VA New England Healthcare System
VA New England precision cancer program funded for national research
The VA Precision Oncology Program (POP) is an innovative approach to provide standardized state-of-the-art practices in precision cancer care and research for veterans and VA cancer care specialists.
The two-year-old program, based out of Boston, has captured the attention of VA leaders and the White House.
National Cancer Moonshot
Recently, a White House fact sheet titled "Investing in the National Cancer Moonshot" acknowledged that the VA "Precision Oncology Program initiative is paving the way for incorporating the results of genetic diagnostic testing to customize medical decision making and treatment for individual patients with cancer."
Supported by VA leaders
Developed and piloted in Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 (VISN 1) with the support of Michael Mayo-Smith, Network Director, the program is now available to all VA Medical Centers nationally.
The VA Office of Research & Development has authorized funding for POP to conduct precision oncology trials under the sponsorship of the VA Cooperative Studies Program.
"There has been a strong recent emphasis by the President and the Veterans Health Administration's leadership on the need for VA to be a leader in finding effective treatments and cures for cancer," wrote Acting Chief Research & Development Officer, Kyong-Mi Chang.
The program's Director, Lou Fiore, M.D., M.P.H., has served in the VA as a hematologist / oncologist for over thirty years with a passion for helping veterans, and advancing research. Fiore is also the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC).
MAVERIC is an interdisciplinary research and development organization with the goal of making the most of what can be learned from researching important medical problems.
"We at MAVERIC and the VISN 1 Clinical Trial Network are pleased and honored to broker this height level partnership between the VA Cooperative Studies Program and VA Patient Care Services. With Precision Oncology as an exemplar we are poised to demonstrate Proof-of-Concept for Learning Healthcare System and Point-of-Care methodologies in VA," said Fiore. "Our ambition, clearly within sight now, is to provide veterans with cancer the opportunity to receive cutting-edge diagnostics and therapeutics while demonstrating the agility and potential of the VA Healthcare System to define and improve the standard of care. Special recognition should go to our Network Director, Dr. Michael Mayo-Smith, whose vision for the integration of research into clinical care made possible the development of this and other innovative programs," said Fiore.