Arend named Vice Chair of NRG Oncology Translational Science Committee
Rebecca Arend, M.D., MPH, Associate Director of Clinical Research at the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center, was appointed as Gynecologic Oncology Vice Chair of the NRG Oncology Translational Science Committee. This national leadership role recognizes her expertise in translational research and clinical trial innovation.
This appointment places Arend among the leaders helping guide the translational research priorities of one of the nation’s largest cancer clinical trials organizations. In this role, she will help advance collaborative research efforts that translate laboratory discoveries into new treatments for gynecologic cancers.
Leadership at UAB
At the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center, Arend leads initiatives to strengthen the center’s clinical research enterprise. She oversees clinical trial infrastructure, protocol development, workforce development, and the integration of translational science across disease-focused research programs, helping accelerate the delivery of promising new therapies to patients.
Arend has also established herself as a national leader in gynecologic cancer research. She serves as a voting member on multiple National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines panels and has led numerous multicenter clinical trials through the GOG Foundation, the National Cancer Institute-funded Cervical SPORE program, and investigator-initiated studies.
Role at NRG Oncology
Founded in 2012, NRG Oncology is one of five research groups in the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network. The organization conducts practice-changing, multi-institutional clinical and translational research through a network of more than 1,300 research sites around the world bringing together physicians, scientists, and researchers to advance cancer treatment through collaborative clinical trials.
Within NRG Oncology, Arend currently serves as Translational Science Chair of the Ovarian Subcommittee under the Gynecologic Cancer Committee. Her new appointment as Gynecologic Oncology Vice Chair of the Translational Science Committee expands her leadership responsibilities and provides additional opportunities to help shape national research priorities in gynecologic oncology.
Beyond her scientific contributions, Arend is committed to developing the next generation of cancer researchers. She actively mentors early-career investigators through the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, the BRIDGES Program, and the NRG Oncology New Investigator Program, helping prepare future leaders in academic oncology and clinical research.
Her appointment further underscores the UAB O’Neal Cancer Center’s national leadership in cancer clinical trials and translational science. As Alabama’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the center continues to play a leading role in developing innovative therapies and expanding access to groundbreaking clinical trials that improve the lives of patients across Alabama and beyond.
Read more about Arend’s appointment and the other new NRG Oncology leaders at the following link: www.nrgoncology.org/Home/News/Post/nrg-oncology-adds-new-leadership-members-to-clinical-research-associate-and-mentorship-subcommittees-translational-science-committee
Learn more about NRG Oncology on its website: www.nrgoncology.org