Research

Carrie Smith, R.N. began her oncology career in 1998 as an oncology nurse at Gabrail Cancer Center. The following year she realized that access to clinical trials should be the preferred standard of care for all cancer patients. Carrie was instrumental in building a comprehensive clinical trial unit at GCC, starting from scratch and culminating in one of the highest enrolling sites per physician, as well as, the highest retention rate. Carrie, as the Chief Operations Officer of the cancer center oversees, at any given time, an average of twenty-five actively recruiting clinical trials that are mostly phase 1 and phase 2.

Her experience and acquired knowledge has put her on the national spotlight as a leader in cancer research. Pharmaceutical companies and regulators often seek her opinion about issues of patient accrual, clinical trial design, and the FDA approval process.  She is a consultant and a speaker for many pharmaceutical companies, mainly on newly approved drugs where GCC has been instrumental in the conduct of clinical trials. She has published over a dozen abstracts for various magazines and societies including, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS). She is an active member of the Oncology Nursing Society and the Association of Clinical Research Practitioners.