After five years as chief scientific officer for Hoosier Cancer Research Network (HCRN), Bert H. O’Neil, MD, recently stepped down from the role, a move that coincided with his transition from Indiana University to Eli Lilly and Company. Dr. O’Neil continues to serve as a member of the HCRN Board of Directors.

Dr. O’Neil joined HCRN as chief scientific officer in 2014, soon after his appointment as the Joseph W. and Jackie J. Cusick Professor of Oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. O’Neil was the Phase I director and director of the gastrointestinal cancer research program at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center and represented the cancer center on the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium steering committee.

Prior to joining Indiana University, Dr. O’Neil was an associate professor of medicine and director of the gastrointestinal malignancies research program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was the medical director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s clinical protocol office, where he designed and conducted clinical and translational studies.

HCRN experienced unprecedented growth under O’Neil’s leadership. Today, more than 250 researchers are members of HCRN’s clinical trial working groups, and the organization is actively managing about 60 clinical trials. Dr. O’Neil believes HCRN’s growth reflects the strong reputation it has gained as a go-to collaborator for multi-institution clinical research.

“For any funded trial, whether it be through a grant or through industry, that is going to require more than one or two institutions to complete, most institutions will benefit by working with HCRN,” Dr. O’Neil said. “There are probably a few institutions who have the right infrastructure to get trials with 2, 3, or 4 sites done, but when you start to get above that, HCRN really becomes a top choice in that situation.”

In his new role at Eli Lilly and Company, Dr. O’Neil will work with several drug development teams, overseeing development of new compounds moving toward first-in-human or phase 2 trials. With more than three decades of experience in an academic oncology setting, Dr. O’Neil brings a valuable perspective to his new role.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes in patient care, so I have the perspective of understanding what has worked well,” he said. “I’ve had quite a bit of experience with Phase I clinical trials, so I have a good understanding of their potential pitfalls, and which of the newer designs work best at determining how to use a new drug.”

Alongside his new responsibilities, Dr. O’Neil plans to continue seeing gastrointestinal cancer patients on a volunteer basis.

Dr. O’Neil’s successor as HCRN chief scientific officer is Shadia Jalal, MD, a thoracic oncologist at Indiana University School of Medicine and a researcher at the IU Simon Cancer Center. Watch for a story featuring Dr. Jalal in the near future.

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 210 trials in a variety of cancer types and supportive care, resulting in more than 350 publications. More than 8,500 subjects have participated in Hoosier Cancer Research Network clinical trials.