Ian Flinn, MD, PhD, to Serve as Chief Scientific Officer for Greco-Hainsworth Tennessee Oncology Centers for Research

Tennessee Oncology, based in Nashville, is expanding its research footprint by launching the Greco-Hainsworth Tennessee Oncology Centers for Research, which will reach 35 clinical sites across Tennessee and Northwest Georgia, the practice announced today.

Ian Flinn, MD, PhD | Image credit: Tennessee Oncology

Ian Flinn, MD, PhD, a leading hematologist-oncologist who was previously director of Blood Cancer at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, will be chief scientific officer of the Greco-Hainsworth centers. Flinn, the author of more than 700 scientific papers, was formerly an associate professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins University, where he also received his PhD in Clinical Investigations and conducted his clinical fellowship in Oncology and Hematology.

In addition, Flinn will serve as chief scientific officer for OneOncology, the platform for independent oncologists of which Tennessee Oncology is a founding member.

The centers for research are named for Anthony Greco, MD, and John Hainsworth, MD, who founded Sarah Cannon in 1993 as Tennessee Oncology physician researchers.

Also joining the Greco-Hainsworth Tennessee Oncology Centers for Research is Heather Askew, who will serve as executive director of Research Operations. Askew served most recently as the senior director of Clinical Operations at NiKang Therapeutics and has more than 2 decades of experience in clinical research operations. She has worked in both community-based and academic research institutions.

“By launching the Greco-Hainsworth Tennessee Oncology Centers for Research, we’re building on our core research mission to begin a new chapter of clinical trial excellence at Tennessee Oncology,” said Natalie Dickson, MD, president and chief strategy officer, Tennessee Oncology. “With more than half of the state’s cancer population receiving care at Tennessee Oncology, our research platform provides an incredible opportunity to dramatically improve access to clinical trials for patients across Tennessee in both urban and rural communities.”

In their statement, Tennessee Oncology leaders say the Greco-Hainsworth Tennessee Oncology Centers for Research brings researchers “a platform to expand on their world-class research initiatives and reputation by offering a broad menu of clinical trials in all phases of drug development and CAR-T therapies, as well as studies examining access to clinical research, care delivery innovation, and the impact of social determinants of health.”

The practice’s footprint will allow investigators to examine the impact of clinical trials in both urban and rural regions.

“Our clinical research centers will provide an open architecture platform to expand research opportunities,” Flinn said. “We are looking forward to partnering with like-minded research institutions to advance innovation in oncology.”

The launch of the research centers is separate from Tennessee Oncology’s recent announcement of the McKay Institute for Oncology Transformation, which focuses on bringing changes to care delivery.