NCRA honors registry leaders and top JRM papers at 2026 conference

The National Cancer Registrars Association recognized standout professionals and research at its 2026 Annual Educational Conference in Louisville on May 7. The awards spotlighted leadership in cancer registry work and two 2025 Journal of Registry Management papers on colorectal cancer trends and poverty's impact on cancer outcomes.

Why it matters: - The awards recognize people and research that shape cancer registry standards, data quality and professional development. - The honorees reflect how registry work supports public health reporting, surveillance and cancer outcomes research. - The Journal of Registry Management awards also help surface studies that can inform practice across the registry field.

What happened: - The National Cancer Registrars Association presented awards at its 2026 Annual Educational Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, during the Recognition and Awards Reception 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 presented its 2025 Journal of Registry Management Best Paper and Honorable Mention awards. - The JRM awards were sponsored by Elekta.

The details: - The NCRA Awards Program began in 1987 and recognizes contributions to the cancer registry profession and the association. - The Distinguished Member Award honors an NCRA member for outstanding contributions that advance the profession and public understanding of its role. - Hoffman was recognized for sustained service, strategic leadership and professional excellence. - Hoffman’s NCRA roles include president from 2022-2023, High Level Strategic Group Liaison since 2024, GPEC chair and member since 2024, Advocacy Technology & Practice Board Director East from 2017-2021, Technical Advisory Liaison from 2023-2024, CoC Surveillance Partner from 2023-2024 and Education Program Chair from 2016-2017. - Hoffman has served on more than eight NCRA committees and has also been a dedicated member of the Tumor Registrars Association of Maryland. - The April Fritz Outstanding New Professional Award honors newer members who have made a significant contribution to the profession. - The award is meant 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’s service includes volunteer work as an Education Board Director and education-focused advisory work tied to cancer registry management training. - 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. - A committee of reviewers selected the Best Paper after reading each original JRM article published during the 2025 calendar year. - The selection criteria required a paper to add meaningfully to knowledge about medical registry work and address registry theory, practice, management, professional development, or data collection, quality review, reporting and use.

Between the lines: - NCRA is using its awards program to reinforce both leadership pipelines and research quality in a field that depends on accurate cancer data. - The combination of a seasoned leader award and a new professional award signals that NCRA is trying to reward long-term service and early-career momentum at the same time. - The JRM recognition highlights research topics with direct relevance to cancer surveillance, including colorectal cancer trends and the role of poverty in outcomes.

What's next: - NCRA will likely continue using the annual conference to spotlight members, volunteers and research that support registry practice. - The honored papers may draw more attention within the registry community as examples of work that meets JRM’s standards for significance and relevance. - The association’s next awards cycle will likely continue to track both professional service and published research contributions.

The bottom line: - NCRA used its 2026 conference to reward the leaders and studies it sees as most important to the future of cancer registry work.

More information and social links were listed in the release, including the association’s LinkedIn page, Instagram, Facebook, and a Facebook group.