Coalition Leadership

Robert L. Comis, MD, President and Chairman of the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups, is Group Chair of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), and Professor of Medicine and Director of the Drexel University Clinical Trials Research Center, Philadelphia, PA. A leader in international clinical trials research since 1977, Dr. Comis is a champion for patient access to cancer clinical trials, spearheading national efforts to raise awareness about the pivotal role of cancer clinical trials in cancer prevention, detection and treatment. Dr. Comis is a member, Board of Directors, of C-Change and the National Coalition for Cancer Research. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Research and Clinical Cancer Research. As elected Chairman of the National Cancer Institute-Cancer Cooperative Group Chairs, he was increasingly involved in raising the level of clinical trials in the cancer treatment area and in preparing the NCI-Cooperative Group System for the future. His previous board positions include the American Radium Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, where he served in a variety of other capacities including the Executive Committee and Chair of the Program, Nominating and Audit committees. A graduate of Fordham University in New York City, Dr. Comis received his medical degree from SUNY Health Science Center School of Medicine in Syracuse, NY, where he also completed his medical internship and medical residency. He served as a Staff Associate at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland and completed a Medical Oncology Fellowship at The Sidney Farber Cancer Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. 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.

The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups is an independent non-profit organization that represents the nation’s Cancer Cooperative Group Program, the nation’s largest standing network of cancer clinical trials specialists. This network of ten independent research groups includes over 8,000 oncologists and researchers in more than 1,700 cancer centers, academic medical centers, community hospitals, and physician practices nationwide. Together, the cooperative groups share a common purpose-to develop and conduct large-scale clinical trials in multi-institutional settings. The cooperative groups perform nearly half of all federally funded cancer treatment trials in the U.S. and enroll nearly half of ALL patients in the U.S. who participate in cancer treatment trials. In addition, the groups monitor approximately 150,000 patients annually in follow-up care.

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