The NCI Plan and Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2004 has been published. It is available on the intereet at: http://plan.cancer.gov/. This document reflects NCI strategic planning and every individual in the cancer research community should find it to be a valuable resource.

While the entire report should be of interest, CRN participants may find the sections on cancer communications, quality of cancer care, and reducing cancer-related health disparities of particular interest. The CRN is specifically mentioned on pages 79 and 80 of the report.

Also of note, Bob Croyle has been named the interim director of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, which is the CRN's programmatic home at NCI.

- Martin Brown, NCI

Ed's Corner of the World
News from the CRN PI

The first cycle of the CRN is coming to a close, and "CRN II" will begin on March 1. Papers are starting to come out from current work, and exciting new projects are gearing up. NCI clearly values us and more and more, our colleagues there are turning to the CRN to address important cancer policy questions.

We have come a long way and learned a lot about cancer care, and each other, and what it takes to be a real collaboration and not a loose collection of selfinterested centers. Collaboration is not easy; it needs extra effort, and a willingness to communicate, compromise and share not required by the typical research project.

You have done what it takes to make this collaboration work, and I hope you all - research assistants, programmers, medical record abstractors, interviewers, coordinators, investigators, administrators, clinicians - take pride in our accomplishments to date.

Have a happy and safe holiday.

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