Coalition Leadership

A leader in international clinical trials research since 1977, Robert L. Comis, MD, also serves as President of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Research and Education Foundation; President of Alpha Oncology, a clinical research division of the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups; and Chairman of eviti, an independent company that develops risk management strategies to improve medical and financial outcomes in catastrophic diseases.

Dr. Comis is known as a champion of patient access to cancer clinical trials, spearheading multiple initiatives to raise awareness about the pivotal role of cancer clinical trials in cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. He is a member of the Board of Directors for C-Change and the National Coalition for Cancer Research. Previous board positions include the American Radium Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He has also served ASCO in a variety of other capacities, including as Chair of the Program Committee and a member of the Executive, Nominating, Audit, and Clinical Trials Workshop committees. While Chair of the Group Chairs for the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Cooperative Group Program, he raised the international profile of the program and initiated efforts to strengthen and reposition it for the future. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research, and Clinical Cancer Research; authored more than 140 scientific articles; and contributed to more than 20 scientific and medical textbooks on cancer. Today his leadership in clinical research continues through frequent appearances as a subject matter expert to the United States Congress, Institute of Medicine, President’s Cancer Panel, National Cancer Advisory Board, and many other national and international organizations.

A graduate of Fordham University, Dr. Comis received his medical degree from State University of New York Health Science Center School of Medicine, where he also completed his medical internship and residency. He served as a staff associate at the NCI and completed a medical oncology fellowship at The Sidney Farber Cancer Center at Harvard Medical School. He has held various clinical practice and research leadership positions at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Temple University School of Medicine, Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Allegheny Cancer Center. Dr. Comis is a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a member of the American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine.

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