VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY - Key Persons
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- Director of Human Resources
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Executive Director for Research Strategy
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Population Sciences / Professor, Health Behavior and Policy
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- Director of Information Technology
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Board
- Alliance President
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Director of Public Relations and Marketing Communications
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- Executive Director of Operations, Community Outreach and Engagement
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- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Research Training and Education / Professor, Human and Molecular
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- Assistant Professor at the Division of Hematology
Dr. Simmons is a hematologist-oncologist specializing in stem cell transplantation and cellular immunotherapies for the treatment of blood cancers, including various forms of leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma. He's also pursuing therapies to treat solid tumors. He serves as medical director of the ambulatory clinics and leads the research working group in the Cellular Immunotherapies and Transplant Program at VCU Massey Cancer Center, which was the first to bring FDA-approved chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies to Virginia in 2018.
Dr. Simmons, who is also an assistant professor at the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care in the VCU Department of Internal Medicine, cherishes the time he spends with his patients and takes time to learn about their hobbies and other interests. "Stem cell transplants and cellular immunotherapies are complex treatments that can take months to complete. I want to take care of my patients through this challenging journey in their lives," he says.
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- Director of Massey Cancer Center
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- Director of the Cellular Immunotherapies and Transplant Program at VCU Massey Cancer Center
McCarty, director of the Cellular Immunotherapies and Transplant Program at VCU Massey Cancer Center, says the program was performing approximately 50 procedures a year before he took the helm more than 20 years ago. Now, it has grown into a program with national stature that performs about 200 procedures annually. The program offers hope to many patients when traditional treatments fail, and often makes the remissions obtained by other therapies more durable and long lasting.
Beyond work, McCarty is a classically trained pianist and vocalist who finds support and joy from his own family, including his "six amazing children."
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Clinical Research / Professor, Surgery
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- Assistant Director of Financial Management
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- Physician and Associate Director of Clinical Research
Rebecca Spivey has been a cancer survivor longer than she can remember. At the tender age of four, she was diagnosed with a Wilms' tumor, or nephroblastoma, a cancer of the kidneys primarily affecting children. Treated with radiation therapy, her young body won its battle and Rebecca thrived with no major complications.
Thirty-two years later, Rebecca, a stay-at-home mom, was happily enjoying her young family, husband David and two young children, Arlo, 5, and Hazel, 2, when she happened to notice a hard knot on her rib. The knot grew more painful and Rebecca grew concerned.
Several months and numerous exams, X-rays and CT scans later, Rebecca was referred to an orthopaedic oncologist at VCU Massey Cancer Center who quickly diagnosed her with radiation-induced osteosarcoma - a tumor in her bone that had likely developed as a long-term effect of the high dose of radiation she received as a child.
"Honestly, cancer was the furthest thing from my mind - I kind of figured I already had my share," says Rebecca.
Under the care of Massey physician and associate director of clinical research John Roberts, M.D., along with nurse practitioner Gwen Parker, Rebecca embarked on a treatment path that included surgery to remove the tumor and chemotherapy to rid her body of any further presence of the cancer.
"What made Rebecca's case unique was that the chemotherapy used to fight osteosarcoma is the same drug that was used to treat her first cancer," says Roberts.
"That particular drug can be damaging to the heart, so there is a lifetime limit on what we can give. We needed to be very careful to give Rebecca the benefit of the treatment without doing more damage."
Rebecca and David were all too aware of these limitations. "We did a lot of our own research and knew that determining the right path of treatment would be difficult," said David. "It was scary, but it also made us want to be absolutely sure Rebecca was in the best hands."
"Learning you have cancer is very frightening and overwhelming. It's hard to process all the information and make important decisions," says Rebecca. "Meeting Dr. Roberts was the first time that I thought everything could turn out okay. His approach was confident and reassuring, and he always took plenty of time to answer our questions and explain everything we needed to know."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Specialty Nurse Practitioner
Lindsey Saddler has been with the Cellular Immunotherapies and Transplant (CIT) Program at VCU Massey Cancer Center in various positions since 2014. Personal experiences with friends and family members led her to pursue a career in cancer care and her current role as a nurse practitioner with the program's inpatient unit and outpatient clinic. She has always felt that the work creates special connections not only with the patients she serves but also with their family and loved ones.
"When patients receive treatment here, they become part of an extended family of people who are all invested in their lives and well-being every single day," Saddler says. "The process of going through a stem cell or bone marrow transplant is life-altering, and our team is always here to support our patients."
Compassion and empathy are on the forefront of Saddler's approach to care. Her extended time with the program in different capacities allows her to provide well-rounded insights to patients at different junctures of the treatment process. It also allows her to serve as an advocate for patients in need.
Saddler strives to lead by example and mentor new team members, and she has used this perspective to develop a training and orientation program for CIT advance practice providers. The program provides current and new team members with a curriculum designed to incorporate evidenced-based cellular therapy best practices into the care they provide to patients.
Lisa Marshall wants women to know how important it is to prioritize their own health.
"One thing I would say is that I encourage women to get their mammograms," she said. "Like so many of us, I work full-time. We get so busy and we don't put ourselves first."
For several years, Marshall focused on her work commitments and serving on the Henrico County School Board. By age 57, a busy schedule occupied most of her time, and mammograms were not a main concern despitenational guidelines that recommend them annually for women at that age.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
- Alliance President Elect
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- Director of Budget and Finance
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
- Member of the Massey Alliance Board Leadership Team
- President Elect
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board Leadership Team
- Director of Board Relations & Chief of Development Operations ( Interim )
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- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Administration / Chief Administrative Officer
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
- Member of the Massey Alliance Board Leadership Team
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board Leadership Team
- President
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- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Shared Resources / Director, Research Infrastructure ( OVPRI )
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Director
- Cancer Center Director
- Director, Massey Cancer Center / Senior Associate Dean for Cancer Innovation, VCU School of Medicine / Professor, Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine
- Director, VCU Massey Cancer Center / Senior Associate Dean for Cancer Innovation, VCU School of Medicine
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- Immediate past President
- Member of the Massey Alliance Board Leadership Team
- Alliance President Elect
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- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Basic Research / Professor, Pharmacology and Toxicology
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- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Translational Research / Professor and Eminent
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- Executive Director of Clinical and Translational Research
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- Director of Administrative Services
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- Member of the Massey Alliance Board
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- Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
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- Associate Director
- Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement / Chair and Professor, Health Behavior and Policy
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- Ex - Officio - Organizational Members