Fostering Collaboration to Advance Community-Based Cancer Care

Commentary
Video

Conducting trials safely within a community setting lies at the heart of a successful collaboration between Northwell Health and START.

In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Geraldine O’Sullivan Coyne, MD, PhD, MRCPI, discussed how a new research unit formed between Northwell Health and the Southern Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START) Center for Cancer Research will facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration to improve outcomes among patients with cancer in a community setting. In July 2025, Coyne was appointed as the principal investigator and director of clinical research at the Northwell Health Unit of the START Center for Cancer Research. There, she will oversee early-phase clinical trials at New York’s first START research site at the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center in New Hyde Park.

According to Coyne, Northwell Health already includes an “impressive” degree of multidisciplinary collaboration within its system, which may allow providers to safely conduct clinical trials in a community setting. She stated that organizing these community-based trials, along with developing novel therapeutic agents, lies at the heart of a successful collaboration between Northwell Health and START.

According to the press release on Coyne’s new appointment, she previously served as a clinical investigator at START Dublin in Ireland. Additionally, she occupied a variety of leadership roles within a 7-year period at the National Cancer Institute, which included operating as a staff clinician in the Development Therapeutics Clinic and Early Clinical Trials Development Program and as the head of the Clinical Sciences Section.

Transcript:

[Northwell Health] has impressive expertise and multidisciplinary care already [established] within their health care system. In partnering with Northwell [Health], given their expertise and their excellence in care, being able to take on trials within the community in a safe manner and further develop the drugs themselves—these novel therapeutics—is [something] that we believe is going to be the heart of a successful collaboration with Northwell Health and [will position us] to be able to better serve the community that Northwell reaches.

Reference

Olt B. Northwell names Geraldine O’Sullivan Coyne, MD, PhD, to lead clinical trials at new START center. News release. Northwell Health. July 22, 2025. Accessed August 7, 2025. https://tinyurl.com/bdcua8ck

Recent Videos
Patients with AML will experience different toxicities based on the treatment they receive, whether it is intensive chemotherapy or targeted therapy.
A younger patient with AML who is more fit may be eligible for different treatments than an older patient with chronic medical conditions.
Breast cancer care providers make it a goal to manage the adverse effects that patients with breast cancer experience to minimize the burden of treatment.
Social workers and case managers may have access to institutional- or hospital-level grants that can reduce financial toxicity for patients undergoing cancer therapy.
Genetic backgrounds and ancestry may hold clues for better understanding pancreatic cancer, which may subsequently mitigate different disparities.
Factors like genetic mutations and smoking may represent red flags in pancreatic cancer detection, said Jose G. Trevino, II, MD, FACS.
Insurance and distance to a tertiary cancer center were 2 barriers to receiving high-quality breast cancer care, according to Rachel Greenup, MD, MPH.
Numerous clinical trials vindicating the addition of immunotherapy to first-line chemotherapy in SCLC have emerged over the last several years.
According to John Henson, MD, “What we need are better treatments to control the [brain] tumor once it’s detected.”
First-degree relatives of patients who passed away from pancreatic cancer should be genetically tested to identify their risk for the disease.
Related Content
Rising cancer diagnoses in the US highlight urgent needs for improved oncology education, workforce distribution, and care infrastructure, especially in rural areas.

A Decline in the US Oncology Workforce: What Will the Next Decade Bring?

Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA
December 2nd 2025
Article

Rising cancer diagnoses in the US highlight urgent needs for improved oncology education, workforce distribution, and care infrastructure, especially in rural areas.

Decision-Making Capacity: The Ethical Core of Patient-Centered Oncology

Decision-Making Capacity: The Ethical Core of Patient-Centered Oncology

Daniel C. McFarland, DO;Louis P. Voigt, MD;Yesne Alici, MD
November 24th 2025
Podcast

Daniel C. McFarland, DO, is joined by Louis P. Voigt, MD, and Yesne Alici, MD, who focused on decision-making capacity and patient-centered care.

PAS-004 was deemed safe and tolerable when given in 37 mg capsules, so the trial will proceed to administer the agent in 45 mg capsules.

Cohort 7 of Novel MEK Inhibitor Trial Completed for MAPK Pathway-Driven Tumors

Tim Cortese
November 25th 2025
Article

PAS-004 was deemed safe and tolerable when given in 37 mg capsules, so the trial will proceed to administer the agent in 45 mg capsules.

Experts discussed supportive care and why it should be integrated into standard oncology care.

How Supportive Care Methods Can Improve Oncology Outcomes

Declan Walsh, MD;Denise B. Reynolds, RD;Adam Friedman, MD, FAAD;Daniel C. McFarland, DO;Michelle Fingeret, PhD;Christian J. Nelson, PhD;William S. Breitbart, MD
November 10th 2025
Podcast

Experts discussed supportive care and why it should be integrated into standard oncology care.

Novel Agent Yields Promising Results in MAPK-Associated Solid Tumors

Novel Agent Yields Promising Results in MAPK-Associated Solid Tumors

Ariana Pelosci
November 21st 2025
Article

Partial responses and stable disease were observed with PAS-004 in patients with advanced solid tumors harboring RAS, NF1, or RAF mutations.

Results from the C-POST trial showed that cemiplimab improved DFS vs placebo in patients with CSCC at high risk of recurrence following surgery and radiation.

EC Approves Adjuvant Cemiplimab in CSCC at High Risk of Recurrence

Tim Cortese
November 20th 2025
Article

Results from the C-POST trial showed that cemiplimab improved DFS vs placebo in patients with CSCC at high risk of recurrence following surgery and radiation.