This month, Hoosier Cancer Research Network highlights Rana R. McKay, MD, a medical oncologist and researcher at UC San Diego Health. Dr. McKay specializes in treating people with urogenital cancers, including bladder, kidney, prostate, and testicular cancers, and leads a multi-disciplinary prostate cancer clinic. As an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Dr. McKay instructs medical students, residents, and fellows at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She is a co-chair of HCRN’s Genitourinary Clinical Trial Working Group.

“My primary research interests lie in the design and implementation of clinical trials with embedded biomarker and imaging correlative studies to advance the outcomes of patients with genitourinary malignancies,” Dr. McKay said. “As a clinical investigator and translational scientist, my goal is to be at the vanguard of the next frontier in cancer care, constantly striving to move the field forward to improve the lives of cancer patients. I have extensive training and experience in effective clinical trial design and have personally worked on the design and implementation of several investigator-initiated studies with correlative analyses. As new agents populate the treatment landscape, many questions remain unanswered regarding therapeutic strategies or combinations and sequences, understanding mechanisms of responses and resistance, and developing predictive biomarkers. Additionally, as new diagnostics and treatments are available, ensuring equity in access to diagnostics, treatments, and clinical trials for patients across diverse patient populations is a vital aspect of my research objectives. My goal is to engage in clinical research that begins to provide answers to these questions in order to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce the burdens of illness for patients with cancer.”

Educational Background:

• Medical School: University of Florida
• Residency: Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Fellowship: Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Massachusetts General Hospital

In her personal time, Dr. McKay enjoys:

• Long distance running and exercising.
• Cooking and baking with her kids.
• Beach time with the family.

About Hoosier Cancer Research Network

Hoosier Cancer Research Network (formerly known as Hoosier Oncology Group) conducts innovative cancer research in collaboration with academic and community physicians and scientists across the United States. The organization provides comprehensive clinical trial management and support, from conception through publication. Created in 1984 as a program of the Walther Cancer Institute, Hoosier Cancer Research Network became an independent nonprofit clinical research organization in 2007. Since its founding, Hoosier Cancer Research Network has conducted more than 230 trials in a variety of cancer types and supportive care, resulting in more than 350 publications. More than 9,000 subjects have participated in Hoosier Cancer Research Network clinical trials.