SCOS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Aimee Hoch, LSW, OSW-C, is a master's-level social worker with 20 plus years of experience in both healthcare and behavioral health. A financial navigator for the oncology program at Grand View Health and consultant for Cancer Support Community, Hoch advocates for individuals diagnosed with cancer by meeting them with empathy and connecting them to resources during their most vulnerable times.
Hoch has been a guest on CANCER BUZZ TV, Patient Power, The Can Survivor with Kelsey Smith podcast, and WDVR 88.7 FM. She has been featured in publications, including Breastcancer.org, Patient Power, and Association for Community Cancer Center's (ACCC's) financial advocate spotlight. Hoch speaks about financial toxicity and the role of financial navigation in cancer care. She is an active member of the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network, including memberships among this network's Advisory Committee and Voice Task Force. Hoch is also a member of Cancer Support Community's Biosimilar Advisory Board. She has contributed to the ACCC Patient Assistance & Reimbursement Guide and OncoLink News. Hoch earned her Master of Social Work from Fordham University at Lincoln Center.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Ainy Saeed is a graduate of The University of Minnesota, where she earned a Master of Health Administration and Master of Business Administration. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Purdue University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Fellow, Hematology Oncology
Dr. Alex Chehrazi-Raffle graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree from the Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and then went on to complete his residency in internal medicine at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. It was during this residency that Dr. Chehrazi-Raffle gained exposure to the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he is currently completing his fellowship in hematology/oncology and will stay on as assistant professor in the Department of Medical Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics. During his fellowship, Dr. Chehrazi-Raffle has helped lead a multi-center research initiative that investigated barriers to clinical trial referrals in Southern California. To build on these findings, Dr. Chehrazi-Raffle joined ACORI to help improve access to clinical trials for all patients with cancer.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- CEO of Stupid Cancer, Inc
- Chief Executive Officer / Stupid Cancer, Inc. New York, NY
Alison Silberman is the CEO of Stupid Cancer, Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help empower everyone affected by adolescent and young cancer by ending isolation and building community. Silberman brings nearly twenty years of public service experience in government and nonprofit institutions to her organization. With passion and dedication honed from her personal caregiving experience, Alison is committed to ensuring adolescents and young adults affected by cancer are guided and supported throughout their cancer journeys. Prior to joining Stupid Cancer, Alison served as the senior program director at Tuesday's Children. She has also been the director of field engagement at the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, where she was responsible for increasing the organization's national presence in the community and for leading advocacy efforts in individual states and on Capitol Hill. Before that, Silberman worked for the City of New York in Mayor Bloomberg's Office, where she collaborated with state and local leaders to address the city's criminal justice policy priorities. Silberman graduated with a degree in government from Colby College, and she earned a master's degree in urban planning from Columbia University. She has been involved in community service for more than a decade as a mentor, team participant, and member of the Young Leaders Cancer Council of LIVESTRONG, and she has been a volunteer coach with Girls on the Run NYC. Silberman lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and two children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- HMDC / Medical Director
Amir Sajadian, MD, MA, HMDC, has been the medical director MercyOne North Iowa Hospice since 2016, and he is a palliative care physician in the Palliative Medicine Department at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center. Furthermore, Dr. Sajadian serves in the MercyOne North Iowa Ethics Committee. He is a board-certified family medicine physician and hospice medical director. Dr. Sajadian has also been an adjunct assistant professor at Des Moines University as well as an adjunct clinical assistant professor at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He has contributed to the education and training of medical students, residents, and fellows.
Dr. Sajadian completed his family medicine residency program prior to completing his hospice and palliative medicine fellowship. He holds a Master of Arts in Health Services Management.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director of Clinical Research / Perelman School of Medicine
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Medical Oncologist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Executive Director of Pharmacy, Oncology Services
Andre Harvin, PharmD, MS, is the Executive Director of Pharmacy, Oncology Services for Cone Health in Greensboro, NC. In his current position he oversees the clinical, operational, and financial performance of the Cancer Care service line including ambulatory and acute care services. Prior to his current role he has held leadership roles at Wake Forest Baptist, OptumRx and Fresenius Kabi.
He completed his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Michigan in 2013, then completed the Health System Pharmacy Administration (PG1/PGY2) Residency at The Ohio State University in 2015, where he also earned his Master of Health System Pharmacy Administration during the same time.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- President and CEO / LUNGevity Foundation / Bethesda
- President and CEO of LUNGevity
Andrea Ferris is President and CEO of LUNGevity and a member of the Board of Directors. In this capacity, she is responsible for setting and executing the strategic direction of the organization and its science programs. Ms. Ferris was the Vice President of Strategy and Growth of Decision Lens, Inc. a company she helped launch in January 2005. Prior to joining Decision Lens, Andrea held a variety of management positions at Johnson & Johnson, including Director of Investor Relations, Manager Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions, and Plant Controller. She also spent several years at McNeil Consumer Products, a J&J subsidiary, in marketing and mergers & acquisitions. Prior to her time at J&J, Andrea worked for Lehman Brothers and Coopers & Lybrand in New York City in both Mergers and Acquisitions and as a CPA.
Ms. Ferris served on Washington, DC's Kennedy Center National Committee of Performing Arts and on the Board of ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) of Metro DC. She has also served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for DC Metro Boys and Girls Club and has worked with the Ronald McDonald House and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Ms. Ferris received her BS in Economics from Wharton with concentrations in Accounting, Decision Sciences, and Finance. She received her MBA from Wharton with concentrations in Finance and Latin American Studies.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Steering Committee
- Co - Chair, Information Task Force / Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance / Community Manager, Breast and Prostate Cancer
- Writer
Andrea Hutton is a critically acclaimed writer, speaker, and patient advocate. She is the author of Bald is Better with Earrings - A Survivor's Guide to Getting Through Breast Cancer, which was published by HarperCollins in 2015. Her work on breast cancer and women's wellness has been featured in such varied outlets as The Washington Post, Women's Health, and Psychology Today. As a breast cancer survivor diagnosed in 2009 with metastatic disease, who has "been there, had that" Andrea Hutton is on a mission to empower and educate women on how to take charge of their own health. She is a graduate of the prestigious National Breast Cancer Coalition's Project Lead advocacy training program, an Alamo Scholar with the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, a Komen Advocate in Science, and a member of the Dr. Susan Love Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee.
Andrea is a community manager of breast and prostate cancer for PatientPower.info. Additionally, she serves as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program and a peer reviewer for Komen Research grants as well as being a founding member of the Komen Metastatic Breast Cancer Advisory Council. She is a member of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance Executive Board and serves as a co-chair of the Alliance's Information Task Force.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Assistant Member, Department of Malignant Hematology / Moffitt Cancer Center / Tampa, FL
Andrew Kuykendall, MD, is an assistant member of the Department of Malignant Hematology and clinical researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. He focuses on developing novel, disease-modifying therapies for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. He is an active collaborator nationally and internationally and serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines Panel for myeloproliferative neoplasms, systemic mastocytosis, and myeloid/lymphoid neoplasms with eosinophilia and tyrosine kinase fusion genes. He is the primary investigator on numerous clinical trials for patients with myelofibrosis and is an active member of the Myeloproliferative Neoplasms - Research Consortium.
He earned his medical degree at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla. and completed his internal medicine residency and hematology/oncology fellowships at the University of South Florida and Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.
Anil Vachani, MD, is a pulmonary physician at the University of Pennsylvania with expertise in epidemiology, clinical trials, and cancer care delivery. His research program uses observational and experimental approaches to study the implementation and optimization of lung cancer screening, management of incidental pulmonary nodules, and validation and utility analyses of novel technologies for early detection and cancer screening. Dr. Vachani directs the Lung Nodule Program and co-directs the Lung Cancer Screening Program at the University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In these roles, Dr. Vachani led efforts to implement lung cancer screening protocols that utilize hybrid and fully centralized approaches to care delivery across two different care systems. These efforts have included research design elements to understand and adopt optimal approaches to cancer screening care, care pathway creation, and electronic health record system modification.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Anna Yemelyanova, MD, is a pathologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital. She received her medical degree from Russian State Medical University an has been in practice for more than 20 years.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- President and CEO / Protean
Anthony Magliocco, MD, BSc, FRCPC, FCAP, is former chair of anatomical pathology, director of esoteric laboratory services, and served as medical director of the Morsani Advanced Diagnostic Laboratories at the Moffitt Cancer Center. As a molecular and anatomical pathologist, his main research focuses on development of novel clinical predictive assays for cancer patients. Dr. Magliocco has special expertise in women's cancers and conducts scientific research into the molecular basis of metastasis. Most recently he has founded and serves as the president and CEO of Protean BioDiagnostics, a new biotechnology company focused on accelerating the deployment of precision oncology with a focus on community cancer centers and advanced diagnostics including molecular and genetic analysis, liquid biopsy, and incorporating advanced artificial intelligence to improve the quality and efficiency of cancer diagnostic services.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Chairman of the Department of Pathologyat
- Chairman, Department of Pathology Ralph E. Lowey Professor of Oncology / George Washington University
- Expert
Antonia R. Sepulveda, MD, PhD, is the chair of the Department of Pathologyat the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She also serves as the Ralph E. Lowey Professor of Oncology, as well as chief of pathology service and clinical laboratory director at GW Hospital.
Dr. Sepulveda is an expert in gastrointestinal pathology and molecular diagnostic pathology of cancer and a leader in personalized genomics for precision medicine. She has held many leadership positions and is currently the president-elect of the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) and was recently the lead co-chair for the AMP's Multi-society Molecular Testing Guidelines for Colorectal Cancer. She was most recently the vice chair for translational research and director of the Division of Gastrointestinal Pancreas and Liver Pathology in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York. At Columbia, she spearheaded clinical and research programs for genomic and biomarker testing of gastrointestinal cancers.
Sepulveda's research laboratory and translational research program receives National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding and utilizes innovative genomics, transcriptomics, and computational image analyses to discover novel regulatory pathways and early biomarkers of cancer and precancer lesions of the esophagus, stomach, colorectum, and pancreas. She has authored over 160 publications, including 122 original peer-reviewed papers, and over 40 reviews, editorials, guidelines, book chapters, and books. Sepulveda has been invited to lecture and share her expertise in pathology and biomarker testing in cancer around the world.
In addition to her leadership at the AMP, Sepulveda participates in a number of professional organizations and associations, including as a member of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and a fellow of the College of American Pathologists. She serves on the Colon Task Force of the NCI Gastrointestinal Steering Committee and as editor of the Gastrointestinal Pathology Section for the Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. She has been honored to receive a number of awards for her achievements in research, clinical operations and scholar contributions. In 2018, she received the Verna Stembridge MD Lectureship Award from the Texas Society of Pathologists.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Ariel Foster has served as a Patient Financial Advocate for more three years at the St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI) Clinic in Fruitland, Idaho. She has worked in the advocacy field in various capacities since 2005. Ms. Foster realized her passion for healthcare advocacy when her aunt was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer that had metastasized to the liver. She is extremely grateful to be a part of the wonderful clinicians and caregivers at St. Luke's, as well as help patients who have complex financial concerns feel more at ease with their treatment.
Ms. Foster has served as a panelist and presenter for ACCC, as well as serving on the Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee.
She graduated from the College of Idaho with a degree in Anthropology and Sociology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- William F. Stapp Professor of Hematology
Dr. Hari is the Armand J. Quick/William F. Stapp Professor of Hematology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he is also a chief in the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine. After attending medical school in India, Dr. Hari completed his training in internal medicine and hematology in the United Kingdom and then in the Medical Oncology and Transplantation Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Hari's primary clinical interests are in cellular therapies and plasma cell disorders, including multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, and other monoclonal gammopathies.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Associate Professor Program Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency / Heersink School of Medicine
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Manager of Oncology Support Services for the Baltimore Region
Billie J. Baldwin is the Manager of Oncology Support Services for the Baltimore Region of the MedStar Health Cancer Network and has been working in oncology for the last five years. She earned a Master of Counseling Psychology Degree from Evangel University and a Master of Social Work Degree from Salisbury University and has been in the mental health field since 1999. She has previously worked as a social worker in child welfare, a private practice therapist, and as an adjunct professor at both Harford Community College and the Community College of Baltimore County. She has extensive experience developing workplace curriculum, is a trained facilitator, and a board-approved social work supervisor in Maryland. She serves as the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) co-state representative for Maryland, and recently completed the Integrative Oncology Scholars Program through the University of Michigan in the 2020-2021 cohort.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Associate Professor, Cardiothoracic Surgery / New York - Presbyterian Hospital
Dr. Stiles is an Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine.
Dr. Stiles is a busy clinician, with expertise in the surgical management of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Dr. Stiles is also an active basic science researcher focused on lung cancer. He is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF); Dr. Stiles is a grant reviewer for LCRF, the Thoracic Surgery Foundation, and the CDMRP Lung Cancer Research Program.
He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the National Lung Cancer Roundtable, and an active advocate for lung cancer research and for patients.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Professor of Medicine
Cardinale B. Smith, MD, PhD is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology and the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Associate Director for Community, Outreach and Engagement in the Tisch Cancer Institute and the Chief Quality Officer for Cancer Services, Tisch Cancer Center. She is a medical oncologist and palliative care physician whose clinical practice is focused on lung cancer and palliative care. Her research interests focus on doctor-patient communication, evaluating treatment disparities in cancer care, determinants of cancer patients' quality of care, characterizing barriers to optimal cancer and palliative care and developing approaches to eliminating those barriers among racial and ethnic minorities. Dr. Smith is a 2013 recipient of a mentored research scholar grant from the American Cancer Society to evaluate determinants of disparities in the utilization of palliative care among patients with lung cancer. She was a co-investigator on a Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute grant to teach and enable goals of care conversations among oncologists. Additionally, she is the recipient Sojourn's Scholar Leadership Grant and an R01 from the National Cancer Institute to evaluate the role of implicit bias among oncologists on minority cancer patient outcomes. Dr. Smith has had numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, and in 2015 was named one of the Top 40 Inspirational Leaders under 40 by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Assistant Director, Operations, Office of Cancer Health Equity
Carla Strom has a master's degree in international studies and more than 20 years of experience in oncology education, research, health policy, and health disparities. In her current role as senior manager for cancer health equity, she provides oversight and guides operations for the Office of cancer health equity (OCHE) as well as leads grant writing and community capacity building efforts. Strom is also a leader for the Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center's community outreach and engagement activities and supports cancer center members' research endeavors.
In addition to her professional experience, Strom has a personal, cultural, and linguistic connection to the Hispanic community, and she is a two-time young adult cancer survivor herself. Strom serves as a patient advocate in the community and academic oncology setting and has spent more than a decade working with non-profit organizations that support cancer survivors. Strom brings a unique firsthand perspective to her oncology work and contributions to OCHE.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Executive Director
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- SHARE Cancer Support As CEO and Executive Director
Carol Evans joined SHARE Cancer Support as CEO and executive director in 2019. SHARE serves women with breast, ovarian, uterine, and metastatic breast cancer by providing them with helplines in multiple languages, in-person and virtual support groups, education, and peer connections with other survivors. SHARE also reaches out directly to medically underserved communities with programs specifically for them. LatinaSHARE and African American Ambassadors each provide outreach to communities in need. In 2021, SHARE launched Getting Our Fair SHARE at the 2021 Conference to End Health Disparities.
Previously, Evans served as the founder and CEO of Working Mother Media (WMM) (2001-2015), which she founded by acquiring Working Mother magazine. Evans had launched Working Mother in 1978 for a major publishing company, and she led its growth for a decade. In 1986, Evans created the Working Mother 100 Best Companies, which is still the most important benchmark of corporate support for women.
In 2006, Evans expanded WMM's mission by acquiring Diversity Best Practices and launching the Global Advancement of Women Conferences, which has held events in South Africa, Brazil, Canada, India, and China. She sold WMM to Bonnier Corp in 2008, remaining as president for seven years. In 2015, Evans left Working Mother Media to work on Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign as co-founder of Executive Women for Hillary.
Evans' award-winning book, This is How We Do It: The Working Mother's Manifesto celebrates working mothers and helps them reframe their most difficult challenges.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Catherine Lowe MBA, CPC-A, is the Oncology Revenue Integrity Program Manager at Maine Medical Center. Cathy has over twenty-five years of healthcare experience in hands-on patient care, billing, coaching and administration, and has presented at ACCC conferences. She pioneered a proactive denial prevention program for the Oncology IV Therapy clinics at Maine Health preventing millions of dollars in potential claim denials due to prior authorization and medical necessity in just three years.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Dr. Cliby is a gynecologic oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and the Virgil S. Counseller Professor of Surgery. Dr. Cliby's expertise is in surgical gynecologic oncology, outcomes, and translational research, and he has focused much of his clinical research on improving techniques and surgical outcomes and quality in ovarian cancer. His laboratory research is focused on the interaction between cancer and stroma in ovarian cancer. Dr. Cliby has a strong interest in education and has been the fellowship program director for 13 years, having developed the fellowship program directors' training course for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. He currently serves as a member of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, and as a member of the ACGME Review Committee. Dr. Cliby completed his residency training at Duke University and fellowship training at Mayo Clinic.
Charles Drescher, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist at Swedish Cancer Institute, and has been named Seattle Magazine's and Seattle Metro Magazine's "Top Doctor," Seattle Top Doctor Hall of Fame, "Best Doctors in America," and is a recipient of numerous awards including the Patient Choice Award. Dr. Drescher participates in a number of cancer research organizations and holds positions that include-but are not limited to-joint full member of the Molecular Diagnostics Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; key investigator with the Pacific Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium; Canary Foundation Ovary Science team leader; and board member of the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.
As a gynecologic cancer specialist, Dr. Drescher aims to provide the best possible care to all women with or at risk for gynecologic cancers, as well as women with complex benign gynecological conditions. He works with a team of skilled providers to ensure his patients have access to the full range of treatment options and supportive care.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences / Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine / Houston, TX
Chiara Acquati, Ph.D., LMSW, is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences for the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. She is also a Household-Centered Care program social work seminar instructor. She creates courses that integrate research and knowledge building in social work practice, evaluation of practice, and social work in health care settings to highlight the importance of close relationships for those who experience cancer from a disadvantage. In addition, she is an assistant professor at the UH Graduate College of Social Work.
Dr. Acquati's research focuses on identifying psychosocial issues experienced by cancer survivors and caregivers to show how interpersonal processes can contribute to mental health, coping, and wellbeing-related outcomes. She has been a part of many peer-reviewed journal articles, research proposals, funded research grants, books, book chapters, and presentations. In 2021, she won the award for "Best of the Best" for her poster on the Congruence of stress communication and relationship satisfaction among young women with their partners: A dyadic analysis from the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.
Dr. Acquati earned her doctorate in social work at the University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work. In addition, Acquati holds a Master of Social Work from Boston College, a Master of Arts in clinical psychology from Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. She is a licensed master social worker and has completed her certification in the Sexual Health Certificate Program from the University of Michigan.
Christa Braun-Inglis is a nurse practitioner and an assistant researcher at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is also a clinical faculty member at the University of Hawaii School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, as well as a board-certified oncology nurse practitioner.
Ms. Braun-Inglis has 25 years of oncology nursing experience, with over 18 years as an oncology nurse practitioner. She has a wealth of clinical expertise and has been a huge proponent of cancer clinical trials in the community. Her interests include increasing advanced practice provider involvement in clinical trials, cancer care delivery, breast and GI cancers, as well as providing quality cancer care to residents of Hawaii.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Assistant Professor, Women 's Health Unit / Boston University
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Clinical Pharmacist, Specialty Pharmacy Services
Christopher Schumpp, PharmD, is currently the clinical pharmacist, Specialty Pharmacy Services, Ambulatory Pharmacy Services, and a clinical instructor, Pharmacy Practice at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health System System (UI Health), a major academic teaching institution on the near west side of Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Vice President of Patient Experience / Cancer Support Community / Washington, DC
Claire's current role at the Cancer Support Community (CSC) focuses on sharing CSC's patient insights externally and ensuring the patient experience remains central to all that CSC does. Prior to becoming VP of Patient Experience, Claire led CSC's national patient education and outreach efforts for 5 years. The award-winning Frankly Speaking About Cancer education programs were co-created with cancer patients & caregivers. Programs were culturally-adapted to meet the needs of specific populations and speakers of multiple languages and produced in a variety of print, digital, and in-person formats.
Claire came to CSC from the Urology Care Foundation, where she managed national patient education programs and disease awareness campaigns with partners including the National Football League. As Executive Director of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, Claire developed the first National Bladder Cancer Awareness Day. While the Executive Director of the Breast Cancer Resource Center in Austin, Texas, she doubled their patient advocacy and outreach programs. Claire began her work in health advocacy while part of the team that opened the National Domestic Violence Hotline in 1996.
Claire holds an MBA from the University of Oregon and an undergraduate degree from Rice University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Academy of Oncology
Clara Lambert is an active member of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+). She participates in the Conference Planning, Policy and Advocacy (co-chair of Advocacy), and Technology Committees, as well as speaking on financial navigation and other topics.
She is also the director of financial navigation at TailorMed. Previously, she spent seven years as a financial navigator in Michigan and Illinois hospital systems.
In 2013, she helped to pioneer a nationally recognized financial navigation program at the Cowell Family Cancer Center in Traverse City, Michigan. In 2018, she moved to the Chicagoland area to work as a financial navigator at the Bhorade Cancer Center at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, and was asked to work with a task force to implement financial navigation technology throughout the Advocate Aurora healthcare system.
Clara has been influential in the development of the role of financial navigator at her cancer centers, hospital systems, and nationwide. She was recognized in 2019 with an Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators (AONN+) Leadership Council Award: Putting Evidence into Practice. Previously, she served as chair of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) Financial Advocacy Network Advisory Committee (2018-2019).
She has a bachelors degree in Integrated Professional Studies: Business, Healthcare Administration & Information Technology from Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Prior to her current role at the Winship Cancer Institute in Emory University, Colleen Lewis served as the director of clinical operations/lead APP for the Phase I Clinical Trial Program. She is also the interim director for the Clifton Infusion Center, where she leads clinical and operational improvements. Lewis joined the Phase I program at the Winship Cancer Institute in 2008, and she serves as a co-investigator on Phase I trials by collaborating with physicians, nurses, and research team members to care for patients enrolled in trials. Lewis is a member of the Emory Protocol Review & Monitoring Committee, the Oncology Nursing Society, and she serves as a peer reviewer for the Oncology Nursing Forum and the Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology. Lewis also serves as a member of the National Education Committee for the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology. Lewis earned her BSN from the University of Miami and completed her Adult Oncology Nurse Practitioner training at and earned her MSN from Emory University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology / Michigan State University
Craig Emmitt Cole, M.D., is a Hematologist at the Karmanos Cancer Institute of McLaren Greater Lansing, and Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Michigan State University.
Dr. Cole's research interests include multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, therapeutic apheresis, and myelodysplasia. He has published and presented his research at the American Society of Hematology and the American Society for Apheresis national meetings. He also has a commitment to patient empowerment and education working with several local and national patient advocacy associations.
Dr. Cole received his Bachelor of Science degree in physiology at Michigan State University and the College of Lyman Briggs, in East Lansing Michigan. Dr. Cole went on to receive his doctoral degree at the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Cole subsequently had a post-fellowship laboratory research position at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center of Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Cynthia Guettler, BS-HIM-CMOM-ONC/HEME, is the Senior Insurance Clinical Reviewer at Texas Oncology.
She has over 20 years of experience in scheduling, pre-registration, outpatient registration, emergency room registration, inpatient and same-day admissions, discharge, financial clearance (insurance eligibility, benefits verification, authorization/referral management, payer notification, pre-service/point of service cash collections) and financial counseling.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Medical Director / Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Dan Vogl, MD MSCE, is Medical Director of the Abramson Cancer Center Clinical Research Unit at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, overseeing the work of over 100 research nurses, research coordinators, regulatory coordinators, and biospecimen coordinators, who together manage over 300 active cancer clinical trials. His clinical research focuses on early phase trials of novel agents for the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Dr. Vogl is a medical oncologist and hematologist who specializes in caring for patients with plasma cell malignancies, including multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis.
Dr. Vogl is a graduate of Weill Medical College of Cornell University and has a Masters of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed training in Internal Medicine at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York and in Hematology and Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Associate Professor Lung Pathologist / University of Colorado School
- Director of the Colorado Molecular Correlates Laboratory at the University of Colorado
Dr. Aisner is the director of the Colorado Molecular Correlates Laboratory at the University of Colorado and a pulmonary pathologist. Her laboratory focuses on oncology-based testing for personalized medicine. She has been at the University of Colorado since 2010. She serves on numerous committees related to molecular pathology, including the Economic Affairs Committee of the Association for Molecular Pathology.
Dr. Aisner completed her MD/PhD combined degree program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She pursued training in anatomic pathology at the National Institutes of Health and went on to two fellowships in surgical pathology and molecular genetic pathology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Director of Bronchoscopy and Interventional Pulmonology at Johns Hopkins
- FCCP, Professor of Medicine
Dr. Feller-Kopman serves as the Director of Bronchoscopy and Interventional Pulmonology at Johns Hopkins. He is an expert in the minimally invasive diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. His areas of clinical expertise include all aspects of interventional pulmonology, including minimal invasive diagnostic procedures to evaluate suspicious lung nodules and enlarged lymph nodes in the chest as well as the evaluation and management of malignant and non-malignant central airway obstruction. In addition, he specializes in the evaluation and management of pleural diseases with minimally invasive procedures such as ultrasound guided thoracentesis, indwelling pleural catheters and thoracoscopy with pleurodesis. He is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Thoracic Society, as member of the Miller-Coulson academy of Clinical Excellence at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Feller-Kopman's research focuses on the minimally invasive treatment of patients with malignant pleural effusion. Dr. Feller-Kopman co-founded the Interventional Pulmonary Outcomes Group (IPOG) whose mission is to provide and support multicenter prospective trials in the Interventional Pulmonary space. He is also involved with several projects investigating minimally invasive ways to diagnose and treat lung cancer. His goal is to advance the science of Interventional Pulmonology in order to improve the quality of life of patients with malignant pleural effusions and central airway obstruction as well as to develop new strategies to diagnosis and treat lung cancer.
He completed his internship and residency at Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard University; a Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care, Combined Harvard Program (Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and a Fellowship: Interventional Pulmonary, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care Medicine, and Interventional Pulmonary.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
David H. Vesole, MD, PhD, FACP, is Co-Director, Myeloma Division and Director, Myeloma research at the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. He is a Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University where he is also Director of the Myeloma Program.
His research interests address all aspects of the management of plasma cell dyscrasias (multiple myeloma, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, amyloidosis, and Waldenstrom's macroglolinemia). Dr. Vesole has more than 25 years of clinical research experience in plasma cell dyscrasias and stem cell transplantation and has produced over 250 peer-reviewed publications in these areas.
Dr. Vesole completed a medical degree at Northwestern University and a doctorate in immunology and microbiology at the Medical University of South Carolina. His postdoctoral training included a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Iowa.
Job Titles:
- Community Clinical Scientist Award
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Medical Oncologist
- Medical Oncologist and Hematologist
David M. Waterhouse, MD, MPH, is a medical oncologist and hematologist with Oncology Hematology Care (OHC) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Waterhouse's specialties are lunch cancer and urologic cancer. He is the founder and co-director of OHC's nationally recognized Clinical Research Program and a former strategic partner in the Sarah Cannon Research Network. He is currently a national network principal investigator for The US Oncology Network and US Oncology Research and is a member of its Research Executive Committee and an associate director of the Lung Cancer Committee. He is also active within US Oncology's HOER program.
Dr. Waterhouse is the recipient of numerous recognitions, including the US Oncology's inaugural Culture of Research Award (2020), Oncology Time's Excellence in Oncology Award (2019), The US Oncology Network's Excellence in Clinical Research Award (2017), Cancer Support Community Inspiration in Cancer Award (2016), Cincinnati Health Care Hero (Innovation) award (2016) and is a two-time winner of ASCO's Clinical Trials Participation Award (2015, 2007). Dr. Waterhouse is a former ASCO Young Investigator and past-chair of the ASCO Research Community Forum. He is also a former member of ASCO's Cancer Research Committee.
Dr. Waterhouse received his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts. He completed a fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he also earned a master's degree in public health.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
David Oubre, MD, founded Pontchartrain Cancer Center in 2005 and is board certified in both medical oncology and hematology.
He is currently the chief of staff at North Oaks Medical Center, and a board member of the St. Tammany Cancer Fund, a charitable organization which provides scholarships to college students affected by cancer. He is the Louisiana representative for the State Affiliate Council for the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the immediate past president of the Louisiana Oncology Society. Dr. Oubre has been selected as one of the Top Doctors by New Orleans Magazine and Louisiana Life Magazine every year since 2005, and was the recipient of the 2011 Spirit Award from the American Cancer Society.
Dr. Oubre provides medical and legislative education on behalf of Janssen Biotech, Inc. to physicians and medical societies throughout the United States. In addition, Dr. Oubre is an acting development consultant for IntrinsiQ Solutions, currently developing an oncology specific electronic health records system. He received his medical degree from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana, completed his residency at Earl K. Long Medical Center in Baton Rouge, followed by a fellowship in oncology and hematology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Chief Scientific Officer, Sarah Cannon / Partner, Tennessee Oncology / Nashville, TN
David R. Spigel, MD, joined Sarah Cannon in 2003 and as chief scientific officer, he oversees all scientific aspects of Sarah Cannon's clinical trial program, working with the research physician leaders to ensure the best new agents and studies are available to our patients. He serves as a primary contact for the Pharma and biotech partners as well as the strategic site physicians with whom Sarah Cannon conducts cancer research.
Dr. Spigel received his bachelor's degree from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1992, and medical degree from The University of Tennessee in Memphis in 1996. After completing an internal medicine and chief residency at Indiana University Medical Center, he completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. He is board certified in medical oncology. Additionally, he is a partner with Tennessee Oncology, PLLC.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Debbie Dey, LCSW-C, OSW-C serves as an Oncology Social Worker at Maryland Oncology Hematology, Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, MD. Ms. Dey has over 20 years of experience, having practiced in research, special education, and in-patient and outpatient health care settings. Her role as OSW includes assessing and assisting with practical needs and barriers to care, while also providing clinical support. Debbie believes mental health, including emotional, psychological, and social well-being is essential to one's overall wellness.
Ms. Dey is active in the community partnering with local agencies to establish and co-facilitate National Cancer Survivors Day, participating in local fundraising events and is a board member for the Oncology Foundation Maryland and District of Columbia. She began working in the field of Oncology in 2017 and received her OSW-C certification in 2020.
Ms. Dey earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Towson State University in 1992. She went on to earn a Master of Social Work, Clinical, with a certification in School Social Work from Norfolk State University in 1998.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Social Worker / Gwinnett Medical Center
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Director of the Virginia Cancer Specialists ( VCS ) Research Institute
- Medical Oncologist
Dr. Alex Spira is director of the Virginia Cancer Specialists (VCS) Research Institute and the Phase I Trial Program, where he is actively involved in advancing medicine and offering targeted treatment options for patients. He also is co-chair of the US Oncology Thoracic Oncology Committee, chair of the US Oncology Research Executive Committee, and a member of the US Oncology National Policy Board Executive Committee. Dr. Spira is a faculty member at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he is assistant professor of oncology. His research interests include immunotherapy, personalized medicine, gastrointestinal, thoracic, and lung cancer and sarcomas.
Throughout his career, Dr. Spira has been recognized as a Top Doctor in Northern Virginia Magazine and Washingtonian magazine for multiple years. In 2014, he received the prestigious Castle Connolly America's Top Doctor award.
Dr. Spira earned his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and his medical oncology fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. He has been honored with the National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Program Fellowship (1990-1997), Merck Corporation Scholarship (1995-1995), Pediatric AIDS Foundation Fellowship (1993- 1995), and Harvard University Scholarship (1987-1990). He received his PhD from the New York School of Arts and Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Medicine at Spectrum Health / Michigan State University
Dr. Cumbo Nacheli is the Interventional Pulmonologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at Spectrum Health/Michigan State University in Grand Rapids Michigan. He received his medical degree at the University of Rosario, in Argentina and completed my residency in Wayne State University, and fellowship at the Cleveland clinic. Dr. Nacheli has 10 years of experience working within the realm of clinical and procedural aspects of lung cancer.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Medical Director, Sutter Institute for Medical Research / Sutter Cancer Center / Sacramento, CA
- Medical Oncologist, Chair of the Sutter Melanoma Program
Dr. Deepti Behl is a medical oncologist, chair of the Sutter Melanoma Program of Distinction, and medical director of the lung cancer program at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, CA. Dr. Behl is also the medical director of the Sutter Institute for Medical Research (SIMR) and a member of the tobacco cessation committee of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
Dr. Behl attended the Christian Medical College in Ludhiana, India, and completed her residency and fellowship training in hematology and oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Dr. Behl is board certified in medical oncology, hospice, and palliative care, and she focuses her research on lung cancer and melanoma. She is currently enrolled in the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Fellowship in Integrative Medicine, and she expects to graduate in 2023.
Job Titles:
- Master
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Social Worker
- Oncology Social Worker and Researcher / University of Houston - Downtown / Houston, TX
Dr. Heather Honoré Goltz is a licensed master social worker and doctoral-level health educator with over a decade of experience developing and implementing clinical interventions to improve quality of life and health outcomes of patients and caregivers impacted by complex medical and behavioral health conditions.
Dr. Goltz has co-authored almost 30 peer-reviewed articles, primarily focusing on aspects of genitourinary cancer survivorship and sexual health. She has also co-authored or collaborated on several research studies funded by the American Cancer Society, NIH, DOD, and VA.
Dr. Goltz earned a Ph.D. in health education from Texas A&M University prior to completing post-doctoral fellowships at the Michael E. DeBakey VAMC and Baylor College of Medicine. She earned a B.S. in Biology (Scientific Inquiry concentration) from the Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University and a M.S.W. (Mental Health concentration) and M.Ed. (Curriculum & Instruction-Teaching) from the University of Houston
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director of the Ochsner Precision Cancer Therapies Program
- Director, Ochsner Precision Cancer Therapies Program Associate Director of Clinical Cancer Research
Dr. Marc Matrana is Director of the Ochsner Precision Cancer Therapies Program, the only dedicated Phase I cancer research program between Houston and Birmingham. He serves as a senior medical oncologist at Ochsner's Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center in New Orleans and holds an Endowed Professorship at Ochsner Health System. He also serves as Associate Director of Clinical Cancer Research at the Ochsner Cancer Institute, and as Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Queensland School of Medicine in Brisbane, Australia. Dr. Matrana is a ninth-generation native of New Orleans, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Human Genetics from Tulane University and received his medical degree from LSU School of Medicine. He served as Chief Resident at Ochsner, and Chief Fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed books, articles, chapters, and abstracts. He has presented his research findings and educational programs at numerous national and international meetings.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Executive Medical Director / AdventHealth Cancer Institute / Orlando, FL
- Executive Medical Director of the AdventHealth Cancer Institute
Dr. Mark Socinski is the Executive Medical Director of the AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Socinski was most recently the Director of the Lung Cancer Section at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Clinical Associate Director of the University of Pittsburgh Lung Cancer SPORE, Co-Director of UPMC Lung Cancer Center of Excellence, and Co-Leader of the Lung Cancer Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Professor and Vice - Chair
- Professor and Vice - Chair of Clinical Research / Medical Director, Orange County and Coastal Radiation Oncology
Dr. Percy Lee is professor and vice-chair of Clinical Research and medical director for Orange County and Coastal Regions in the Department of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope National Medical Center. Dr. Lee has an international reputation in the treatment of thoracic and gastrointestinal malignancies. His research interests include applying novel technologies, such as MRI-guided radiation therapy, in the clinic and he led the clinical implementation of MRI-guided radiation therapy program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), only the third site in the world with this innovation. In addition, he is a clinical trialist who is interested in combining novel radiation therapy approaches with new drugs to achieve improved outcomes in thoracic malignancies.
Dr. Lee began his career at UCLA, where he rose to the rank of professor and vice chair of Education for the Department of Radiation. There, he also served as chief of Thoracic Radiation Oncology, Residency Training Program director, and director of the Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Program. Subsequently, Dr. Lee served as section chief of Thoracic Radiation Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2019-2022. In addition to these posts, Dr. Lee has served on various leadership roles within national organizations such as the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Board of Radiology, American Radium Society, and the Radiosurgery Society.
Dr. Lee earned his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. He completed his clinical internship in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, his residency in radiation oncology at Stanford University in California, and is board certified in Radiology. Dr. Lee was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan until the age of 9, and still has family throughout the island.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Professor
- Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Division of Gynecologic Oncology / Washington University
Dr. Premal H. Thaker is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the division of gynecologic oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, where she also serves as the Director of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Research.
She is a member of the NRG Oncology Phase I Committee, the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Partners Investigator Council, and has provided expertise to various other national clinical and research committees and task forces. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed publications as an author or co-author, as well as 12 book chapters.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Medical Director / Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute
Dr. Randall A. Oyer is a practicing medical oncologist at the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute at Penn Medicine Lancaster General in Pennsylvania, where he serves as the medical director. Dr. Oyer is also the medical director of oncology, the chair of the Cancer Committee, the chair of the Oncology Physicians Advisory Council, and the medical director of the Cancer Risk Evaluation (Cancer Genetics) Program at Penn Medicine. Dr. Oyer is a member of the Cancer Service Line Executive Committee and the Cancer Service Line Quality Committee at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Dr. Oyer divides his time among patient care, program administration, program development, and community outreach. He works closely with a multidisciplinary team that includes nursing, social work, pharmacy, chaplaincy, and medical specialties focused on strategy, implementation, and patient care. A long-standing active member of ACCC, he served as president from 2020 to 2021. Dr. Oyer is also an ex-officio member of the National Cancer Policy Forum and commissioner of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, where he represents ACCC. Dr. Oyer is a graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown University School of Medicine, and is Clinical Professor of Medicine at Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- President of the Virginia Association of Hematology Oncology
- President, Virginia Association Hematology
Dr. Ingram currently serves as the President of the Virginia Association of Hematology Oncology (VAHO) and on the Board of Directors of the Community Oncology Alliance.
Dr. Richard Ingram grew up in Upstate New York and attended Hartwick College. He attended medical school at State University of New York Health Sciences Center at Syracuse followed by his internal medicine internship and chief medical residency in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dr. Ingram completed oncology and hematology fellowships at the University of Virginia and joined Shenandoah Oncology Associates in 2002. He has been in a community-based independent practice since first serving patients in the Northern Shenandoah Valley and surrounding communities in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. Sinchita Roy-Chowdhuri is an associate professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) in Houston, Texas, where she specializes in cytopathology and molecular pathology. She is currently the medical director of the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory Solid Tumor section and the Director of Molecular Cytopathology at MDACC, and she serves as the principal investigator for the NCI-MATCH adult and pediatric clinical trials. Her research interests include lung cancer biomarkers, molecular diagnostics in solid tumors, and the application of ancillary studies in cytopathology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Edith Peterson Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCPP, has spent her medical career helping individuals in medically underserved areas realize that simple changes in lifestyle can have a dramatic impact on cancer care. Through her work, Dr. Mitchell has demonstrated the importance of community service and outreach, especially to individuals who may not have the means to seek out more conventional medical advice.
Dr. Mitchell's research in breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers and other GI malignancies involves new drug evaluation and chemotherapy, development of new therapeutic regimens, chemoradiation strategies for combined modality therapy, patient selection criteria, and supportive care for patients with gastrointestinal cancer.
Dr. Mitchell holds leadership positions in the American Society of Clinical Oncology and was the 116 th President of the National Medical Association, serving from 2015-2016. She travels nationally and internationally teaching and lecturing on the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies. She serves on the National Cancer Institute Review Panel, the Cancer Investigations Review Committee, and the Clinical Trials and Translational Research Advisory Committee. Dr. Michell is the co-chair of the NCI Disparities Committee, and she is a member of the NIH Council of Councils. She was selected to serve as a member of the NCI's Blue Ribbon Panel convened to advise the National Cancer Advisory Board on Vice President Biden's National Cancer Moonshot Initiative. In 2019, Dr. Mitchell began service as a member of the President's Cancer Panel.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- North Shore University Hospital
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Chief Strategy and Policy Officer
Ellen Miller-Sonet leads the strategic initiatives and national policy agenda for Cancer Care, the leading national organization providing free, professional support services and information to help people manage the emotional, practical, and financial challenges of cancer. She was the principal architect and author of the landmark 2016 Cancer Care Patient Access and Engagement report, which reflects the survey responses of more than 3,000 unique people diagnosed with cancer. It laid the groundwork for understanding the true ‘costs' - physical, emotional, financial - of the cancer experience for patients and families nationwide.
She is currently leading Cancer Care's Patient Values Initiative which builds on this report and is a multi-pronged, long-term project intended to reframe the national healthcare policy dialogue to include what is important to patients and their families, and to make sure that patients' values and priorities are incorporated into treatment decision-making. This work includes extensive research among providers and patients to better understand the extent to which clinicians solicit and patients articulate their personal quality or life preferences before treatment plans are finalized.
Ms. Sonet frequently speaks and writes about cancer patient experiences and strategies to help them access care and providers deliver the care that is best for each individual patient. She is a steering committee member of Avalere's Patient Perspective Value Framework initiative, and the National Minority Quality Forum's Sustainable Healthy Communities Diverse Cancer Communities Working Group.
Prior to Cancer Care, Ms. Sonet served for nearly 17 years as vice president of marketing at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she was an avid patient advocate devoted to understanding the complex nature of healthcare decision-making and the needs of people affected by cancer. Prior to that she worked for pharmaceutical companies, marketing over-the-counter brands.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Executive Director / Association of Oncology Social Work
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Assistant Professor, Clinical Dermatology and Dermatopathology / University of Missouri
Emily Hoffman Smith, MD, is an assistant professor of dermatology and dermatopathology at the University of Missouri Health System where she oversees the multidisciplinary cutaneous oncology clinic at Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. Her research interests involve characterizing the molecular signatures of high risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas as well as melanoma. She is also engaged in initiatives utilizing technology to educate primary care providers, particularly in rural areas, on the early diagnosis and management of cutaneous malignancies with the goal of improving outcomes. Her clinical work largely focuses on the management of patients with high-risk skin cancers, and she spends the remainder of her time working as a dermatopathologist.
Dr. Smith obtained her medical degree at the University of Missouri. She then completed dermatology residency and subsequent dermatopathology fellowship at the University of Michigan Health System.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Eric Dallara, RPh, is head pharmacist at the main dispensing pharmacy of New England Cancer Specialists. He has more than 15 years of experience as a pharmacist in the state Maine. In this role, he works closely with New England Cancer Specialists' five full-time financial advocates on both IV and oral medications. He is also involved in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) project.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Steering Committee
Eucharia Borden joined Cancer Support Community (CSC) in February 2020. In her role as senior director, Health Equity and Clinical Services, she is responsible for ensuring that CSC research, program, policy, and operations integrate relevant components of health equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health across all activities. Borden also works with the leadership of the Institute for Excellence in Psychosocial Care to inform the CSC Affiliate Network (including healthcare partners) on best practices in health equity. In addition to focusing on health equity, she is responsible for establishing new headquarters programming and ensuring the highest standard of care for people impacted by a cancer diagnosis.
Prior to joining CSC, Borden worked for nearly 20 years in direct practice with adults living with chronic illness; 12 of those years included patients in acute inpatient and outpatient hospital oncology settings. Borden holds a clinical social work license in Pennsylvania, where she earned her master's degree in social work from Temple University. Borden earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a past president of the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) and is recognized as an AOSW Fellow.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Medical Oncologist
- Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology
Evan Y. Yu, M.D., is a medical oncologist specializing in prostate, bladder, and testicular cancer treatment and research at both the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC). He graduated Alpha Omega Alpha from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Yu is the Clinical Research Director for GU malignancies, Core Director for the Pacific Northwest Prostate Cancer SPORE and co-PI of the DoD Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium for his institution. He is the institutions Principal Investigator for the National Cancer Trials Network Lead Academic Performance Site (LAPS) Grant, SWOG, and ECOG/ACRIN. His research focuses on testing the next wave of novel molecular targeted therapies and immunotherapy techniques, with a complementary focus on imaging biomarkers. In addition to an active clinical and research practice, he also is the Medical Director for Clinical Research Services at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Consortium. Previously, he served as a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program Director for a decade at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He has regularly been voted a "Top Doctor" by Castle Connolly, U.S. News and World Report, Seattle magazine, and Seattle Met magazine. He has served for many years on the National Cancer Institute Genitourinary Cancers Steering Committee and is the Co-Chair for the National Cancer Institute Prostate Cancer Task Force. Dr. Yu has held various roles within ASCO, AACR, and also serves as a senior editor for Clinical Cancer Research and Uro-Today.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- Member of the Floyd County Tobacco Prevention Coalition
Evelyn Hunter, MSW, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker at Baptist Health Floyd in New Albany, Ind. and holds a certification in oncology social work. She has experience with high-risk families, individuals with disabilities, private practice counseling, and medical social work. She has been a team leader for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life, facilitated different types of cancer support groups, and is a board member of the Indiana Oncology Society. She is a regional speaker and has presented on various topics such as therapeutic communication, grief in caregivers and patients with cancer, geriatric cancer patients, situational awareness, and self-care. She understands the importance of working with legislation and has found that her experience in the medical field and in working with individuals within different environments has made her keenly aware of health and safety issues, situational awareness, effects of poverty, and challenges faced for those who are elderly or who have comorbidities.
In addition to serving on several committees that aid in cancer care and control, Ms. Hunter is also a member of the Floyd County Tobacco Prevention Coalition, serves on a paramedic advisory committee for an accredited paramedic program, and serves on the South-Central Indiana Area Health Education Center Advisory Board. Prior to her transition to social work, she worked as a paramedic for 16 years.
Ms. Hunter earned her master's degree in social work from the University of Southern Indiana.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Oncology Service Line Director / Southside Regional Medical Center
Faye Flemming, RN, BSN, OCN, is the Oncology Service Line Director at Southside Regional Medical Center (SRMC) in Petersburg, VA. In this capacity she is responsible for oversight and strategic planning of all oncology-related services, departments and programs. Working closely with all hospital departments, physicians, managers, patients and the community Faye's major roles include: assessing oncology needs; strategic planning; oncology service line growth and development; oncology staff and patient education; community outreach; & quality of our oncology program and care.
Ms. Flemming has held OCN certification for the last 29 years. She has 40 years of oncology experience including more than30 years of oncology management. Faye has worked in various hospital, clinic and outpatient settings in the U.S. and Egypt utilizing her management and oncology expertise in: service line development, consulting, project management, coaching of healthcare professionals, team building, strategic planning, education, quality improvement, marketing, customer service, community outreach, program development, and conference planning.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Manager, Cancer Support Services / Carl & Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center / Stamford Hospital
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Professor
Geoff Uy, MD, is a Professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. A member of the Oncology Division of The Department of Medicine, Dr. Uy's clinical specialties include leukemia and stem-cell transplantation. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology and serves as Consult a Colleague for Acute Leukemia.
Dr. Uy's research is focused on the development of new agents and treatment approaches for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes and acute leukemias. His primary research focus is on modulating tumor microenvironment interactions to improve therapy for acute leukemia. Dr. Uy is also leading an investigator-initiated study of BL8040 in combination with chemotherapy for patients with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Dr. Uy earned a dual master's degree and medical degree in biology and biomedical sciences from the Washington University School of Medicine. He also earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry and biological sciences from Cornell University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director / UAB Medicine Russell Medical Cancer Center / Alexander City, AL
George Miranda, MDiv, MBA, is the director of the Russell Medical Cancer center in Alexander City, a joint venture between the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health Sciences Foundation and Russell Medical. He oversees administrative functions related to outpatient cancer services. Prior to this position, Mr. Miranda was cancer center director at DeKalb Medical in Decatur, GA, for six years, including the year when DeKalb Medical was integrated into the Emory Healthcare system.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Professor of Medicine
- Writer and Editor of the American College of Chest Physicians
Dr. Silvestri is the George Sr. and Margaret Hillenbrand Professor of Thoracic Oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina. He is widely regarded as an international expert in lung cancer and procedures related to management of the disease. His research includes screening for lung cancer, lung nodule evaluation, diagnosis and staging of lung cancer, and technology assessment.
Dr. Silvestri is a writer and editor of the American College of Chest Physicians lung cancer guidelines. He is a past president of the American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology. Dr. Silvestri has authored more than 200 scientific articles, book chapters, and editorials. He has served on multiple editorial boards of medical journals and currently serves on the editorial board of the journal Chest. Dr. Silvestri was the president of the American College of Chest Physicians in 2017. He currently serves on the steering committee of the National Lung Cancer Roundtable.
Dr. Silvestri completed his training in Pulmonary and Critical Care at Dartmouth. He has an advanced degree in the evaluative clinical sciences, also from Dartmouth.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Co - Director of Thoracic Oncology
Goetz Kloecker, MD, MBA, MSPH, FACP, graduated from medical school in Munich, Germany. He did internal medicine residencies at the University of Nuremberg/Erlangen, the Free University of Berlin, and the University of Louisville, KY. At the University of Louisville, Dr. Kloecker served as a tenured full professor of medicine, the hematology/oncology fellowship director, and the director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinic for more than 10 years. Since 2020, he has been a gratis faculty member at the University of Louisville.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director of Molecular Pathology
Dr. Hwang is a molecular and solid tumor pathologist at PhenoPath/Quest Laboratories in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Hwang joined PhenoPath in 2008 and began overseeing the Molecular Pathology department and participating in the clinical and contract research immunohistochemistry services.
He received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania and his Pathology residency training (AP/CP) at the University of Washington. Dr. Hwang completed a diagnostic immunohistochemistry pathology fellowship with Dr. Allen Gown at PhenoPath and was also a postdoctoral research fellow at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, working in the areas of cancer and the cell cycle.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Family Chair in Community Education and Outreach for Urologic Cancer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Executive Director, AccessHope Associate Clinical Professor, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center / Duarte, CA
- Web Editor of JAMA Oncology
H. Jack West, MD, is Associate Clinical Professor and Executive Director of Employer Services at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California.
Prior to this, he was a medical oncologist and Medical Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at Seattle Cancer Institute, in Seattle, Washington. He founded and serves as President of the Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education (GRACE), a nonprofit that provides free information for patients and caregivers dealing with cancer.
Dr. West serves as Web Editor of JAMA Oncology. He leads a wide range of continuing medical education programs and other educational programs, including hosting the podcast, West Wind. Dr. West trained at Princeton University, University of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women's Hospital, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Development Director, Prostate Cancer Education & Support
James Hutson is an experienced educator with a demonstrated history of working in higher education and healthcare. As Development Director for Us TOO International, his focus is on raising awareness about and providing educational resources and support services to those affected by prostate cancer to help them learn to fight the disease. Currently, he is leading an effort to address health inequities in prostate cancer care.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Principal Investigator of the Kentucky LEADS Collaborative
- Professor of Behavioral Science
- Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Jamie L. Studts, PhD, is a professor of behavioral science at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and assistant director for cancer prevention and control within the Markey Cancer Center. Dr. Studts is a licensed clinical health psychologist, and his interests address behavioral aspects of tobacco-related malignancies. His research develops and tests interventions to promote informed/shared decision-making and behavior change among patients and clinicians regarding prevention, screening, and survivorship of lung and head/neck cancer.
Dr. Studts is the principal investigator of the Kentucky LEADS Collaborative, and he served on the Institute of Medicine National Cancer Policy Forum addressing Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening. He is a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and a member of the Scientific Leadership Board for the GO 2 Foundation for Lung Cancer and the American Cancer Society National Lung Cancer Roundtable, serving as chair of the Survivorship, Stigma, and Nihilism Task Group.
Clinically, cancer care is very complex and sometimes more so behind the scenes. Kast has been working over the years to help build and transform oncology care delivery to view patients as a whole person, including the financial aspects of cancer that can create barriers to access or place a severe burden on patients and their families.
Job Titles:
- Chief
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Chief Health Equity and Diversity Officer / LUNGevity Foundation / Philadelphia, PA
Jeanne M. Regnante, is the chief health equity and diversity officer at the LUNGevity Foundation and chair of the Foundation's Health Equity Council. Regnante's primary objective is to secure the engagement and insights of vulnerable lung cancer communities by working with trusted community-based organizations and multiple healthcare stakeholders to achieve health equity and reduce disparities for all. Previous to this position, Regnante was the senior vice president of the Community Engagement for National Minority Quality Forum, where she launched and chaired the Diverse Cancer Communities Working Group (CWG), which continued to work to optimize cancer care, treatment, and inclusion in clinical trials for racial and ethnic minorities and medically underserved cancer populations. Regnante has enjoyed her 30+ years at Merck & Co., at which she led a company-wide strategy focused on diversity and inclusion in clinical research. Regnante has authored several peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and blogs with stakeholder experts focused on notable practices throughout the cancer care continuum. Regnante was recently honored as a Cancer Health 2021 Change Maker.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director, Oncology Supportive Care
Jeffrey Kendall, PsyD, LP, is the Director of Oncology Supportive Care at M Health Fairview in Minneapolis, MN. He joined the University of Minnesota Cancer Care program in 2016 where he is dedicated to addressing the impact of cancer on individuals and families. Currently his professional time is divided among direct patient care, program administration, program development, and research collaboration.
Dr. Kendall speaks nationally and internationally and has published 40 journal articles and abstracts on topics related to psychosocial oncology and cancer survivorship. Dr. Kendall serves on committees for the American Psychosocial Oncology Society and the Association of Community Cancer Centers.
Dr. Kendall received his Doctorate from Indiana State University and completed his Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Psychosocial Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Jennifer Aversano, BSN, RN, OCN, BMTCN, is a double-certified oncology nurse navigator with a specialty in lung cancer at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. In this role, she identifies all newly diagnosed lung cancer patients and helps them with any barriers and with navigation through the continuum of care. Ms. Aversano is also the point of contact for the lung cancer screening program, providing education to patients and follow-up recommendations to ordering physicians guided by the multidisciplinary lung tumor board.
She is the current system chair of the Advocate Navigation/Survivorship forum in the Advocate Health Care system, the largest integrated healthcare system in Illinois, which recently merged with Wisconsin's largest healthcare system, Aurora Health Care. Ms. Aversano presented a poster with her colleagues at the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting on a "Community Based Lung Cancer Screening Program: An Evaluation of the Initial Lung Cancer Screening CT Scan."
She received her bachelor's degree from Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Nursing at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Steering Committee
Before becoming the executive director of Life with Cancer and Patient Experience for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Jennifer Bires served as the executive director at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, D.C., after almost a decade of experience as an oncology social worker in the D.C. area. Bires has a passion for improving access to psychosocial services for those impacted by cancer. She specializes in working with young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer, end-of-life issues for patients and families, and sexual health. Jennifer is the 2017 recipient of the Oncology Social Worker of the Year Award from the Association of Oncology Social Workers.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Member of the Advisory Committee
When Jenny Ahlstrom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010, she was grateful for all the great work being done in myeloma, but saw gaps in support, tools, and funding that she believed could help patients navigate their disease and accelerate a cure.
She created the CrowdCare Foundation and the Myeloma Crowd with three goals: 1) educate and support patients, 2) use data to hasten a myeloma cure, and 3) fund critical research.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Jenny Rodriguez, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, has worked as an oncology social worker at one of the top cancer hospitals in the country since 2012. Her current appointment is at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital (PIH) Health Hospital in Whittier, CA. Ms. Rodriquez is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in psycho-oncology and program development, and she is currently appointed as the psychosocial services coordinator for monitoring psychosocial distress screening and referral of psychosocial care for the cancer program. She is highly motivated to provide exceptional patient-centered care to patients with cancer and their families and to both build and enhance programs with high research acumen.
Ms. Rodriguez provides strength-based education and support; multiple intervention modalities, including education on gender strengths and differences in stress and coping; problem solving skills for effective medical management; and psychosocial coping. The interventions empower patients and their families to become active members of the medical team. Ms. Rodriquez has demonstrated strong research leadership by measuring adherence, responsiveness, and interventions applied of psychosocial distress via the distress screening program, SupportScreen at City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, CA. She is passionate about broadening cultural competency in practice and work and about conducting research within under-served populations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Jessica Noble, PharmD, RPh, joined The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in the Outpatient Pharmacy in January 2017. She accepted the lead retail position in 2018 and took on the challenge of obtaining the first two specialty pharmacy accreditations for Ohio State.
After establishing the patient care management program and numerous other enhancements to patient services, IT, and policies, Ohio State obtained accreditations from URAC and the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), and additional distinctions in oncology and HIV from ACHC. Dr. Noble comes to OSU from Walgreens where she served OSU patients as manager of the local specialty pharmacy.
She received her Doctor of Pharmacy from The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy.
She is passionate about making a positive difference for her patients and peers. She enjoys creating opportunities to bring better quality care and education to staff and patients and finds opportunities to facilitate interdisciplinary teams to work together.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Program Co - Leader, Molecular Medicine Chair, Department of Thoracic Oncology / Moffitt Cancer Center
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Research Oncology Nurse / Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital / Baltimore
Joanne Riemer began her nursing career at Johns Hopkins Hospital as an inpatient nurse on the solid tumor oncology unit. From there, she moved into critical care in coronary care, intensive care, emergency, and recovery rooms. In 2002, Reimer returned to oncology at Johns Hopkins in the outpatient infusion area, then radiation oncology, and staff education. In 2010, she assumed her current position as senior research nurse on the Upper Aero-digestive Team. In January 2011, Reimer was asked to work with the immunology group on a multidisease study using MDX-1106, which became BMS-936558 and then Nivolumab. She was assigned the non-small cell lung cancer patients and has since been almost exclusively working with immunotherapy trials.
In addition to her involvement the immunotherapy trials, Reimer and her colleagues have created a booklet for oncology nurses treating patients with immuno-oncology agents. It is an overview of these agents' indications, mechanisms of action, and suspected related side effects.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Steering Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- US Medical Director, Oncology Biosimilars, Biomarkers / Pfizer
John M. Kelton, Pharm.D.,is US Medical Director, Oncology Biosimilars, Biomarkers for Pfizer, Inc. and has 25 plus years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Since 2000, John's focus has been on Medical Affairs, serving in a variety of capacities, including management of Medical Communications and Training, Medical Review, Medical Education, Medical Science Liaisons, and Investigator Initiated Trials.
For the past seven years, John has been actively involved in biosimilar development and educational efforts in the United States and Europe. John has collaborated with biosimilars experts that have expertise ranging from bench to bedside in Nephrology, Inflammation, and Oncology in order to capture and communicate the unique aspects of biosimilars and their development programs. Recently John has assumed US Medical Affairs responsibility for biomarkers in Colorectal Cancer.
Prior to his roles in Medical Affairs, John functioned as Regional Pharmacy Manager for Abbott where he managed pharmacy operations for parenteral and nutritional products as well as key clinical relationships with major healthcare systems. John received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Southern California. Before joining industry, John practiced as a clinical pharmacist, specializing in parenteral nutrition and oncology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Financial Counselor
Jordan Karwedsky is one of seven financial counselors at Green Bay Oncology and has worked in oncology for 14 years. She first joined Green Bay Oncology's billing department and later transferred to the clinical setting as a financial counselor. Karwedsky is part of a team that is responsible for obtaining authorizations for all medications, labs, diagnostic imaging, and radiation treatments. This team also supports patients by enrolling them into local and national foundations, as well as pharmaceutical company co-pay card and patient assistance programs to assist patients with their out-of-pocket costs. Her most important role at Green Bay Oncology is being an advocate for patients.
Karwedsky participates in several committees within her organization, including its Clinical Practice Committee, and she works with providers to update clinical pathways. She has presented on financial advocacy at numerous meetings for the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), including the 2016 ACCC National Oncology Conference, and serves on multiple task forces and committees for the association. Karwedsky has also consulted with other cancer programs to help them develop financial counseling programs and worked with outside donors to obtain funding for an internal patient assistance program.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Nurse Practitioner / University of Washington Medical Center
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Supervisor, Advanced Practice Provider, Department of Leukemia / the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center / Houston, TX
Julie Huynh-Lu, PA-C, is a supervisor and advanced practice provider in the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Since 2015, she has been working with patients diagnosed with myeloproliferative neoplasms, first as a certified physician's assistant and most recently in a supervisory capacity. She participated on a regional polycythemia vera NP/PA advisory board and has presented to registered nurses and advanced practice providers on topics related to polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and myelofibrosis. She is passionate about collaborating with multidisciplinary colleagues to educate and care for patients.
Ms. Huynh-Lu earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her physician's assistant master's degree from The University of North Texas Health Science Center.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Registered Nurse / Moffitt Cancer Center / Tampa, FL
Katherine graduated with her BSN from Madonna University in 2019, and completed Moffitt Cancer Center's Ambulatory Nurse Residency in 2020. Since then, she has worked in Moffitt's Malignant Hematology Clinic, most specifically with the MPN patient population. Her current role focuses primarily on patient education tailored to disease and treatment, and she has previous experience in medical-surgical nursing and outpatient chemotherapy administration. Prior to earning her nursing degree, Katherine worked in research as an assistant at the University of Michigan Medical School's Department of Pharmacology, and is involved with nursing research at Moffitt currently. She is passionate about education, patient advocacy, and drug access, and thoroughly enjoys working with the MPN patient population. Her current role entails seeing 500+ MPN patients per year, working directly with Dr. Andrew Kuykendall.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Kathleen Burt, RN, BSN, MS, joined the staff of Nanticoke Health Services in 2010. She is responsible for the strategic and operational needs, resource allocation, administrative duties of a medical oncology office, infusion center and radiation oncology, as well as marketing and staff leadership. She has experience with inpatient medical oncology, gynecologic oncology, clinical trials, and bone marrow transplant, including extensive experience with computerized physician order entry (CPOE) having worked with physicians and IT to bring a bone marrow transplant unit online in six weeks. She has served as a member of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for clinical trials and on the Review Board for clinical trials in leukemia.
Ms. Burt is passionate about cancer care having been involved with the care of cancer patients since 1975.
She earned her BSN from Molloy College in Rockville Center, N.Y., and also holds a MS degree in Health Care Administration.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Professor, Division of Hematology / Oncology / University of California
Kathryn Gold, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist with a focus on lung and head and neck malignancies. Dr. Gold is currently a professor at the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center and the vice chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology. Her research is focused on targeted therapies and immunotherapies for lung and head and neck cancers. She is also the medical director for Cancer Quality at Moores Cancer Center and has been involved in several institutional quality improvement efforts.
Dr. Gold is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Association for Cancer Research. She serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Investigator Steering Committee and NCCN Small Cell Lung Cancer Panel.
Dr. Gold obtained her medical degree from Washington University in St Louis. She completed her internal medicine residency and medical oncology fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, respectively.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Chief Operating Officer for Pontchartrain Cancer Center
- Chief Operations Officer / Pontchartrain Cancer Center / Covington, LA
Kathy W. Oubre, MS, is the Chief Operating Officer for Pontchartrain Cancer Center with locations in Covington and Hammond, Louisiana. In this role, she provides non-clinical leadership for all aspects of the practice, including financial counseling, policy/procedure development, revenue cycle management, advanced care planning, survivorship care and clinical trials.
She is the President of the Coalition of Hematology and Oncology Practices (CHOP) and President-Elect of the Louisiana Medical Group Managers Association. Kathy is also a Board member of the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) and serves on the COA Government Affairs and Biosimilars Committees. She is a member of the Quality Cancer Care Alliance (QCCA) and serves as the Chair of Pharmaceutical and Operational Purchasing. Kathy is also the Advisory Board President for You Night Empowering Events, which is a year-round cancer survivorship program for women. Other memberships include ACCC and National Community Oncology Dispensing Association (NCODA).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology and Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine / Mount Sinai Health System & Tisch Cancer Institute / New York, NY
Kavita Dharmarajan, MD, MSc, is an associate professor with dual appointments in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is a radiation oncologist focusing on improving care for patients with advanced cancer receiving radiation therapy as part of their oncologic treatment. Her scope of practice includes providing stereotactic radiation treatments for patients with metastatic cancers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Registered Nurse at Siteman Cancer Center
Kelly Terrell is a registered nurse at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital & Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri. She received a Bachelor of Science degree at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, Saint Louis, in 2011, and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Webster University, Saint Louis, in March of 2017. Her previous experience as a BMT Staff Nurse, Nursing Supervisor, Transplant Coordinator, and Clinical Nurse Manager led to her current role as Clinical Program Manager with the Division of Leukemia, Lymphoma, Cell Therapy & Stem Cell Transplantation. She currently resides in Saint Louis with her husband Charlie and their three children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Assistant Professor of Medicine / Director, Acute Leukemia Program
Keri R. Maher, DO, MS, is the Director of the Acute Leukemia Program at the Massey Cancer Center, and Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Maher is also affiliated with Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.
Dr. Maher has a research focus on the clinical impact of social determinants of health, including comorbidities, financial/insurance obstacles, transportation barriers, and inadequate caregiver support, and the ways in which they contribute to disparities and inequities in treatment for patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
Dr. Maher completed her DO at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA, and her residency at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, AZ.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Senior Registered Nurse, Department of Hematology / Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer
Kristal Kennedy, RN, OCN, is a senior registered nurse and oncology certified nurse in the Department of Hematology at Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center in San Antonio, Texas. As a primary care nurse in the outpatient clinical setting, she has been with Mays Cancer Center for 15 years rotating through numerous disease-specific clinics throughout her nursing career. Her current clinical focus is myeloproliferative neoplasms. She is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Certified Genetic Counselor
- Clinical Oncology Specialist / Genetic Counselor
Krysten Shipley is a board-certified genetic counselor with experience in both inherited and tumor genomic testing. Ms. Shipley currently works as a clinical oncology specialist at Guardant Health, where she specializes in providing education to healthcare professionals in the use and interpretation of genomic testing. Prior to working at Guardant Health, Ms. Shipley was a genetic counselor at the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she focused on providing genetic counseling for inherited cancer conditions.
Ms. Shipley received her master's degree in Medical & Molecular Genetics from Indiana University and her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry & Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Vice President, Value - Based Care and Quality Programs / Medical Oncologist / Hematologist
Lalan S. Wilfong, MD, is a medical oncologist/hematologist and executive vice president for quality programs and value-based care for Texas Oncology. Dr. Wilfong is also a physician leader for the Oncology Care Model for Texas Oncology and a physician liaison for value-based care for McKesson Specialty Health.
His current research interest focuses on aligning quality patient care and value in a community based setting. Other areas of focus include improving patient/physician communications, enhancing end-of-life care, integrating pathways into clinical practice, and improving patient satisfaction.
He co-chairs the Value Based Physician Champion Task Force for The US Oncology Network, serves on the US Oncology Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, and chairs the Pathways Task Force. He also volunteers on the ASCO Quality Measures Task Force and the ASCO Guidelines Committee. He has been honored to receive various teaching and community service awards.
Dr. Wilfong earned his MD and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, where he also completed a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Oncology Quality Manager
- Quality Manager at Bon Secours Mercy Health System
Lara Widener serves as a Quality Manager at Bon Secours Mercy Health System, specializing in healthcare quality improvement within the field of oncology. Her expertise lies in analyzing data, identifying areas for improvement, and developing strategies to optimize patient outcomes.
Ms. Widener earned a bachelor's degree in early childhood education and teaching from the University of South Carolina Upstate.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Oncology Nurse Specialist / Retired from Clinical Practice / Cleveland, OH
Laura S. Wood RN, MSN, OCN is an oncology nurse with over 30 years of experience in the care of patients with renal and genitourinary cancers and oncology clinical trial coordination. Prior to leaving clinical practice, Laura was the Renal Cancer Clinical Research Coordinator at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center Immunotherapy Education Committee, and the immune-related Adverse Event Tumor Board. She is active in the local and national Oncology Nursing Society, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.
Ms. Wood completed both her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. A national and international lecturer on topics related to oncology nursing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Board Member for the Tennessee Oncology Practice Society and Is Part of the Appalachia Community Cancer Alliance
Lauren Welch, MSN, is a board-certified nurse practitioner and an advanced oncology nurse practitioner. She is currently working as a sub-investigator and nurse practitioner in the Drug Development Unit at Tennessee Oncology/Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, TN. Ms. Welch works primarily with patients with lung cancer, caring for those on early- and late-phase clinical trials as well as those receiving standard-of-care therapies. She works collaboratively with her supervising physician to provide empathetic and comprehensive cancer care. She enjoys patient and staff education and is skilled in symptom management.
Ms. Welch is a Board Member for the Tennessee Oncology Practice Society and is part of the Appalachia Community Cancer Alliance that is advancing lung cancer screening across the Appalachian region. She serves on the Avanced Practice Provicer (APP) Executive Committee within Tennessee Oncology and is also on the OneOncology APP OneCouncil. Ms. Welch has chaired multiple lung cancer advisory boards for nurses and has presented at multiple conferences, including the Advanced Practice Providers Oncology Summit in 2020.
Ms. Welch earned her master's degree in nursing from Middle Tennessee State University and previously worked as a registered nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center Emergency Department and Trauma Intensive Care Unit.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Job Titles:
- Administrative Director
- Distinguished Service Professor
Lillie D. Shockney is the Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer; Administrative Director, Johns Hopkins Breast Center (since 1997); Director, Johns Hopkins Cancer Survivorship Programs; Professor of Surgery and Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and co-creator of the Johns Hopkins Managing Cancer at Work Program. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Lillie has worked tirelessly to improve the care of breast cancer patients around the world. She has worked at Johns Hopkins since 1983.
She has written 15 books and more than 250 articles on cancer care, and is a nationally recognized public speaker on the subject of cancer with a focus on cancer survivorship. Lillie is also editor-in-chief of Journal of Oncology Navigation and Survivorship. She is the founder and director of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators (AONN+). She is the consultant for breast cancer for national ABC News and Good Morning America, and is also consulted regularly by the Today Show and CNN. Currently, she serves on 34 medical advisory boards.
In 2008, the President of The Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins Board of Trustees appointed her to a chair as a University Distinguished Service Assistant Professor of Breast Cancer. This is the first time in the history of the institution that a hospital nurse has been appointed to a distinguished service designation. She was promoted to a Distinguished Service Associate Professor of Breast Cancer in 2009. In 2016, she was promoted to full professor and is the only nurse at Johns Hopkins to have a primary appointment in the School of Medicine and the only nurse to have reached the highest academic faculty ranking and appointed chair as a University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer.
She has received numerous awards and has been inducted into the Maryland Women Hall of Fame, and received the Women in Business Healthcare Trailblazer Award, and Johnson & Johnson's most amazing nurse in America award.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director / Hancock Health Sue Ann Wortman Cancer Center / Greenfield, in
Linda Zerr is the director of the Sue Ann Wortman Cancer Center, a Commission on Cancer Accredited Community Cancer Program in Greenfield, Indiana. Zerr has been with Hancock Regional Hospital in this role for eight years. She has more than 20 years of healthcare experience and has worked in a physician practice that is part of the US Oncology Network and in both academic and community hospital settings. Kerr has extensive experience in both the financial and operational aspects of cancer care.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Advisory Committee
- APRN, CNP ( Co - Chair )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Senior Oncology Nurse Navigator / University Medical Center of Princeton
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Oncology Operations Manager
- Operations Manager at Green Bay Oncology
Lori Schneider is an oncology operations manager at Green Bay Oncology and has worked in healthcare for over 25 years. As an operations manager, Schneider oversees the organization's financial counseling, social work, medical records, reception, and dietitian teams, as well as provider scheduling and credentialing. She joined Green Bay Oncology as a receptionist and later transferred to revenue cycle, where she worked in accounts receivable. In 2006, Schneider developed the financial counseling role at Green Bay Oncology before transitioning to business office manager and, more recently, operations manager roles.
She is a past chairperson for the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) Financial Advocacy Network and is currently an ACCC Board Member. Schneider has presented at several conferences on the importance of financial counseling in oncology, including what is needed to have a centralized team that cares for patients' financial and insurance needs (e.g., prior authorizations and financial assistance for medical, radiation, surgical, gynecological, and pediatric oncology). Additional conference topics include the importance of utilizing pharmaceutical and specialty pharmacy representatives to help your cancer program and how to enhance your financial counseling program. Schneider and her team have also assisted cancer programs and practices nationally and locally, including helping them establish and enhance their own financial counseling programs.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Master of Science Degree in Molecular Biology from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York
- Vice President, Precision Medicine
Ms. Brisbin previously served as chief commercial officer for Medfusion, where she led an expansion of the molecular oncology program and helped implement genetic test data capture capabilities for Texas Oncology and Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers. She previously worked at Roche Molecular Systems, QIAGEN, and Novartis, where she helped develop molecular genetic solutions for oncology and infectious disease.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Associate Center Director, Patient - Centered Initiatives and Health Equity / GW Cancer Center / Washington, DC
- Associate Professor of Medicine
Dr. Pratt-Chapman is an associate professor of medicine and the associate center director of patient-centered initiatives and health equity for the GW Cancer Center. Her personal mission is to make evidence-based healthcare and disease prevention strategies available to more people as quickly as possible. Her research focuses on patient navigation, cancer survivorship, evidence-based cancer control, and health equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) communities. She has a particular interest in team science and implementation science approaches to increase the relevance of research and accelerate the translation of research findings into practice.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Marc Smaldone, MD, MSHP, FACS is a urologic oncologist specializing in the surgical management of tumors of the kidney, bladder, prostate, adrenal, testis and other genitourinary and an associate professor in the department of surgical oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a panel member of NCCN, Prostate Cancer Early Detection. His research interests focus on quality improvement, performance measurement, and improving care coordination at the time of regionalization for complex oncologic care.
Dr. Smaldone earned his master's of health policy research at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his medical training at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He earned his residency in urologic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and completed his fellowship in urologic oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery / Montefiore Medical Center / Bronx, NY
Job Titles:
- Professor of Thoracic Oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Margaret "Maggie" Liang, MD, MSHPM, is a gynecologic oncologist and health services researcher at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Her passion for research is to develop interventions to address patient and caregiver financial toxicity, and she has several years of experience helping with developing a financial navigation program at the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Dr. Liang serves as the network relations lead for the Emotional Well-Being and Economic Burden (EMOT-ECON) Research Network, which aims to establish a national network of stakeholder members to advance for science on the economic consequences of disease, as well as its impact on patients' emotional well-being. She completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at The Ohio State University and a gynecologic oncology fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Liang also earned a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from UCLA.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology
Dr. Davies is a member of the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology, Oncology Nursing Society, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, International Thoracic Oncology Nursing Forum, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), Association of Community Care Centers' Institute for Clinical Immuno-Oncology, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and AIM with Immunotherapy Foundation. She serves on the Immunotherapy Guideline Development Board of the SITC, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and American Society of Clinical Oncology. She has published and presented extensively on the topics of lung cancer, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and symptom management. Dr. Davies was also recently inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2020.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Vice President, New Business Development & Outreach
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Principal Investigator
- Co - Director, Melanoma Program and Head of Surgical Oncology / the Angeles Clinic & Research Institute / Los Angeles, CA
Dr. Faries is a surgical oncologist and the co-director of the Melanoma Program and head of Surgical Oncology at The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute in Los Angeles. He also is the surgical director for Experimental Therapeutics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He received his undergraduate education at Haverford College and completed medical school at Cornell. He completed his residency in general surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and a surgical oncology fellowship at the John Wayne Cancer Institute.
Dr. Faries is principal investigator (PI) for the second Multicenter Selective Lymphadenectomy Trial, an international trial including more than 4,000 subjects. He serves on the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Melanoma Staging Committee and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) Melanoma Guidelines panel and is a member of the editorial board of the Annals of Surgical Oncology. His research focuses on surgical treatment of melanoma and immunotherapy.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Founder, the Raymond Foundation, Inc
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Health Psychologist / Associate Professor, Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery
Mary C. Politi, PhD, is a health psychologist and an associate professor in the Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. Her work aims to help patients and the public understand health information, explore what is important to them when making health decisions, and collaborate to make evidence-informed decisions that meet their needs. She also works with healthcare professionals, public health advocates, and members of the public interested in training in shared decision-making and patient engagement in healthcare. Her research includes a focus on eliminating health disparities by engaging communities with unmet health needs and including them in both research and dissemination efforts.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Oral Oncolytic Nurse Navigator / Norton Cancer Institute / Louisville, KY
Mary is the Oral Oncolytic Nurse Navigator for the Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky. She serves on the Executive Council for the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association and is past President of the Greater Louisville Oncology Nursing Society. She has authored chapters for Oncology Nursing Society's Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice (2018 edition), including the chapter on oral adherence. She is a co-author of the recently published ASCO/NCODA Patient-Centered Standards for Medically Integrated Dispensing.
Mary is a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Nursing with more than 30 years of experience in oncology nursing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Mary K. Hughes, MS, RN, CNS, CT, has been a clinical nurse specialist in the department of psychiatry at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston since 1990, where she sees patients with different types of cancers and focuses on quality-of-life issues including grieving. For several years prior to that she worked as an oncology nurse in a general hospital. Mary has lectured nationally and internationally on quality-of-life issues including the effects of cancer treatment on sexuality.
Mary earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees from Texas Woman's University, and is certified in thanatology through the Association for Death Education and Counseling. She is a recipient of several awards from the Oncology Nursing Society, as well as the Sword of Hope from the American Cancer Society and the Brown Foundation Award from UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is a reviewer of abstracts from the Oncology Nursing Society and the American Psychosocial Oncology Society, and has published several articles and book chapters on sexuality and cancer.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Physician - Scientist
- Physician - Scientist, Department of Radiation Oncology / University of Nebraska Medical Center / Omaha, NE
Michael Baine, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he acts as a treating radiation oncologist and brachytherapist. His clinical work focuses primarily on genitourinary malignancies, particularly prostate and bladder cancers. Dr. Baine's research is focused on improving diagnosis, the ability to provide a meaningful prognosis, and radiation-based outcomes in patients.
Dr. Baine earned his MD and PhD at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He remained there for an internship in internal medicine followed by a residency in radiation oncology, from which he graduated in 2019.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director of Transplantation
- Director, Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program Chief, Leukemia Division
Michael Grunwald, MD, is the director of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and chief of the Leukemia Division at Atrium Health's Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, N.C. He was a founding member of the team that began the leukemia and transplant programs, and is an active clinical investigator, leading trials for leukemia and transplant patients. He cares for patients with acute and chronic leukemias, including myeloproliferative neoplasms, as well as for patients receiving cellular therapies, such as blood and marrow transplants.
Dr. Grunwald participates in studies with the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research. He is an editorial board member of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and a board member of the North Carolina chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Dr. Grunwald earned his bachelor's degree at Harvard University. He went on to complete his medical degree, internship, and residency in internal medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also completed a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Founder and Executive Director / National Community Oncology Dispensing Association
Michael Reff, RPh, MBA, is the Founder and Executive Director of the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association, Inc. (NCODA). NCODA is the first patient-centered organization dedicated to shaping the value proposition for medically integrated oncology practices. NCODA supports a membership of over 2,000 healthcare practitioners employed at over 500 practice settings. Previously, Michael established The Patient Rx Center at Hematology/Oncology Associates of Central New York, a medically integrated oncology pharmacy service focused on positive patient experiences with oral oncolytics.
Michael serves on the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Steering Committee. He also served on the Association of Community Cancer Centers' Editorial Board, Governmental Affairs Committee, the Advisory Committee for ACCC's Improving Quality Care in Renal Cell Carcinoma education program, and Dispensing Pharmacy Project Committee. He shares his passion for patients through delivering presentations and publishing articles addressing the importance of the continuity of care for oral oncolytics. Michael has extensive pharmaceutical industry experience, spanning many disciplines including oncology research, corporate compliance, international supply chain and biologics manufacturing.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Women 's Oncology Coordinator / Sunrise Cancer Center / Las Vegas, NV
Michelle Bigg, RN, BSN, is a women's oncology coordinator at Sunrise Cancer Center. She began her medical career in 2003 as a medical research intern at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College (NYP-WMC) in New York City. During this period, she gained a passion for medicine and decided to pursue a career in medicine. While obtaining her bachelor's in health sciences and subsequent associate degree in nursing, Michelle worked at both NYP-WMC and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a research coordinator. During this time, she helped to run several National Cancer Institute clinical and investigator initiated trials for women's oncology and gastroenterology. She was responsible for institutional review board submissions, patient recruitment/eligibility, ensuring proper safety and compliance with protocols, documentation of all pertinent research patient information, and working closely with patients as she went through their research protocols.
Michelle obtained her nursing license in July 2010 and continued to work at NYP/WMC as a clinical practice nurse to a multidisciplinary cancer center at the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health. She worked with a care team consisting of physicians, specialists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nutritionists, genetic counselors, and social workers to help specialize care plans for patients undergoing various cancer treatments and surveillance. Additionally, she saw patients with a woman's health/genetic gastroenterologist and helped to device recommendations for gastrointestinal screening and surveillance for women in conjunction with the NYP/WMC Iris Cantor Breast Center.
In November 2016, she transferred to the Breast Center at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas as a nurse navigator to breast and gynecological cancer patients. She assists patients during their cancer journey by providing patient-centered care with education of their disease and treatments, coordination of appointments, identifying and decreasing barriers to care with providing support and community resources, and being a support to both the patient and family members. She started her master's in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in September 2018 and looks forward to continuing to help cancer patients throughout their journey and survivorship.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Michelle Shiller, DO, AP/CP, MGP, became board certified in Anatomic, Clinical, and Molecular Genetic Pathology following the completion of her residency at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and her fellowship at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Upon completion of her training, Dr. Shiller established a practice with Pathologists Biomedical Laboratories in Dallas, Texas, which services the majority of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex Baylor Scott and White Hospitals. Dr. Shiller sits on the Quality Committee for the Baylor Sammons Cancer Center; serves as the Assistant Medical Director for Cancer Genetics, primarily focusing on germline cancer predisposition; and is the Co-Assistant Medical Director for the Division of Molecular Medicine and Pathology. Dr. Shiller has also served on the Baylor Medical Board. Dr. Shiller has served on steering committees and advisory boards for multiple entities. She is an active member of the Association for Molecular Pathology, where she has developed a consistent dialogue between molecular pathology and oncology, and she assists with developing the ASCO-sponsored Molecular Tumor Board..
Ms. Van De Steeg is responsible for strategy, business development, and clinical and financial operations of medical specialties and hospital operations including Cancer (Medical Hematology/Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Gynecology Oncology), Palliative Care, Genetic Counseling, Dermatology, Breast Health, Internal Medicine and Imaging.
Previously, she served as Executive Director, Health Inc., joint venture management organization for Mercy Medical Center - Sioux City and UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's. In that capacity, she was responsible for financial performance; employee, employed-physician, and patient satisfaction for June E. Nylen Cancer Center, Sioux City, Iowa; Hospice of Siouxland; and Siouxland Paramedics, Inc.
Ms. Van De Steeg served on the Sioux Falls City Council member of YMCA in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (2002-2006), as Mayor Pro Tem (2004), and Mayor (2005). She is a board member for State of Iowa Cancer Consortium, and serves on the Policy Committee of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
She received an MA in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and is certified in healthcare compliance by the Health Care Compliance Association.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Founding Director, Center for Equity in Research, Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute / Associate Director, Equity, Community and Stakeholder Strategy, Duke Cancer Institute / Durham, NC
Dr, Nadine J. Barrett is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Duke University. She currently holds senior leadership roles as CTSI Co-Director for Equity and Stakeholder Strategy and the Founding Director of The Center for Equity in Research in the Duke Clinical Translational Science Institute, and Associate Director for Equity and Stakeholder Strategy, Duke Cancer Institute. A medical sociologist by training, Dr. Barrett is a health disparities researcher, expert equity strategist, and a nationally-recognized leader in facilitating community/stakeholder and academic partnerships to advance health equity and developing training and methods to address implicit bias and structural and systemic racism that limits diverse participation in clinical and translational research and access to quality healthcare. Her goals are to integrate diverse stakeholder engagement in the research process and quality improvement in healthcare systems, enhance enrollment and retention of underrepresented groups in research through innovative interventions such JUST ASK, a nationally recognized program adapted by ACCC and ASCO, and diversify the healthcare workforce, and advance health equity.
Prior to her current roles, Dr. Barrett was the founding director of the Duke Cancer Institute's Office of Health Equity, where for eight years she led a team to create a nationally awarded community engagement model to advance health equity, through patient navigation, nationally funded pipeline training programs for underrepresented race and ethnic groups, and authentic community partnerships to inform and drive research and quality healthcare as advisors, experts, and participants. Her leadership in both nonprofit and academia spans local, national, and international partnerships to better serve and engage historically marginalized and underserved populations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Medical Oncologist / Medical Director, Data, Evidence & Insights
Nicholas Robert, MD, is currently the Medical Director, Data, Evidence & Insights, McKesson Life Sciences. In this role Dr. Robert oversees health economic outcomes research.
After being the clinical director of medical oncology at New England Medical Center (Tufts University), Dr. Robert joined Virginia Cancer Specialists in Fairfax,Virginia, where he served as Medical Director of the Research Program of the practice. He has also held positions as Chief, Hematology/Oncology Section, and Chair, Cancer Committee, at Inova Fairfax Hospital, as well as Chair of the ECOG Breast Committee. In addition, he has served as a faculty member of ASCO University.
The author of over 100 publications, Dr. Robert is a reviewer for several medical publications and the recipient of numerous research grants. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and a former member of the Cancer Research Committee and past chair of the ASCO Research Community Forum. He was a member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project.
A graduate of the McGill Medical School, Dr. Robert completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. Following a residency in Anatomic Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital where he was Chief Resident, he continued his training in Hematology in Boston at Brigham and Women's Hospital and in Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He was a Fellow at Harvard Medical School.
He is board certified in Internal Medicine, anatomic pathology, medical oncology, and hematology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- OCN, Is the Malignant Hematology Nurse Navigator at the University of Arizona Cancer Center
- Oral Antineoplastics Nurse Navigator / University of Arizona
Nikki Barkett, RN, BSN, OCN, is the Malignant Hematology Nurse Navigator at the University of Arizona Cancer Center.
She has presented on managing "Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma in the Era of New Agents for Treatment," "Multiple Myeloma: An Update on the Disease, Diagnosis, and Treatments," and managing treatment side effects for patients living with lymphoma. She is also a co-author on a case report and literature review looking at survival rates among patients with refractory IgD multiple myeloma treated with daratumumab, and a contributing author for "Building Blocks of Hope, Strategies for Patients and Caregivers Living with MDS."
Nikki is currently a member of the Financial Toxicity Committee at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, evaluating the use of screening tools to proactively identify patients at high-risk for financial distress, improving health literacy by educating and evaluating patients at key time points throughout their cancer journey, and evaluating the efficacy of an insurance navigator housed within the clinic.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Senior Director of Precision Medicine Initiatives
- Senior Director, Precision Medicine Initiatives / LUNGevity Foundation / Davis, California
Nikki Martin is Senior Director of Precision Medicine Initiatives where she focuses on accelerating access to precision medicine, especially biomarker testing, for lung cancer patients. Nikki came into patient advocacy from multiple roles in public affairs and communications at diagnostic and biotech companies including Genentech, Novartis Diagnostics, and Grifols where she collaborated with patient advocacy groups and other stakeholders on a variety of global health issues. She believes that patient advocacy organizations play an essential role in convening influential entities from government to providers, payers, and industry, which can lead to critical work with long-lasting impact on patient care. Nikki started her career in healthcare communications in Japan where she advised healthcare clients on public relations activities in the Japanese market.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Oral Antineoplastics Nurse Navigator / University of Arizona
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Oral Oncolytic Nurse Navigator / Norton Cancer Institute / Louisville, KY
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Program Director, Adult
Paul Shaughnessy, MD, is Program Director, Adult Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant, Texas Transplant Institute, San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, he is an assistant professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Shaughnessy's interests center around the ability to closely follow transplant patients and the challenge of difficult medical situations. His research interests primarily involve bone marrow stem cell mobilization and improving outcomes in the treatment of graft-versus-host disease.
Dr. Shaughnessy received a BA degree in biology and psychology from Indiana University, and a medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. He served his internship and residency in internal medicine at Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. He then completed a fellowship in hematology-medical oncology also at Wilford Hall Medical Center. Dr. Shaughnessy is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and oncology. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, as well as other professional organizations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Professor of Oncology and Pharmacy Director, GI and Neuroendocrine Oncology
Dr. Philip is a Kathryn Cramer MD Endowed Professor in Cancer Research at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the leader of the GI and neuroendocrine multidisciplinary team and Vice President of medical affairs at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. He is also a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in the UK and Chair of the pancreatic cancer committee at the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG). An internationally-recognized lecturer, Dr. Philip is known for his research in the development of new therapies for gastrointestinal and neuroendocrine cancers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Senior Director, Education / Cancer Support Community / Philadelphia, PA
Rachel Saks, MPH, serves as the Senior Director of Education at Cancer Support Community. In this role, she collaborates with and supervises the education team to create and implement relevant education and outreach programs to patients, families, and caregivers affected by cancer. She has spent her entire professional career in healthcare providing support, advocacy, and education to patients while always maintaining a focus on improving access to care.
Ms. Saks earned her master's degree in social services from Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and her bachelor's degree in psychology from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She holds her license in social work from the state of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Department Coordinator
Rachelle Gill, Appeals Coordinator at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. In this role she works closely with each patient experiencing access to care barriers created by their insurance coverage policies. Rachelle has seen first-hand the reality of financial toxicity when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, and again in 2019 with ovarian cancer followed by a recurrence in 2021. She draws on this experience and her expertise to advocate for fair access to benefits for each patient she has the pleasure to serve. Rachelle Gill has been with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (formerly Seattle Cancer Care Alliance) since fall 2016.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Medical Oncologist
- Medical Oncologist and Palliative Care Physician / Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center / Plainsboro, NJ
Ramy Sedhom, MD, is a medical oncologist and palliative care specialist, with an interest in symptom management, communication, and improving access to high-quality, affordable cancer care. Dr. Sedhom leads a growing program in geriatric oncology, focused on personalizing care for older adults with cancer. He believes in the value of keeping patients close to their homes, families, and support networks.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Surgery Education Committee
- Professor, Department of Surgery Chief, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery / Program Director, Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program
Randolph M. Steinhagen, MD is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. He also serves as Chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery and the Program Director of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship Program. His current research interests concern sphincter preserving surgery for rectal cancer and clinical studies of nonsurgical treatment of anal fissures. At Mount Sinai, Dr. Steinhagen was the first surgeon to use a "colon J-pouch" to reestablish intestinal continuity after radical surgery for distal rectal cancer. He continues to actively evaluate the role for "local excision" in the surgical treatment of selected cases of rectal carcinoma, and has presented his data on that subject in Korea and in India.
Within Mount Sinai, Dr. Steinhagen is a member of the Surgery Education Committee, the Medical School Admissions Committee, and the Executive Curriculum Committee. He also serves on the Endoscopy Steering Committee. He is an adjunct member of the Department of Anatomy and Functional Morphology, and assists in teaching first-year students in Gross Anatomy lab.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Steering Committee
- Chief Editor for Cancer Commons
- Professor and Chair
Ravi Salgia, MD, PhD, is the Arthur and Rosalie Kaplan Chair in Medical Oncology and the Associate Director for Clinical Sciences Research in the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California.
Prior to joining City of Hope, Dr. Salgia served as tenured professor of Medicine, Pathology, and Dermatology; Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program and Aerodigestive Tract Program Translational Research Lab, Section of Hematology/Oncology; Vice Chair for Translational Research, Department of Medicine; and Associate Director for Translational Science at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Salgia earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude in mathematics, biology, and chemistry, and then his MD, and PhD, from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, where he also completed fellowships in neurochemistry and physiology. He continued his postgraduate training with an internship and residency in internal medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by a fellowship in medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, during which time he also served as a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Dr. Salgia is frequently invited to present his work at national and international conferences and symposia and is the recipient of several honors and awards. He is serving as a chartered member of NIH/NCI's Tumor Progression and Metastasis Study Section, and he was also elected as the Translational Science Representative on NCI's Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee.
Board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology, Dr. Salgia is the current chief editor for Cancer Commons, and the co-chief editor for the Journal of Carcinogenesis. He also serves on the editorial advisory boards of four additional journals. Dr. Salgia has authored 286 peer-reviewed articles, reviews and editorials, one book, and 34 book chapters.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Ray D. Page, DO, PhD, FACOI, FASCO, has practiced medical oncology for 23 years. He is President of The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and has been at the forefront of community oncology practice transformation participating in a variety of payment reform models and development of pathway systems. As Director of Research for The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Dr. Page has been the Principal Investigator of over 200 clinical trials. He serves on the board, executive committee, and chairs the membership committee of a national oncology "Supergroup", Quality Cancer Care Alliance. He is the Chief-of-Staff and serves on several committees, including the Graduate Medical Education Committee for the Internal Medicine residency program, and serves on the Board of the Careity Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas.
Dr. Page received his BS in chemistry and biology from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and his MS in physiology at Baylor University Graduate School-Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas. He received his Ph.D. in pharmacology and his doctorate in osteopathic medicine. Dr. Page completed his residency in internal medicine at The University of North Texas Health Science Center Osteopathic Medical Center of Texas and completed a combined oncology/hematology fellowship at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Executive Vice President for Healthcare Quality and Value / National Patient Advocate Foundation
Rebecca Kirch, JD, provides strategic focus and leadership in bringing the millions of patient and family voices NPAF and PAF represent to the forefront of national healthcare quality improvement efforts.
She previously worked 15 years at the American Cancer Society and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. As the Society's first director of quality of life and survivorship, she orchestrated the development of its national agenda addressing pain, symptoms, and distress experienced by patients, survivors, and caregivers. She created collaborative initiatives in research, programs, and advocacy for integrated palliative, psychosocial, and rehabilitation services, as well as enhanced clinical communication skills.
Rebecca also played a leading role in planning and executing the Institute of Medicine 2015 joint workshop "Comprehensive Cancer Care for Children and Families" and the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine's Quality Care for People with Serious Illness Roundtable 2017 workshop on "Integrating Patient and Family Voices in Serious Illness Care." She also serves as Quality of Life and Person-Centered Care's Task Force co-chair for the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and a board member for children's oncology care camps.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery Specialties and Surgical Oncology / Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Newman Family Professor and Deputy Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology / Director, Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences
Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, is professor, deputy chair, and residency program director in the Department of Radiation Oncology and director of the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine at the University of Michigan.
She graduated first in her class from Harvard College and then pursued her medical training at Harvard Medical School. She also served as a fellow in the Center for Ethics at Harvard University and completed her doctorate in social policy at Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar.
An active clinical trialist and health services researcher, Dr. Jagsi's medical research focuses on improving the quality of care received by breast cancer patients, both by advancing the ways in which breast cancer is treated with radiation and by advancing the understanding of patient decision-making, cost, and access to appropriate care. Her social scientific research includes research into issues of bioethics arising from cancer care and gender issues, including studies of women's representation in the medical profession.
Dr. Jagsi is the author of over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and her research is actively funded by multiple independent grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Doris Duke Foundation, and other philanthropic foundations. She serves on the steering committee of the AAMC's Group on Women in Medicine and Science, the board of directors of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the steering committee of the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group, and the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and JAMA Oncology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Director, Division of Hematology / Oncology Deputy Director, Integrated Oncology Service Line / Professor, Biomedical Sciences and Medicine
- Editor for Kidney Cancer Journal
Robert A. Figlin, MD, FACP, is the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in hematology/oncology, professor of medicine and biomedical sciences; director of the division of hematology/oncology; deputy director of the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute; and deputy director of the integrated oncology service line at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Figlin was the Arthur and Rosalie Kaplan Endowed Chair of the Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, and the associate director for clinical research at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prior to that, Dr. Figlin served as the Henry Alvin and Carrie L. Meinhardt endowed chair in urologic oncology and professor of medicine and urology in the divisions of hematology/oncology and urologic oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he is emeritus professor of medicine.
Dr. Figlin is editor for Kidney Cancer Journal, and his studies have appeared in Clinical Cancer Research, Journal of Clinical Oncology, New England Journal of Medicine, JNCI, Lancet Oncology, and Journal of Urology. He has authored over 350 peer-reviewed articles, more than 70 book chapters, and has published multiple books in kidney cancer. He is the editor of the recently released book, Renal Cell Carcinoma: Translational Biology, Personalized Medicine, and Novel Therapeutic Targets.
A nationally recognized leader in genitourinary and thoracic oncology, Dr. Figlin's research focuses on renal cell carcinoma and thoracic malignancies. He established and directs the kidney cancer program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which aims to understand the biology of kidney cancer and translate that knowledge into novel treatment approaches. His leadership in developing novel anticancer drugs that avoid the toxicity associated with standard treatments furthers Cedars-Sinai's tradition of compassionate patient care.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Co - Chief of Urologic Oncology / John Theurer Cancer Center
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Nurse
- Registered Nurse
- Symptom Management Triage Nurse / Virginia Oncology Associates / Gloucester, VA
Robin B. Atkins, RN, is a registered nurse with specialty certification in oncology nursing (OCN®). She is currently working as a symptom management oncology triage nurse at Virginia Oncology Associates. In addition to critically assessing patient symptoms by phone, she educates patients and families on how to recognize and minimize toxicities, maintain and improve nutritional sustenance and general health, cope with uncertainty, and navigate unexpected experiences (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). Helping patients understand complex oncology concepts and multimodality treatment options while meeting meaningful life goals along the cancer care trajectory and teaching them how to advocate for themselves or loved ones, are valued aspects of the holistic triage services Mrs. Atkins provides. Her top priorities include dedicated follow-up on response to symptom management strategies to ensure successful treatment outcomes for patients and reduction of unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations by patients.
Mrs. Atkins is a career oncology nurse with expertise in the outpatient treatment setting over the last 30 years. She obtained her nursing degree from Riverside School of Professional Nursing and is currently earning a bachelor's degree in nursing through Capella University where she is a student ambassador. Mrs. Atkins is an active member of the Oncology Nursing Society as a peer reviewer for the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing and frequent participant in its focus group initiatives. She is a contributing author to the Association for Community Cancer Centers' ACCCBuzz Blog with her column, "Notes on Nursing." Mrs. Atkins serves as a certification advocate for the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation, and she is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing as well as the American Nurses Association.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Lancaster General Hospital
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Department of Medical Oncology
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Executive Director / Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer
Ruben Mesa, MD, FACP is the executive director of the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center in San Antonio, Texas. He is an international expert on myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and has been involved in MPN research for more than 20 years. He led the development of National Comprehensive Cancer Network's MPN panel guidelines, the first U.S. guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia. He has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator of more than 100 clinical trials including numerous global phase 3 trials. He was a co-leader contributing to the FDA's approval of ruxolitinib for polycythemia vera and myelofibrosis, and fedratinib for myelofibrosis. He currently co-leads the NCI P01 funded MPN Research Consortium.
Dr. Mesa is deeply committed to advancing cancer health equity and is involved with numerous national initiatives regarding expanding diversity in both cancer training and clinical trial participation. He has been an active member with AACI, AACR, ASH and ASCO through a variety of leadership roles and is currently an elected board member of the Association of American Cancer Institutes as well as serves on the board of the MPN Education Foundation. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in 2018 and subsequently served as an officer of the board in 2020. He was the chair of Hematology and Medical Oncology for the Mayo Clinic in Arizona from 2009-2017 and deputy director of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.
After earning degrees in nuclear engineering and physiology, with minors in radiation biophysics and bioengineering, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Mesa received his medical degree from the Mayo Graduate School at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. He completed his residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in hematology/medical oncology at Mayo. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and medical oncology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Administrative Supervisor / Ascension Dell Children 's Blood and Cancer Center of Central Texas / Austin, TX
For the past seven years, Rudy Garcia III, MPH, has worked at the Dell Children's Blood and Cancer Center of Central Texas in various roles. This is where he developed an interest in patient financial advocacy. Currently, Garcia is the administrative supervisor for the clinic and leads a team of passionate individuals who help with financial navigation initiatives to ensure patients do not face financial toxicity.
Garcia has a Bachelor of Science in human biology from the University of Texas, a Master of Public Health from Southern New Hampshire University, and is currently working toward a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in healthcare management at Capella University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- President, Skin Cancer Education and Research Foundation
Samantha R. Guild, JD, is the director of education, public policy, and patient services for AIM at Melanoma-the largest international melanoma foundation globally engaged and locally invested in advancing the battle against melanoma through innovative research, legislative reform, education, and patient and caregiver support.
Ms. Guild is responsible for the development and implementation of AIM's U.S. focused educational programs which include the AIM website, patient symposia at major cancer centers throughout the country, social media channels, survivorship programs, the Melanoma Nursing Initiative (MNI), and general awareness campaigns. She also oversees AIM's legislative efforts, which include protecting teens and the general public from the dangers of indoor tanning devices as well as state and federal level legislation to support oral parity and biosimilar efforts.
Ms. Guild has been published in the American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Cancer Education, and Pediatric Dermatology. She has served as an advocate reviewer on the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas panel and as a consumer reviewer on the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs panel.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Assistant Professor of Urology, Goldberg - Benioff Endowed Professorship in Cancer Biology / University of California
Samuel L. Washington III, MD, MAS, is an Assistant Professor of Urology in the Departments of Urology and Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, in San Francisco, CA. Dr. Washington's primary research focuses on racial disparities in patients with genitourinary malignancies, with specific interests in understanding racial/ethnic disparities in diagnosis, management, and treatment and examining and how these differences in treatment strategies based on race and socioeconomic factors impact survival outcomes for patients with genitourinary cancers.
Dr. Washington's research interests have led to positions as the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Prostate Cancer Program Community Outreach and Engagement Liaison, a member of the NCCN Guidelines for Prostate Cancer Early Detection Panel, as well as serving on national committees focused on improving health equity including the Association of Community Cancer Centers Bladder Cancer Advisory Committee and Oncology Clinical Pathways Development Teams for Bladder Cancer, Kidney Cancers, Prostate Cancer for the Veterans Health Administration.
Dr. Washington completed his undergraduate education at University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics, and a minor in Latin. He completed his medical school training at University of California, San Francisco and was selected by the Department of Urology to complete his urology residency. He stayed on at UCSF to complete his urologic oncology fellowship and a Master of Science degree in Clinical Research.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Member of the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology
Sandra E. Kurtin, PhD, ANP-C, AOCN, is a PhD candidate, actively conducting her dissertation research on the use of mobile health applications aimed at improving health self-management among older adult cancer survivors and their caregivers. She is currently employed as a hematology/oncology nurse practitioner at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, and serves as an assistant professor of clinical medicine and adjunct clinical assistant professor of nursing at the University of Arizona.
Sandra is a member of the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO), American Society of Hematology (ASH), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), and Nightingale Honor Society. She was awarded the 2010 Arizona March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award for Mentoring, and was recognized as the 2018 "Most Influential Nurse Mentor" in Tucson, Arizona. She has presented at numerous regional, national, and international lectures on oncology-related topics, including the pathobiology of cancer, differential diagnosis and risk adapted treatment, chemotherapy administration, symptom management, and clinical research.
She is an associate editor for The Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, and is an editorial board member for JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics, The Oncology Nurse, Oncology: Nurse Edition, and the ASCO People Living with Cancer website. She is a founding board member and treasurer for APSHO, and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Cancer Nursing, Clinical Leukemia, Blood, Leukemia Research, The Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, and The Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.
Sara Hegerle is the Transplant Financial Coordinator at Mountain States Tumor Institute in Boise, Idaho. This oncology clinic is part of the St. Luke's Health System. The Autologous Transplant Program is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). Ms. Hegerle has been with the Hematologic Malignancies Program for nine years. She works to help navigate the complex financial processes necessary to ensure optimal patient care and financial responsibility. She works closely with patients, insurance payers, and the medical team to provide exceptional care.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Oncology Pharmacy Program Manager
Sara Moran Smith, PharmD, is a board-certified oncology clinical pharmacist and oncology pharmacy program manager at Allina Health in Minneapolis, Minn. She has led and served on several committees that provide education to patients and/or healthcare staff and continues to seek opportunities to teach and present to others.
Ms. Smith obtained her PharmD from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. Thereafter, she completed her PGY-1 residency and a PGY-2 residency specializing in oncology at M Health Fairview.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Social Worker, Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinic / Center for Cancer Prevention and Care
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Pharmacy Manager, Medication Assistance and Reimbursement Services / the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Sarah Hudson-DiSalle, PharmD, RPh, is the pharmacy manager at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - The James. She oversees and manages the medication assistance program and reimbursement services for infusion services. Dr. Hudson-DiSalle has a demonstrated history of working in the hospital and healthcare industry. She is skilled in healthcare information technology, hospitals, managed care, healthcare, revenue cycle management for pharmaceuticals, patient access to pharmaceuticals, and healthcare management.
Dr. Hudson-DiSalle earned a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from the University of Toledo in 1995 and, after practicing pharmacy for seven years, earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from the The Ohio State University in 2005. She is passionate about her role in pharmacy, with a focus on patient access and reimbursement services for infusion medication at The James Cancer Hospital.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Program Manager
- Oncology Program Manager / St. Luke 's Cancer Institute / Boise, ID
Sarah Shaw is the Oncology Program Manager at St. Luke's Cancer Institute. She is very experienced in financial advocacy for sensitive patient populations, insurance optimization, government and low-income subsidy programs, transplant financial coordination, and data collection and analysis. Recognized for being a strong patient advocate and liaison between patients and clinicians. Strong problem solver with the ability to analyze new processes and suggest process improvements. Adept at using a variety of documentation systems including Epic.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Director, Gynecologic Oncology / Anne Arundel Medical Center / Annapolis
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Trellis Supportive Care Board Member
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Chief Executive Officer of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
Shelley Fuld Nasso is chief executive officer of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), where she leads the public policy activities at a time of rapid and fundamental healthcare system change.
Prior to joining NCCS in 2012, Ms. Nasso served in leadership roles at Susan G. Komen, where she leveraged Komen's grassroots network in Washington, D.C., and state capitals. There she built relationships with policymakers and partner organizations and led a team of staff and volunteers to influence state budgets and legislation. Under her direction, Komen successfully secured $80 million in state funding for cancer screening and treatment for uninsured and underinsured women.
Ms. Nasso and her team also expanded the Komen grassroots advocacy program from a pilot of seven affiliates to more than 100 affiliates across the country engaged in federal and state advocacy efforts. Formerly, she served as director of community philanthropy at The Dallas Foundation and held management positions at communications and technology enterprises.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Clinical Nurse Specialist
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Advisory Committee
- Co - Chair ) Medical Oncologist
Stacey A. Cohen, MD is an Associate Professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at University of Washington School of Medicine, Associate Professor in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and a gastrointestinal oncology physician at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Cohen's research focuses on inherited genetic syndromes, such as Lynch syndrome, that put people at high risk of developing colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers and on molecular markers of disease risk and cancer outcomes that help tailor individual treatment plans.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Associate Professor, Division of Medical Oncology / University of Washington School
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Medical Director of Thoracic Oncology, Division Director of Surgical Oncology / Anne Arundel Medical Center / Annapolis
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Assistant Professor and Meadows Foundation Fellow
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Dr. Pal is an internationally recognized leader in the area of genitourinary cancers, including kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer. He is the co-director of City of Hope's Kidney Cancer Program, where he is also the head of the kidney and bladder cancer disease team. Dr. Pal entered college at the age of 13 and began medical school at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) at age 17. After completing his residency training at UCLA, Dr. Pal completed a fellowship program in medical oncology at City of Hope's comprehensive cancer center, where he has remained on faculty since 2009.
Dr. Pal sits on the editorial board for Kidney Cancer, and he is a reviewer for multiple journals, including The Lancet, The Journal of Clinical Oncology, The Journal of Urology, European Urology, and others. He has received grants from the National Institute of Health, the Comprehensive Cancer Network, SWOG Cancer Research Network, and multiple other leading entities in support of his research.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Senior Vice President, Program, Education, Learning & Training / Cancer Support Community / Denver, CO
Susan Ash-Lee, MSW, LCSW, is the vice president of Clinical Services and Education at Cancer Support Community (CSC) in Lone Tree, Colorado, where she leads all education and clinical program services, including in-person, telephonic, and digital support- all critical components of the $50 million in free services CSC provides patients and their loved ones each year. She has focused her career on building robust supportive care oncology programs which include psychosocial research, integrated psychosocial support, advanced illness coordination, and post-treatment survivorship. She is particularly interested in how resiliency models and positive psychology interventions can increase well-being, enhance life satisfaction, and personal growth and change. Her articles have appeared in publications such as the JOP and the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology.
Ms. Ash-Lee currently serves as faculty for the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care's Leadership Institute, psychosocial staff for Casting for Recovery, and is a member of the client services advisory council for Project Angel Heart. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society's "Outstanding Clinical Care Award". Prior to joining CSC, Ash-Lee was the director of clinical social work at Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, Colorado's largest provider of cancer care.
Ms. Ash-Lee earned her bachelor's degree in English from Westmont College and her master's degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds a clinical social work license in both Colorado and California.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Genitourinary Oncology Nurse Navigator / Winthrop University Hospital
Tara Simon RN, BSN, OCN, has worked in oncology throughout her entire nursing career. Currently, she serves as the full-time Genitourinary Oncology Nurse Navigator at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NY. Her primary focus is on adult patients with kidney, prostate, bladder, and testicular cancer. She has maintained certifications in oncology and chemotherapy administration since 2002. She is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society, the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Teresa van Oort, MHA, LCSW-S, Sr. Project Manager at University of Chicago Medicine in Chicago, IL. Ms. van Oort's work primarily focuses on partnering with surgical teams to improve their patient care through enhanced clinical pathways and institutional ACP. She is also currently a Part-time Lecturer at The University of Chicago, Crown School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice teaching classes focused on social work's role in healthcare settings and ethics.
Teresa worked in consulting with Advisory Board Company after completing an Executive Fellowship and becoming Assistant Market Administrator with Kindred. After which she obtained her MSSW completing her clinical internship in the critical care step down unit with Seton. She then transitioned to MD Anderson Cancer Center where Teresa first worked on the Lymphoma/Myeloma unit as a Social Work Counselor providing coordination of patient's bio-psycho-social needs, comprehensive assessment, and counseling services. During her time at MD Anderson, Teresa developed a comprehensive oncology social work productivity model, currently being validated at 4 NCI facilities. She's spoken at local and national conference on ACP, suicide assessment, and productivity metrics.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Registered Nurse
- Oncology Quality Coordinator / Northside Hospital Cancer Institute / Atlanta, GA
Ms. Portis is a registered nurse with 36 years of experience in oncology nursing and leadership. Highlights of her career include working as the primary research nurse at a designated NIH funded Sickle Cell Research site provide research data leading to mandatory testing of infants for sickle cell anemia and participating with various adult and pediatric research initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Steering Committee
Thomas LeBlanc, MD, is a medical oncologist, palliative care physician, and patient experience researcher, and serves as Chief Patient Experience and Safety Officer for the Duke Cancer Institute. His clinical practice focuses on the care of patients with hematologic malignancies, with a particular emphasis on myeloid conditions and acute leukemias including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs / MPDs, CML).
Dr. LeBlanc's research investigates common issues faced by people with cancer, including issues of symptom burden, quality of life, psychological distress, prognostic understanding, and treatment decision-making. This work aims to improve patients' experiences living with serious illnesses like blood cancers, including the integration of specialist palliative care services to provide an extra layer of support along with their comprehensive cancer care.
Dr. LeBlanc received his medical degree from Duke University in 2006. He also completed his residency and fellowship from the Duke University School of Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Tracy Jenkins, LMSW, OSW-C, works in an interdisciplinary team for medical oncology, gynecology oncology, and radiation oncology to assist patients with reducing financial toxicity related to their care needs.
Ms. Jenkins has 30 years of social work experience, 20 of which are in health care. Tracy has worked in discharge planning, hospice, long term care, and for the last six years, as the Financial Navigator and an Oncology Social Worker for the Spencer Cancer Center of East Alabama Health in Opelika, AL. She has been an avid Relay for Life volunteer for the past 16 years and has been a co-chair for survivorship with the Lee County Relay for Life planning committee for the past three years. She works in partnership with Auburn University, Florida State University, and Troy University for internships for both bachelors' level and masters level social work students.
Ms. Jenkins received her bachelor's in social work from Auburn University and her Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Vice President, Support & Education / Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance
Tracy Moore, LCSW, is an oncology social worker, organizational leader, patient advocate, author, and speaker. She is currently a consultant for community and healthcare settings including the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, where she offers resource navigation and supportive counseling on their National Patient Support Line.
Ms. Moore has over 25 years' experience working with patients and families providing psycho-educational and supportive counseling from initial diagnosis through treatment, post-treatment, and end-of-life. She began her career as a pediatric oncology social worker at Schneider Children's Hospital (now Cohen Children's Medical Center) providing direct patient care within the hospital setting. She transitioned to director of support services at Children's Brain Tumor Foundation (CBTF) in 2001 where she developed and implemented national programs-while maintaining a clinical practice-and was responsible for all program management, authored and edited patient educational materials, publications, and presentations. She also represented CBTF at the Alliance for Childhood Cancer meetings and Society for Neuro-Oncology.
Ms. Moore started a community healthcare consulting firm along with a private practice in 2017, where she provides resource and system navigation for individuals and families, healthcare program assessment, and guidance. Her main areas of focus are pediatric and adult oncology, end of life and bereavement, guardianship, and systems navigation.
In 2009, Ms. Moore moved to hospital administration at North Shore University Hospital where she was the director of social work for more than eight years, growing a dynamic and professional department from 13 to 38 FTE, ultimately managing a budget of $1.7M.
She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care, the Association of Oncology Social Workers, and the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers-where she previously served on the board as treasurer, secretary, and newsletter chair.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Health Equity Manager
- Manager at Allina Health
Vivian Anugwom is the health equity Manager at Allina Health. She is a trained community health educator with significant experience in healthcare operations and program development. Throughout her career, she has worked with programs that serve patients across the care continuum from diabetes prevention to end-of-life care. In her current role, Anugwom collaborates with leaders at Allina Health to advance health equity by increasing the capacity and capability of leaders and front-line staff to provide culturally responsive care and ultimately eliminate health disparities. Vivian is driven by her passion for building relationships and collaborating with others to improve community health and address the needs of groups disproportionately impacted by inequities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Wendy H. Vogel, MSN, FNP, AOCNP®, is an oncology nurse practitioner from Kingsport, Tennessee. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Tennessee Technological University and her Master of Science in Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at East Tennessee State University. Ms. Vogel is a board- certified advanced oncology certified nurse practitioner through the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation and a certified family nurse practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
As well as being the Executive Director and a founding Board member of APSHO (the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology), Ms. Vogel is an Associate Editor of JADPRO and has published in several professional journals. She received the 2012 ONS Mary Nowotny Excellence in Cancer Nursing Education Award as well as the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award for co-editing the Advanced Oncology Nursing Certification Review and Resource Manual: Instructor's Resource. She has lectured nationally and internationally on oncologic topics and the role of the advanced practitioner.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- President / Prostate Conditions Education Council / Centennial, CO
Wendy serves as the President of the Prostate Conditions Education Council-a national nonprofit organization-and previously served as an administrator of a multidisciplinary urologic oncology clinic in a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.
Wendy has experience in medical education, teaching patients and healthcare professionals. She has also built patient advocacy programs and has overseen large clinical trials and research work. Her expertise and areas of interest include building knowledge on a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare, maximizing patient outcomes, and enhancing survivorship.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- President / Executive Director / the Latino Cancer Institute / San Jose, CA
Ysabel Duron is a pioneering, award-winning Latina journalist, a cancer survivor, and, for the past 21 years, a leader in Latino/Hispanic cancer education, advocacy, and research collaboration. In 2017, Duron founded The Latino Cancer Institute (TLCI), a nationwide network dedicated to developing and sharing best practice programs to enhance the work of Latino community service agencies provide collaboration with the global cancer research community and drive policy to address the issues and diminish the burden of Latino cancer. Duron has served on the institutional review board (IRB) for the All of Us Research Program at the NIH since 2016. She is a member of the Advisory Council of the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM), and a board member of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM /Stem Cell Research). One of Duron's first policy acts was to promote a requirement that scientific applicants for CIRM taxpayer dollars must show an inclusive plan for the engagement of racial/ethnic communities in clinical trials-which now applies to most research. Due to this requirement, reviewers must take these plans into consideration, and patient advocates can award up to ten points for the worthiest proposals. Since then, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have been wrapped into most of CIRM's internal and external policies. Duron also serves on CommuniVax: A Coalition to Strengthen the Community's Involvement in an Equitable Vaccination Rollout, at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security. Most recently, CommuniVax recommendations, from its second national report, helped inform President Biden's rollout of a new, $65 billion 10-year pandemic response plan that specifically calls for the engagement and funding of community-based organizations and community health workers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Member of the Board