CAPSTONE PROJECT BENEFITS AND VALUE

The Georgia Cancer Center houses a dedicated cancer clinical research unit that oversees the center’s own Phase I-IV trials and manages studies from throughout the medical center offered in conjunction with oncology departments such as radiology and gynecologic oncology. The serve all populations in the Central Savannah River Area of Augusta, Ga. The Georgia Cancer does not have a permanent affiliation agreement with Capella University, but I did complete my MPH capstone with this site in 2018 and assisted them with completing the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Dr. Ghamande, who serves as the principal investigator for the grant, works with a team at the Georgia Cancer Center and partner sites across Georgia as well as one site in Mississippi. Partners including the University Cancer and Blood Center (Athens), Augusta Oncology Associates (Augusta), Morehouse School of Medicine (Atlanta), Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (Albany) and St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital (Jackson, Mississippi) which has a minority and rural population like what we see in Georgia.

The Georgia Cancer Center research approach supports important National Cancer Institute goals: Ensuring every cancer patient has access to the newest and most innovative clinical trials in the nation. Clinicians and researchers work together to initiate new research protocols based on the clinician’s interaction with the patient. Each cancer patient receives personalized treatment through the interaction of the multidisciplinary team of clinicians and allied health professionals. The main building houses the basic science teams with four floors of open concept-lab space, shared resources and special equipment, such as flow cytometry, radiation therapy research platforms and quantitative pathology imaging as well as administrative offices and meeting spaces for seminars, lectures, training sessions and community-wide forums on cancer-related topics. The Collaborator Corridor is a new addition designed to facilitate communication and collaboration between cancer researchers and clinicians, with a goal of promoting translational research in order to develop the next generation of cancer diagnostics and treatments.

My preceptor is Sharad A. Ghamande, MD. He is a Professor, Executive Vice Chair, and Director for Gynecological Oncology at the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta, Georgia and have been heavily involved in clinical trials for over 16 years. He is also the Associate Cancer Center Director for Clinical Research. Dr. Ghamande Certifications and Education are as follows: American Board of Obstetrics and Oncology - Certified, 2003; Education and Training: Medical School: Bombay University, India, 1990; Residency: Boston Medical Center Program, Boston University, 1997; Fellowship: Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, 2000.