OCRI Hosts Second External Advisory Board Meeting

The Oral Cancer Research Initiative hosted its second External Advisory Board (EAB) meeting on November 21-22, 2013, at the Hotel Commonwealth. The Board members in attendance were Dr. Thomas Glynn from the American Cancer Society, Dr. Jennifer Grandis from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Bruce Johnson from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Dong Shin from Emory University and Dr. Gregory Wolf from the  University of Michigan.

The purpose of the meeting was to present an update on the progress of the OCRI since the last Board meeting in November 2012, and to solicit advice on the development of a competitive SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) application to augment cancer research and enhance infrastructure at Boston University. Key OCRI members presented their research to the EAB and engaged in a constructive dialogue with the board members. Dean Jeffrey W.  Hutter, Dean and Spencer N. Frankl Professor in Dental Medicine at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, also attended to voice his support and to answer questions on institutional commitment to the initiative.

The EAB members in attendance provided valuable advice and insight throughout the morning discussions and in the closed afternoon session.  Their feedback will be instrumental to the further recalibration of the SPORE projects and cores. The target date for the submission of a SPORE application by Boston University and Dana-Farber is September 2014.