City of Hope’s Wortz joins Statewide Advisory Board
From City of Hope Press Release
ATLANTA — City of Hope® Cancer Center Atlanta today announced Brian Wortz, Pharm D., M.B.A., ACRP-CP, director of Clinical Research, has joined the Georgia Center for Oncology Research & Education (CORE) advisory board for their program, the Georgia Cancer Trial Finder. The three-year pilot education and awareness program, launched in 2023, aims to increase participation in cancer clinical trials for under-resourced, rural and minority populations in Georgia.
Wortz has amassed a combined 35 years of experience in pharmacy, management and clinical research. He has served as City of Hope Atlanta’s director of Clinical Research for the past five years, managing the Research program and staff while partnering with physician investigators, pharmacists, lab staff and leadership to coordinate clinical trials for the cancer center and deliver data and results to trial sponsors, government bodies and beyond.
“We are thrilled by Brian’s inclusion in the advisory board, where his decades of experience and skills will directly contribute to increased trials access,” said Dr. Kristin Higgins, chief clinical officer for City of Hope Atlanta. “City of Hope serves as a worldwide leader in administering clinical trials, conducting more than 800 annually with thousands of patients enrolled across our cancer center locations in California, Arizona, Illinois and here in Georgia. As a result, we are actively seeking ways to broaden trial access so treatments and technology can reach more people. The Cancer Trial Finder is in perfect alignment with that mission.”
The Georgia Cancer Trial Finder’s goals to address the significant shortcomings in trial diversity and accessibility include deepening an understanding of trials, encouraging physician-to-patient conversations about the benefits of trials, broadening access to navigators to coordinate trial participation, ensuring the state trial database is up-to-date and more. Georgia CORE will engage with research personnel from more than 45 Commission on Cancer-certified sites in Georgia, including City of Hope Atlanta, to improve program success.
“Increasing and improving access to clinical trials is at the very root of why Georgia CORE was founded 20 years ago,” said Georgia CORE President & CEO Lynn Durham, EdD. “I’m confident that’s why the Cancer Trial Finder program has been so well-received, evident by the caliber of our advisory board.”
“At City of Hope we focus on equitable cancer care for all people, and that extends to our clinical trials and research. Diversity and accessibility in trials is critical to ensuring leading-edge treatments and technology are suitable for the entire population, not just one group,” said Wortz. “I look forward to doing my part by contributing experiences and insights to the Georgia Cancer Trial Finder program and opening doors for more trial participants.”
With a Los Angeles National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center ranked as a top 5 facility by U.S. News & World Report; a new cancer center in Orange County, California; and expansion to Arizona, Illinois and Georgia, City of Hope’s national clinical network makes leading-edge research and treatment available to more patients and families. Through continued partnerships with organizations like Georgia CORE and meeting with peers in the Georgia Hospital Association and Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, City of Hope Atlanta intends to extend their reach and broaden access to trials, treatments and beyond to those in underserved Georgia communities.
