NRG Oncology announced changes in leadership across multiple committees.
Rebecca Arend was appointed gynecology oncologist vice chair of the NRG Translational Science Committee.
Arend is a gynecologic oncologist, surgeon-scientist, and clinical trial leader whose career has been dedicated to advancing translational research for ovarian, endometrial, cervical, and other gynecologic cancers.
Her research focuses on biomarker-driven therapeutics, molecular characterization of gynecologic cancers, and the development of innovative blood- and tissue-based biomarkers, including studies evaluating DNA, RNA, protein, and circulating tumor DNA for cancer screening, prognosis, and treatment response.
As associate director of Clinical Research at the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, she oversees clinical trial infrastructure, protocol development, workforce development, and translational integration across disease groups. Arend is a voting member of multiple NCCN Guidelines panels and has led numerous GOG Foundation, NCI-funded Cervical SPORE, and investigator-initiated multicenter clinical trials.
Within the NRG Oncology organization, Arend serves as the Translational Science chair of the Ovarian Subcommittee under the Gynecologic Cancer Committee.
Robin Lockhorst was appointed chair of the NRG Pharmacy Subcommittee.
Lockhorst is an accomplished oncology pharmacist, clinical research leader, and healthcare administrator with more than 15 years of progressive experience at the Avera Cancer Institute. She currently serves as director of Clinical Research, Oncology at her institution, which is working on the growth of satellite research programs and the development of early phase clinical trial capabilities.
Lockhorst has maintained active involvement in protocol review, investigational drug services, and multidisciplinary staff development while leading operational improvements that have strengthened research quality and patient access to innovative therapies across the Great Plains region.
Her career has included roles as lead research pharmacist, oncology clinical pharmacy specialist, bone marrow transplant pharmacist, solid organ transplant pharmacist, and hepatology clinic pharmacist.
Additionally, Lockhorst has mentored several pharmacy residents and students and has led legislative and operational efforts for South Dakota’s drug donation and repository pilot program, and secured grant support to advance research implementation in regional cancer centers.
Lockhorst currently serves as a member of the NRG Medical Oncology Committee and Ovarian Cancer Subcommittee, as well as previously served as a member of the NRG Pharmacy Subcommittee.
David Miyamoto was appointed Radiation Oncology vice chair of the NRG Translational Science Committee.
Miyamoto is a radiation oncologist, physician-scientist, and translational research leader at the Massachusetts General Hospital, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and an associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
He has dedicated much of his career to advancing precision medicine for patients with genitourinary cancers by translating laboratory discoveries into practice-changing clinical applications.
As the director of an NIH-funded translational research laboratory in the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, part of the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, Miyamoto has led and pioneered the development of novel molecular biomarkers including liquid biopsy technologies, tumor genomic analyses, and advanced imaging approaches to better predict therapeutic response, treatment resistance, and disease progression in prostate and bladder cancers.
He has served as principal investigator on multiple NIH R01 grants, including an award to develop liquid biopsy and PSMA PET imaging biomarkers for patients receiving Lu-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy. He has also served as co-project leader on a P01 grant, collaborator on U01 and SPORE awards, and reviewer on multiple NIH and U.S. Department of Defense study sections.
Miyamoto has served as Translational Science chair or co-chair for major multi-institutional studies including NRG-GU015 (ARCHER), ECOG-ACRIN-NRG 8185 (INSPIRE), and the PARTIQoL trial, while leading biomarker investigations that have shaped the understanding of treatment response in bladder and prostate cancer. In addition to his work with NRG on the ARCHER study, he is a member of the NRG Translational Science Committee, Genitourinary Cancer Core Committee, and Theranostics Subcommittee.
Elena Nelson was appointed vice chair of the NRG Protocol Support Committee Clinical Research Associate Subcommittee.
Nelson joins NRG with over 15 years of experience in oncology clinical research at the University of Florida Health Cancer Center, where she has built a career centered on clinical trial operations, data management, leadership, and process improvement.
As the Data Management & Academic Research Consortium Network manager, she leads the team responsible for the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of data entry across approximately 150 solid tumor, hematologic malignancy, early-phase, and pediatric clinical trials at her institution.
Nelson is an expert in her field for NCTN and ETCTN studies and serves as a RECIST subject matter expert.
She has developed innovative data management workflows, implemented lasting operational improvements, and established standardized processes that continue to benefit the cancer center today.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she created and implemented data management processes to ensure uninterrupted research operations while serving as a liaison between clinical and data management teams.
Nelson has worked closely with NRG before becoming a member of leadership as, under her supervision at University of Florida, their institution was to reach historic highs for NRG Oncology performance metrics demonstrating exceptional data quality and submission timeliness. She has been involved with the NRG RECIST CLASS project and has served as a member and a mentor in the NRG PSC.
Cortney Montgomery was appointed vice chair of the NRG PSC Mentorship Subcommittee.
Montgomery is an oncology research nurse and clinical trials professional with more than 25 years of progressive experience spanning academic medical centers, comprehensive cancer centers, and direct patient care.
Throughout her career, she has developed extensive expertise in coordinating phase I-IV clinical trials, including industry-sponsored, cooperative group, and investigator-initiated studies, with a primary focus on breast cancer, gynecologic oncology, and early-phase therapeutics.
In her current role at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center, she serves as both a clinical research coordinator and treatment nurse, overseeing patient screening, informed consent, investigational drug administration, chemotherapy delivery, protocol compliance, and multidisciplinary care while also leading implementation of policies to establish a new Clinical Translational Research Center.
Montgomery has maintained continuous GCP/CITI training and has contributed to the advancement of oncology research through leadership as a Clinical Trial Awareness and Outreach Advisor for the Carol Glock Foundation.
At NRG, Montgomery has served as a member and mentor in the PSC, as well as a liaison to the Breast Cancer Committee and Uterine Corpus Cancer Subcommittee.
