Three UnityPoint Health – Des Moines physicians have been recognized by the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) for exceptional achievement in enrolling cancer patients in NCI-sponsored treatment and cancer control clinical trials and cancer care delivery research (CCDR) trials during the past year.
For eligible patients, clinical research trials can provide access to promising approaches to cancer treatment and care close to home. By connecting patients with these studies, UnityPoint Health – Des Moines physicians also help generate knowledge that can improve cancer care in Iowa and across the country.
“These recognitions reflect our physicians’ dedication to helping patients access promising clinical trials and research studies close to home. Their work not only strengthens cancer care across Iowa but also helps ensure that the experiences and needs of our communities inform the future of oncology care nationwide,” said Wendy Woods-Swafford, MD, chief medical officer for UnityPoint Health – Des Moines.
Arshin Sheybani, MD, a radiation oncologist at John Stoddard Cancer Center, received a Gold Certificate of Excellence in Treatment and Cancer Control and a Silver Certificate of Excellence in Cancer Care Delivery Research (CCDR). Millicent Amankwah, MD, a medical oncologist and hematologist at John Stoddard Cancer Center, and Samantha Mallory, MD, a pediatric oncologist and hematologist at Blank Children’s Hospital, each received a Silver Certificate of Excellence in Treatment and Cancer Control.
The individual honors are complemented by a Gold Treatment and Cancer Control Accrual Recognition awarded to the Iowa-Wide Oncology Research Coalition (I WORC), in which UnityPoint Health – Des Moines’ John Stoddard Cancer Center and Blank Children’s Hospital participate. The coalition was recognized for its success in connecting eligible patients with treatment cancer control trials across Iowa.
Together, these recognitions underscore the important role UnityPoint Health – Des Moines physicians play in advancing evidence-based cancer care, expanding access to clinical research and bringing the perspectives of Iowa communities to national oncology efforts.