Funding & Grants

Aspirus Oncology Research Institute (AORI) has been the recipient of National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant Funds to conduct National Cancer Institute (NCI) clinical trials since 2019.

As a member of the Cancer Research of Wisconsin and Northern Michigan (CROWN) Consortium—a partnership between Aspirus, HSHS St. Vincent Hospital, and Ascension Wisconsin, AORI has helped secure more than $12 million in grant funding since the consortium's inception. These funds support the recruitment and enrollment of patients into cancer clinical trials within community oncology settings, allowing more patients to access innovative treatment options closer to home and reducing the need to travel to larger academic medical centers.

AORI provides a robust research infrastructure supported by experienced investigators across multiple specialties, including hematology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and palliative care. Dedicated research nurses and clinical research professionals work closely with participants and their care teams to support every stage of the clinical trial journey.

AORI Principal Investigator, Dr. Andew Huang is nationally recognized by the NCI Community Oncology Research Program for his extraordinary contributions to participant enrollment to NCI clinical trials. Below are awards bestowed to Aspirus Investigators: 

National Recognition by the National Institute of Health in 2025  

• NIH Recognized Dr. Andrew Huang for his Outstanding Contributions for Achieving the HIGHEST Enrollment of Patients on NCI Treatment AND 3rd Highest to Cancer Control Trials  
• NIH Recognized 2025 NCORP Physician Treatment Trial Accrual Awards as follows: 
  • Platinum Award (> 40 accruals) to Dr. Christopher Platta and Dr. Andrew Huang 
  • Gold Award (10-39 accruals) to Dr. Thomas Oliver & Dr. Edward McKenna 
  • Silver Award for Enrollments (5-9 Accruals) – Dr. Anna Olson 
• NIH Recognized 2025 NCORP Physician Cancer Care Delivery Research Trial Accrual Awards as follows: 
  • Platinum Award (10-51 Accruals) – Dr. Andrew Huang, Dr. Christopher Platta & Dr. Thomas Oliver
  • Silver Award (2-3 Accruals) – Dr. Justin Asquith
• 2025 NIH Recognized CROWN TOP 10 Accruing NCORP to Cancer Care Delivery Research 
• 2025 NIH Recognized CROWN with the Platinum Award for High Enrollment to Cancer Control & Treatment Trials  
• NRG-GU009 – Aspirus Cancer Care – Wausau – 3rd Place with 56 enrollments 
• HN-STAR – Aspirus Cancer Care – Wausau – 2nd Place with 46 enrollments 

Aspirus was recognized in 2018 and 2019 by IBM Watson Health as a Top 15 Health System in its annual study identifying the top-performing health systems in the country.