Research

The Cancer Center of Santa Barbara offers a comprehensive research program to bring the latest developments in cancer research to the Santa Barbara community. The research department supports advances in the fight against cancer through three primary areas of involvement: a clinical research program, education and basic science research.

 

Clinical Research Program

The Cancer Center's Clinical Research Program brings some of the newest treatment options to our
community by providing access to clinical trials. Through collaborative efforts with community oncologists, we currently offer over 40 adult and pediatric oncology trials for numerous disease sites including: breast cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, colorectal cancer, gynecological cancers and lung cancer. These clinical trials are largely sponsored by National Cancer Institute funded national collaborative groups as well as private research networks such as the UCLA Translational Oncology Reserach Institute (TORI).

Clinical trials not only offer patients access to potentially better treatments than the standard of care, they also ensure consistent progress towards improving the standard of care for cancer therapy. The data collected during a clinical trial results in a gain in knowledge about what is the best treatment in a specific setting. This knowledge

ultimately leads to advances in cancer

treatment for all patients.

Clinical Research Staff

Fred Kass, MD ~ Research Director

Barbara Conviser, MPH ~ Manager
Dana Barker ~ Research Coordinator

Nancy Gnagy, CCRP ~ Research Coordinator
Ellen Kenoss, CCRP ~ Research Coordinator
Margot Jakab, BA ~ Research Coordinator
Lindsay LaCorte, BS ~ Research Coordinator
Annette Aguirre ~ Administrative Assistant

 

                                                                             Basic Science Research

Basic science research is the first step in the long process leading to advances in cancer treatments. Today’s anti-cancer drugs exist thanks to laboratory research begun years ago. The Cancer Center continues to support basic science research through its post-doctoral fellowship which funds promising young scientists at UCSB. Since 1997, ten post-doctoral fellows have been awarded funding. During the past decade, this seed money has resulted in more than $5 million in subsequent federal grant awards.

 

In addition to the post-doctoral fellowship, the Cancer Center also strives to foster the young careers of tomorrow’s scientific leaders by participating in the UCSB Research Mentorship Program. Beginning this year, the Cancer Center offers two scholarships to local high-school students applying to the Research Mentorship Program. This six week summer program provides highly motivated high school students with the opportunity to join UCSB graduate students and their principal investigators as they carry out cutting edge research. We also support ground-breaking brain tumor research through a collaboration with the UCLA Department of Neuro-Oncology.

 

Medical and Community Education

The Cancer Center brings the world’s leading cancer experts and news to our community through educational events and programs. 2004 marked the beginning of our Frontiers in Cancer Research lecture series held in collaboration with UCSB. This ongoing series brings award-winning scientists such as Dr. Judah Folkman, Dr. Arnold Levine and Dr. Michael Bishop to our community to speak about their groundbreaking work.

Our education program also brings a variety of speakers to our medical community, providing opportunities for continuing medical education regarding the latest updates on cancer treatments and methods.

 

Information

Ph: (805) 898-2204

Fx: (805) 898-3610

email: research@ccsb.org