H.A. Zaren, MD, FACS

The Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Joseph’s/Candler
Principal Investigator, GA NCORP

As a senior investigator, H.A. Zaren, MD, FACS, brings over 35 years of experience and leadership in cancer care and research initiatives at the national and local level. Dr. Zaren currently serves as the Medical Director at LCRP and PI/Physician Director for the NCCCP award at LCRP. He is a Professor of Surgery at Georgia Regents University and a full member of Georgia Regents University Cancer Center. Previous to recruitment to the LCRP in Georgia, he was a Tenured Professor of Surgical Oncology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Chief of Surgery at Cook County Hospital PI. He established and served as the PI of the Minority-Based Community Clinical Oncology Program of Cook County Hospital, one of the top accruing MB-CCOPs in the country. He was selected as a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar because of his past experiences and current contributions to the development of cancer clinical care and research programs at major cancer centers in the US and Georgia. He serves on the Board of Directors for Georgia CORE. Dr. Zaren brings significant experience in minority accruals to clinical trials and cancer care delivery research. Dr. Zaren has a portfolio of 57 peer-reviewed articles, 88 abstracts and publications, and 11 book chapters. in addition to 8 recent peer-reviewed publications. He is a member of and has served in leadership positions in multiple national professional organizations including the American College of Surgeons Community Clinical Oncology Program Review Committee, Community Clinical Oncology Program Advisory Panel, Minority-based Community Clinical Oncology Program, CTSU Advisory Panel of the National Cancer Institution, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research, and the Society of Surgical Oncology. Under the leadership of Dr. Zaren, the LCRP was selected as a Special Participant Site with ECOG, an affiliation with the Georgia CORE-GOG Consortium, and main membership in the NRG Cooperative Group. He currently serves as the Co-PI of a newly established Oncofertility clinical trial through ECOG-ACRIN, EROS E1Q11. At the LCRP, Dr. Zaren restructured and advanced the Multidisciplinary Care teams, established early phase clinical trials, in addition to the development of the “Conditions of Participation” enhancing oncologists’ participation in a community cancer center setting. The breadth and experience of Dr. Zaren in program development, conduct of cancer clinical and care delivery research, and success in accruals of minority and underserved patients to cancer research studies support his qualifications as the NCORP Lead PI and will contribute to the success of the NCORP.