July 21 2023
NRG Oncology, a National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) group focused on improving outcomes for adults with cancer through international clinical research, recently announced Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, FACR, FASCO, as its first recipient of the organization’s new Gold Medal award.
The NRG Oncology Gold Medal is awarded for distinguished and extraordinary service to NRG Oncology and in recognition of the awardee’s significant contributions to the field of oncology. The NRG Oncology Gold Medal was established this year in recognition of the 10th Anniversary of the formation of the group.
Dr. Curran is the Global Chief Medical Officer of GenesisCare, one of the world’s largest oncology networks. In 2013, he was among the founding Group Chairs of NRG Oncology, along with Dr. Norman Wolmark and the late Dr. Philip DiSaia. Prior to the formation of NRG and dating back to 1997, Dr. Curran served as the Group Chair of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), one of NRG Oncology’s three legacy groups. Specifically, played a principal role in constructing and delivering NRG Oncology’s highly successful 2013 grant application and the 2018 competitive renewal application for NCI awards. Dr. Curran previously served as the Executive Director of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, making him one of few radiation oncologist to serve as a director of an NCI-designated cancer center. Today, Dr. Curran continues as a member of NRG Oncology and he is a member of the RTOG Foundation Board of Directors. He is considered an international expert in the management of lung cancer and malignant brain tumors, has led numerous landmark clinical and translational trials, and authored or co-authored hundreds of scholarly papers, presentations, reviews, and book chapters. He is a Fellow and a former member of the Board of Directors for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and a Fellow in the American College of Radiology (ACR). Dr. Curran has received Gold Medal awards from the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO).
NRG Oncology extends our deepest appreciation for the many contributions Dr. Curran has made towards advancing the organization and providing a clear pathway towards our mission of improving the lives of those affected by cancer. His leadership and direction have been pivotal to the development and growth of NRG Oncology as well as the organization’s many successes.
About NRG Oncology
NRG Oncology conducts practice-changing, multi-institutional clinical and translational research to improve the lives of patients with cancer. Founded in 2012, NRG Oncology is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit corporation that integrates the research of the legacy National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) programs. The research network seeks to carry out clinical trials with emphases on gender-specific malignancies, including gynecologic, breast, and prostate cancers, and on localized or locally advanced cancers of all types. NRG Oncology’s extensive research organization comprises multidisciplinary investigators, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, physicists, pathologists, and statisticians, and encompasses more than 1,300 research sites located world-wide with predominance in the United States and Canada. NRG Oncology is supported primarily through grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and is one of five research groups in the NCI’s National Clinical Trials Network.
www.nrgoncology.org