Organizational Structure

Overview 

In addition to the three chairs, three NRG Oncology deputy group chairs lead specific group functions

• Research : Mitchell Machtay, MD
• Publications and Communications: Harry Bear, MD
• Membership & Research Integrity: David Scott Miller, MD

NRG Oncology Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors

This board is chaired by one of NRG Oncology’s group chairs and consists of 17 members: the three group chairs, six appointments by the chairs, three representatives from the institutions, the contact PI for the NRG Oncology NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), the PI for the NRG Oncology Statistical and Data Management Center (SDMC), a patient advocate, an outside financial expert, and an ad hoc member appointed by the group chairs. The board ensures the appropriate allocation of NRG Oncology resources, allowing the group to fulfill its mission of improving the lives of adults with localized or locally advanced malignancies through the conduct of multi-institutional research trials. 

Overview of Committees

The Research Strategy Committee, Protocol Operations Management Committee, various scientific committees, and administrative committees, as shown in the figure below, carry out research planning and the implementation of NRG Oncology functions.

 

NRG Oncology Group Executive Committee

This committee is comprised of the NRG Oncology group chairs, the deputy group chairs, the group statisticians, and the executive directors of the Operations Center, and is chaired by the presiding group chair. It meets regularly to ensure that the priorities set by the Foundation board are operationalized in the group’s research strategy and supported by appropriate Operations Center resources. This committee is advisory to the group chairs and not a decision-making committee.

Disease Site Committees

The seven cancer disease site committees (brain tumor, head and neck cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, genitourinary cancer, and gynecologic cancer) are the units within which most protocols are developed and executed. The group chairs appoint the leaders of these committees for six-year terms, and for no more than two successive terms per individual. Chairs of these committees also participate in the NCI disease site steering committees, each of which is responsible for developing both long- and short-term strategic research plans for common and rare malignancies in their domain and for presenting these visions to NRG Oncology’s Research Strategy Committee.

Non-Disease Site Scientific Committees

In addition to the disease site committees, four other committees conduct NRG Oncology trials as well as support research within the disease site committees: the Translational Science, Developmental Therapeutics (DT), Cancer Prevention and Control (CPC), and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) committees.

Scientific Core Committees

Seven scientific core committees serve as shared resources of expertise and, in some cases, technology, enabling disease site and non-disease site scientific committee investigators to develop and execute high-quality research trials. The leaders and co-leaders of these committees are appointed by the group chairs and have membership chosen for expertise applicable to the overall priorities of NRG Oncology, as well as to each of its disease site committees. They include the Pathology Committee, Surgical Oncology Committee, Medical Oncology Committee, Radiation Oncology Committee, Patient Advocate Committee, Special Populations Committee, and Protocol Support Committee.

Research Strategy Committee (RSC)

This scientific committee, led by the deputy group chair for research, is responsible for coordinating the scientific agenda for the group in accordance with its strategic themes, the group’s strengths, and the research needs of the overall NCTN. The RSC focuses on study development and provides feedback and recommendations to the disease site and scientific core committees. 

Protocol Operations Management (POM) Committee 

Publications Committee

The Publications Committee develops and enforces the NRG Oncology publications policy, which governs issues including manuscript development and writing, authorship, peer review, timeliness monitoring, confidentiality matters, and other issues as required. This committee reviews and facilitates proposed changes to policy or to general group publications operations procedures.

Membership Committee

Chaired by the deputy group chair for membership, this committee is responsible for establishing the criteria for initial and ongoing institutional membership for submission to and final approval by the group chairs. This committee reviews and recommends new institutions for membership in NRG Oncology and recommends corrective actions as needed for existing members. This committee also oversees the NCI-mandated on-site audit program, supervises the documentation of the accuracy of the data submitted to NRG, and verifies investigator compliance with regulatory and group requirements for clinical trials. The Membership Committee considers and adjudicates appeals and/or disputes related to membership and issues recommendations to the Group Chairs for final decisions.

Communications Committee

The role of the Communications Committee is to oversee the development of an effective communications strategy for NRG Oncology investigators, the oncology community, and the general public. The committee is also responsible for developing and making recommendations for updating group policy concerning the website and other electronic media..

Data Monitoring Committee

Governed by the NCI Data Monitoring Policy, the DMC reviews the efficacy and morbidity data for each NRG Oncology clinical trial to ensure that decisions regarding continuation of these trials are both scientifically sound and ethically responsible. The DMC, which is constituted into several panels related to specific disease sites or research objectives, makes recommendations to the group chairs for a final decision. Each DMC panel is chaired by a non-NRG Oncology member with appropriate qualifications for this role.