Pamela Roberts, director of cancer registry at the WVU Cancer Institute, is elevating cancer surveillance on a national stage through her leadership, process improvements, and commitment to data excellence.
Roberts, who began her career with WVU Medicine in 2015, assumed the directorship in February. During her tenure, the number of hospitals with cancer registries has nearly tripled – from five when she started to 14 today, 12 of which are actively managed under her guidance – all working toward WVU Medicine’s overarching goal to unify registry operations Systemwide.
She represented WVU Medicine this month at the National Cancer Registry Association (NCRA) Annual Education Conference, showcasing the strides she’s made in streamlining data collection, enhancing registry operations, and fostering collaboration among registrars nationwide.
Since assuming leadership of the WVU Cancer Registry, Roberts has implemented a dedicated registry data mailbox and launched an intuitive online registry request form, streamlining the cancer data request process. These innovations have centralized and automated inquiries, drastically reducing turnaround time and ensuring that researchers, clinicians, and quality improvement teams receive accurate data when they need it.
In addition to the network’s expansion under Roberts’s guidance, the Registry continues to modernize registry operations, meeting – and exceeding – the standards set by the Commission on Cancer (CoC).
Key accomplishments include:
- Automated case identification: Integration with electronic health record prompts flagging of potential cancer cases, boosting case-finding efficiency
- Advanced data validation: Deployment of rigorous validation scripts detect and correct discrepancies before data submission
- CoC accreditation maintenance: The Registry ensures ongoing compliance with all 34 CoC quality standards, including participation in tri-annual surveys that reaffirm the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center’s accreditation status.
Recognizing the power of shared expertise, Roberts organized virtual workshops for more than 21 registrars from CoC accredited programs across the country. These sessions covered best practices in data abstraction, security protocols, and emerging registry technologies – strengthening the entire network of cancer surveillance professionals.
WVU Medicine hospitals contribute registry data to both the National Cancer Database and the West Virginia Cancer Registry, which feeds into the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries, positively impacting cancer research and patient care. Thanks to Roberts’ process improvements:
- Faster data access: Clinicians and researchers now receive validated data weeks sooner, accelerating study timelines and quality improvement initiatives.
- Enhanced benchmarks: WVU Medicine’s data quality supports more precise national and state benchmark reports, informing targeted prevention and treatment strategies.
- Comprehensive patient insights: Enriched demographic and clinical data enable deeper analyses of outcomes by age, race, gender, and other critical factors.
“I’m honored to represent WVU Medicine and share our registry best practices,” Roberts said. “By working together, we can harness data to improve care, guide research, and ultimately save lives.”
For more information on the WVU Cancer Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/Cancer.
