During the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting, Patrick J. Loehrer, MD, FACP, FASCO, received the ASCO Humanitarian Award in recognition of his work personifying ASCO’s mission and values as well as providing service and leadership both at home and abroad.

During the career and mentorship round table Dr. Loehrer discussed the humanitarian work, including his efforts in founding Hoosier Cancer Research Network. 

ASCO Interviewer: Can you talk a little about your humanitarian work here at home—namely, your efforts in founding the Hoosier Cancer Research Network contract research organization?

PL: During my fellowship at Indiana University, I was working with Lawrence (Larry) H. Einhorn, MD, of Indiana University Health, who was the master of clinical trials, but at the time, all of these trials were conducted at academic centers. One afternoon, Larry, Steve Williams, and I were reflecting on this, and the idea of a community-led clinical trials network arose. Before we even thought of how this might be structured, I knew its name—the Hoosier Oncology Group, or HOG. I was the chair of the HOG for 2 decades and had the joy of working with some incredible individuals in private practice who selflessly shared in the research mission.

As the years have gone by, we renamed ourselves the Hoosier Cancer Research Network (HCRN) and have grown to over 100 sites and enrolled thousands of patients on investigator-initiated trials. These investigator-initiated trials have not been designed by industry but rather conceived by members and presented to industry for support. The HCRN has provided administrative support for the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium—which, like the HCRN, provides a unique opportunity for young investigators to pursue their creativity and become principal investigators of studies early in their careers.

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About Hoosier Cancer Research Network:

Hoosier Cancer Research Network 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.