Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, Re-elected as RTOG Group Chair

Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, Re-elected as RTOG Group Chair

Philadelphia, PA – June 24, 2010 – Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, was elected to a fourth term as group chair by the principal investigators of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). Curran, who has held the group chair position since 1997 is the executive director of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta Georgia. RTOG is a National Cancer Institute-funded national clinical trials group and is administered by the American College of Radiology.

As group chair, Curran is the principal investigator of the six-year $60.5M RTOG cooperative group grant from the NCI and is chair of the group’s executive and steering committees. According to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, Curran ranks 32nd overall among all individual recipients of National Institute of Health grant awards in 2009. RTOG is the leading American cancer cooperative group conducting large clinical trials for patients with brain tumors, tumors of the head and neck region, and prostate cancer. In addition, its clinical trial portfolio includes protocols for patients with cancers of the lung, gastrointestinal tract, breast, and gynecologic and genitourinary systems.

“I am honored and humbled to be re-elected by my peers to this important position,” said Curran. “For over 40 years RTOG has set the standard for radiation therapy-related clinical and translational research both in the United States and internationally. As group chair I will continue to work with our member investigators to develop effective strategies for testing novel radiation techniques that, either alone or in combination with pharmacologic agents, improve the survival and quality of life of men and women diagnosed with cancer.”