Abstract
Advanced practice providers (APPs) are integral members of radiation oncology care teams yet remain underrepresented in clinical research leadership. This article explores the barriers, opportunities, and strategic pathways for expanding APP-led research, particularly in patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and health services research. Despite APPs’ daily proximity to symptom management, patient communication, and care delivery workflows, systemic challenges such as limited protected time, inconsistent credentialing policies, and lack of mentorship inhibit broader scholarly engagement. National initiatives like The Patient-Reported Outcomes Tools: Engaging Users and Stakeholders (PROTEUS) Consortium offer accessible tools and funding opportunities to promote rigorous, patient-centered PRO integration in trials and clinical practice. By aligning APP strengths with national research priorities and supporting protected time, mentorship, and clearer principal investigator pathways, institutions can unlock a critical avenue for innovation. Advancing APP-led research is not just an investment in professional development but also a strategic imperative to ensure radiation oncology research is as patient-centered, inclusive, and impactful as the care it aims to improve.
References
American Society for Radiation Oncology. (2025). ASTRO Research Agenda. https://www.astro.org/provider-resources/research
Braun-Inglis, C., Boehmer, L. M., Zitella, L. J., Hoffner, B., Shvetsov, Y. B., Berenberg, J. L., Oyer, R. A., & Benson III, A. B. (2022). Role of oncology advanced practitioners to enhance clinical research. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 13(2), 107–119. https://doi.org/10.6004/jadpro.2022.13.2.2
Braun-Inglis, C. M., Dressler, E. V., Myers, J. S., Benson, A. B. 3rd, Flannery, M., Good, M., Denicoff, A., Berenberg, J. L., DeTroye, A. T., O’Brien, B., Kottschade, L., Omatsu, D. A., Kittel, C. A., Nightingale, C. L., Foust, M., & Lesser, G. J. (2024). Defining the role of the advanced practice provider within the National Cancer Institute community oncology research program. JCO Oncology Practice, 20(2), 239–246. https://doi.org/10.1200/OP.23.00501
Herndon, J. S., Louwagie, V. S., Strelow, B. A., Schenzel, H. A., Cumberland, E. A., & Oxentenko, A. S. (2024). Mentorship effect for PAs at an academic medical center and its healthcare system. JAAPA, 37(9), 31–36. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.JAA.0000000000000111
Howell, J. N., Anker, C. J., Walker, A. J., Dorth, J. A., & Kharofa, J. R. (2021). Analysis of patient-reported outcome utilization within national clinical trials network cooperative group radiation oncology trials over the past 2 decades. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, 109(5), 1151–1160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.12.007
Lewis, C. (2022). The advanced practice role in clinical trials: Past, present, and future. Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, 13(3), 217–220. https://doi.org/10.6004/jadpro.2022.13.3.7
The PROTEUS Consortium. (2025). What we do. https://theproteusconsortium.org/about/what-we-do/
Unger, J. M., Shulman, L. N., Facktor, M. A., Nelson, H., & Fleury, M. E. (2024). National estimates of the participation of patients with cancer in clinical research studies based on commission on cancer accreditation data. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 42(18), 2139–2148. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.23.01030
