NCRA honors leaders and top registry research at 2026 conference

The National Cancer Registrars Association recognized member achievement and top Journal of Registry Management research during its 2026 Annual Educational Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Vanessa Hoffman earned the Distinguished Member Award, Amanda Schafranek won the April Fritz Outstanding New Professional Award, and two 2025 JRM papers were singled out for best paper honors.

Why it matters: - The awards spotlight the people and research shaping cancer registry practice, data quality and professional standards. - NCRA uses the program to recognize contributions that strengthen the cancer registry profession and its public value. - The Journal of Registry Management awards also highlight research that advances registry theory, practice and use of cancer data.

What happened: - NCRA presented its 2026 awards during the Recognition and Awards Reception at the association’s 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 presented its 2025 Journal of Registry Management Best Paper Award and Honorable Mention. - The JRM awards were sponsored by Elekta.

The details: - The NCRA Awards Program was established in 1987. - The Distinguished Member Award honors an NCRA member for outstanding contributions to the profession and for advancing public awareness of the scope and importance of cancer registry work. - Hoffmann was recognized for sustained service, strategic leadership and professional excellence that have influenced the cancer registry profession. - Hoffmann has served as NCRA president, high level strategic group liaison, GPEC chair and member, advocacy technology and practice board director east, technical advisory liaison, CoC surveillance partner and education program chair. - Hoffmann has served on more than eight committees and has also been a member of 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 within five years of earning the ODS credential. - Schafranek was recognized for building trust across teams and client environments, leading with clarity and practical innovation. - Schafranek also provides mentorship, outreach and national service through NCRA. - Schafranek serves as an Education Board Director and participates in education-focused advisory work tied to cancer registry management training. - The JRM Best Paper winner was “Trends in Early-Onset and Late-Onset Colorectal Cancer by Subtype in New York State, 1976-2022.” - The paper’s authors were Rakkoo Chung, PhD; Margaret Gates Kuliszewski, ScD; and Tabassum Insaf, PhD, MPH, MBBS. - The JRM Honorable Mention went to “The Effect of Persistent Poverty on Cancer Outcomes in California.” - The Honorable Mention authors were 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. - Reviewers selected the Best Paper from original articles published in JRM during the 2025 publication calendar. - The selection criteria required a significant contribution to the body of knowledge on medical registry work and relevance to theory, practice, management, professional development or registry data use.

Between the lines: - The awards reflect a profession that depends on both leadership and research to improve cancer surveillance and reporting. - NCRA’s focus on early-career recognition suggests an effort to strengthen the field’s talent pipeline. - The JRM awards show that registry-related research remains centered on cancer trends, outcomes and the social conditions that shape them.

What's next: - NCRA will continue using its awards program and journal honors to elevate members, mentorship and research contributions. - The recognized papers add to the evidence base that registry professionals and researchers can use in future work on cancer outcomes and registry management.

The bottom line: - NCRA used its annual conference to recognize the profession’s leadership bench and to underscore the value of registry research in improving cancer data and outcomes.