Spring 2018

SWOG's Spring 2018 Group Meeting will take place April 11-14 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco. For Group Meeting questions not answered here, you can send us a message via the Contact Us page. On-line registration has closed. The on-site registration desk will open at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, April 11th.

 

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If you'll be tweeting from the meeting, please use the hashtag #swogonc.

Group Meeting and Travel Logistics

Hotel Reservations

You can reserve your hotel room at the Hyatt Regency online or by calling 888-421-1442. When calling, ask for the SWOG room block. The Group room rate is $272 plus tax. The cut-off date for making reservations is March 9. Any reservations after that time will be based on rate and space availability. To cancel or change your Hyatt reservation, call 888-421-1442.

The Hyatt is sold out of standard rooms at the group rate for some of the conference dates. If you are making a reservation, it will be at the best available rate. If your dates are not available in the SWOG room block please visit the main reservation page (http://sanfranciscoregency.hyatt.com) to view their best available rates during your stay.

If accommodations are not available at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, some nearby hotels that you can check with are:

Grand Hyatt San Francisco
345 Stockton Street (1 Mile)
http://grandsanfrancisco.hyatt.com
      Hyatt Regency Fisherman's Wharf
555 North Point Street (1.8 Miles)
http://fishermanswharf.hyatt.com

 

Le Meridian
333 Battery Street (0.3 Miles)
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/
      Hotel Vitale
8 Mission Street (0.3 Miles)
http://www.hotelvitale.com

 

Harbor Court
165 Steuart Street (0.3 Miles)
http://www.harborcourthotel.com
      Hilton Financial District
756 Kearny Street (0.6 Miles)
www.hilton.com

Travel Arrangements Through Conlin Travel

San Francisco

SWOG has contracted with Conlin Travel to provide discounted travel arrangements for the Spring Group Meeting in San Francisco. To take advantage of the discounted rates, contact Conlin Travel by phone at 800-783-9559. Be sure to mention that you are traveling to San Francisco for the SWOG meeting.

If your travel is not funded directly by the Group Chair's Office, you may use Conlin Travel but you will have to pay for your airfare upfront. You will then need to request reimbursement after the Group Meeting, if applicable.

Membership Application Deadline

The deadline for submitting membership nominations to the Operations Office for consideration by the Board of Governors at the Spring Group Meeting is 4:00 PM Central Time Friday, March 16.  Consult the Membership page for more information; for a complete outline of the nomination process, refer to Policy Memorandum No. 7.

Need Special Accommodations?

If you need special arrangements or accommodations to fully participate in all Group Meeting functions, please contact the meetings manager at 210-614-8808, ext. 1009 after you register online.

 

Group Meeting Funding/Travel Support

SWOG Board of Governors Travel Support

Funding provided by The Hope Foundation for current members of the SWOG Board of Governors in order to facilitate participation in the SWOG BOG and Group Meeting.  Some restrictions apply.

Deadline to request support:  March 14

http://tinyurl.com/SWOG-BOG

Committee Support: Group Meetings

SWOG disease, research, and administrative committee chairs are provided the opportunity to request up to $15,000 annually from The Hope Foundation to support committee efforts at group meetings which are not currently funded by the NCTN or NCORP grants.  Funds may be used for invited speakers, member/guest travel, food and beverage, committee dinner meetings, etc.

Deadline to apply:  March 14

http://tinyurl.com/GM-cmte

Questions? Contact Morgan Cox at The Hope Foundation (morgan@thehopefoundation.org)

SWOG MaD Money: Modality and Discipline Travel Support Program

SWOG is interested in supporting a wide cross section of disciplines and treatment modalities to ensure robust input into the group's developing clinical trials.

Recognizing that travel to SWOG group meetings - a key venue for interaction among SWOG investigators - is not always financially supported by institutions, we are providing a mechanism to help support meeting travel costs for investigators who are not medical oncologists.

The SWOG MaD Travel Money program provides successful applicants with coach-class air transportation and two nights standard lodging at the meeting facility. The program is open to investigators from disciplines other than hematology/oncology, such as surgeons, radiation oncologists, cardiologists, pharmacists, and general practitioners with oncology research experience.

Program applications for the Spring 2018 SWOG Group Meeting in San Francisco are accepted until 4 p.m. PST, Monday, March 5, 2018. Download the MaD Travel Money program overview (PDF) and 2018 application (PDF).

 

Group Meeting Event Information

Plenary Part I (TM)

SWOG Vice Chair for Translational Medicine  Professor of Surgical Oncology and Molecular and Cellular Oncology  The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

The spring meeting's Translational Medicine Plenary will take place Thursday, April 12, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Speakers and topics will include:

  • Introductory comments
    Lee M. Ellis, M.D., F.A.S.C.O., Vice-Chair for Translational Medicine
  • Cancer Organoids as Predictive Models for Precision Medicine
    David Tuveson, M.D., Ph.D.
  • CIMAC*
    Helen Chen, M.D.
  • Correlative Sciences in the Cooperative Groups: A 25 Year Journey
    Daniel Hayes, M.D., F.A.S.C.O.

*Preliminary titles: formal titles to be forthcoming in the near future.

Plenary Part II (General)

SWOG's 2018 general plenary session will take place Friday, April 13, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. It will focus on clinical trial innovation.

Chuck Blanke, MD
  • Charles Blanke, MD, Group Chair, Welcome and Announcements
  • Johanna Horn, The Hope Foundation President & CEO, Hope Turns 25
  • Jason Zell, DO, UC Irvine School of Medicine and Hope board member, Announcement of the 2018 Dr. Charles A. Coltman Jr., MD, Fellowship Program winner and introduction of three SWOG principal investigators to talk about their Hope support and its impact on their research and on their careers:
  • Siwen Hu-Lieskovan, MD, PhD, UCLA Health immunotherapy investigator, Hope Coltman fellow and ITSC grant winner
  • Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD, MD Anderson investigators in experimental therapies for colorectal cancer, Hope IMPACT and SEED Award winner
  • Veena Shankaran, MD, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center gastrointestinal cancers and cancer care delivery investigator, Hope Coltman fellow

CRA Clinical Trials Training Course

The Clinical Trials Training Course will be held on Wednesday, April 11. It introduces the fundamentals of SWOG and National Cancer Institute (NCI) policies and procedures. It provides the foundation to efficiently perform responsibilities as a Clinical Research Associate.

AGENDA & HANDOUTS  Course Description

Jeri and Noboru Oishi Symposium

The Jeri and Noboru Oishi Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 12, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm.  The topic for this symposium is "Updated and Barriers to Clinical Trials".

To sign up, choose Jeri and Noboru Oishi Symposium as an event during Group Meeting online registration. Please note: Handouts will not be provided at the workshop, but will be available later, from the link below. You will need to print the handouts and bring with you to the group meeting. Thank you for your cooperation in this cost-saving measure.

SWOG is approved as a provider of continuing nursing education by the Kansas State Board of Nursing. This course offering is approved for 3.0 contact hours applicable for APRN, RN, or LPN relicensure. Kansas State Board of Nursing Provider Number: SP1445-0420 KAR 60-9-107(b)(3)(C).

SoCRA attendance certificates will also be provided.

AGENDA & HANDOUTS

Oncology Research Professionals Open Forum

The ORP Open Forum offers the opportunity to discuss all of your technical questions!

The ORP Open Forum is set for Thursday, April 12, 12:30-2:00 pm. This forum offers a great opportunity to get answers to your clinical trial questions and to address the science and technical research issues that challenge us today! Come meet your facilitator in a small group setting to discuss interesting topics including:

  • QA Audit/Regulatory Reviews & SAEs Reporting
  • Data Submission Tips/Tools
  • Preparing for Drug Accountability & Pharmacy Audit
  • Specimen Preparation and Shipment
  • SWOG Site Reimbursements & Coverage Analysis
  • Hot Topics in Site Administration
  • Committee Discussions - Q&A
  • Central Monitoring of Registration Trials (S1400, S1404, S1418 & S1605) & the New CTSU SDV Portal - Q&A
  • S1404 Trial - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Look for these topics at the group meeting. Members of the ORP Committee will also be present to meet with CRAs. For more information or suggestions, contact pamela.frazier-jones@swedish.org.

Conference Kickoff Fun Run and Walk

What: An informal group exercise outing to gather friends, take in the natural beauty of the bay, and get ready for a great meeting. 5K run and 2.5K walk. Go at your own pace!

Embarcadero

When: Thursday, April 12 at 6:00 am: Gather in the Grand Foyer of the hotel beginning at 5:30 to meet up, energize with coffee, and break into running and walking groups.

Where: Along San Francisco's famous Embarcadero, with views of the piers, the bay, and Alcatraz Island.

Please note: Due to prohibitive licensing fees, this informal outing replaces the former "Crush the Crab" event.