PHILADELPHIA (June 24, 2025) — Fox Chase Cancer Center clinical research nurse Colbi Carr, BSN, RN, recently became a member of the ECOG-ACRIN Research Group’s Oncology Nursing Committee.
“This recognition will provide great opportunities to not only share the knowledge and expertise I’ve gained from working at Fox Chase but will also give me the chance to learn from other organizations about what we can improve in our own organization,” said Carr, who works in the Clinical Research Thoracic Unit.
ECOG-ACRIN is a national scientific organization that designs and conducts cancer research involving adults who have or are at risk of developing cancer. The group includes several subcommittees tailored to individual cancer research areas like pharmacy, radiation oncology, surgery, clinical research, and others.
The Nursing Oncology Committee reviews medical protocols from a nursing perspective. Members of the committee take part in determining whether protocols would be feasible to execute and are properly structured, and whether there are any aspects of the protocols that do not align with normal procedures.
In addition, members of the Oncology Nursing Committee support ECOG-ACRIN overall by promoting communication among the nursing members and increasing active nursing membership. The committee also supports accrual of patients to trials, participates in caring for patients enrolled in trials, and ensures that participating sites and personnel comply with the elements of the trials.
The patient-centered goals of the committee are to collaborate with clinical research associates, pharmacists, and patient advocates around education and symptom management, as well as on targeted approaches to symptoms that arise after treatment.
“I look at my role in this committee as being sort of a patient advocate. As we develop these protocols and review the standards, it’s important to include the patient perspective,” said Carr. “We can develop all the processes we want, but at the end of the day, if a patient doesn’t view it as feasible it’s just not going to work. That’s where we can really step in to help, and I’m looking forward to that.”
ECOG-ACRIN is part of National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute through its National Clinical Trials Network. As part of ECOG-ACRIN, Carr joins approximately 21,000 oncology professionals, including physicians, translational scientists, advocates, and associated research professionals from member institutions.