NCORP recognizes Kathleen Yost Butler, Kamara Mertz-Rivera, Jordan Vogelsberg with 2025 awards

The NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) selected Kathleen Yost Butler, M.D., and Kamara Mertz-Rivera, M.A., CCRC, as recipients of this year’s outstanding principal investigator (PI) and administrator, respectively, at the 2025 NCORP annual meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. The inaugural Marge Good New NCORP Administrator Award went to Jordan Vogelsberg of the Iowa-Wide Oncology Research Coalition (IWORC) NCORP.

Dr. Yost Butler, PI of the Cancer Research Consortium of West Michigan (CRCWM) NCORP, was awarded the Harry Hynes Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Trials and Community Research for her commitment to championing community oncology and ensuring clinical trial access and health care among rural populations in western Michigan. The Harry Hynes award is given in honor of the late Dr. Hynes who established the Wichita Hematology Oncology Group, now known as the Cancer Center of Kansas, and was the founding PI of the Wichita Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP). Since 1998, Dr. Yost Butler has served as a leader with the Grand Rapids Clinical Oncology Program (GRCOP) CCOP and CRCWM NCORP, overseeing research of more than 60 investigators and 130 NCI trials and serving on several NCORP committees, including her present term with the NCI Cancer Care Delivery Research Steering Committee.

In support of her nomination, Dr. Lynne Wagner, PI of the ECOG-ACRIN NCORP Research Base, said, “Dr. Yost exemplifies the true spirit of a community oncologist. She uses her voice to amplify the experiences of her patients and her colleagues with a focus on identifying opportunities to improve care delivery and outcomes. She is passionate about optimizing the health of her community, as a neighbor to the families she serves and as a healer. She is a great role model for us all.”

Ms. Mertz-Rivera, administrator of the Upstate Carolina NCORP, received the Dorothy Coleman Outstanding NCORP Administrator Award, for her exemplary leadership and commitment to advancing clinical research at the Gibbs Cancer Center and across the Upstate region of South Carolina. The Dorothy Coleman Award is given in honor of the late Ms. Coleman, former research nurse coordinator and clinical trials office manager at the University of Hawai’i Cancer Center, and long-time cancer research advocate.

“She is an indispensable contributor to our cooperative groups and a quiet force behind so much of our success,” said Dr. Amy Curtis, PI of Upstate Carolina NCORP. “But what truly sets her apart is her extraordinary gift for mentorship and sponsorship. She builds outstanding teams and invests in each person she works with. Her warmth, generosity, and deep care for people leave a lasting mark on everyone fortunate enough to work with her, me included.”

Ms. Vogelsberg, administrator for the IWORC NCORP, received the first Marge Good New NCORP Administrator Award in recognition for her leadership and above-and-beyond contributions during her first year as an Administrator while navigating an acquisition and ensuring the continued viability of the IWORC NCORP and its staff. IWORC NCORP PI Dr. Sheybani Arshin said, “Jordan has become the local face of the NCI’s mission and through her quiet leadership, IWORC NCORP has become a place of collaboration for investigators from different organizations.”

This award pays tribute to former NCI Nurse Consultant and NCORP Project Scientist , Marge Good, who served as a mentor to many new NCORP administrators and site staff before she retired in 2024. Prior to her work at NCI, Ms. Good was a community oncology nurse and an administrator for more than 20 years with the Wichita CCOP and held various leadership roles within the American Society of Clinical Oncology.