C3 Board Chair Nancy Roach to Sit on Department of Defense Panel

Nancy Roach at Call on Congress C3 Founder and Board Chair Nancy Roach has been invited to sit on the Department of Defense (DOD) Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) Integration Panel for a one-year term. The PRCRP Integration Panel reviews research proposals that are submitted to the PRCRP program.

As a member of the Integration Panel, Ms. Roach will help with: (1) formulating a PRCRP vision and funding strategy that best addresses the research gaps for colorectal cancer; and (2) conducting a second-tier review of research proposals that are received by the US Army Medical Research and Material Command PRCRP program.

Ms. Roach issued the following statement after being invited to sit on the PRCRP Integration Panel: “It has long been a dream of mine to get funding through the Department of Defense for colorectal cancer research. This new funding will support research efforts that investigate new methods of studying early detection, screening and treatment of colorectal cancer as well as attracting new researchers to the field. It marks an important milestone in the fight against colorectal cancer with research on track to receive its fair share of federal resources, and I am honored to have been asked to sit on the PRCRP Integration Panel and have a role in setting the vision for the colorectal cancer research program.”

Research proposals submitted for funding through the PRCRP program go through a two-tier review process. The first level is a scientific peer review conducted by an external panel recruited specifically for each peer review session. The second-tier review is a programmatic review conducted by the Integration Panel. Members of the Integration Panel include basic researchers, clinicians, consumers, and military members. Research proposals that receive a recommendation from the Integration Panel are awarded funding in the form of 1-5 year grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.

The Integration Panel reviews the state of the science, the needs of the scientific, consumer and military community to come up with a unique vision for the funding cycle. The Program announcements are written to accomplish the vision and the mission with guidance and recommendations from the Integration Panel. Once proposals are received and peer reviewed for the most meritorious science and impact, the IP reviews the needs of the program again and recommends for funding those proposals that best fit the needs and vision of the program. Sometimes this might not be the highest scoring proposal, but one that fits the needs within the scope of the vision and the limited amount of funding available.

The PRCRP Integration Panel is scheduled to meet at the end of March. Stay tuned for updates on the exciting new research that will soon be underway!

This news article was originally posted on January 18th, 2010 and was accurate at the time of publication. Since then, information may have changed or links may now be outdated. Please call our Answer Line 1-877-427-2111 for the latest information, or talk to your doctor before making any medical decisions.

Posted by Catherine Knowles on January 18th, 2010
Tags: Department of Defense