Membership Criteria and Process for Adding New Members

Members of the Consortium have full access to all activities of their respective scientific programs, can utilize all Consortium shared resources at reduced prices reserved for members, and are eligible to apply for pilot award funding through the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG). All member-track faculty at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center are eligible for Consortium membership, and faculty at Assistant Professor level or above at University of Washington and Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center who actively collaborate in scientific program activities of the Consortium are also eligible for membership.

Heads of scientific programs recommend new Consortium members and removal of existing members. All individuals who are newly appointed to a Consortium scientific program must meet the membership criteria below and be sponsored by a program head through the Consortium application process to become a Consortium member. Individuals who are potentially eligible for membership and interested in joining the Consortium should contact the relevant program head as appropriate for sponsorship through the Consortium application process. If it is not clear which program is the best fit, such individuals may also contact Janet Leeds, Consortium Administrator, at (206) 667-7835 or jleeds@fhcrc.org.

Criteria for Membership

a. Faculty at Assistant Member or Assistant Professor level or higher, and

b. Principal investigators or project leaders on a cancer-related research grant, or

c. Involved in cancer-related clinical or population science protocol development and/or execution, or

d. A long-standing (at least 1 year) key participant on a grant or collaborative project within the program, including preclinical or clinical trials (therapeutic or non-therapeutic)*

Other criteria that must be met may vary among programs, but will include at least one of the following:

e. Brings specialized or essential skill important to program goals

f. Has significant involvement in program activities, e.g., regular attendance of program meetings and/or is active collaborator with one or more program members.

*If only criterion (d) might apply for an individual aspiring to consortium membership, but the individual is not currently collaborating with investigators in a current scientific program, the individual must demonstrate evidence of a meaningful collaboration for a year before applying for membership.

Affiliate Members

Affiliate Membership is available for clinical investigators who are enrolling patients on clinical trials and researchers who are eligible to utilize the Consortium IRB who are not active members of current Consortium scientific programs or developing programs. Physicians who become credentialed to be on the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance medical staff and have a major affiliation with the Consortium by enrolling patients on clinical trials are eligible to become Affiliate Members of the Consortium. Affiliate faculty who actively collaborate with the Consortium may also be eligible for Affiliate Membership.

Process for Applying for Consortium Membership

For each recommended new member, the program head should submit a letter of support, the Application for Consortium Membership, the applicant's current curriculum vitae (including grant and funding support), and at least one additional support letter from a program member (e.g., closest collaborator within the program). The letters of support should describe how the individual will contribute to the Consortium, in accordance with the membership criteria.

The application materials should be submitted as electronic files to Jennifer Blaesing in the Consortium Director's Office, at jblaesin@fhcrc.org. The materials will be compiled and forwarded for review by the Consortium Membership Committee. This committee will review application information and evaluate additions to Consortium membership.