DFCI Clinical Research Assistant – Tissue Harvesting

A three-year funding grant was approved to hire a dedicated Clinical Research Assistant with dedicated responsibilities for increasing the number of brain tumor tissue samples available for research purposes. The main goals of this position is to increase the number of pediatric patients who consent to tissue banking, facilitate the banking of specimens at the time of surgery, and help ensure that all pathology review required as part of clinical trials is completed. Tissue banking is the storage of patient’s tumor tissue, blood, and other specimens collected at the time of surgery or during other clinical collections for use in future research and clinical trials that the patient may choose to participate in. This person will also be responsible for coordinating all required pathology reviews done at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as part of a patient’s participation in Neuro-oncology clinical trials. This position will work within the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program at the Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center as well as the Center for Neuro-Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Center, the Neurosurgery and Neuropathology Departments at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Boston to facilitate tissue banking at these hospitals. Without brain tumor tissue samples, researchers have little hope of finding more effective treatments and a cure for kids battling brain tumors. Investing in this aspect of the research agenda will ensure that rapid scientific progress can be made.

Funded in 2013.