Many of you may have seen the meaningful testimony delivered by Barry Sleckman, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, “Biomedical Research: Keeping America's Edge in Innovation,” on April 30, 2025. Dr. Sleckman spoke eloquently about the essential role of federal support in funding clinical trials and research, which have saved countless lives and extended survival for many cancer patients. He highlighted advancements in cancer treatment, such as immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma, that have increased survival rates from months to years. He noted that investments through the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute have led to a 34 percent reduction in cancer mortality over the past 30 years and an increase in cancer survivors in the U.S. from 8 million in 2000 to 18 million in 2022, with a predicted 26 million survivors by 2040. Importantly, he emphasized that “the advances in virtually all other chronic and acute illnesses have been equally remarkable, and all because of federal investments in biomedical research.”
Clinical trials enhance the quality and effectiveness of patient care and are a critical avenue to bringing the newest and most cutting-edge experimental treatments to our patients. Even more importantly, they give patients hope for a healthier future. As Dr. Sleckman shared, “More and more of our cancer patients are having positive outcomes from new experimental treatments they receive as part of a clinical trial. As a result, we consider clinical trials as ‘standard of care’ in the treatment of our cancer patients. Our goal is to be able to offer every cancer patient the opportunity to be on a clinical trial that they could potentially benefit from on their own cancer journey.”
To that end, the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center has undergone a strategic expansion of its cancer clinical trials operations over the past five years leading to a near doubling in trial intensive clinical faculty during this time and a $1.5 million expansion of the center’s clinical trials office. These advances and the tireless efforts of our dedicated faculty and professionals in the O’Neal Clinical Trials Program have led to a 50 percent increase in the yearly number of cancer patients entering clinical trials from 2020 to 2024. According to Dr. Sleckman, the O’Neal Cancer Center is on target for over 500 patients accrued to cancer clinical trials in 2025, representing a 20 percent increase over 2024.
Clinical trials growth across UAB has been similarly outstanding. Our clinical trials funding has increased four-fold over the past 10 years, and currently stands at close to $140 million. Increasing our industry-funded clinical trials is an area of special focus, and it has increased by 157 percent since FY2015.
Enhancing our research administration and operations environment to support the clinical trials activities of our faculty is a priority that grew in part out of the latest Huron Consulting Group engagement, which evaluated our existing infrastructure and identified strategic growth opportunity areas.
To further these goals, we recently announced key leadership appointments for our school’s clinical trials administration. Dana Rizk, M.D., was appointed associate dean for Clinical Trials and Cynthia Joiner, Ph.D., MPH, R.N., was named assistant dean for Clinical Research Operations. Dr. Rizk is the Anupam Agarwal Endowed Professor of Medicine and the director of Clinical Trials Research in the Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, and Dr. Joiner is an associate professor and the vice chair for Research Operations and Development in the Department of Medicine, as well as the executive director of the department’s Clinical Research Enterprise unit.
These roles work closely with Senior Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research Orlando Gutiérrez, M.D., and build upon the December 2024 announcement of David Kimberlin, M.D., professor of Pediatrics, as the associate vice president for Clinical Trial Operations for UAB, and the recent appointment of Mike Matthews as assistant vice president for Research Technology and Clinical Trials Operations for UAB.
Drs. Rizk and Joiner are collaborating with these and other partners across our institution to streamline processes from study conception to close out, leverage technology, and enhance patient recruitment and retention as well as clinical research workforce development. They are actively participating in both the EPIC electronic health record system rollout to better integrate clinical care and research needs and the implementation of a new Huron product to boost research administration efficiency. These activities serve the larger strategic mission around clinical trials, which includes planning and implementing strategic programs and processes to grow our clinical trials research, assessing our clinical trials portfolio and nurturing its growth, and working with school and department leadership to identify, recruit, and retain faculty and staff experienced in clinical trials.
Assembling this group of respected and experienced leaders is a significant step toward expanding our clinical trials enterprise. Another part of our strategy is strengthening our clinical trials infrastructure, and the recent announcement of the Academic Research Organization for Clinical Trials, or ARO-CT, is a major advance in this regard.
The ARO-CT will be a central hub supporting clinical trials activities across the six UAB schools and the College of Arts and Sciences that conduct trials. Contracting, clinical billing review, financial services, regulatory affairs, industry relations, and the OnCore clinical trials management system are among the essential functions that will fall under the ARO-CT. Bringing these functions together under a single organization will optimize and streamline processes around study startup and conduct, enabling UAB to increase the number of clinical trials we can offer.
I want to take this opportunity to thank UAB President Ray Watts, M.D., and UAB Health System CEO Dawn Bulgarella, who, along with senior leaders in the Heersink School of Medicine and UAB, have championed the ARO-CT. Their recognition of clinical trials as a key element of excelling in our patient care and research missions has been integral to bringing the ARO-CT to fruition, and I am grateful for their partnership and leadership.
The progress we’ve made—through strategic investments, visionary leadership, and improved infrastructure—positions UAB to be a national leader in clinical research. These efforts are not just about numbers or systems; they are about improving lives, offering hope, and delivering the most innovative care to our patients. I am deeply proud of the work being done across our institution and grateful to each of you who contributes to this mission. Together, we are forging a future where every patient has access to cutting-edge treatments and where research continues to drive transformative advances in medicine.