Advance Your Expertise in Cancer Data Management
Meet the dedicated professionals driving OCRA’s mission forward.
Nicole Davis, ODS
President
Ron Lamie, ODS
President-Elect
Leah Kiesow, ODS
Past-President
Kathy Mayer, ODS
Secretary
Wendy Williams, ODS
Treasurer
OCRA’s Mission
The Oregon Cancer Registrars Association is committed to promoting professional growth, collaboration, and education among cancer registrars. Founded to support excellence in cancer data collection and registry practices, OCRA upholds values of accuracy, integrity, and continual learning to advance the quality of cancer surveillance statewide.
OCRA’s History
Originally established as Oregon Tumor Registrar’s Association (OTRA) in the mid 70’s and was changed to Oregon Cancer Registrar’s Association (OCRA) in 1987. The exact membership total is unknown for the early years but a roster was found from 1979 with 41 members. OCRA has had as many as 71 members but currently has a total of 56 members consisting of 48 active, 6 students and 2 honorary members.
The first CTR exam was offered in 1983 and a large group from Oregon formed a study group and took the exam. OCRA also has a CTR scholarship award that was started years ago. In 2002, it was renamed the Michele Henson, CTR, Scholarship Award, in memory of a fellow registrar. The Association encourages obtaining your credentials, and is now awarded to two recipients each year. The Michele Henson Scholarship Award has been awarded a total of 16 times.
OCRA has participated within the community over the years in the Relay For Life, “In the Pink” for the Portland Golf Club supporting breast cancer research, American Cancer Society donation, Ice Bucket Challenge, volunteering and donations to the Ronald McDonald House of Portland.
The Oregon Comprehensive Cancer Program started in 1976 and ended in 1983. Oregon was without a state registry until it was passed through legislature in 1995, making cancer a reportable disease in 1996. With that, the Oregon State Cancer Registry (OSCaR) was formed and started with a staff of four.
OCRA’s Purpose
OCRA provides a great networking system for registrars new and old. Through the OCRA website, the registrar can keep abreast of issues in the quarterly newsletter, as well as the members only section. The Association sponsors workshops which:
- Enhances the registrars’ knowledge of cancer diagnosis, staging, and treatment
- Further develops registry skills
- Provides up-to-date changes in the field
OCRA workshops and programs are recognized by the National Cancer Registrars’ Association (NCRA), and continuing education (CE) credits and in-person (CEIP) credits may be earned by members credentialed in the field. Certification has been offered by NCRA since 1983, and all registrars are encouraged to become Oncology Data Specialists (formerly known as Certified Tumor Registrars (CTR)). The Oregon Division of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American College of Surgeons have been very supportive of the organization by assisting the educational needs of the membership by providing speakers for workshops.