A breakout session on artificial intelligence (AI) at the 2025 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting sparked thought-provoking conversations — and a new task force.
Recognizing the growing role of AI in cancer clinical research, AACI formed the Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) AI Task Force last fall. The group meets monthly to discuss the responsible use of AI in cancer center operations and develop frameworks and best practices.
Current projects include:
Task force co-chairs Wencesley Paez, MD, MS, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health, and Milijana Ugrenovic-Petrovic, MPM, LSSGB, Moffitt Cancer Center, distributed a survey to AACI members to better understand how AI tools are currently being used at their cancer centers. Notably, more than 90 percent of the 41 survey participants shared a belief that AI will transform cancer research within five years.
The responses also revealed that most institutions remain in the early stages of AI adoption, with patient matching, clinical documentation, and trial feasibility assessments among the most common applications. Challenges related to data privacy, integration, validation, governance, and staff training highlighted the need for clear ethical guidance.
The task force is compiling information about AI tools and platforms used in clinical trials offices and plans to share these resources on the AACI website. Task force members are also gathering current AI use cases with a vendor-agnostic approach, focusing on operational concepts that can be generalized across institutions. The group is developing a roadmap to guide cancer centers at all stages of AI adoption, from beginner-level resources to advanced implementation checklists.
1There is a growing need for standardized AI-related training specific to clinical research operations. The AI task force is exploring opportunities for webinars, educational modules, and training courses focused on AI governance, ethical considerations, and best practices.
"Leveraging Real-World Data for Smarter Trial Design & Patient Identification" is scheduled for 9:30 am central time on Wednesday, June 24, during the 18th Annual AACI CRI Meeting. Panelists, including Dr. Paez and task force member Evan Sholle, will explore the use of AI-driven trial matching tools and other sources of real-world data to enhance trial feasibility, recruitment, and equity.
Two breakout sessions on advancing AI in clinical research have reached capacity, but registered meeting attendees may contact Senior Events Manager Dawn Gobble to be notified if slots become available.
The CRI meeting is scheduled for June 23-25 at the Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL. Register today.
Co-chair: Wencesley Paez, MD, MS
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Co-chair: Milijana Ugrenovic-Petrovic, MPM, LSSGB
Moffitt Cancer Center
Bhavana (Tina) Bhatnagar, DO
WVU Cancer Institute
Lisa Carter-Bawa, PhD, MPH, APRN, ANP-C, FAAN
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Hamid Emamekhoo, MD
University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center
Matthew Innes, BSE, MBA, CCRP
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Ankeeta Joshi
Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health
Jennifer Litton, MD, MHCM
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Inez Mattke
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa
Shannon McWeeney, PhD
OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
Emily Norboge
Duke Cancer Institute
Ginger Reeves
O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Evan Sholle
Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine
Bethany Snyder, MPH
Penn State Cancer Institute
Sarah Stewart
University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center
Joyce Tull, RN, BSN, MSN
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center