Cancer Center Membership

Categories of Membership

There are two categories of research membership, each with specific criteria relating to the NCI designated functions of the institution, as described below.

Research Memberships

• Participating Member
• Associate Member

Other Memberships

• Distinguished
• General

Membership Criteria

Participating Membership

• Have a salaried or non-salaried faculty appointment at UCSD
• Hold an NIH R01 cancer-related grant or equivalent peer-reviewed grant
• Eligibility to participate in the meetings and joint research activities of a sponsored Cancer Center Research Program
• Have recent publications that are relevant to cancer
• Have a Cancer Center leadership role to organize an essential activity or service, as appointed by the Center Director
• Be significantly collaborating with other peer-reviewed Cancer Center members
• Be leading investigator-initiated Cancer Center clinical trials or accruing significant numbers of patients (at least 5 per year) to such trials
• Systematically assisting in the procurement of clinical specimens for cancer-related research

Associate Membership

• Scientific and/or medical UCSD faculty who are clearly and consistently interested in cancer (as defined by their field of research or area of clinical activity)
• Wish to be regularly involved in Cancer Center activities such as retreats and seminars
• Do not currently fulfill the criteria above

Distinguished Membership

This category is used sparingly and designated only by authority of the Center Director for:

• Key institutional leaders, regardless of research or academic focus, who can advise the Center about topical matters affecting the organization
• Scientists affiliated with other organizations with a proven record of outstanding achievements in cancer research and who are consulting with the Center and its members

General Membership

General members have faculty appointments at outside academic or research institutions, and/or have salaried or unsalaried faculty appointments at UCSD.  General members are interested in helping the mission of the Cancer Center and have a sustained interest in cancer, but may have a primary focus in another area. 

Benefits of Cancer Center Membership

General Members

• Access to Cancer Center functions, including lectures and seminars
• Opportunities to participate in Center-organized, pharmaceutical-sponsored group clinical trials
• Access to repository of skills, expertise and knowledge in the Cancer Center for assisting public or individual understanding of cancer related issues
• Access to help from public relations or member relations Center personnel in obtaining information about Center programs, services and cancer news.
• Representation of Members interests by the Center in dealings concerning the School of Medicine, the University and the surrounding Community.

General Members can to change to other categories of Membership when criteria are fulfilled.

Associate Members

In addition to the benefits noted above for General Members:

• Entitlement to attend Center-sponsored retreats, lectures, seminars and journal clubs
• Eligibility to apply for Cancer Center intramural grant monies for pilot projects or as stipulated by a given RFA
• Eligibility for support from the Cancer Center in public announcement of research and clinical achievements
• Eligibility to participate in the meetings and joint research activities of a sponsored Cancer Center Research Program
• Preferred access to Cancer Center Shared Resource facilities
• Eligible for waived fees to attend the annual Usha Mahajani Symposium on Molecular Medicine held each year in in La Jolla
• Featured on the Cancer Center's website, and granted access to the OncLine intranet

(Associate Members can change to Participating Membership when criteria are fulfilled.)

Participating Members

In addition to the benefits noted above for General and Associate Members:

• Entitlement to use Cancer Center Shared Resources at discounted rates relative to other users *
• Eligibility to occupy Cancer Center research space
• Eligibility for additional intramural grant cycles which mandate strong scientific interactivity in the Center
• Eligibility for financial stipends to attend meetings in support of basic, clinical and prevention research collaborations
• Eligibility for financial support of seminar series' that parallel the Cancer Center's mission
• Eligibility to participate on NIH Center-type grant efforts (P01, or nominated opportunities, etc.)
• Assistance with financial management of research grants if occupying Center space
• Entitlement to propose new shared resources which would facilitate and advance new research activities and initiatives
• Entitlement to help with designing statistically valid laboratory experiments and clinical trials
• Access to help with launching new diagnostic and therapeutic clinical trials or being partnered with clinicians who can help translate bench discoveries into clinical trials. This includes help with Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications and federal regulatory requirements (IND’s, etc.)
  Participation in group benefits negotiated by the Cancer Center on behalf of Center Members eg. improved research or clinical space or facilities, clinical specimen (blood, urine, tissue) collection, improved animal space, etc.
• Opportunity to participate in shaping the future of the Cancer Center

Note: At the sole discretion of the Director, junior or new UCSD faculty who have been recruited by the Center and approved as Associate Members, may receive discounted Shared Resource rates.

Duties of Membership

General Members

• Willingness to help the Center to help the public or to help other Members as much as is feasible
• Willingness to help accrue patients to Center-associated clinical trials where possible
• Acknowledgement of membership in the Center in reports of research findings

Associate Members

In addition to duties for General Members:

• Willingness to speak on behalf of the Center as community liaison, as requested
• Willingness to participate, as requested from time to time, in Center leadership, advisory or selection committees, grant reviews, community liaison and public relations efforts, and recruitment interviews
  Attendance at retreats, seminars and lectures
• Willingness to provide reports on pilot research conducted with Center intramural awards

Participating Members

In addition to duties for General and Associate Members:

• Willingness to develop investigator-initiated clinical trials
• Willingness to accrue patients to Cooperative and other Cancer Center clinical trials
• Sustained evidence of cancer-related publications and grants
• Acknowledgement of the Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego in publications if occupying Center space ro if supported by developmental or intramural grant funding
• Acknowledgment, in publications, of Cancer Center Shared Resources used in that work *
• Participating in at least one Cancer Center sponsored retreat per Academic year
• Attendance at Center Research Program meetings as requested
• Evidence of interaction with other Cancer Center Members as defined by joint publications, joint grants or joint research activities
• Willingness to provide annual update of publications, grants obtained and summary of current research interests. For members in leadership roles, annual updates of biosketches are also required
• Willingness to participate in an annual Member Survey to assist the Center in its strategy and service planning efforts
• Willingness to accrue patients to institutional clinical trials and, where appropriate, to national Cooperative group trials organized by NSABP, CALGB, SWOG, POG, GOG etc.

* Shared Resources: Biostatistics, Clinical Trials, Data Compilation and Analysis, Digital Imaging, DNA Sequencing, Flow Cytometry, Histology and Immunohistochemistry, Microarray, Molecular Pathology, Nutrition, Radiation Medicine, Transgenic Core.

Member Assessment, Continuation and Termination

The key mission of the Moores UCSD Cancer Center is to nurture multidisciplinary collaborations among UCSD clinicians and researchers on the cancer problem and thus facilitate the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.  Our programs and activities are designed with this mission in mind, much of which is financially subsidized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). 

Our effectiveness and continued designation as an NCI comprehensive cancer center is measured by   the research successes of Participating Members; the productivity and value-added research support of our core facilities; and inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary collaborations among our Members.  The interactive participation of Members in Center-sponsored events and activities, therefore, is an important benchmark of our success, both as an Organized Research Unit of the UC system, and as an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. 

Helpful to assessing interaction is the use of a web-based Member Survey, which is done every 1-2 years.  Emailed to all Members, a simple point-and-click system is in place and a Member is not required to answer all questions – only those that are personally applicable.  The Survey also invites Members to submit recommendations to help the Center make decisions and authorize expenditures to enrich the research, teaching and patient care environments of our Members. Each membership level has a published list of outlined responsibilities, and the overall review will take these into consideration as well. 

We encourage an annual response to the survey by all Members, and a generous timeframe is provided for response to it. There is no penalty for failure to participate in the first surveyr, however a lack of participation for two surveys will generate an internal membership review by the Center Director or his representatives, which may lead to termination of the membership. 

Termination

If non-participation is determined on a variety of levels, a letter is issued to the Member by the Director’s Office.  The Member is removed from all notification lists, and access to preferred service pricing is discontinued. 

Change in Series

The Director and senior leaders may determine that the Member has an interest in cancer but is not directly focusing grants and publications upon cancer.  Under these circumstances, the Member may be considered for a change in series to become a General Member, entitled to notifications of activities and opportunities. 

Reinstatement

If a termination or a change in membership is appealed with reasonable written justification to the Center Director, following review by the senior leadership, the membership can be reinstated for a 12-month probationary period.   At the end of one year, a follow-up review will occur utilizing the same guidelines.  Written confirmation of the reinstated membership will also occur at that time. 

Future Membership

A former Member with new research focus on the cancer problem, evidenced by publications and grants, is eligible to apply for new membership following the standard application procedures.

Apply for Membership

 To begin the application process, please sign into our password protected website: Membership