Sunday, June 8, 2025
6/8/2025
NCI R50 Clinician Scientist Award - ABSTRACT/SUMMARY NCI clinical trials networks are essential to strengthen the cancer care of the nation by expediting the discovery of novel cancer treatments and therapeutic strategies. Central to this effort are the clinician scientists who development, implement, manage, and provide oversight to these individual trials and trial networks. While essential, these clinicians are frequently tasked with significant clinical, administrative, and teaching responsibilities that may inhibit substantiative contribution to NCI-sponsored clinical trial activity. The R50 Research Specialist /Clinician Scientist Award is designed to protect time and allow the clinician scientist to significantly contribute to NCI-sponsored clinical trials and NCI clinical trials networks through leadership in the development of national clinical trials, implementation of NCI clinical trials in their institutions, and national service to the NCI clinical trials networks. Dr. Brian Jonas, MD, PhD, is a leukemia specialist and an Associate Professor within the Department of Hematology/Oncology at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCDCCC). As an active and highly dedicated clinical scientist and trialist at UC Davis, he has established himself as a leader in opening clinical trials for the treatment of AML, MDS, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and other hematologic malignancies. Moreover, he has received the coveted “Top Accrurer” Award within the cancer clinical trials unit. His clinical research is complemented by his translational studies involving AML biomarkers, chemosensitivity and therapeutic targeting of leukemia stem cells. As an asset to UCDCCC, he has served as PI on several clinical trials and as a leader in clinical trials management. This includes chairing the UCDCCC Hematologic Malignancies Disease Team Committee and the UCDCCC Data and Safety Monitoring Committee. In addition to his contributions at UC Davis, Dr. Jonas has contributed to multidisciplinary clinical and translational teams such as the Leukemia Committee and Working Group for the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG), and the Calif ornia Cancer Consortium to shape and inf orm clinical trial portf olios at the UCDCCC, the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) and the Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ET-CTN). This includes his service as national chair of two ECTCN trials developed through the CTEP Project Team mechanism and the SWOG champion for an ECOG-ACRIN AML trial in development through the NCTN. He is also an active participant in the UM1 Consortium, the California Cancer Consortium (CCC), and a member of the CCC Heme Working Group. Overall, Dr. Jonas is a well-qualified clinician scientist candidate for the NCI R50 Research Specialist Award and has demonstrated prior and continuing leadership in the development of national clinical trials, implementation of NCI-sponsored clinical trials at UCD, and service to NCI clinical trial networks through participation in our CCC. The R50 award will facilitate continued growth of his research program and advancement of his institutional and national leadership.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).