Advocate Angle: Participation Powers Research: Behind Every Milestone, a Story of Research

08/12/2026

Written by Tambre Leighn, Chair, NRG Oncology Patient Advocate Committee

What does cancer research make possible?

For many people, the answer is obvious when they think about a new treatment, a promising clinical trial, or a breakthrough diagnostic test. But what about the moments that come afterward?

A birthday celebration. A wedding. Watching a child graduate. Becoming a grandparent. Taking a dream vacation. Completing a marathon. Starting a business. Writing a book. Spending one more holiday with the people you love.

These are the moments that inspired NRG Oncology’s new awareness campaign, Participation Powers Research, which launched in July 2026. The campaign was developed by members of the Patient Advocate Committee (PAC) to help connect cancer research to the real-life experiences it makes possible. The campaign highlights milestone moments achieved by patients, caregivers, and families because research helped create the treatments, tests, procedures, and supportive care approaches available today.

The idea for the campaign began one year ago during an informal conversation following the PAC Summer Meeting in July 2025. Committee members were discussing concerns about reductions in cancer research funding and the potential impact on future discoveries. During that conversation, PAC member Julie Montas asked a simple but powerful question: What if PAC members who had participated in clinical trials shared stories about how research had helped them?

This question led to another.

When Julie shared the treatment she had received following her diagnosis, it sparked a broader conversation about how many people benefit from research, even if they have never participated in a clinical trial themselves.

That conversation revealed an important reality: many people don’t realize how deeply research is woven into the healthcare they receive every day.

The medications in our medicine cabinets, the screening tests that help detect disease earlier, the imaging technologies that guide treatment decisions, and the therapies used to treat cancer all began as ideas that required years of research, funding, and participation before they became part of standard care. Whether it is a cancer treatment, a Pap test, a PSA test, or even a common over-the-counter medication, someone had to ask questions, conduct studies, and participate in research before those innovations could become available to others.

Participation Powers Research was created to help make those connections visible.

Throughout the coming months, PAC members will share personal milestone moments made possible because of cancer research. Some stories will come from individuals who participated in clinical trials. Others will come from patients whose treatments were developed through decades of research conducted by investigators and study participants they may never meet. Caregivers will also share meaningful experiences they were able to have with loved ones because advances in research provided additional time, improved quality of life, or new treatment options.

These milestone moments remind us that every scientific publication, study result, and medical advancement ultimately represents something deeply human: more time, more opportunities, and more moments that matter.

As we celebrate these milestone moments, we also want to recognize the investigators, research teams, healthcare professionals, and study participants who make progress possible. Their dedication, curiosity, and commitment have transformed ideas into medical advances that have saved lives, extended lives, and improved quality of life for countless individuals and families.

Every breakthrough begins with a question. Every advancement depends on participation.

We invite you to follow the Participation Powers Research (#PoweringResearch) campaign on NRG Oncology’s social media channels, share the stories that resonate with you, and help raise awareness about the value of cancer research.

Most importantly, we invite you to reflect on your own milestone moments. Whether you are a patient, caregiver, healthcare professional, researcher, advocate, or supporter, consider the ways research may have touched your life or the lives of those around you. Submit your story or share this link with someone you know who might want to share theirs, by filling out this simple form.

Because behind every discovery is a human story. And behind many of life’s most meaningful moments is the progress made possible through research.