A native Hoosier, William Ian Towler is the Regulatory Manager for the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center. “My job is to make sure we function as smoothly as possible,” Towler says.

[Photo: Ian Towler (left) and HCRN co-founder and William B. Fisher, MD.]

The breadth of Towler’s impact is as wide as his responsibility. “My group is responsible for all the IRB submissions, all the ClinicalTrials.gov submissions, all the FDA IND submissions; so anything that might have a regulatory body, we are responsible for making sure we get them in on time and appropriately.”

The depth of Towler’s work currently makes possible the day-to-day progress of numerous clinical trials. “Last year we opened 118 trials. This year we are on pace to hit 120-125. We had over 2,800 submissions last year. Divided among 6 people, it is a huge volume of work. On top of that we currently manage about 38 INDs.”

Towler didn’t foresee the genesis of of his impact on oncological progress. “I don’t think anyone wakes up and says ‘I want to be a regulatory person.’ I think it’s one of those things people just kind of end up in or discover and then say, ‘Hey, this is interesting.’”

Towler employed his master’s degree in biology during his early years in bench science. His professional commitment to answering tough questions about compliance led him to invest in his own development. “I went back to school and got a degree in regulatory affairs and ended up in an HIV clinical trial group and from there moved in to cancer.”

This past December, Towler was honored as a recipient of the Sandra Turner Excellence in Clinical Research Award. The Award was established in 2002 by William B. Fisher, MD, through the George and Sarah Jane Fisher Fund to honor the memory of Sandra Turner, the first executive director of Hoosier Cancer Research Network. Each year the organization selects individuals for the award who exemplify the qualities Sandra possessed and respected in others, such as sustained professional commitment, contribution to the progress of oncology care, and the unflinching touch of compassion.

“At the end of the day, our job is to protect the physicians so they can continue to offer cutting-edge treatment to future patients,” Towler says. “The reward is knowing I am giving back. It may not be in a way that is completely apparent, but I am facilitating research that is going to change someone’s life in the future, and that is so rewarding.”
Towler reflects on the role of HCRN as a partner in contribution to the progress of oncology care. “HCRN has an interesting role in the clinical trials realm, offering our investigators an opportunity to do bigger and bolder protocols,” Towler says.

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 initiated more than 150 trials in a variety of cancer types and supportive care, resulting in more than 300 publications. More than 4,600 subjects have participated in Hoosier Cancer Research Network clinical trials.