Speakers & Panelists
Patricia P. Hoge, RN, PhD
Appointed in 2003 to the position of Chief Mission Officer for the South Atlantic Division, Inc.
of the American Cancer Society, Dr. Patricia Hoge is responsible for the Government Relations, Patient Navigation, Hope Lodge, Access to Care, Health Disparity Reduction, the Prevention and Early Detection efforts throughout the South Atlantic Division. Prior to this role, Dr. Hoge served as the Mid-Atlantic Division Chief Mission Officer for three years, Mid-Atlantic Division Chief Cancer Control Officer for three years and Executive Vice President of the Delaware Division for 10 years.
A registered nurse and health educator, Dr. Hoge holds a master’s degree and PhD in Human Service Studies from Cornell University. Having earned certificates in business management from Emory School of Business and the Wharton School, she is most proud that the Delaware Division of the American Cancer Society was the first non-profit in the state to be awarded the Delaware Quality Award. Dr. Hoge was asked to serve on the Public Health Advisory Council for two governors and chairs the Tobacco Committee. She currently serves on the Governors’ Council on Cancer Incidence and Mortality. Dr. Hoge served on the committees that developed Healthy Delaware 2000 and Healthy Delaware 2010.
Residents of Centreville, DE, Dr. Hoge and her husband, Philip, a Commercial Real Estate Broker, have four children and eight grandchildren. They spend weekends and vacations at their home, Ferry Hill, in Westmoreland County, VA.
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Dr. Claudia R. Baquet, MD, MPH
As Associate Dean for Policy and Planning, Dr. Claudia R. Baquet serves as an advocate for quality health care, including issues related to the health needs and models for underserved communities, telemedicine and rural health initiatives. Dr. Baquet also serves as director of the Maryland Area Health Education Center Program (MDAHEC) and director of the UMB organized research center "Center for Health Policy/Health Services Research." In 2003, she became director of the University of Maryland Comprehensive Center (NIH Export P 60) for Health Disparities Research, Training and Outreach. Dr. Baquet seeks to reduce and eventually eliminate health disparities.
Dr. Baquet's research interests include: cancer disparities and intervention research for underserved and rural communities; strategies for increasing access and participation of diverse communities in clinical trials; policy research on assuring equity in quality health care and reimbursement for clinical trials coverage. She brings over $7 million in annual grant funding to the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Dr. Baquet received her MD in 1977 from Meharry Medical College (Tennessee) and her MPH in epidemiology in 1983 from Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health. Her residency was in Pathology at St. Louis University and Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital. She is committed to mentoring students and health professionals in health disparities research and careers in public health.
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Elmer E. Huerta, MD, MPH
Dr. Elmer E. Huerta is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Latin American Cancer Research Coalition (LACRC) and a member of the LACRC Steering Committee. He is currently the Founder and Director of the Cancer Preventorium at the Washington Cancer Institute in the Washington Hospital Center, the only cancer prevention/screening service for Latinos in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The goal of the clinic is to encourage preventive screenings; therefore, the clinic is open to patients who do not have any disease symptoms.
Born in Peru, Dr. Huerta obtained his medical degree at the University of San Marcos in 1981. Trained in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology in Peru, he completed a fellowship in oncology research at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in 1988, a residence in internal medicine at St. Agnes Hospital in 1991, an MPH at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health in 1992, and a fellowship in Cancer Prevention and Control at the National Cancer Institute in 1994.
Through his educational work, Dr. Huerta has gained a high degree of respect and trust in the Hispanic community at the local, national, and international levels. Since 1989, Dr. Huerta's daily radio show Cuidando su Salud (Taking Care of Your Health) has provided daily disease prevention and health promotion messages to Hispanics on a Washington, DC-area Spanish-language station. Dr. Huerta also hosts El Consultorio Comunitario (The Community Clinic of the Air), a daily talk radio program, and cohosts Hablemos de Salud (Let's Talk About Health), a weekly television program. In the Washington area, the programs can be found on Radio America 1540 AM and Telemundo, respectively. His shows, which are syndicated nationally, reach 90 percent of the Spanish-speaking population in the United States and are distributed throughout Latin America.
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William Phelps, PhD
Dr. William Phelps grew up in Memphis, TN and attended Rhodes College graduating in 1977 with a BS in Biology. He went on to graduate school first at Virginia Tech where he earned an MS in Botany and later, to the University of Minnesota earning his PhD in Microbiology in 1985. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute for 3 yrs until taking a position with Burroughs Wellcome Co. in 1988. He remained in antiviral and anticancer research with the pharmaceutical industry for 13 years leaving as Head of the Department of Virology for GlaxoSmithKline. Most recently, he spent 2½ yrs with a small startup biotech company, Ribonomics, Inc. as VP, Research and Development until joining the American Cancer Society in 2004. Additionally, he held an appointment as Adjunct Professor of Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University Medical Center from 1996-2004, and completed a certification program from American University in Change Leadership. Bill is currently the Director of Preclinical and Translational Cancer Research in the Extramural Department at the National Home Office of the American Cancer Society. He manages peer review committees focused on cell biology, infectious disease, molecular genetics, and cancer drug discovery.
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Douglas R. Lowy, MD
Dr. Douglas R. Lowy received his MD from New York University School of Medicine in 1968. Between 1970 and 1973, he was a research associate in the Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH. He trained in internal medicine at Stanford University and dermatology at Yale University, and started his laboratory at the NCI in 1975. In addition to his role as chief of the Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, Dr. Lowy is also Chief of the Basic Research Laboratory and serves as a deputy director for the Center for Cancer Research. He has received the Wallace Rowe Award for Virus Research and has been a member of many scientific advisory boards, grants committees, and editorial boards.
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Phillip Castle, PhD, MPH
Dr. Phillip Castle received his PhD in Biophysics from the Johns Hopkins University in 1995. Dr. Castle did a post-doctoral fellowship in Laboratory of Cellular and Developmental Biology, NIDDK, NIH on the molecular biology of the zona pellucida. In 1999, he joined the Cancer Prevention Fellowship at NCI and received his MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2000. He did his Cancer Prevention Fellowship training with NCI's Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch (2000-2003) and joined the branch as a principle investigator in 2003.
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Kimberly M. Henderson, PhD
Dr. Kimberly M. Henderson is the Health Program Director in the Office of Policy and Planning at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She holds a BA in Mass Communications from Dillard University, a MA in Journalism from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and a PhD in Mass/Health Communications from Howard University. In 2005, Kimberly was accepted into the National Cancer Institute's Health Communications Internship Program (HCIP) and in 2007 became a Cancer Research Training Award Fellow (CRTA). During her tenure of over two years at NCI, she worked in the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD). Her previous research as a graduate student looked at media, social marketing, and alcohol use of college students as well as the use of edutainment during African-American situation comedies. Dr. Henderson's current research interest is understanding how vulnerable groups use media for health information, and developing health messages, interventions and kits through those channels to close a gap in knowledge.
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Kevin A. Ault, MD
Dr. Kevin A. Ault is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He did his residency training at Ohio State University in Columbus. After his residency, he received additional training in infectious diseases at the University of Kansas in Kansas City and was on faculty there.
Dr. Ault is active in a number of professional organizations, including state and local medical societies. He has also published articles in The New England Journal of Medicine, and other peer-reviewed journals, as well as serving as a reviewer for many of these same journals.
Dr. Ault’s clinical and research interests include sexually transmitted infections, vulvovaginal diseases, and colposcopy. He has received a number of research grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control Prevention.
In July of 2005, Dr. Ault accepted a position as an Associate Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Ault has also served as the Secretary of Aging since March 20, 2007.
Dr. Ault completed his undergraduate studies at Hampton University, earning a BS in social studies in 1960. He graduated from Trinity College with an MA in English & administration in 1970. Dr. Ault is married and has three children, and six grandchildren. He and his wife currently reside in Atlanta, GA.
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Peggy Baxter, LCSW
Peggy Baxter is a retired hospital director of government and community affairs in Oakland, CA. There Peggy was active in the California Division of the American Cancer Society where she served as secretary and treasurer for the Division’s Board of Directors.
After retiring, Peggy relocated to Greenville, SC where she currently resides. In South Carolina she has served on the state’s Cancer Alliance, and as a member of the Southeast Division Board of Directors.
In addition to her volunteer work with the American Cancer Society, Peggy is also an active volunteer for the Western Institute for Social Research, serving on their board of directors as well.
Peggy received her BS degree in Sociology and Education from Hampton University, Hampton, VA in 1958. In 1967 she received a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Denver in Denver, CO.
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Debbie Saslow, PhD
Dr. Debbie Saslow has served as the director of breast and gynecologic cancer at the American Cancer Society’s National Home Office for the past 11 years. Dr. Saslow is responsible for reviewing and updating screening guidelines, including guidelines for breast and cervical cancers. She recently managed the development of the Society’s first guidelines for vaccine prevention of cervical cancer and for breast MRI screening of high risk women. Dr. Saslow ensures that ACS information and policies related to women’s cancers are scientifically accurate and current. She has been instrumental in building collaborative relationships with organizations across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.
Before joining the Society, Dr. Saslow was coordinator of the President’s National Action Plan on Breast Cancer (1994-1997). She is a frequent lecturer on cancer screening, cancer epidemiology, disparities, HPV and HPV vaccines. She has worked on more than 35 articles for peer-reviewed journals, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institutes’ Laboratory of Pathology in Women’s Cancers. She received her undergraduate degree in biology with honors from Brown University, and her PhD in human and molecular genetics from Yale University.
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Walter Shepherd, MA
Walter L. Shepherd is Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Program in the NC Division of Public Health, which includes the NC Advisory Committee for Cancer Coordination & Control and the NC Cancer Assistance Fund, as well as CDC-funded initiatives for comprehensive cancer control, colorectal and prostate cancers. He also serves as the Executive Director of the NC Advisory Committee for Cancer Coordination & Control.
With more than forty years of health care experience, Mr. Shepherd began his career as a US Navy Hospital Corpsman/Marine Corps Field Medic, spent six years in hospital administration at the Medical College of Virginia and was Assistant Dean and Director of the University’s Health Services Research & Development Center at the East Carolina University School of Medicine for fifteen years. He went to Raleigh in 1990 to become the Executive Director of the Governor’s Commission on Reduction of Infant Mortality and Executive Director/President of the NC Healthy Start Foundation. Additionally, he has been the Executive Director/President of the NC Partnership for Children, Director of Management Services for HealthCare Savings/Carolina Doctors’ Care, Administrative Director for the UNC Department of Psychiatry, and Director of Professional Services for the NC Academy of Family Physicians.
He has a BA and MA in Medical Sociology from East Carolina University and completed coursework for his doctorate in Sociology of Community/Social Change and Development at North Carolina State University.
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Victoria Bae-Jump, MD, PhD
Dr. Victoria Bae-Jump is currently a clinical fellow in the Gynecological Division of the Department of OB/GYN at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. There Dr. Bae-Jump has been involved in teaching, and many projects that have produced an abundance of publications.
She received her BS degree from Duke University in 1991, and then went on to pursue a PhD in pathology which she completed at the Medical College of Virginia in 1995. After receiving her PhD, she earned an MD from the Medical College of Virginia in 2000. After medical school Dr. Bae-Jump completed her residency in the UNC Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program.
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Eileen McGrath, MBA
Eileen McGrath is currently serving the American Cancer Society's South Atlantic Division as Senior Vice President of Health Access Issues.
Eileen began her career with the Society in 1986 as the coordinator for the CPS-II study in the Philadelphia Division. While working in Public and Professional Education, she began her involvement with the Society's advocacy agenda including tobacco control, comprehensive school health, breast and colon cancer issues, and access to care issues.
In 1997, Eileen served as the Director of Grants and Special Projects for the Pennsylvania Division before moving to the former Mid-Atlantic Division in 1999 to become the Government Relations Manager for the state of Delaware. While serving in this role, Delaware passed the comprehensive Clean Indoor Air Act, only the second in the nation; coverage for colon cancer screening, and mandated coverage of routine costs while a cancer patient participates in a clinical trial. She became the Vice President of Government Relations for the former Mid-Atlantic Division in September 2001 and was appointed the Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy for the newly formed South Atlantic Division in 2004.
A certified Health Education Specialist, Eileen graduated from Villanova University with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She completed her MBA with a focus on Management and Leadership at Rosemont College.
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The Honorable Gloria Lawlah
Gloria Lawlah has served as the Secretary of Aging for the State of Maryland since March 20, 2007. She also currently serves as a member of the Governor's Executive Council, Chair of the Interagency Committee on Aging Services, Statewide Empowerment Zones for Seniors Commission, and Oversight Committee on Quality of Care in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities. She is also a member of the Interagency Disabilities Board, Governor's Interagency Council on Homelessness, State Coordinating Committee for Human Services Transportation, Maryland Pandemic Influenza Coordinating Committee, Mental Health Transformation Working Group, and Task Force to Study the Feasibility of Developing Urban Senior Care Communities in Baltimore City.
Gloria Lawlah served as a member of the Senate from January 9, 1991 to January 10, 2007. During her tenure she served as Senate Chair, Joint Committee on the Management of Public Funds, 2001-07; member, Budget and Taxation Committee, 1995-2007 (capital budget subcommittee, 1999-2007; chair, health & human services subcommittee, 2003-07, member, 2001-07; chair, health, education & human resources subcommittee, 1997-99; chair, public safety, transportation & environment subcommittee, 2000); member, Economic and Environmental Affairs Committee, 1991-94; Joint Committee on Investigation, 1991-2007; Joint Legislative Work Group on Community College Financing, 1994-95; Special Joint Task Force on Transportation, 1995; Executive Nominations Committee, 1995-2000; Joint Committee on the Selection of the State Treasurer, 1996, 2003; Spending Affordability Committee, 1997-2000; Joint Audit Committee, 1998-2007; Joint Committee on Health Care Delivery and Financing, 1998-2007; Senate Committee on Redistricting, 2001-02; Legislative Policy Committee, 2001-03; Special Commission on Legislative Prayer, 2003; Joint Committee on the State's Emergency Medical Response System, 2003-05; Senate co-chair, Joint Committee on Protocol, 2003-07; chair, Prince George's County Delegation, 2004-07 (vice-chair, 2001-03); member, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland (formerly Maryland Legislative Black Caucus), 1999-2007 (chair, international affairs committee, 2001-07; member, state budget committee, 2000, judicial nominating committee, 2000-07, redistricting committee, 2000-07, historically black colleges & universities committee, 2001-07); Women Legislators of Maryland, 1991-2007 (Member at large).
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Kelley Daniel, PhD
Dr. Kelley Daniel is a Senior Specialist for State and Local Campaigns with the American Cancer Society’s National Government Relations Department. He works with states around the country on issues including HPV Vaccines, Breast and Cervical Cancer, Comprehensive Cancer Control, and Tobacco Taxes.
Prior to coming to the National Government Relations department he served for five years as the Vice President of Government Relations covering Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Washington and Wyoming for the Great West Division of the American Cancer Society. He continues to serve as the Vice Chair of the Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition.
In 2000 he was elected to the Colorado legislature and in 2002 was "downsized" by his constituents. In January of 2003 he came to ACS and has been there since working to advance the ACS legislative agenda at the local, state, and federal levels.
Kelley was recognized by Dr. John Seffrin, CEO of the National American Cancer Society, as the Cancer Society’s “Outstanding Government Relations Professional” in 2005. He lives in Denver, CO, with his wife.
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Mona Shah, MPH
Mona Shah is currently a Senior Policy Analyst for the American Cancer Society and her primary focus has been working on policy issues related to cancer screenings and breast, cervical and colorectal cancer. Prior to working at ACS, she worked at the U.S. Military Cancer Institute and the NYC Department of Health. She is a PhD candidate in epidemiology at George Washington University and received her Bachelors in biology from Cornell University and her Masters in Public Health from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
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C. Daniel Mullins, PhD
Dr. C. Daniel Mullins is a Professor and Chair of the Pharmaceutical Health Services Research Department at the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy. He received his BS in Economics from M.I.T. and his MA and PhD in Economics from Duke University. His research and teaching focus on pharmacoeconomics, outcomes research, and health disparities research. He was the Shared Resources Core Director for the NIH-sponsored University of Maryland Center for Health Disparities Research, Training, and Outreach and is the lead economist on 2 additional NIH grants and 1 grant funded by HRSA. He was a member of the Health Systems Research (HSR) study section of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) from 2004 to 2006.
He has designed many cost-effectiveness analyses and budget impact models for both the pharmaceutical and insurance industries. He is a co-editor for Clinical Therapeutics and Value in Health and is author/co-author of over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on pharmacoeconomics, outcomes research, and pharmaceutical policy and health disparities research in journals. Dr. Mullins was a member of the Maryland Health Care Commission Hospital and Ambulatory Surgical Facility Report Card Steering Committee. Prior to his graduate studies, Dr. Mullins was an Actuary and Market Researcher for the John Hancock Insurance Company. In 2002, he was the recipient of an Outstanding Service Award from the Drug Information Association (DIA) and in 2006 he received an International Society For Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Service Award. In 2007, he received the Dr. Patricia Sokolove Outstanding Mentor Award from the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus-wide Graduate Student Association.
J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD, MACP
Dr. J. Leonard Lichtenfeld is Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the national office of the American Cancer Society. He directs the Society’s Cancer Control Science Department, which produces the Society’s widely recognized guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cancer and guidelines for nutrition and physical activity for cancer survivors. Additionally, Dr. Lichtenfeld is a frequent spokesperson on a variety of cancer-related subjects and serves as a liaison for the Society with many professional and public organizations.
Dr. Lichtenfeld is a board certified medical oncologist and internist who was a practicing physician for nearly 20 years. He has been active for many years in medical affairs on a local, state and national level. He has a long-standing interest in legislative and regulatory issues related to medicine, and serves on several national committees focused on physician payment, the quality of medical care and the role of health information technology in healthcare delivery.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann Medical College (now Drexel University College of Medicine) in Philadelphia, Dr. Lichtenfeld completed his postgraduate training at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society, and has received several awards from medical organizations in recognition of his contributions to the practice of medicine. Dr. Lichtenfeld is married and resides in Atlanta and Thomasville, GA.
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Morgan Daven, MA
Morgan Daven serves as the Vice President for Health Disparities Reduction for the South Atlantic Division. He received his Master of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and has a background in conflict resolution. Prior to joining the ACS in 1997, Morgan helped develop Project Access, a program to coordinate free medical care for low-income residents of Asheville, North Carolina. He has also worked as a trained mediator for community and family disputes. Morgan started his ACS career as a mission specialist in Western North Carolina and also served as Director of Survivorship Initiatives for the Southeast Division. His current duties include oversight for programs and partnerships that are addressing the cancer burden among priority populations, including the division’s state grants and contracts.
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Sandra E. Brooks, MD, MBA
Dr. Sandra E. Brooks joined Norton Healthcare in October 2006 and is currently Associate Vice President of the Norton Cancer Institute Cancer Prevention Services. She is charged with expanding the cancer prevention and screening activities, developing clinical research initiatives and programs designed to focus attention on health equity in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment in the Louisville Metro region.
Dr. Brooks received her medical degree from Howard University followed by a residency at the University of Pennsylvania and fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Harvard. She also holds an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. She comes to Norton Cancer Institute from Baltimore where she was Professor and Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine for 10 years.
Dr. Brooks has published numerous papers and has received a number of awards for her work in cancer prevention, health disparities and education.
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Becky Hartt Minor, MA
Becky Hartt Minor is Program Director for the Cancer Information Service (CIS) Southeast Region, serving North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The Cancer Information Service (1-800-4-CANCER), a program of the National Cancer Institute, is a national information and education network. The CIS has been the voice of the National Cancer Institute for more than 20 years.
Becky joined the Southeast Region in August 2006, but has worked for the CIS since March 1998 serving as Partnership Program Manager for the CIS Mid-Atlantic Region. Becky is provides education and awareness on early detection, screening, diagnosis and the treatment of cancer. Through the Southeast Partnership Program, Becky is responsible for reaching out to medically underserved audiences, including minority groups and people with limited to access to health information and services.
Becky received a Master’s in Education with an emphasis in Community Health Education from West Virginia University and has worked as a community health educator since 1978.
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Linda Blount, MPH
Linda Blount was named National Vice President, for Health Disparities in April 2007. She has the responsibility for leading the effort to develop the overall health disparities strategic direction for the Society. Prior to her current role she was the Director of Strategy and Business Operations in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO) from 2005 - 2007. In that position she was responsible for the strategic, tactical, and operational direction of the office and developed and implemented short- and long-term strategic plans for OCMO. Linda also focused on the integration of research and program and policy development within the Society to develop, deliver and sustain effective evidence-based programs and policy positions that directly support the ACS Leadership Roles, Focus Areas and Pillars.
Linda has also served as Director of Planning and Development for the International Affairs Department. Prior to coming to ACS, Linda spent ten years with Coca Cola, where she was responsible for strategic planning for Global IT in the formula management, innovation, and procurement departments. Linda has 12 years experience in international program planning and evaluation including 5 years at CDC in the office of the Director, HIV/AIDS, where she was responsible for global decision support strategies. She has consulted with the ministries of health in Germany, Jamaica, Aruba, Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, and Trinidad and Tobago where she lived for 4 years. Linda holds a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan.
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Cindy French, MA
Cindy French is the Program Consultant/Public Health Advisor for the CDC Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Program Services Branch. In this position she is the project officer for seven cooperative agreements that focus on breast and cervical cancer prevention and control. She also serves as the PSB liaison for issues related to the Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act. Cindy holds a masters degree in Public Policy and Management from Ohio State University. She is also a graduate of the Emory University School of Public Health’s CDC Graduate Certificate Program. She has worked for the CDC in different roles for the past 20 years.
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Denyse Petry, MPH, CHES
Denyse has worked with the South Carolina Breast and Cervical Early Detection Program for 16 years and she currently manages the professional development, recruitment and provider service coordination components of the program at the American Cancer Society. Prior to this position, Denyse was the Health Promotion Manager for the Department of Health and Environmental Control in the Low County Health District.
Denyse holds a Masters of Public Health in Health Promotion and Education from the University of South Carolina. She is a member of the Delta Omega Society, Mu Chapter, National Honorary Public Health Society. Denyse is actively involved in the SC Pubic Health Association, The Latina Initiative and the SC Cancer Alliance.
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Heather Brandt, PhD, CHES
Dr. Heather Brandt is assistant professor in the department of health promotion, education, and behavior in the Arnold School of Public Health and a member of the Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the University of South Carolina. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the department of women’s studies. Dr. Brandt is a social and behavioral scientist whose research interests focus on cancer prevention and control, HPV-associated cancers (especially cervical cancer), cancer disparities, and community-based research. Over the past 11 years, Dr. Brandt has conducted research and outreach on cervical cancer with women in South Carolina and American Indian women in the southeastern United States. Currently, she is principal investigator of a study funded by the National Cancer Institute to conduct a population-based HPV survey of women in South Carolina. She is the research coordinator of the South Carolina Cancer Disparities Community Network and project leader of a community-based pilot project addressing HPV and cervical cancer prevention and control programs in faith-based setting (funded by the National Cancer Institute). She is also working with on Initiativa Latina Contra el Cáncer (Latina Initiative Against Cancer), which is a community-based health communication and programmatic effort to address breast and cervical cancer screening needs among Latinas in the greater Columbia, SC area. Her previous research efforts have focused on adolescent females, college women, and women living in rural settings and their psychosocial, educational, and behavioral needs related to HPV and cervical cancer. Dr. Brandt is chairing, “Moving to Action: Addressing Cervical Cancer in South Carolina,” to strategically address excess cervical cancer mortality endured by women in South Carolina. She is also a recipient of the NIH Loan Repayment Program for research in health disparities.
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Rachel Mayo, PhD
Dr. Rachel Mayo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University, her primary research interests are in the areas of women’s health, chronic disease and the impact of culture and cultural practices on cancer screening behavior. She has studied the health problems of breast and cervical cancer, diabetes and injury of Latino, African American and lower- income Appalachian communities in South Carolina, for the past 10 years.
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Dolores B. Scott, MEd
Dolores Scott has a master in Education (with emphasis on community and occupational education) from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. Currently, she serves as a public health policy coordinator for the state’s public health department, as well as the director of an interfaith and interagency statewide lay health advocacy program. She also serves as the Health Ministry Director to the State Baptist Young Woman’s Auxiliary of the Woman’s Baptist Education and Missionary Convention of South Carolina affiliated with Baptist Education and Missionary Convention, the largest African American denomination within the state. She has a vast amount of experience in working with the faith community, community development, health education and health promotion, and recruiting and training volunteers utilizing lay health advocacy processes. Ms. Scott has created a faith-based and community focused tobacco education program to eliminate secondhand smoke among women and children for the state of South Carolina. She is a key consultant to the SC Cancer Disparities Community Network and a special interest project focusing on prostate cancer. Within this role, she facilitates the community advisory group, assists with qualitative data analysis, conducts key informant interviews and focus groups, and assists in the development of illustrated mapping.
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Sis. Deidre Odom
Sister Deidre Odom is the President of the State Baptist Young Woman’s Auxiliary of the Woman’s Baptist Education and Missionary Convention. Sister Odom is a member of Macedonia Baptist Church. Under her leadership, the State Baptist Young Woman’s Auxiliary has established a Health Ministry with the assistance of Dolores B. Scott and others. The State Baptist Young Woman’s Auxiliary has also partnered with the South Carolina Cancer Disparities Community Network to provide cancer education and facilitate access to cancer screening to members. The State Baptist Young Woman’s Auxiliary has been leading community-based efforts to address cervical cancer in South Carolina beginning with “A Call to Action: Addressing Cervical Cancer among African-American Women” in March 2007. Since then, several cervical cancer educational programs have been conducted in Baptist churches across the state reaching hundreds of women, men, and youth. The State Baptist Young Woman’s Auxiliary will continue this work.
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Dianne R. Turman
Sister Dianne R. Turmon is employed with Michelin Tire Corporation in Easley, South Carolina. She is a 3 year cancer survivor and is trained as a Witness Role Model for the Witness Project.
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Jacqueline Talley
Pastor Jacqueline Talley works with UR the Refuse Ministries in Union, South Carolina. She is an Ordained Minister and is trained as a Lay Health Advisor for the Witness Project.
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Rosa I. Villoch-Santiago, MPA
Rosa I. Villoch-Santiago, MPA is the director of the Hispanic/Latino and International Initiatives for the South Atlantic Division of the American Cancer Society. She is based in Washington, DC In that role, Rosa provides leadership and support to the executive staff, local employees and volunteers involving and reaching out to the Hispanic/Latino communities across the states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and the District of Columbia. She also manages and coordinates an international breast and cervical cancer education and outreach program sponsored by the American Cancer Society in Bolivia. In addition, she is a faculty member for the international American Cancer Society University program which provides capacity building for cancer control organizations from outside the United States.
Before coming to work at the American Cancer Society, Rosa worked at American Red Cross National Headquarters in the Corporate Diversity Department where she worked as a diversity associate. She was responsible for the management, development and review of culturally specific programs in Spanish for the Hispanic/Latino community in the United States. She has proven leadership experience and an established track record in diversity programming and inclusion, Hispanic/Latino outreach, program development, partnership building, budget management and in the field of translation. Rosa holds a Bachelor degree in French Language and Literature from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez and a Masters Degree in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
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Susan Myers, MA, MPH
Sue Myers is a public health and community leader with more than 20 years of achievement and experience. From a public health perspective, she began her career conducting clinical treatment outcome research at the St. Francis Medical Center’s Center for Addiction Services and left St. Francis to lead the Southwest District of the Pennsylvania Department of Health where she served as the appointed health officer for six years. Following this appointment, she spent a year with the Center for Minority Health, University of Pittsburgh as assistant professor and Project Director. Sue left this position to join I-LEAD, Inc. where she founded its Community Health Division. Sue also served as a board member of the Southwest District Area Health Education Center from 1998-2008.
She has spent the last four years as Founder and President of Health Equity Associates, LLC. HEA focuses primarily on community mobilization (special emphasis in working with Latinos), program planning, community health assessment, evaluation, workforce development, and specialized project management. Three recent or current engagements of note include Johns Hopkins Medical Institute (capacity building for a 15 site NIH/CDC funded HIV risk reduction trial), Baltimore County Department of Health (public health emergency preparedness) and US DHHS, Office of Women’s Health, Region III (Heart Truth dissemination project).
She is an assistant professor (adjunct) at Towson University with a focus on teaching program planning, health education management, and health systems courses at the graduate and undergraduate level.
She earned her Master of Arts degree in Social and Public Policy from Duquesne University, one of the top Catholic Universities in the US, with an emphasis on qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Sue also earned a Master of Public Health degree from University of Pittsburgh.
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Olga Lucia Jimenez, BS
Olga Jimenez is the State Public Education Senior Manager for the American Cancer Society, South Atlantic Division. She oversees the Public Education and Partnership components of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP) in Georgia and serves as the liaison between the BCCP program and the American Cancer Society staff at the local level. She has been in this position since the year 2000. She has more than 13 years working in the breast and cervical cancer field as health educator. She has a vast experience in working with underserved populations, including ethnic minority groups, women with disabilities and the lesbian population. She oversees a cadre of 14 client navigators that throughout Georgia support and assist low income women in getting their breast and cervical cancer screening. She serves on the Hispanic Health Coalition of Georgia Board of Directors. She has a Bachelor degree in Science. She is originally from Colombia and moved to the states 24 years ago. She has been married for 24 years and has two beautiful children.
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Meseret Bezuneh, MS, Ed
Meseret Bezuneh is Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives and Deputy Director for the Maryland AHEC Program, at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore. In this role, she is responsible for the overall day-to-day management and administration of the Maryland AHEC Program and serves as the liaison between the Program and the three Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) located in Baltimore City, the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland and the University of Maryland School of Medicine and other University of Maryland, Baltimore health professions schools. In addition, she is also responsible for coordination of clinical and continuing education programs for AHEC undergraduate medical students and residents.
Before coming to Maryland, Ms. Bezuneh served as the Vice President for Center and Satellite Operations at the Anthony Jordan Health Center, in Rochester, New York. In that capacity, she managed the day-to-day operations of the health center and oversaw the functions of human resources, customer relations, marketing/public relations, and development activities. She spearheaded a quality improvement committee and directed the successful preparation for accreditation and re-accreditation of the Health Center by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. Ms. Bezuneh earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degrees from the State University of New York at Brockport. She has received numerous awards and serves on several statewide and national committees.
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Pamela Brown , MPA
Pamela K. Brown is the Director of Cancer Prevention and Control and Associate Director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University. In this capacity she directs education and research programs designed to limit the impact of cancer on rural Appalachians, their communities, and their families. She is the Principal Investigator of the NCI Cancer Information Service serving the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia and the Regional Principal Investigator for the NCI Appalachia Community Cancer Network in West Virginia and Maryland. Ms. Brown also directs the grassroots West Virginia Benedum Community Education Program and the Public and Professional Education and Partnership Program for the CDC West Virginia Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program. Also, Ms. Brown is Co-Principal Investigator for the West Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, the Colorectal Cancer Education Initiative, and the Prostate Cancer Education Initiative, and a founder of the West Virginia Mountains of Hope Cancer Coalition.
A long-time champion for reducing cancer health disparities in Appalachia, she is a member of the National Partners for Comprehensive Cancer Control and Chair-Elect of the Intercultural Cancer Council.
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Angela Esteva, BS
Angela M. Esteva is an executive with vast experience working in Communications/Publishing, Sales/Marketing, Public Relations, Training and Hospitality Management industries. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she grew up in a bicultural, bilingual environment, educated in England and the United States graduating from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management and minors in Communications and Marketing.
Currently she is Vice President, Consulting Services for Vedy Corporation, a real estate holding firm with offices in Cary, North Carolina and San Juan, Puerto Rico and a real estate broker providing client support and consulting services for Town & Country Realty in Cary.
Spearheaded for 12 years the Marketing Committee and served as Event Director for the American Cancer Society’s fundraising gala, responsible for theme concept development, promotional campaign (print, radio, TV) coordination and the events’ timely execution.
Her charitable and community service commitments include:
Member, Board of Directors, ACS, South Atlantic Division
* Nominating and Agenda Planning Committees
* Communications, Hispanic Initiatives and Future of Cancer Care Workgroups
Member, Red Sword Guild, fundraising organization for ACS, South Atlantic Division
Member, Board of Directors and Fundraiser for Nuestra Casa De Los Niños, a non-profit organization providing underprivileged/poor children in Puerto Rico with private school education and medical services
Ms. Esteva is fully bilingual in English and Spanish with basic comprehension skills of French and Italian.
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Janine E. Payne, MPH
Janine E. Payne is the Program Manager for the Center for Social Marketing and Behavior Change. She manages social marketing and behavior change communications program planning, implementation and technical assistance projects that involve strategic planning, formative research, message and materials development, public relations, education/outreach, and program implementation, and serving as client liaison. Janine regularly conducts focus groups and individual in-depth interviews for projects that have included testing end-of-life outreach materials for patients and family members affected by diabetes; and a CDC-funded project that involved testing materials targeted to African American caregivers about pre-teen vaccination. She develops and implements technical assistance and training activities, including workshops, meetings, presentations, and supporting written tools and resources.
Janine is also the Project Director for the CDC, Cervical Cancer Project. The project provides culturally-appropriate health education messages and media interventions to motivate ethnically diverse audiences of women ages 18-to-24 on college campuses and in the surrounding communities to get regular Pap tests. She oversees three outreach managers who serve to reach underserved, underinsured, and uninsured minorities, including African American and Hispanic women, and establish sustainable partnerships. This project coordinates with students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-serving institutions.
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Lisa Flowers, MD
Dr. Lisa Flowers is a Latino and African American medical physician and an established clinical researcher in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Emory University School of Medicine. She is also the Director of Colposcopy Services at Grady Memorial Hospital. Dr. Flowers is a graduate of Oberlin College in psychobiology, and received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Magee-Women’s Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania, and was involved in Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) research at the University of Texas, Southwestern, in Dallas.
Lisa is a junior fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and an associate member of the American Association for Cancer Research. Her research focuses on investigating genetic alterations in lower genital tract malignancies and evaluating the immune response to cervical dysplasia and human papillomavirus (HPV). Dr. Flowers is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and has 9 years experience as a clinician caring for women with preinvasive disease of the lower genital tract and HIV.
Also, Dr. Flowers is the Medical Director of Dia de La Mujer Latina Inc, a National organization focused on improving the healthcare of Latinos. The mission of Dia de la Mujer Latina Inc. (DML) is to promote health awareness to the underserved Latino community by providing ethnic-specific education; a culturally specific setting for early detection screening and prevention care; and a resource information center and patient navigation for follow-up services. Her outreach efforts have impacted Latino women in Atlanta and Florida through DML’s breast and cervical cancer screenings.
Dr. Flowers also is the Founder and CEO of her own 501c3 non-profit organization called the Spirit Foundation. This organization focuses on providing breast, cervix and sexually transmitted disease education and screening across the US and on an international level. Recently the Spirit Foundation has received two grants from the American Cancer Society to promote HPV education and awareness to the Latino community through a community developed program called “Con Amor Aprendemos, With Love We Learn”. She plans to spread this program nationwide and provide diversity and cultural competency training directed towards healthcare needs of the African American and Latino populations.
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Marie Miranda, MPH
Marie Miranda graduated from the Interamerican University in Puerto Rico with a degree in Business Administration with a major in Human Resources. She also holds graduate studies in Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus, School of Public Health in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Currently she is a Public Health Consultant and Training Coordinator for the NC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHHD) where she coordinates assist and supervises the implementation and delivery of the Interpreter Training. Coordinate and supervise a group of facilitators and give Cultural Diversity training to Local Health Departments and other agencies when trainings are requested. She is also the Project Director for Funding for Interpreter initiative across the state to aid the Local Health Departments in hiring Interpreters. She represents OMHHD by providing leadership, consultation/technical assistance on key Committees and workgroups, including Hispanic Health Task Force, Title VI Advisory Committee, and Spanish Content Team. She currently teaches Spanish for Wake Technical College. She is also passionate about the work she does with the American Cancer Society as a volunteer.
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