CLINICAL PROTOCOL AND DATA MANAGEMENT: ABSTRACT The Clinical Protocol and Data Management (CPDM) function at The University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC) resides within the Clinical Trials Office (CTO). The CTO, led by Tara Lin, MD (CTO Medical Director) and Natalie Streeter (Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer, Clinical Research, Strategy and Operations) under the direction of Weijing Sun, MD, FACP (AD for Clinical Research), provides comprehensive support services that span the life cycle of cancer clinical trials from concept through manuscript. The CTO provides centralized protocol management and reporting, with strong emphasis on data integrity, protocol compliance, education and training of CTO staff and investigators, and timelines for rapid trial submission and activation. The CTO supports KUCC investigators through the Disease Working Groups (DWG) to develop research portfolios that meet the needs of our catchment area. Enhancements to CTO operations enabled the growth of clinical research, with particular focus on investigator-initiated trials (IITs), early phase clinical trials and trials for underserved and rural populations. Cancer Center Program Leaders are integrated into CTO committees including the Clinical Research Steering Committee and IIT Steering Committee so that CTO functions best serve the needs of the individual programs and promote translation of KUCC science to the clinic. The CTO expansion and staff specialization has enabled a steady increase in clinical trial accrual. From 2016-2020, there were 13,575 accruals onto interventional, observational, and ancillary/correlative studies. Accrual to interventional treatment clinical trials increased by 61% since the last grant period (3,965 accruals in 2016-2020 verses 2,462 in 2011-2015). Accrual to NCTN protocols increased overall by 111% (1,581 accruals in 2016-2020; 750 from 2011-2015). Our achievements led to our recognition as an NCTN “High-Performing Site,” and awards of an NCORP grant and CATCH UP 2020 supplement focused on rural and underserved populations. Our commitment to increase clinical trial outreach to local community sites and the Masonic Cancer Alliance (MCA, network across Kansas and Missouri) resulted in increased accruals by 62% since the last grant cycle (404 accruals in 2016-2020; 506 accruals in 2011-2015). The creation of a dedicated IIT team within the CTO and the IIT Steering Committee resulted in an increase in accruals to interventional treatment IITs by 151% since the prior grant cycle (1,645 accruals in 2016-2020; 656 in 2011-2015). In summary, the CTO has efficiently leveraged its resources to support the growth of clinical research at KUCC, with a particular emphasis on developing IITs and bringing innovative and impactful clinical trials to meet the needs of patients within our catchment area.