July 28, 2025:

Sarah Weiss, MD, of Rutgers Cancer Institute, joins Vincent Ma, MD, of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, as co-chairs of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium’s Melanoma Clinical Trial Working Group.

Dr. Ma is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin and faculty lead of non-melanoma advanced cutaneous malignancies at the UW Carbone Cancer Center. As a medical oncologist, he specializes in the management of melanoma and other advanced cutaneous malignancies (Merkel cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma). Dr. Ma’s research focuses on improving patient outcomes through clinical trials exploring immunotherapy, targeted molecular therapies, and biomarker-based treatment approaches. Some of his current interests include circulating tumor DNA, early interval PET imaging, and novel therapeutic combinations to overcome resistance.

Dr. Weiss is director of the Melanoma/Cutaneous Oncology Program and an associate professor at Rutgers Cancer Institute. As a medical oncologist with clinical expertise in advanced melanoma and other cutaneous malignancies, she has a strong interest in immunotherapy development, particularly for patients who do not respond to standard therapies. Her research and other areas of interest also include improving management of brain metastases, reducing immune-related toxicity, and advancing early-phase drug development to bring promising therapies to patients earlier in their treatment journey.

Both co-chairs are passionate about fostering collaboration across Big Ten CRC institutions to help generate and launch new investigator-initiated trials.

“The cooperative nature of the Big Ten CRC, getting colleagues together with similar interests and trying to advance our field—it’s a great opportunity,” said Dr. Weiss.

Dr. Ma echoed this sentiment, noting the unique collaborative space the Big Ten CRC provides compared to larger national research groups.

“The Big Ten CRC is an intimate setting that allows for many of us investigators to come together and share some really good ideas, share experience, and hopefully conjure up a great idea for a clinical trial,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for junior and senior investigators to come together in a more open setting and platform.”

Dr. Weiss emphasized how the focused structure of the working group can drive meaningful progress.

“It’s good to have a group where we’re all focused on something very similar professionally and where we can use each other’s strengths to push through some interesting concepts,” she said.

Reflecting on the broader value of the consortium, Dr. Ma highlighted the role of the Big Ten CRC in supporting the professional growth of early-career investigators.

“This consortium could be seen as an opportunity for career development and growth for young investigators,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to really help advance the field and take care of our patients.”

The Melanoma Clinical Trial Working Group hosts meetings where members can engage in open discussion about clinical trial proposals and current studies, novel therapeutic strategies, multidisciplinary care approaches, and other topics relevant to melanoma research. The group provides a supportive environment for presenting new concepts, sharing feedback, and identifying opportunities for multi-institutional collaboration.

The leadership of the Melanoma Clinical Trial Working Group reflects the Big Ten CRC’s priorities: uniting investigators, fostering mentorship, and accelerating discoveries that will shape the future of cancer care.

The Big Ten CRC welcomes all investigators at Big Ten CRC member institutions to participate in our clinical trial working groups. Get to know more of our members at www.bigtencrc.org.

About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten cancer centers have united to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative, hypothesis-driven, highly translational oncology trials that leverage 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-changing paradigms. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow with the unified goal of improving the lives of all patients with cancer.

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 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students 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, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013. For more information, visit www.bigten.org