Press Releases
The input of Stakeholders assures those decisions include the view of people who have real-life experience with cancer.
The American Cancer Society is seeking individuals with a strong personal interest in cancer to participate in its research grants peer review process. “Stakeholders” have been an important part of the Society’s grant review process since 1999. They provide a unique perspective from the cancer experience to help ensure sound research funding decisions.
Being a Stakeholder requires no formal science or oncology training. Candidates should have a strong personal interest in cancer research based on a personal connection to the disease, such as being a cancer survivor, having had a family member with cancer, or having acted as a caregiver.
“The participation of stakeholders brings a critical perspective to the ACS’s grant review process,” said William Chambers, Ph.D., senior vice president of Extramural Research. “We have always made funding the best science our top priority. The input of Stakeholders assures those decisions include the view of people who have real-life experience with cancer.”
Stakeholders from various interest areas join clinicians, researchers, and other scientists for a two-year term to review the more than 1,300 applications submitted to the American Cancer Society each year. Stakeholders are recruited from around the United States, and receive training before being assigned to one or more of the approximately 20 peer review committees in the Society’s Extramural Research Department. In addition to stakeholders, each committee includes five to 20 researchers, clinicians, and other experts.
Stakeholder nominations will remain open now through September 15, 2017. Nominees will be asked to complete a short questionnaire and submit two letters of recommendation as part of the selection process. About 12 to 15 stakeholders will be selected, and will be trained before beginning a two-year term of service in June 2018.
Interested parties can learn more about the program at: https://www.cancer.org/stakeholders or by emailing joseph.cotter@cancer.org
See also this news story: Volunteer Stakeholders Key to Research Grant Decisions