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PAC³ Board of Directors – Biographies
Robert F. Durkin President Northeast Regional Cancer Institute Robert Durkin currently serves as President for the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, a position he has held since 2002. In that capacity, he serves as chief executive officer and is responsible for planning, development and administration of a ten county, non-profit, cancer research, education and support consortium. Prior to his current position, he served for two years as Executive Vice-President of the Cancer Institute, focusing on planning, legislative and funding issues. Overall Mr. Durkin has over 25 years experience running community based non-profit and public organizations involved in community health, human services, and economic development activities. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University; has undertaken advanced studies at the Institute for Public Administration at Penn State; and has completed studies at the Institute for Organizational Management at the University of Delaware. In 2005, Mr. Durkin was appointed by Governor Rendell to serve on the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Cancer Advisory Board. He also Chairs the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Cancer Control Consortium, and has also served as Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Chair of the Board of Governance Committee. He is a member of the Marywood University College of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee, and is affiliated with the Association of Fundraising Professionals. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Paul F. Engstrom, MD Sr. Vice President for Extramural Research Programs Fox Chase Cancer Center Paul F. Engstrom, M.D. is Senior Vice President for Extramural Research Programs and Chief Network Officer and Medical Director of the Fox Chase Cancer Center Partners Program. He is also Professor of Medicine at Temple University School of Medicine. Dr. Engstrom received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. He continued at University of Minnesota Hospitals for his postgraduate training, which included a Public Health Service Trainee Grant in medical oncology. Dr. Engstrom is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He is a member of the NCCN Board of Directors and the Chair of the NCCN Colon/Rectum/Anal Cancer Panel. Dr. Engstrom is the past Chairman of the G.I. Committee of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, Chairman of the Board of Scientific Counselors, DCPC, NCI, and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. He has been a member of the Prevention Task Force and the Cancer Education Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr. Engstrom is currently serving as Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Cancer Control Consortium. Dr. Engstrom’s research interests include biomarkers research, cancer prevention and control interventions, and behavioral medicine interventions. He is the Director of the Fox Chase Early Detection Research Network Clinical Epidemiology and Validation Center Program and the Principal Investigator for the Fox Chase Cancer Center CCOP-Research Base Program. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Patricia K. Bradley, PhD, RN Associate Professor Villanova University Dr. Patricia K. Bradley is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing at Villanova University College of Nursing. She is nationally certified as a specialist in adult psychiatric/mental health nursing and has over twenty-three years of experience as a psychiatric mental health nurse. Her work experience includes a variety of psychiatric settings such as inpatient and outpatient mental health, psychiatric consultation liaison and private practice with adolescents and families. Her research interests include psychosocial issues of African American breast cancer survivors as well as other health issues of underserved groups. Dr. Bradley is an active participant in several advisory committees that focus on health issues of the underserved. Dr. Bradley has developed and implemented numerous educational workshops for students, community members, health care providers and administrators both nationally and locally utilizing an "acknowledgment of cultural strengths" framework. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Treasurer Charles E. Kupchella, PhD President Emeritus University of North Dakota Dr. Charles E. Kupchella served as president of the University of North Dakota (founded 1883) from July 1, 1999 until his retirement on June 30, 2008. A native of Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania, Dr. Kupchella received his undergraduate degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1964) and his Ph.D. in physiology and microbiology from St. Bonaventure University (1968). He did post doctoral research at the University of Illinois, Urbana in 1969. Dr. Kupchella started his career in 1968 as at Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky. From 1973 to 1979 he was an Associate Professor of Oncology at the University of Louisville and was Associate Director of its Cancer Research Center. In 1979 he joined the faculty of Murray State University as Chair of the Department of Biology. He served there until 1985, when he went to Western Kentucky University as Professor Biology and Dean of its Ogden College of Science, Technology and Health. From 1993 to June 30, 1999, Dr. Kupchella served as Provost and Professor of Biology at Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau. In his research, Dr. Kupchella was one of the first to show that cold blooded animals physiologically anticipate dormancy. He studied the effect of aspirin on the gastrointestinal tract and the properties of the extracellular matrix associated with the spread of cancer. Dr. Kupchella, who holds the rank of Professor of Biology at UND, has written three books: Sights and Sounds: The Very Special Senses (Bobbs Merrill Publishing Co., 1976); Environmental Science: Living Within the System of Nature (third edition, Prentice Hall, 1993, with Peggy Hyland); and Dimensions of Cancer (Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1987). He also has authored or co authored 50 published scientific articles in Cancer, Cancer Research, American Journal of Medicine, Comparative Physiology and Biophysics, Journal of Environmental Education, Archives of Internal Medicine, Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, Journal of Cancer Education, and other journals. Kupchella also presented at more than 100 statewide, national and international scientific meetings. Dr. Kupchella is a past-president of both the Kentucky Academy of Science and the American Association for Cancer Education. He has served as a grant reviewer for the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and other agencies. He is a collaborating partner of the National Dialogue on Cancer, now called AC-Change. He is a member and past chair of the “North Dakota Cancer Coalition,” which is developing North Dakota’s cancer control plan, and serves on the “Healthy North Dakota” steering committee. Dr. Kupchella has received many honors and recognitions, including being named to American Men of Science (1988), Who's Who in Education (1993), Who's Who in the World (1993), and Who's Who in Science and Engineering (1996). Dr. Kupchella and his wife, Adele, both grew up in western Pennsylvania coal mining towns. He was one of six children, all of whom earned college degrees (including three brothers with Ph.D. degrees). Dr. Kupchella met Adele (Kiel), one of ten children in her family, in college while he was playing in a band. They married in 1963. They have three children: Rick (Minneapolis), Michele Adams (Westmont, Penn.) and Jason (Bowling Green, Ky.), and six grandchildren. An avid outdoorsman, Kupchella enjoys fishing and black powder hunting. He also dabbles in art and photography, occasionally played the guitar and sang at UND’s campus coffee house, and has even recorded a song. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Catherine M. Belt, RN, MSN, AOCN, CAN Chapter Advisor, Oncology Nursing Society Clinical Nurse, Abramson Cancer Center University of Pennsylvania Cathy Belt is a native of Philadelphia, PA and currently resides in Hatfield, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She completed undergraduate studies at Temple University in Philadelphia where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She then received a Master’s of Science in Nursing degree as an Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist from Gwynedd-Mercy College, Gwynedd Valley, PA. Ms. Belt has 20 years of Oncology Nursing experience in a several community and teaching institutions. Currently, Ms. Belt is a Cancer Network Administrator with the Penn Cancer Network of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. She has specialized training in the area of Breast and Ovarian Cancer Genetics and has coordinated cancer risk evaluation, education and counseling programs at three institutions. She holds professional certifications as an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse through the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) and as a Certified Nursing Administrator through the American Nurses Credentialing Corporation (ANCC). Ms. Belt has been an active participant in promoting healthy lifestyle choices and raising cancer risk awareness as an active lecturer and volunteer with agencies such as the American Cancer Society (ACS), Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society and the Susan B. Komen Foundation. She has an extensive background in providing lectures on cancer related topics to a broad audience including school students, nursing students, professional nurses and community members. Ms. Belt has been a member of the Oncology Nursing Society since the late 1980’s. She is an active member of the Bucks-Montgomery Counties, PA Chapter #301, serving in past years as Secretary, President-elect and most recently, as Chapter President from 2002-2003. Under Ms. Belt’s leadership, the Bucks-Montgomery Counties, PA Chapter was recognized with the 2003 Chapter Excellence Award at the national ONS annual Congress in Anaheim, CA in April, 2004. The Oncology Nursing Society is the largest professional oncology association in the world boasting more than 30,000 members. There are approximately 1600 RN and other healthcare providers belonging to the 10 Pennsylvania chapters representing various geographic locations in the state. ONS members are a diverse group of professionals who represent a variety of professional roles, practice settings and subspecialty practice areas. Registered nurses, including staff nurses, advance practice nurses, case managers, educators, researchers and consultants, and other healthcare professionals, benefit from membership in areas such as education, clinical practice standards and professional development. The mission of the Oncology Nursing Society is dedicated to excellence in patient care, education, research, and administration in oncology nursing. ONS has partnered with all of the major networks dedicated to cancer care such as ACS, ACCC and ASCO in a commitment to promoting health awareness and in influencing public policy that will protect the health benefits of our communities. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Director, Biobehavioral Medicine Program University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Dana Howard Bovbjerg, PhD, assumed the position of Leader of the Biobehavioral Medicine Program in June of 2008 after an extensive national search. He is currently a visiting Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Behavioral & Community Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Previously, he was the Director of the Biobehavioral Medicine Program and a Professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Dr. Bovbjerg’s research focuses on biobehavioral factors in cancer, and includes ongoing studies of the emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and biological consequences of breast cancer risk; the contribution of biobehavioral factors to side effects of medical treatments (surgery, radiation, chemotherapy); genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility; and psychobiological and social influences on cancer screening behaviors. In addition to serving as a consulting editor for a wide range of journals, he has served as an Associate Editor for the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, and on the editorial boards of: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Health Psychology, the Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, and Psychosomatic Medicine. He has been a member of Review Committees at the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Health, and the American Cancer Society. He is a past chair of the Program Committee for the Society of Behavioral Medicine, has served on the Council of the American Psychosomatic Society, is a past treasurer of the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society, and is a fellow in the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Virginia C. Calega, MD, MBA Vice President, Medical Management and Policy Highmark, Inc. Dr. Virginia Calega currently serves as Vice President, Medical Management and Policy department at Highmark, Inc. In this role, she oversees the formulation of medical policy and utilization management activities for the corporation. She joined Highmark after earning her MBA from Villanova University’s Executive MBA Program. A native of Pittsburgh, Dr. Calega earned her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Pittsburgh. Majoring in Biology, she graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1982. She received her Medical Degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, with honors in Geriatrics. Following this, her internship and residency in Internal Medicine were completed at Rhode Island Hospital, part of the Brown University training program. After becoming board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, she practiced for 13 years in the central and southeastern regions of Pennsylvania. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
President PA Biotechnology Association Dennis "Mickey" Flynn is president of Pennsylvania Bio, the statewide trade association representing Pennsylvania's biosciences community. As president, Mr. Flynn serves as a spokesman and advocate for the Commonwealth's more than 2,000 bioscience and directly related companies and nearly 84,000 employees. Mr. Flynn is responsible for working with the Board of Directors to set Pennsylvania Bio's strategic direction and to guide the implementation of the strategy with the Association's staff. Pennsylvania Bio serves as a catalyst to ensure Pennsylvania is a global leader in biosciences by developing a cohesive community that unites the region's biotechnology, pharmaceutical, research, and financial strengths. The Association represents the continuum of the biosciences in the Commonwealth-academic research institutions; emerging biotechnology, medical device and diagnostics companies; mature industry; global pharmaceuticals; and a robust service provider network that supports the growth of the industry. Mr. Flynn comes to Pennsylvania Bio with a deep knowledge and awareness of the industry and its unique strengths in Pennsylvania. He has more than 30 years of executive management experience in both pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Immediately prior to joining Pennsylvania Bio, Mr. Flynn served as president of Malvern, PA-based Puresyn, Inc., a privately-owned separation and purification technology company in the biosciences market that develops, manufactures and markets products and services utilized in purification of gene-based drugs. Before Puresyn, Mr. Flynn was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Berwick Corporation, a life sciences company, and prior to this he served as president and CEO of Legend Pharmaceuticals, a nationwide cooperative for independent drug retailers. He has held positions of increasing responsibility in sales and marketing with the Rorer Group, and he began his career in the pharmaceutical industry with Warner Lambert Corporation, where he gained both operations and staff management experience. Mr. Flynn has lent his talent and knowledge of the industry to many boards that serve the biosciences community. He was a founding board member of Pennsylvania Bio, serving as the Association's first board chair. He has served as a member of the Biotechnology Industry Organization's (BIO) Emerging Companies Committee, and he is a past member of the Board of Directors for BioAdvance, the Biotechnology Greenhouse of Southeastern Pennsylvania. He recently served as the co-chair of the executive and sponsorship committees for the BIO 2005 annual meeting held in Philadelphia, and he was the host committee co-chair for the BIO 1996 meeting in Philadelphia. He currently serves as chair of the Finance Committee and is Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Cancer Control Consortium (PAC³). Mr. Flynn received his BBA from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Director of the Community and Minority Cancer Control Program Abramson Cancer Center University of Pennsylvania Dr. Chanita Hughes-Halbert is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and is Director of the Center for Community-Based Research and Health Disparities. The goal of Dr. Hughes-Halbert’s research program is to identify sociocultural, psychological, and environmental determinants of cancer disparities and to translate this information into community-based interventions to reduce cancer disparities in medically underserved populations. She completed the first prospective randomized trial of genetic counseling among African American women at increased risk for having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation with funding from the Department of Defense. This research has defined the field of genetic counseling and testing for hereditary cancer in African American women. She is also Principal Investigator of the West Philadelphia Consortium to Address Disparities that is funded by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities to develop community-based programs for cancer prevention and control for African American residents in West and Southwest Philadelphia. Dr. Hughes-Halbert is also Co-Principal Investigator for the Penn Center for Population Health and Health Disparities that is funded by the National Cancer Institute. She is also Director of the Community Outreach and Dissemination Core and is Principal Investigator for a project on Determinants of Ethnic Differences in Quality of Life within the Penn Center for Population Health. The results of Dr. Hughes-Halbert’s research have been published in influential journals in the fields of cancer prevention, clinical oncology, medicine, genetics, and public health. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Erik Knudsen, MD, PhD Deputy Director for Basic Science Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University Erik Knudsen, PhD, is the Deputy Director for Research and a Professor of Cancer Biology at Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Knudsen received his PhD in Biology from the University of California San Diego in 1996 and completed post graduate work there. In 1998 he began a nine-year tenure with the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinnati where he served as a Professor in the Department of Cell Biology. Dr. Knudsen’s research is focused on the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor (RB). This tumor suppressor is lost or functionally inactivated in the majority of human cancers. His laboratory takes a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding how RB functions to inhibit tumorigenesis and to devise new means to effectively target the RB-pathway in the treatment of cancer. Dr. Knudsen also studies RB-mediated transcriptional regulation; the influence of RB on DNA replication machinery and cell cycle control; the role of RB in liver tumorigenesis and other environmentally-induced cancers; the action of RB in modifying response to therapy; and, p16ink4a and Cyclin D1 aberrations in human cancer. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Immediate Past Chair Professor and Director, Division of Population Science Kimmel Cancer Center Thomas Jefferson University Dr. Ronald E. Myers received a D.S.W. in Social Welfare Policy in 1983 and a Ph.D. in Medical Sociology in 1989 from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In addition, Dr. Myers completed postdoctoral training in Behavioral Epidemiology at Fox Chase Cancer Center from 1983 to 1985. Dr. Myers conducted cancer prevention and control research in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia from 1985 to 1994. In 1994, Dr. Myers joined the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia as the Associate Director for Population Science. In 2001, Dr. Myers was appointed Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Genetic and Preventive Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He currently serves as Professor and Director of Population Science, Department of Medical Oncology, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Dr. Myers served as Chair of the Board of Directors, of the Pennsylvania Cancer Control Consortium. Dr. Myers has conducted cancer prevention and control research for two decades. He has been principal investigator on 20 peer-reviewed research grants and has numerous publications in the field. His areas of expertise include patient adherence to cancer screening, physician follow-up of abnormal cancer screening test results, informed decision making in cancer susceptibility testing and in cancer clinical trials participation. Dr. Myers led a special populations project funded by the NCI Center for Reducing Cancer Health Disparities, a CDC-funded project on informed decision making about prostate cancer screening, and an NCI-funded study of targeted and tailored patient interventions designed to increase CRC screening in primary care practices. Currently, he is leading an NCI-funded study to assess the impact of gene-environment risk assessment on CRC screening, and an NCI-funded study of tailored navigation in CRC screening. Dr. Myers has also initiated research on informed decision making about adjuvant therapy among periampullary cancer patients. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Director, Government Relations American Cancer Society, PA Division Diane Phillips has been the Director of Government Relations for the American Cancer Society, Pennsylvania Division in Hershey, since March 2000. In this capacity she works with volunteers, staff, coalitions and public officials to promote local, state and federal policies that address cancer prevention, early detection, research and treatment. Most recently she coordinated Society efforts that resulted in the passage of Pennsylvania’s Clean Indoor Air Act of 2008. In addition, Ms. Phillips is the Division’s liaison to the American Cancer Society’s international program. Since 2005, she has facilitated the Pennsylvania Division in hosting international fellows from Brazil, Panama and the Dominican Republic. In March 2008 she traveled to the Dominican Republic on a site visit with the Dominican Cancer League. The Society and the Dominican Cancer league are working cooperatively on providing breast and cervical cancer screening services to low-income women in the Dominican capitol, Santo Domingo. The Pennsylvania Division is also working with a similar program in Panama. Prior to joining the staff of the Society, Ms. Phillips worked for 10 years in legislative advocacy and community programs with the American Heart Association, Pennsylvania Delaware Affiliate. She has also served as the Executive Director for the Association for Retarded Citizens (the arc) in York County and has a statewide community specialist for the arc’s Pennsylvania office. While working for the arc in York she was responsible for local fundraising, program development, communications and advocacy. Ms. Phillips has served as a regional health planner for a healthy systems agency in south central Pennsylvania. Ms. Phillips holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from The American University in Washington DC and has completed graduate course work in public administration at the Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg. She is also continuing to complete college coursework in Spanish. Ms. Phillips lives in Dillsburg, York County. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Chief Quality Officer and Oncology Service Line Director Center for Surgical Oncology Geisinger Health System Dr. T.S. Ravikumar joined Geisinger Health System in January 2009. He serves as Co-leader of Cancer Services for the system. His additional roles include Chief Quality Officer for Surgery / Interventional Procedures and Director of a Center for Surgical Innovation. He comes from New York where he was Surgeon-in-Chief and Senior Vice President for Surgical Services for North Shore - LIJ Health System since 2005. He is emeritus John D. Mountain-endowed chair of surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY. His prior appointments include: Assistant and later Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School 1986-89; Associate Professor and Chief of Surgical Oncology, Yale University School of Medicine 1990-93; Professor of Surgery, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Chief of Surgery at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey 1993-98; and Surgeon-in-Chief, Montefiore Medical Center, New York, 1998-2005. An active clinical surgeon, he is recognized internationally for his work in colorectal cancer and liver metastasis. His expertise includes minimally invasive, colorectal, pancreatic, hepatic and oncologic surgery. He focuses on translational research in the following areas: novel strategies for regional treatment of liver tumors, minimally invasive surgery to treat and palliate oncologic patients and in-hospital surgical patient safety. He has over 200 peer reviewed publications, abstracts and book chapters. He has been an invited speaker for multiple national and international organizations. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the top doctors/best doctors listings. He is a member of several surgical and oncologic societies, including the Society of University Surgeons and the American Surgical Association. The New York Daily News named him “21 New Yorkers to Watch in the 21st Century” in its 2000 millennium edition. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Scientific Affairs Liaison Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC James Ray is a Scientific Affairs Liaison in Analgesia for Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC. He completed his Doctor of Pharmacy training at the University of Nebraska. He then went on to complete a General Hospital Residency in Pharmacy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Ray practiced as a clinical pharmacist at Hamot Medical Center in Erie, PA for twenty years. At this site he developed an inpatient pharmacy-managed pain consult service. Working with Dr. Geoffrey Dunn, Dr. Ray established the Palliative Care Consult Service at Hamot and served as the coordinator of the service. Currently Dr. Ray is the co-chair of the Pain and Palliative Care Task Force with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacist and past-chair of the Pain and Palliative Care PRN within the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. He also serves as the Chair of the steering committee of the Pennsylvania Cancer Pain Initiative and serves on the advisory council of the American Alliance of Cancer Pain Initiatives. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Professor of Pathology & Medicine Penn State Cancer Institute Witold Rybka trained in Bone Marrow Transplantation from 1977-179. From 1979-1991, he established and directed the McGill University Bone Marrow Transplantation Program. His experience covers autologous and allogeneic marrow transplantation for both benign and malignant disorders. Form 1991-1996, he was Medical Director of the Adult Marrow Transplantation Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Since 1996, Dr. Rybka has established and directed the Marrow Transplantation Program at the Pennsylvania State University. His current interests are the use of peripheral blood stem cells for marrow transplantation as well as post transplantation immune modulation. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Louise C. Showe, PhD Professor, Immunology Program Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program The Wistar Institute Dr. Louise Showe received a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and did her post-doctoral studies at the Biozentrum der Universitat, Basel, Switzerland. She is a Professor and member of the Immunology and Molecular Oncogenesis programs at The Wistar Institute, and Wistar Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the Associate Director for Genomics of the newly established Wistar Institute’s Center for Systems and Computational Biology, a member of the Executive Committee for the Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance and past co-chair for research for the PA Cancer Control Consortium. She was the lead investigator on the Wistar programs for the initial phase of caBIG. Her present research interests have focused on using functional genomics approaches to understanding disease processes with an emphasis on the immune system and cancer. Dr. Showe was awarded one of the first 10 NCI Directors Challenge grants to develop new molecular criteria for the classification of cancers. She established the first functioning Genomics Core in the greater Philadelphia area and has served as its Scientific Director since 1999. The Core presently encompasses the Illumina Bead arrays systems, ABI capillary sequencing, high through-put Q-PCR and a Solexa GAII for deep sequencing applications. Her laboratory has actively contributed to the development of bioinformatics at Wistar, focusing on microarray analysis and the development of algorithms for the identification of new miRNAs and miRNA targets. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Chair, Board of Directors Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition Colonel (ret.) James E. Williams, Jr., USA, M.S., SPHR is a prostate cancer survivor diagnosed in 1991 and has been active as an advocate for 15 years. He is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). After retiring from the Army, Col Williams worked as a Human Resources Director for 15 years. He is presently the principal of Jim Williams and Associates, a management consulting firm specializing in prostate cancer awareness, education, and advocacy. Col. Williams participates in many organizations. He is Chairman, Board of Directors, Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition; Chair-Elect, Intercultural Cancer Council; member, Cancer Genetics Network; member, National Cancer Institute (NCI); member, Director’s Consumer Liaison Group (NCI); member, Governor’s (PA) Cancer Control, Prevention and Research Advisory Board. He also serves in a variety of other positions, such as Vice President, Intercultural Cancer Council Caucus; member, Board of Directors, Dauphin County (PA) State Health Improvement Plan; member, Board of Directors, Alliance for Prostate Cancer Prevention; member, Board of Directors, Pennsylvania Cancer Control Consortium; member, Patient Advocacy Committee; member, American College of Surgeons Oncology Group; member, Partnership for Quality Healthcare; member, Editorial Board, CR Magazine; member, American Association for Cancer Research; and member, Clinical Trials Advisory Committee, NCI. Recent honors include an NIII Certificate of Appreciation for his work as a member of the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Certificate of Commendation for his bold leadership in developing a Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan to reduce the burden of cancer for all citizens and a Certificate of Appreciation from the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs for his work on the National Prostate Cancer Project. Col. Williams is second author of a paper on survivorship, which appeared in a supplement to Cancer in October 1998. Col. Williams has appeared on NBC’s Weekend Today program and was featured in Good Housekeeping magazine speaking on the topic of prostate cancer treatment and prevention. Col. Williams holds bachelors and masters degrees in secondary education and administration. He is married to the former Lois C. Collins of Ardmore, PA. Lois and Col. Williams are the proud parents of three children and a granddaughter. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
Board Advisors (non-voting) Leslie A. Best Representative of the Secretary Pennsylvania Department of Health If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
State Chair, American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Lehigh Valley Hospital * Board Advisor, representing the American College of Surgeons, Commission on Cancer Aaron D. Bleznak, MD, FACS is a general and oncologic surgeon practicing in Allentown, PA. He was born in Chateauroux, France, and grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA. His education includes a B.A. in English/Biology from Franklin and Marshall College and a M.D. from Jefferson Medical College. Postgraduate training was at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine from 1983-1988, and he has been in surgical practice in Pennsylvania since that time, concentrating on cancer surgery, in particular breast cancer and melanoma. Dr. Bleznak is a Fellow in both the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Oncology. He is a member of the Commission on Cancer and has served two terms as State Chairman for the CoC in Pennsylvania. Additionally, he is President-elect of the Keystone Chapter of the American College of Surgeons and on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Division of the American Cancer Society. He has been involved, as a representative of the Commission on Cancer, in the activities of PAC3 since its inception, currently serving as a member of the Board. Dr. Bleznak, his wife Brenda and their four children are residents of the Lehigh Valley community. If you are having trouble viewing this page, you may need to update your current browser. Upgrade Internet Explorer Browsers Upgrade Mozilla Firefox Browsers
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Additional Info: PAC³ Mission A Brief History Board of Directors Organization Chart PAC³ By-Laws |
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Copyright 2010 (PAC³) Pennsylvania Cancer Control Consortium Contact Information for PAC³ Initiatives and Operations |