I’ve just spent three great days in Washington reviewing grants for the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program, part of the Department of Defense.

Our panel of scientists and consumer reviewers worked hard, and I learned a lot from the scientists on the panel who were all experts in their fields.  It felt good to know that there some really wonderful ideas out there moving cancer research forward and that my critiques and scores will help decide the best of the best to receive funding.

The experience made the hairy early-morning drive to the airport through more than three feet of snow well worth it. Read the rest of this entry »

Grassroots Action Committee Members (left to right) - Liz Dennis, Arlene Murphy, LaRisha Baker, Florence Kurttila, Pam Seijo, and Dave Larson helped to plan and organize the 2010 Call-on Congress

Today, colorectal cancer survivors, caregivers, physicians, and nurses brought their fight against colorectal cancer to Washington, DC.  C3 President Carlea Bauman described the importance of their voices in the war against cancer, “colorectal cancer advocates who speak up and demand change will be the ones who make a difference in the fight against this disease.”

Even with advances in screening technology colorectal cancer continues to be the second leading cancer killer of men and women combined.  In 2010, nearly 50,000 people in the United States will die from colorectal cancer.  The real tragedy is that many of these deaths could be prevented if more people took advantage of colorectal cancer screening and early detection.

Over the next two days, the advocates will hear from experts about current research and cancer control programs aiming to decrease both incidence and mortality rates from colorectal cancer. Read the rest of this entry »

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.” Read the rest of this entry »