projects

ORLANDO, Fla.-ASCO has awarded $10,000 grants to five state projects. The recipients will be recognized at the State Affiliates' Reception at ASCO 2009.

The 2009 winners and their projects include:

• Denali Oncology Group: Based in Anchorage, Alaska, the group will create a web site of cancer-related resource information for Alaskan physicians, their patients, and families. The site will include information on available clinical trials and an online database of society members who practice in the state.

• Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology: Along with the Georgia Cancer Coalition, the society will identify existing resources that offer patient navigation services. They also will host a stakeholders meeting to assess the need for a cancer patient navigator's association.

• Maryland/DC Society of Clinical Oncology: The society will develop an online social networking website to provide opportunities for collaboration among its members. Specifically, the site will help oncologists in Maryland and Washington, DC, share information on clinical trials, research findings, and other oncology-related topics.

• New York State Society of Medical Oncologists & Hematologists: The society will develop and promote an outreach project to identify oncology/hematology practice issues that adversely affect patient access to cancer care, including promoting communication between hematologists and oncologists and encouraging clinical research.

• Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society: The society will conduct a study to determine barriers to clinical trials participation. The study will focus on whether the cost of participation contributes to an individual's decision to forego trial participation.