One-year, $50,000 grant supports one of the largest efforts to quantify the time burden of cancer clinical trial participation and improve transparency for patients

DUARTE, Calif., June 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AccessHope, LLC, a company expanding access to world‑class cancer expertise, today announced the recipient of the 2026 Conquer Cancer-AccessHope Young Investigator Award (YIA) in Health Services Research and Care Delivery: Hannah Abrams, MD, a hematology-oncology fellow at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and the University of Washington in Seattle. The one‑year, $50,000 grant will support Dr. Abrams’ research evaluating the time costs associated with cancer clinical trial participation and how those burdens influence patients’ decisions to enroll and remain in studies.

The award is funded by AccessHope in partnership with Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, and is designed to accelerate the development of promising physician‑scientists advancing real-world solutions that elevate cancer care during their critical transition from oncology fellowship to faculty appointment. Grant administration runs through December 31, 2027.

“Cancer remains one of the most complex and costly health challenges. Ensuring that early‑career researchers can pursue bold, evidence‑based solutions is essential to improving outcomes,” said Yousuf Zafar, MD, MHS, FASCO, chief medical officer for AccessHope. “The evidence that guides our clinical work doesn’t generate itself. Investing in the pipeline of researchers trained to ask these questions, at the moment when early‑career scientists are most vulnerable to losing their academic footing, is one of the most direct things we can do to advance evidence‑based cancer care for the patients who need it most.”

Improving the Clinical Trial Experience for Patients

Dr. Abrams’ research focuses on an often-overlooked aspect of cancer care: the time patients and caregivers spend participating in clinical trials. Her project will evaluate the time associated with 245 studies conducted through the SWOG Cancer Research Network, one of the nation’s leading cancer clinical trial groups, creating one of the most comprehensive analyses of clinical trial time costs to date.

Dr. Abrams developed the proposal under the mentorship of Veena Shankaran, MD, co-director of the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research, with input from the network’s patient advocate committee. Those discussions reinforced a key insight: while many patients are willing to participate in time-intensive clinical trials, they want greater transparency into the time commitment involved so they can make informed decisions about their care.

“Time costs are an underappreciated part of the cancer experience and something that matters deeply to patients and families,” said Abrams. “By better understanding and communicating these requirements, we can help patients make more informed decisions about participating in clinical research while identifying opportunities to make trials more accessible.”

Dr. Abrams’ work has also been supported by the Anderson Family Sarcoma Fellowship. She will join the sarcoma faculty at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in January 2027.

Advancing Research that Improves Real‑World Care

The Conquer Cancer-AccessHope YIA addresses one of academic oncology’s most persistent barriers: the time and structure needed to develop as effective scientists and produce preliminary data to qualify for competitive research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or other private organizations. The YIA provides a protected year of research time, structured mentorship and the opportunity to build the foundation for future competitive grant applications.

AccessHope’s sponsorship specifically supports health services research and care delivery, the discipline focused on how cancer knowledge is translated into clinical decisions, how care systems can ensure guideline‑concordant treatment, and how inequities in care quality can be identified and addressed. This research aligns directly with AccessHope’s mission to bring subspecialist expertise into local cancer care and improve outcomes nationwide.

The award is administered through Conquer Cancer’s independent, merit‑based review process. Proposals must be patient‑centered, clinically relevant, developed with the participation of a patient advocate, and conducted under the guidance of an experienced mentor.

As of 2025, more than 1,620 investigators have received a YIA from Conquer Cancer. Half of these recipients have published results from their Conquer Cancer-funded research, with as many as 45% of them receiving subsequent funding from NIH and more than 50% from non-federal sources.

About Conquer Cancer^®, the ASCO Foundation
Conquer Cancer funds research for every cancer, to help every patient, everywhere. Since 1984, its Grants & Awards program has awarded more than $203 million through more than 9,800 grants and awards to improve cancer care and accelerate breakthroughs in clinical and translational oncology research. Conquer Cancer donors support vital programs needed to deliver the highest quality patient care and share a vision of a world where cancer is prevented or cured, and every survivor is healthy. For more information visit CONQUER.ORG.

About AccessHope
AccessHope is a cancer care benefit that provides automatic, equitable access to leading-edge cancer expertise. Through partnerships with National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers (NCI-CCCs), AccessHope uses technology to systematically bring subspecialized expertise directly to community-based care, allowing members to receive the most advanced cancer care while continuing treatment with their local oncologist. Experts at NCI-CCCs review every cancer case to help align treatment, supportive care and clinical trial access, resulting in improved outcomes for patients and measurable value for employers and health plans. Today, AccessHope serves more than 10 million members through over 800 organizations, including more than 80 Fortune 500 companies. For more information, visit myaccesshope.org and follow us on LinkedIn.

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SOURCE AccessHope