February 3, 2025:

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium is pleased to announce Cristina Truica, MD, as a new member of the Big Ten CRC Steering Committee. Dr. Truica is a medical oncologist at Penn State Cancer Institute and has been an active member of the Big Ten CRC breast cancer working group for more than a decade.

The Big Ten CRC Steering Committee is composed of one researcher from each member institution. The Steering Committee meets regularly to review the consortium’s activities and decide on policy matters. The Steering Committee determines the criteria for approving concepts for development with the Big Ten CRC.

Dr. Truica has been deeply involved in the Big Ten CRC’s breast cancer clinical trial working group for over 10 years, contributing to the development of protocols and serving as the senior investigator on BTCRC-BRE19-409. In her new role on the Steering Committee, she hopes to extend her impact beyond disease-specific research and contribute to the consortium’s overall growth and strategic direction.

“The consortium is a fantastic resource for junior investigators who can present their concepts at the disease meetings and receive feedback and ideas from other investigators,” said Dr. Truica. “The in-person meetings at the Big Ten CRC Summit and ASCO help connect investigators with mentors and ideas and promote collaborations.”

The Big Ten CRC provides the ability to exchange ideas with investigators across member institutions, drawing on a broad range of expertise.

“Collaboration means that I can run ideas by colleagues at other institutions and have access to input from many more experts than I could otherwise,” she said. “It means a spirit of collegiality and concerted effort for securing the success of a project.”

Dr. Truica is especially passionate about improving cancer care for elderly women, a rapidly growing patient population that requires more personalized and thoughtful treatment approaches.

“I am naturally very inquisitive and love to learn and explore and improve,” she said. “We have come a long way since I first became an oncologist in terms of our understanding of cancer and treatments, and it is a truly exciting time to be working in this field.”

Through her role on the Big Ten CRC Steering Committee, Dr. Truica looks forward to supporting collaborative research efforts, mentoring the next generation of investigators, and helping advance innovative, investigator-initiated trials across the consortium.

About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium was created in 2013 to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative clinical trials and observational studies that seek to improve the lives of cancer patients in the diverse communities we serve by leveraging the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities. The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium creates a unique team research culture to drive science rapidly from ideas to treatment and prevention. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow. Since its founding, the Big Ten CRC has activated nearly 40 clinical trials across a wide range of cancer types, more than 1,000 participants have enrolled in Big Ten CRC studies, and more than 500 researchers have joined Big Ten CRC Clinical Trial Working Groups.

About the Big Ten Conference: The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 18 Big Ten institutions provide direct financial support for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.