Dr. Mina Sedrak, director of the UCLA Center for Cancer and Aging and director of Cancer Control and Survivorship Research at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been selected to serve as co-chair of the Cancer in the Older Adult Committee for The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.
The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology is a national clinical trials cooperative group supported by the National Cancer Institute that conducts research across a broad range of cancers. Its Cancer in the Older Adult Committee focuses on the unique needs of patients aged 65 and older, including evaluating geriatric assessments, treatment toxicity and quality of life in clinical trials.
In his new role, Sedrak will work alongside Dr. Vijaya Raj Bhatt from the University of Nebraska Medical Center to help guide the committee’s research efforts aimed at improving care for older adults with cancer.
“This committee plays a critical role in ensuring that the unique needs of aging patients are represented in clinical trials and cancer care research,” said Sedrak. “Older adults account for the majority of cancer diagnoses, yet they have historically been underrepresented in clinical trials. Expanding research focused on this population is essential to improving care and outcomes.”
Sedrak, associate professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, is internationally recognized for his research on how cancer and cancer therapies affect the aging process. His work focuses on developing strategies to prevent, delay or lessen age-related complications associated with cancer treatment, while redefining survivorship by emphasizing not only longer life, but healthier years free from disability.
