Membership categories and criteria
There are two categories of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center membership: research member and associate member.
1. Research member
Research members are full-time faculty actively participating in basic, translational, clinical, or cancer prevention and control cancer research. Research members must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Principal investigators (PIs) whose cancer-focused/relevant research is funded from a peer-reviewing agency or if from a non-peer-reviewing agency, must be a minimum two-year award with at least $100K direct costs/year, and/or
- Investigators who play a significant role as a co-investigator with other MCC members as evidenced by co-investigator status on externally-funded, cancer-focused/relevant research grants (minimum average of 50% effort in the preceding three years), and/or
- PIs on a cancer-focused/relevant NIH K-award or other career-development award, and/or
- PIs on an Massey-sponsored, interventional, investigator-initiated clinical trial, and/or
- Massey clinical investigators who significantly enroll patients per year to interventional trials, and/or
- Faculty who serve in a Massey leadership role or as key personnel in an Massey-supported shared resource
2. Associate member (non-CCSG member)
Associate members are full-time VCU faculty who may contribute to the mission of the cancer center, but do not yet meet the criteria for research membership.
Membership responsibilities and benefits
Based on research interests, research members and associate members are assigned to one of Massey’s three research programs: Cancer Biology, Developmental Therapeutics and Cancer Prevention and Control. Both research and associate members are encouraged to participate in Center-sponsored research events, symposia and seminars, as well as other appropriate Center activities.
- Work with other Massey members to develop programmatic and interdisciplinary research that further the scientific goals of the center and lead to collaborative publications and research grants
- Participate in Massey-led events including research program meetings, retreats, seminars, committees and disease working group meetings
- Review grant applications received under Massey’s intramural funding opportunities
- Acknowledge use of Massey space, Massey-supported shared resources, and Massey pilot research funding in cancer-related publications and presentations
- Provide data required to maintain the NCI Cancer Center Support Grant (e.g., personal demographic data, research information and progress, trainee/mentorship history, clinical trials information and accruals, other support, publications, CVs and biosketches)
- If appropriate, serve as a mentor in Massey’s Faculty Development Program
- Participate in Massey-led cancer research education efforts, including appropriate symposia, cancer center curricula for fellows, graduate students and postdoctoral students, as well as undergraduate programs and community education
- Participate in Massey-led community outreach and engagement opportunities
- Eligible for allocation of cancer center space, for cancer-related activities
- Eligible to apply for pilot project funding and other intramural funding offered by Massey
- Eligible for Massey-supported bridge funding for research support
- Access to Massey-supported shared resources at subsidized member rates
- Access to administrative support, including scientific writing, for the development of grant proposals, scientific manuscripts and clinical trial protocols
- Eligible for Massey’s Faculty Development Program
- Inclusion in Massey distribution lists on funding opportunities, cancer news, symposia and seminar announcements