OCRI Hosts Third Internal Advisory Board Meeting

The Oral Cancer Research Initiative hosted its third Internal Advisory Board (IAB) meeting on June 27 in the Dean’s Conference Room on the first floor of the Boston University School of Medicine Instructional Building. The Board members in attendance were Dr. David Center from the Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. David Coleman also from the Boston University School of Medicine, Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter from the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and Dr. Catherine Klapperich from the Boston Univeristy School of Biomedical Engineering, The meeting was held to provide updates on the activities of the OCRI since the last board meeting in May 2013, and to seek input on several important developments.

Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska and Dr. Maria Trojanowska began the meeting by presenting updates to the Board such as the OCRI’s successfully funded Etiology and Pathogenesis of Oral Cancer Affinity Research Collaborative (ARC). They also discussed the status of several research projects, and an upcoming U01 grant application, which will be the precursor to the submission of a SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) application in May 2015.

Dr. Kukuruzinska also announced the establishment of an Executive Committee, which will better facilitate collaborative leadership and direction for the OCRI.  The members of the OCRI Executive Committee include Dr. Kukuruzinska and Dr. Trojanowska from Boston University, Dr. Peter Hammerman and Dr. Robert Haddad both from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Karl Kelsey from Brown University, and Dr. Philip Stashenko from the Forsyth Institute.

The last item on the agenda was the current structure of the IAB. Board members responded favorably to extending the membership of the IAB to include representatives from external institutions collaborating with the OCRI, including Dana Farber, Brown University, and the Forsyth Institute.

The feedback provided by the IAB was exceedingly beneficial for the future of the Initiative. At the recommendation of the IAB, the OCRI is in the process of reaching out through several new channels to further facilitate multidisciplinary collaborations and project expansion.