Fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) research is eligible for research funding through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). The DOD has asked FCF to help to recruit FLC community members to serve as consumer reviewers for this fall’s CDMRP grant review process. This is an incredible opportunity to help influence research into FLC and other diseases!
The CDMRP manages two large cancer research funding programs:
Together, they offer a significant source of cancer research funding that could potentially benefit the fibrolamellar community. This year, the PRCP plans to grant $130 million to support research into cancers including liver, pediatric and adolescent and young adult cancers; the RCRP plans to allocate an additional $17.5 million into research of rare cancers. FLC research applications can be funded by either program.
Overview of the role
Consumer reviewers work with prominent scientists to provide input on how these DOD research funds should be allocated. They act as subject matter experts on their disease, bringing their unique experiences and perspectives to the review panel. This input is critically important to ensure that any funded research is relevant and has the potential to make a substantial impact on the patient community.
Many of our community members, including Jenny Carroll, Jennifer Strickland, Ben Saksa, Linda Spink and Kurt Losert, have served as consumer reviewers for these programs in prior years. Thanks in part to their efforts, fibrolamellar research proposals have received over $2 million in funding from these important programs!
This attached document provides additional information about the consumer reviewer role, process and responsibilities.
Requirements and time commitment
For consideration as a Consumer Reviewer, you must be:
- A FLC patient, family member, or caregiver.
- Willing and able to articulately represent the views of the FLC community rather than just your personal perspective.
- Proficient in basic computer skills, and have reliable and consistent access to a computer with internet connection as most work is performed on a web-based platform.
- A high school graduate or equivalent who is fluent in reading, speaking, and writing in English.
- Be interested in expanding your knowledge about the disease.
- Be able to travel for in-person peer review meetings (2-3 days) or if peer review is held as a video conference be available for 8 hours on each of the meeting days.
The panels for these programs will begin this fall (September/October). Applicants should be aware that there is a time commitment of 4-6 weeks prior to the peer review meeting, with an estimate of 40 hours of work in preparation for panel participation. Those 40 hours include training, reading, critique writing and editing. Support and encouragement are provided throughout the process by the program’s Consumer Reviewer Administrators and staff.
Application process:
Patients or caregivers wishing to serve as consumer reviewers are required to submit the following materials:
- A completed nomination form (click to download)
- A personal statement on advocacy and education (specific questions to answer are included in the downloadable form)
- A current resume
- A letter of nomination.
If you are interested in applying, please let us know. FCF will complete the “nominating organization information” part of the form, write the required letter of recommendation, assemble the completed application packs and forward them to the DOD. The application deadline for participation in the FY23 peer review panels is June 30, 2023. The program may continue to accept nominations after that date, but those applicants may not be able to serve this season.
Feel free to contact Lynn O’Malley at lomalley@fibrofoundation.org or Kurt Losert at klosert@fibrofoundation.org if you have any questions about the program or are interested in applying.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to help advance cancer research!