FAQs: Membership
Distribution lists and Essential SWOG Communications
Updating Site Staff Information How to Join a Committee
Institution Information Accrual and Crediting Information
Distribution Lists & Essential SWOG Communications
- How do I access SWOG bi-monthly Trial and Business Updates?
• Access to the membership side of SWOG.org is established once your local site administrator claims you as a SWOG member in the Roster (RUMS or NCORP-SYS).
- Subsequently, to access the Trial and Business updates:
* Login at SWOG.org with your CTEP-IAM ID.
* In the Navigation menu, click on “Member Resources” >> “Trial & Business Updates”.
• To request to be included on the SWOG bi-monthly protocol and general updates distribution list (bi-monthly email), E-mail: member@swog.org.
• SWOG bi-monthly Trial and Business Updates (distributed by SWOG on the 1st and 15th of the month) are also subsequently posted via www.CTSU.org on the 8th and 22nd of each month.
- How do I join SWOG distribution lists?
• To request to be included on the SWOG bi-monthly protocol and general updates distribution list, E-mail: member@swog.org.
• To request to be included on the SWOG CRA Quarterly Newsletter distribution list, login to the SWOG CRA Workbench and then click on the "Join the CRA Mailing list" link OR paste the following link into browser after login (https://txwb.crab.org/TXWB/ListServe.aspx).
• To subscribe to our weekly Front Line (the group chair's Friday blog post) or to the SWOG TM Link of the Week, contact communications@swog.org.
Updating Investigator & Associate/Clinical Site Staff
- How do I add or withdraw investigators/non-physician investigators?
All requests to add or withdraw investigators/non-physician investigators to or from a site roster must be submitted via credentialing requests through one of the following systems.
• For NCORP institutions: Please submit a request through the DCP NCORP-SYS Management System (https://applications.prevention.cancer.gov/ncorp-sys/).
• For all other institutions: Please submit a request through the CTSU Roster Update Management System (RUMS) application (https://www.ctsu.org/). To access the RUMS application, logon to the CTSU member’s website and click the RUMS tab.
Voluntary Race, Ethnicity, Disability and Gender Data Survey Form (https://www.swog.org/media/956) – This form is strongly encouraged, but not required.
Please allow the SWOG Network Operations Center (NOC) in San Antonio 1 to 2 business days to assign a SWOG roster ID number or make requested changes. After credentialing requests have been approved, the SWOG website Directory link can be used to find an individual’s assigned SWOG roster ID number.
- How do I add or withdraw associates/clinical site staff?
All requests to add or withdraw associates/clinical site staff to or from a site roster must be submitted via credentialing requests through one of the following systems.
• For NCORP institutions: Please submit a request through the DCP NCORP-SYS Management System (https://applications.prevention.cancer.gov/ncorp-sys/).
• For all other institutions: Please submit a request through the CTSU Roster Update Management System (RUMS) application (https://www.ctsu.org/). To access the RUMS application, logon to the CTSU member’s website and click the RUMS tab.
Please allow the SWOG NOC in San Antonio1 to 2 business days to assign a SWOG roster ID number or make requested changes. After credentialing requests have been approved, the SWOG website Directory link can be used to find an individual’s assigned SWOG roster ID number.
- Do all investigators need to be registered SWOG members, or those that just enroll patients or order drug?
We strongly recommend that anyone involved in SWOG research register to become a SWOG member. This will prevent issues arising as your institution activates studies with investigators/associate staff needing access to OPEN/RAVE or managing task assignments on site Delegation of Task Logs (DTL).
- How do we change the institution Principal Investigator (PI)?
A formal resignation/nomination letter from the PI or an institutional administrator (in the event the PI has left the institution prior to notifying SWOG) must be submitted to the SWOG NOC in San Antonio at member@swog.org announcing the change in PI and the effective date. Please include a current CV for the new PI. - How do I change our Head Clinical Research Associate (HCRA)?
To request a change of staff for your designated Head CRA, you may email the information to member@swog.org, or submit a request as follows:
• For NCORP institutions: Please submit a request through the DCP NCORP-SYS Management System (https://applications.prevention.cancer.gov/ncorp-sys/).
• For all other institutions: Please submit a request through the CTSU Roster Update Management System (RUMS) application (https://www.ctsu.org/). To access the RUMS application, logon to the CTSU member’s website and click the RUMS tab.
Committees
- How can an investigator join a committee?
A nomination letter from the institution Principal Investigator and a current copy of the investigator’s CV must be submitted to the SWOG NOC in San Antonio at member@swog.org.
If the investigator is not yet a SWOG member, a credentialing request must be submitted either through RUMS or NCORPSYS in order to activate SWOG membership at the institution. The nomination letter from the PI and copy of the CV may be submitted simultaneously with the credentialing request.
See SWOG Policy Memorandum #8 for additional information on committee membership.
Source: SWOG Policy Memorandum No. 8.
Institution
- How do I change my institution’s name and/or address?
In order to change your institution’s name and/or address, you will need to send official documentation regarding the change to the Clinical Trials Monitoring Branch (CTMB) Helpdesk at ecuhelpdesk@mail.nih.gov.
The Enterprise Core Unite (ECU) helpdesk will initiate the change and notify all cooperative groups when the change has been completed within the CTMB-AIS (Audit Information System) database system.
- Can an institution belong to more than one network group?
Yes, institutions can become members of more than one network group (i.e., SWOG, ALLIANCE, ECOG-ACRIN, NRG). However, institutions will need to meet the accrual and participation requirements set forth by the policies of each network group they join.
Accrual and Crediting
- How many credits do I receive for a registration?
Unless otherwise stated on the funding memorandum, one (1) credit towards SWOG membership is issued upon participant registration to an NCTN or NCORP study credited to SWOG. If the study has multiple steps, the credit is issued at the first randomization step. If a participant is deemed ineligible for treatment registration/randomization after being initially registered on a study with a screening step, ¼ credit will be issued upon determination. Please contact member@swog.org with any questions.
- How can I track my membership credits?
Sites can track their accrual credit through the CRA workbench > Study Reports link > Accrual by Site link > SWOG-credited Registrations – site-specific, patient listing. All credit received is documented with a “Y’ in the “Reg Counts toward accrual?” column.
- What is the accrual requirement for my institution to be elected to hold a seat on the SWOG Board of Governors (BOG)?
A governing institution should have the capability of maintaining a minimal average annual accrual of 25 SWOG-credited registrations based over a 3-year period.
SWOG Policy Memorandum No. 3 will provide detailed guidelines for governing institutional membership.
Source: SWOG Policy Memorandum No. 3.
- What accrual period is used to determine Board of Governors (BOG) membership?
BOG eligibility is reviewed twice a year in the Spring and Fall prior to each SWOG Group Meeting. The accrual period is a rolling average based over a 3-year period. The period run for the Spring meeting will be 1/1/20XX – 12/31/20XX; for the Fall meeting 7/1/20XX – 6/30/20XX.
- What are the accrual requirements to retain my institution’s SWOG membership?
LAPS/Main Members and NCORP/MU-NCORP institutions should have the capability of entering a minimal annual average accrual of 10 initial SWOG-credited registrations based over a 3-year period.
Affiliate Members should have the capability of entering a minimal average accrual of 5 initial SWOG-credited registrations based over a 3-year period.
The accrual reporting period is based on a calendar year.
- We are reviewing internal accrual records to align with what is being reported from CTEP to NCI CTRP. For the following SWOG studies (with multiple registration steps), please advise which registration step counts towards accrual?
You can track your accrual credit through the CRA workbench > Study Reports link > Accrual by Site link > SWOG-credited Registrations – site-specific, patient listing. If selecting "Show all registration steps", then all credit received is documented with a “Y’ in the Reg Counts toward accrual column. This report can also be limited to selected registration steps by clicking on the checkbox for "Show registration steps that count for accrual".
Source: "SWOG-credited Registrations – site-specific, patient listing" report accessible from the Study Reports navigation link on the SWOG CRA workbench (Login with CTEP IAM ID required to access link).
- Study SXXXX has multiple registration steps. Which registration step is utilized for SWOG member credit?
For SWOG member credits: Unless otherwise stated, one (1) credit towards SWOG membership is issued upon participant registration to either an NCTN or NCORP study credited to SWOG. If the study has multiple registration steps, then the credit is issued at the first randomization step. If a participant is subsequently deemed ineligible for treatment registration/randomization after being initially registered on a study with a screening step, ¼ credit will be issued upon determination of ineligibility. Note: SWOG is only able to provide information on enrollments credited to SWOG, regardless of study sponsor Group. Other Lead Groups may have different policies. Contact member@swog.org with any questions.