NCRA honors registry leaders and top journal papers at Louisville conference

The National Cancer Registrars Association recognized individual achievement and research excellence at its 2026 Annual Educational Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Vanessa Hoffman won the Distinguished Member Award, Amanda Schafranek received the April Fritz Outstanding New Professional Award, and NCRA also named the 2025 Journal of Registry Management best paper winners.

Why it matters: - NCRA’s annual awards spotlight the people and research shaping cancer registry practice, data quality and professional standards. - The recognition also helps elevate the visibility of cancer registrars and the role of registry data in cancer surveillance and care. - The Journal of Registry Management awards highlight work that contributes to medical registry knowledge and professional development.

What happened: - NCRA presented awards during its Recognition and Awards Reception at the 2026 Annual Educational Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 7, 2026. - Vanessa Hoffman, MBA, ODS-C received the Distinguished Member Award. - Amanda Schafranek, ODS-C received the April Fritz Outstanding New Professional Award. - NCRA also announced the 2025 Best Paper and Honorable Mention winners for the Journal of Registry Management. - The JRM Awards were sponsored by Elekta.

The details: - NCRA established its awards program in 1987 to recognize contributions to the cancer registry profession and the association. - The Distinguished Member Award honors an NCRA member for outstanding contributions to the profession and for advancing public awareness of the field’s scope and importance. - Hoffmann was recognized for sustained service, strategic leadership and professional excellence. - Hoffmann’s NCRA service includes president from 2022 to 2023, High Level Strategic Group Liaison since 2024, GPEC chair and member since 2024, Advocacy Technology & Practice Board Director East from 2017 to 2021, Technical Advisory Liaison from 2023 to 2024, CoC Surveillance Partner from 2023 to 2024 and Education Program Chair from 2016 to 2017. - Hoffmann has served on more than eight NCRA committees and has also been active in the Tumor Registrars Association of Maryland. - The April Fritz Outstanding New Professional Award honors new NCRA members who have made a significant contribution to the profession. - The award is intended to encourage early-career growth and must be nominated within five years of earning the ODS credential. - Schafranek was recognized for building trust across teams and client environments, leading with clarity and bringing practical innovation. - Schafranek also received credit for mentorship, outreach and national service. - Schafranek serves as an Education Board Director and participates in education-focused advisory work tied to cancer registry management training. - The JRM Best Paper is chosen by reviewers from original articles published during the 2025 calendar year. - Review criteria require a paper to add meaningfully to medical registry knowledge and address the theory, practice or management of registries, professional development, or the collection, quality review, reporting and use of registry data. - The 2025 JRM Best Paper award went to “Trends in Early-Onset and Late-Onset Colorectal Cancer by Subtype in New York State, 1976-2022.” - The paper’s authors are Rakkoo Chung, PhD; Margaret Gates Kuliszewski, ScD; and Tabassum Insaf, PhD, MPH, MBBS. - The 2025 JRM Honorable Mention went to “The Effect of Persistent Poverty on Cancer Outcomes in California.” - That paper’s authors are Frances B. Maguire, PhD, MPH; Ani S. Movsisyan Vernon, PhD, MS, MPH; Brenda M. Hofer, MS; Arti Parikh-Patel, PhD, MPH; Theodore Wun, MD, FACP; Shehnaz K. Hussain, PhD, ScM; and Theresa H. M. Keegan, PhD, MS.

Between the lines: - The awards show NCRA valuing both service to the profession and research that improves registry methods and cancer data use. - The mix of a seasoned leader and an early-career professional signals a pipeline approach to developing registry talent. - The research winners focus on long-term cancer trends and social determinants of outcomes, suggesting registry data is being used for broader public health questions.

What's next: - NCRA is likely to continue using its annual conference to recognize leadership, mentorship and scholarship across the registry field. - The honored papers add to the body of work that may inform future registry practice, analysis and cancer surveillance efforts. - More information is available through NCRA’s social media channels, including LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Facebook group.