Membership: Criteria and How to Apply

Membership in the WVU Cancer Institute allows faculty with shared interests in cancer-related focused care, research, and education, to enhance collaboration to improve care and treatment of patients with cancer.

We strive to be a catalyst for improving cancer care through interdisciplinary basic, clinical, translational, and population sciences research. We are dedicated to implementing disease prevention strategies; facilitating early detection and accurate diagnosis; providing optimal therapeutic outcomes; and enhancing multidisciplinary care, while providing opportunities for professional development, collaboration, and continued education.

To help us achieve these goals, we are focused on leveraging our intellectual resources and building upon the land-grant mission of West Virginia University through membership in the WVU Cancer Institute.

Criteria for determining and maintaining individual membership are primarily based on productivity, research focus (aligned with cancer research programs), and involvement in Institute activities.

Membership benefits include:

• Opportunities to apply for internal funding, grants, and sponsored student support
• Notifications of outside cancer-related funding opportunities
• Opportunities to participate in program development
• Scientific and administrative support for the development of investigator-initiated clinical trials and grant applications
• Opportunities to highlight work in WVU Cancer Institute promotional materials
• Increased visibility among potential collaborators through presentation opportunities and the WVU Cancer Institute membership directory.
• Opportunities to nominate speakers for WVU Cancer Institute’s established and supported seminar series

The WVU Cancer Institute has two membership categories: member and associate member. The criteria for each category are outlined below.

Members

Members must fulfill one of the criteria outlined below:

• Principal Investigator (PI) of cancer-relevant peer-reviewed* research grants or an investigator-initiated clinical trial
  *“Peer-reviewed” as defined by NIH published list of “Organizations with Peer Review Funding Systems” to meet standards for CCSG submissions. (NIH-reviewed, 8/3/23). Note: This is updated by the NIH at irregular intervals. Learn more.
• PI of an industry-sponsored trial for which the member was a primary scientific contributor to the trial’s design, implementation, and monitoring
• Site PI of a multi-site interventional trial initiated by an investigator at another center
• Not a PI but accrued a total of at least 5 patients per year on a cancer-relevant trial
• Team science investigator who plays a significant role as a co-investigator (e.g., director of a core on a MPI grant)
• PI on a cancer-relevant training award or other career-development award (e.g., K awardees)
• Co-investigator on a cancer-relevant grant from a discipline in which the investigator typically does not have independent R01 funding (e.g., biostatistics, pathology, radiology)
• Hold a leadership position in the National Cancer Institute National Clinical Trials Network or other cancer-related National Institutes of Health-funded cooperative research group
• A new recruit or investigator in cancer research or researcher active in another field who has gained interest in pursuing cancer-relevant research (5-year appointment with evaluation at year 3)
• An investigator who has not served as a principal investigator on cancer-related peer-reviewed funding within the past three years but actively engages in cancer research that supports the Cancer Institute’s mission of collaborative cancer research. This commitment is best demonstrated through involvement in grants and publications.
• A WVU Cancer Institute member of senior leadership (associate director or program leader)

 

Associate Members

• Associate members are actively involved in the WVU Cancer Institute’s overall research efforts and mission, but do not meet the specified criteria for member status.
• WVU Cancer Institute associate members will likely be involved in cancer research, patient care, and/or clinical or Cancer Institute administration (e.g., department chairs, division chiefs, or they play a significant role in leading and developing cancer-focused education and training programs), but do not meet requirements to be a member.

Associate members are integral to the performance of the research program and overall success of the WVU Cancer Institute.

Note: The WVU Cancer Institute Director holds the ultimate discretion and authority to appoint individuals who may not meet the specified criteria, but who make significant contributions to the Cancer Institute’s mission, vision, and strategic goals. Appointments must be made judiciously as individuals that do not meet the membership criteria above but are included as members may negatively impact the percentage of members with cancer funding or the equivalent.

All members are expected to contribute to the strength of the WVU Cancer Institute through support of the organization’s activities. Membership alignment is limited to one program. As part of membership in the WVU Cancer Institute, members:

• Must participate in the research program to which they are assigned and actively engage in intra- and inter-programmatic activities and interactions.
• Attend program and institute meetings and retreats.
• Provide information, as requested by the WVU Cancer Institute, for all internal and external reporting (including the NCI Cancer Center Support Grant). Requests regularly include updates regarding cancer-relevant extramural funding and publications, an updated NIH biosketch, and information on leadership roles (nationally and institutionally).
• Acknowledge usage of WVU Cancer Institute-funded initiatives (e.g. shared resources and pilot funding), when appropriate.

Interested in becoming a member? Complete the following steps to submit a membership application.

1. Start here.
2. Create an account. This will take you to the application form.
   Note: you will need to upload a current NIH formatted biosketch as part of the application process. For biosketch examples and assistance. Click here.
3. Once your account is created, click “Sign in with University” and select “West Virginia University.” This will link your WVU credentials to your membership record.
4. Your membership application will be reviewed by our administrative staff, and you will be notified of your membership status.