A clinical trials course, headed by Elizabeth Claire Dees, MD, ScM, will be offered in the UNC Lineberger Cancer Network’s new learning portal starting September 2021.
Dr. Dees is the Symposium Chairperson for the UNC LCCC Clinical Trials Course 2021. She is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Oncology. She founded the Phase I trials Group at UNC-LCCC in 1999 and now directs the Early Phase Clinical Trials program and co-leads the LCCC Clinical Research Program. Dees’ research focuses on early phase clinical trials of novel therapeutics, especially those focused on breast cancer. She has been the principal investigator for over 100 trials and has authored or co-authored over 90 papers. She has been a member of ASCO program committees, ABIM Medical Oncology Board Certification committee, peer review panels for DOD, Komen, and NIH, and an ad hoc reviewer for a number of journals. She has co-mentored many fellows in oncology and pharmacology.
I had the privilege to interview Dr. Dees for this article. Please see the interview below.
Dr. Dees, how long have you been employed at UNC-Chapel Hill, and how long have you been working in clinical trials?
I have been at UNC since fall 1999. I have been working in clinical trials since my training at Johns Hopkins, so probably 25 years.
Would you please tell us about the Clinical Trials course you will be offering?
The UNC LCCC Clinical Trials Course is offered this fall and focused on clinical trials in oncology. It is geared toward fellows and faculty who are interested in clinical research in oncology. This seminar-style course will be 7-8 two-hour sessions starting in September and will cover topics such as design and conduct of trials, relevant regulatory, ethics, finance and data management issues, barriers and challenges, biomarkers and correlative studies, and career development.
How did this idea transpire?
Many of us at UNC LCCC have built careers doing clinical trials research in oncology. However, we have not had a formal way to train the next generation. Many of my mentees have voiced that they would like more training in this area. So, we created this course!
What is your role in this course?
My role is that I am the course organizer and symposium chair. I recruit my friends and colleagues to give talks and figure out how to operationalize it with the help of Tim Poe and his team.
Are continuing education credits available?
Not this year. Maybe in the future, but there is a way to have a certificate of attendance, and you would put that on your CV.
Why is this course, and others like it, important?
Although cancer death rates are declining, still over 500,000 people die of cancer in the US each year. Despite recent advances, we still need new and better treatment options. Clinical Research methodology is a skill set we need to teach the next generation of oncologists so that they can develop new treatments in an evidence-based way and continue working toward the cure.
Will this course be available to the public? If not, who is the intended audience?
No. Not open to the public. Intended for
- Interested fellows and faculty in a cancer-related division or department
- Including learners from medonc, hemonc, gynonc, urologic oncology, ENT, pediatric oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology
- Oncology APPs
I understand that there is a need for more people of color to participate in clinical trials. Is there an effort to ensure that more are involved in future trials and this course?
Yes. A very important topic, and we will be devoting a session to barriers and challenges.
When will this course be available?
Here are the proposed dates, from 4 pm – 6 pm (Not consecutive because of holidays, faculty meetings, national meetings, etc.):
- Sept 8, 2021
- Sept 29, 2021
- Oct 6, 2021
- Oct 13, 2021
- Oct 20, 2021
- Nov 3, 2021
- Nov 10, 2021
- Dec 1, 2021
Is there a cost to participate in this course?
No, there is no cost to participate in this course.
For more information about this course please visit, https://unclineberger.org/unclcn/partners/clinical-trials/ . This link includes additional details regarding the course, including a link to our Learning Portal, where you can set up your account. Also, a pre-registration link. As long as you complete both, you will be fully registered for the course later in August. Please contact us at unclcn@unc.edu or 919-445-1000 with any questions.