For Immediate Release April 13, 2005
TWO MALECARE REPRESENTATIVES SCIENTIFIC PEER REVIEW OF PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH PROPOSALS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Malecare Special Programs Director Gerald Perlman, Ph.D. and Malecare Prostate Cancer advocate, Vincent Santillo, recently participated in the evaluation of research proposals submitted to the Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP) sponsored by the Department of Defense. Darryl Mittledorf, LCSW, founder and director of Malecare, Inc. nominated Dr. Perlman and Mr. Santillo for participation in the program. As consumer reviewers, they each were full voting members, along with prominent scientists, at meetings to determine how Congress’ appropriation of $85 million will be spent on future prostate cancer research. This funding program is managed by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD. Since 1997, congressional appropriations for the PCRP have totaled $650 million.
Consumer reviewers are asked to represent the collective view of prostate cancer survivors and patients, family members, and persons at risk for the disease, when they prepare comments on the relevance of the research to issues such as disease prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life after treatment. Dr. Perlman and Mr. Santillo was one of forty-eight consumer advocates who participated in the April 7-12, 2005 peer meeting and provided comments and scores for clinical trial research proposals. Commenting on his role as a consumer reviewer, Dr Perlman said, “the experience was challenging.” He also noted that he had learned a great deal and was pleased to see prostate cancer being fought on so many fronts. “We know so much and so little; but we are making progress,” he said.