Research incentive program for clinical surgical faculty associated with increases in research productivity.

Objective: To develop a research productivity scoring program within an academic department of surgery that would help realign incentives to encourage and reward research. Although research is highly valued in the academic mission, financial incentives are generally aligned to reward clinical productivity.

Methods: A formula assigning points for publications and extramural grants was created and used to award a research incentive payment proportional to the research productivity score, beginning July 2007.

Achieving sufficient accrual to address the primary endpoint in phase III clinical trials from U.S. Cooperative Oncology Groups.

Purpose: Assessing impact of poor accrual on premature trial closure requires a relevant metric. We propose defining accrual sufficiency on apparent ability to address primary endpoints (PE) rather than attaining accrual targets.

Experimental Design: All phase III trials open January 1, 1993, to December 31, 2002, by five U.

Challenges to accrual predictions to phase III cancer clinical trials: a survey of study chairs and lead statisticians of 248 NCI-sponsored trials.

Background: Research on barriers to accrual has typically emphasized factors influencing participation after trial activation.

Purpose: We sought to identify factors influencing trial design and accrual predictions prior to trial activation associated with sufficient accrual.

Methods: A 30-question web-based survey was sent to the study chair and lead statistician for all 248 phase III trials open in 1993-2002 by five Clinical Trials Cooperative Groups.