NCCS hosted the 23rd Spring Cancer Policy Roundtable (CPR) on April 4, 2023. CPR is a semi-annual meeting convening stakeholders in the cancer community. This year’s Fall CPR featured several engaging sessions:
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor,
Johns Hopkins University
NCCS Board Member
“Science evolves over time. As knowledge grows, the appropriate intervention may change. The practice of medicine must evolve with the science, and we need to be aware of the truths and evolve with it.”
For the opening keynote, Dr. Otis Brawley, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University and NCCS board member, delivered a presentation on the future of quality cancer control, including how we can provide high-quality care to populations that often do not receive it. He called attention to overspending and inefficiencies in the American health care system and cited estimates showing that 40% of care provided in the United States is considered unnecessary or wasteful.
Part of the problem, Dr. Brawley argued, is that we often fail to follow the science and instead gravitate toward using new and expensive interventions rather than simple, inexpensive, and effective ones. He says, “Science evolves over time. As knowledge grows, the appropriate intervention may change. The practice of medicine must evolve with the science, and we need to be aware of the truths and evolve with it.”
Dr. Brawley asserted that some individuals over consume resources which can be harmful to them, while others under consume resources, resulting in disparities. He says that providing access to health care can reduce health disparities. Citing Medicaid expansion as part of the Affordable Care Act as an example, Dr. Brawley explains that Medicaid expansion states experienced a reduction in disparities by race and socioeconomics. However, disparities by state have increased due to the failure of 10 states to expand Medicaid. Now, he says, “you’re better off being a black woman in Massachusetts than a white woman in Mississippi.”
In closing, he calls on all survivors to understand the science and be actively involved in every facet of health care.
Otis Brawley, MD – Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, John Hopkins University
Otis W. Brawley, MD is a globally-recognized expert in cancer prevention and control. He has worked to reduce overscreening of medical conditions, which has revolutionized patient treatment by increasing quality of life and reducing health disparities. Brawley’s research focuses on developing cancer screening strategies and ensuring their effectiveness. He has championed efforts to decrease smoking and implement other lifestyle risk reduction programs, as well as to provide critical support to cancer patients and concentrate cancer control efforts in areas where they could be most effective. Brawley currently leads a broad interdisciplinary research effort on cancer health disparities at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, striving to close racial, economic, and social disparities in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer in the United States and worldwide. He also directs community outreach programs for underserved populations throughout Maryland.
Brawley joined Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in 2019 from the American Cancer Society and Emory University. He also serves as a board member of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS).
Bonny Morris, PhD – Senior Director of Patient Navigation, American Cancer Society
Bonny Morris, PhD is Senior Director for Patient Navigation at the American Cancer Society. She has a clinical background as an oncology registered nurse and as a certified oncology nurse navigator, a Master of Public Health concentrating in epidemiology, and a doctoral degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences. She was previously Chief Executive Officer of the non-profit Take the Fight to Cancer, training and demonstrating the sustainability of utilizing student volunteers to support nonclinical navigation. Her research has been funded by the National Cancer Institute and focuses on multi-level strategies integrating digital health and patient navigation to optimize cancer care delivery and improve cancer survivorship with the cross-cutting theme of reducing health disparities. Dr. Morris joined the American Cancer Society in October 2022, leading the development of ACS CARES (Community Access to Resources, Education, and Support). This multi-channel approach (app, virtual volunteer support, telephonic staff support, in-person volunteer support) will fill a critical gap in cancer care by providing those affected by cancer with direct, individualized, non-clinical navigation assistance delivering timely information to reduce distress, resources to mitigate barriers to care, and emotional support across the cancer continuum. Dr. Morris is also leading the Navigation Task Team for a new pediatric cancer project, aligned with the U.S. Federal Cancer Moonshot, CC-DIRECT (Childhood Cancer – Data Integration for Research, Education, Care and Trials). This work is conducted through a coalition of organizations, including the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Children’s Oncology Group, the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, the Office of the National Coordinator, and MITRE.
Kashyap Patel, MD – CEO, Carolina Blood and Cancer Care
Kashyap Patel, MD, is the CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates. Dr. Patel is a full time practicing medical oncologist, board certified in Hematology, Oncology, and Internal Medicine. He is immediate past president for the Community Oncology Alliance (COA). He is also chairman of the newly formed Biosimilars committee for the COA. He is a chair elect for the clinical affairs and trustee for the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC). He is also a member of the CPC committee for the ASCO and NCQA. He has been an advisor for the large payers including DHHS (SC), Palmetto GBA. He also serves on an advisory board for Medicaid HMOs. He has a special interest in health care policy and economics and the end-of-life care. He recently joined International Oncology Network as medical director. He has expertise in Value Based Care and has successfully led Oncology Care Model pilots with two payers including with CMMI (new division of CMS).
He also has extensive experience on revenue cycle management in oncology and he co-founded a large RCM company that started with 4 employees and now has over 700 employees. He is a certified trainer for physicians “Education in Palliative and End of life Care” and has been a speaker at several different CME events. He is involved in healthcare economics and is working with major commercial payer on AAPM. He is also contractor medical director for Palmetto GBA (consultant). He is past president of the South Carolina Oncology Society. He has been working directly with cancer patients for the last twenty years. He has served as chairman of several committees in numerous South Carolina hospitals. He has had extensive research experience in the field of oncology and have published and presented articles in journals (nationally and internationally), and has had research merit awards for research in cancer including ASCO merit awards during fellowship. Dr. Patel has extensive legislative experience both at the local and national level. He has testified in state senate as well as has carried out capitol hill briefing on precision medicine.
Between life and death, a book by Dr. Kashyap Patel is a collection of real-life stories of those ordinary human beings who put up extraordinary bravery in the face of certain death.
Robert Winn, MD – Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology, VCU Massey Cancer Center
As director of Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, Robert A. Winn, MD, is leading the nation in establishing a 21st-century model for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the oncology workforce, optimizing cancer health care outcomes for all and spearheading interdisciplinary approaches to cancer disparities research. Just the fourth director of Massey since its 1975 National Cancer Institute designation, Winn oversees a center comprised of nearly 150 scientists and clinical investigators. Leading by example, Winn is nationally recognized for his community engagement efforts in promoting new approaches to building trust among populations previously disenfranchised from healthcare or excluded or abused in research. Most recently, during the pandemic, Winn launched a nationally heralded Facts & Faith Fridays conversation series, an initiative that creates a dialogue between science, community and faith leaders to combat medical mistrust within the African American community. Hosted guests have included Jill Biden, EdD, Anthony Fauci, MD, Ned Sharpless, MD, and Francis Collins, MD, PhD. Winn is also the namesake of the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award Program, a $114 million training and education program in partnership with the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation.
Winn is committed to both community-engaged research and research focused on eliminating health disparities. He is principal investigator on several large multi-institutional initiatives, including a team science award from Stand Up To Cancer, a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded Planning SPORE focused on Lung Cancer Health Equity and an NCI-funded institutional partnership award fostering cancer disparities research and career development collaboration between Massey and Virginia State University, a Historically Black University located in Petersburg, VA – a city that has faced health and education inequities for generations. Winn also manages his own basic and translational research laboratory which has been supported by multiple NIH and Veterans Affairs Merit awards for nearly two decades. Winn’s laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms and novel therapeutic approaches for lung cancer and the confluence between societal and biological factors which may lead to disparities.
Winn’s previous faculty appointments include serving as director of the University of Illinois Cancer Center from 2015-2019 and as associate vice chancellor of health affairs for community-based practice at the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Science System from 2013-2019. Prior to his work in Chicago, Winn spent 13 years at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and School of Medicine in a variety of leadership roles, including associate dean of admissions and vice chair of career development and diversity inclusion.
The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Winn was the inaugural recipient of the 2021 Association of American Cancer Institutes’ (AACI) Cancer Health Equity Award and is AACI’s President Elect. He also serves on the boards of the American Cancer Society and LUNGevity Foundation.
Winn holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MD from the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.
Sharon Rivera Sanchez – Founder, Trials of Color and Saving Pennies 4 A Cure, NCCS CPAT Member and Cancer Survivor
Sharon Rivera Sanchez is a triple-negative breast cancer survivor who turned her fight into a burning desire to empower other breast cancer patients. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a rare form of breast cancer where the tumor does not have any of the three most common receptors that fuel breast cancer growth. This makes TNBC difficult to treat since the tumor can’t be directly targeted. Sharon took part in clinical trial studies with the Pink Lotus Foundation and University of PENN, Abramson Cancer Center to detect recurrences sooner for other breast cancer patients.
Shelley Fuld Nasso, MPP – National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
Shelley Fuld Nasso, MPP has served as Chief Executive Officer of NCCS since October 2013. Prior to joining NCCS, Shelley served in leadership roles at Susan G. Komen, where she leveraged Komen’s grassroots network in Washington, DC, and in state capitals. Under her leadership, Komen successfully secured $80 million in state funding for cancer screening and treatment for uninsured and under-insured women.
Shelley has also served as Director of Community Philanthropy at The Dallas Foundation and held management positions at communications and technology enterprises. She is a graduate of Rice University and holds a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Shelley’s commitment to the work of NCCS is strongly tied to the experiences in the cancer care system of her dear friend, Dr. Brent Whitworth, a beloved physician who was diagnosed with stage IV cancer days before his 42nd birthday and who passed away 19 months later. Through Brent’s experiences, Shelley witnessed the strengths and flaws of the cancer care system and embraces the notion that policy change can make cancer care better for patients and caregivers.
Shelley and her husband Michael live in Maryland and are the parents of three young boys.
Deputy Director, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation
Ellen Lukens, Deputy Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), delivered the afternoon keynote during which she shared the vision and future of CMMI, including next steps with the upcoming Enhancing Oncology Model, future payment models, engagement
with stakeholders, and proposals in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Lowering Prescription Drug
Costs for Americans.
After engaging with stakeholders, including beneficiaries, providers, health plans, and states, CMMI adopted a “refreshed” strategic vision: A health system that achieves equitable outcomes through high-quality, affordable, person-centered care. Ms. Lukens highlighted the drivers of their work that will help CMMI achieve their vision, which included driving accountable care, advancing health equity by ensuring a broad range of providers participate in CMMI’s model tests, supporting innovation among participating providers, addressing affordability for beneficiaries, and partnering with stakeholders to
achieve system transformation.
In response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Americans, Ms. Lukens shared that CMMI proposed three prescription drug models, which supplement the work of the Inflation Reduction Act in addressing drug affordability and access. The models would cap the cost of certain generic drugs used to treat chronic conditions, provide state Medicaid programs access to costly but innovative cell and gene therapies at a lower cost, and allow for payment adjustments to accelerated approval drugs if confirmatory clinical trials that verify effectiveness and benefit have not been completed.
In closing, Ms. Lukens emphasized CMMI’s commitment to incorporating the patient voice and placing patients at the center of their work.
Ellen Lukens – Deputy Director, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation
Ellen Lukens is the Deputy Director of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center). In this role, Ms. Lukens leads policy development at the CMS Innovation Center. Ms. Lukens has deep experience both within and outside the government tackling complex health policy issues. Prior to this role, Ellen served as the Group Director of the Policy and Programs Group (PPG) within the CMS Innovation Center, where she led the team that provides cross-cutting support for Center-wide policy and portfolio management, including related to the Advanced Payment Model (APM) portion of the Medicare and Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). Ms. Lukens also served as the Division Director for Ambulatory Payment models, where she led development of physician-focused specialty care models, including the Oncology Care Model. Prior to joining CMS, Ms. Lukens led the Provider Practice at Avalere Health. In that role, she worked with hospitals, physician groups, and post-acute care providers on many policy and strategy issues, including developing analytic tools to improve provider performance and to evaluate participation in CMMI models. Prior to Avalere, Ms. Lukens held policy roles in hospital associations. Ms. Lukens began her health policy career as Presidential Management Fellow at CMS. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan.
Panel Discussion
Brian Connell
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Lara Strawbridge, MPH
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Shelley Fuld Nasso
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
Lori Reilly, JD – Chief Operating Officer, PhRMA
Lori M. Reilly is chief operating officer at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), providing executive level management, leadership and strategic direction for the organization. In this role, Ms. Reilly oversees PhRMA’s advocacy activities, including its federal, state and international government affairs and alliance development work. Ms. Reilly works across PhRMA to develop and advocate for practical policy solutions that will lower costs for patients.
Ms. Reilly, named by The Hill as a top lobbyist in 2018 and 2019, has a long record of working with members of Congress on a bipartisan basis and collaborating with stakeholders across the health care industry. Ms. Reilly is a frequent presenter on industry-related issues, including testifying before Congress on multiple occasions.
Ms. Reilly has nearly two decades of experience at PhRMA; prior to her current role, Ms. Reilly was the executive vice president of policy, research and membership at PhRMA, leading the development and implementation of legislative, regulatory and political strategies to advance policies that encourage patient access and medical innovation. She has also served as counsel at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Commerce and was Counsel to a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Ms. Reilly received a B.A. in political science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she graduated with honors, and a JD from the University of Nebraska College of Law. She currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and their four children.
Brian Connell – Executive Director, Federal Affairs, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Brian Connell is the Executive Director of Federal Affairs for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Over his 15-year career in Washington, Brian has secured legislative and regulatory changes that have expanded patient access to health care and made that care safer, more effective, and more sustainable. At LLS, Brian leads a team of federal lobbyists and policy professionals who advocate for meaningful reforms in federal policies, across Congress, the administration, and the courts.
Brian started his career in DC serving as a health care policy advisor in Congress, leading health issues for a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the debate leading to, and passage of, the Affordable Care Act. Immediately prior to joining LLS, Brian led U.S. lobbying and FDA policy efforts for the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance, a trade association for the manufacturers of medical imaging and radiation therapy technologies. In that role, Brian served as an industry negotiator for MDUFA III, an FDA user fee agreement. Brian lives in Northeast DC with his wife and two daughters.
Lara Strawbridge, MPH – Deputy Director for Policy, Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Lara Strawbridge is the Deputy Director for Policy in the newly formed Medicare Drug Rebate and Negotiations Group in the Center for Medicare. In this role, Ms. Strawbridge helps to lead the policy development and implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Inflation Rebate Program and the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, as created by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Previously Ms. Strawbridge was Director of the Division of Ambulatory Payment Models in the Patient Care Models Group in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), where she led CMS’s efforts on Part B drug models as well as physician specialty models, such as the Oncology Care Model, Enhancing Oncology Model, and Radiation Oncology Model. Prior to taking on the Division Director role, Ms. Strawbridge led the Oncology Care Model and also previously worked in CMMI’s Research and Rapid-Cycle Evaluation Group. Ms. Strawbridge began her career in health policy and research at the Institute of Medicine and previously was a teacher in Hertfordshire, England, and Washington, DC. Ms. Strawbridge earned her MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Tricia Neuman, ScD – Senior Vice President, Executive Director for Program on Medicare Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation
As senior vice president of KFF and Executive Director of KFF’s Program on Medicare Policy, Tricia Neuman oversees KFF’s policy analysis and research pertaining to Medicare, and health coverage and care for aging Americans and people with disabilities. A widely cited Medicare policy expert, Dr. Neuman focuses on topics such as the health and economic security of older adults, the role of Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare and out-of-pocket spending trends, prescription drug costs, payment and delivery system reforms, and policy options to strengthen Medicare for the future. She has authored numerous papers pertaining to Medicare, has been invited several times to present expert testimony before Congressional committees, and has appeared and been quoted as an independent expert by major, national media outlets. Before joining KFF in 1995, Dr. Neuman served on the professional staff of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health in the U.S. House of Representatives and on the staff of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging working on health and long-term care issues. Dr. Neuman received a Doctorate of Science degree in health policy and management and a Masters of Science degree in health finance and management from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University.
Shelley Fuld Nasso, MPP – National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
Shelley Fuld Nasso, MPP has served as Chief Executive Officer of NCCS since October 2013. Prior to joining NCCS, Shelley served in leadership roles at Susan G. Komen, where she leveraged Komen’s grassroots network in Washington, DC, and in state capitals. Under her leadership, Komen successfully secured $80 million in state funding for cancer screening and treatment for uninsured and under-insured women.
Shelley has also served as Director of Community Philanthropy at The Dallas Foundation and held management positions at communications and technology enterprises. She is a graduate of Rice University and holds a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Shelley’s commitment to the work of NCCS is strongly tied to the experiences in the cancer care system of her dear friend, Dr. Brent Whitworth, a beloved physician who was diagnosed with stage IV cancer days before his 42nd birthday and who passed away 19 months later. Through Brent’s experiences, Shelley witnessed the strengths and flaws of the cancer care system and embraces the notion that policy change can make cancer care better for patients and caregivers.
Shelley and her husband Michael live in Maryland and are the parents of three young boys.
Panel Discussion
Gautam Mehta, MD
US Food and Drug Administration
William Flood, MD
Optum Health Solutions
Shelley Fuld Nasso
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
William Flood, MD – Senior Medical Director for Oncology, Optum Health Solutions
William Flood, MD is the Senior Medical Director for the Cancer and Specialty Guidance Program with Optum Health Solutions; this program assures quality of the chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and specialty medicine care for over 30 million insured lives. He is a two-time graduate of Penn State (BS, MS) and the Temple University School of Medicine (MD). He completed his postgraduate training at the Duke University Medical Center (internal medicine) and the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center (medical oncology) and served on the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center and the Penn State College of Medicine. He also guided the development of Eviti, a cancer/specialty drug value and decision support platform, from start up to serving over 30 million insureds within NantHealth. He lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife and his daughter away in college, while his son has recently “launched.”
Kelsey Lang, MPP – Principal, Avalere Health
Kelsey Lang joins Avalere as a principal in Health Policy, bringing her extensive experience on coverage, access, and reimbursement, with a particular focus on Medicare and other government programs.
Before joining Avalere, Kelsey served as head of Policy at Novo Nordisk, where she led efforts to expand access to anti-obesity medicines, shape 340B policy strategy, and position the company for the Inflation Reduction Act and other drug pricing policies. Previously, she served as a director of Federal Policy and Government Affairs at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she led development of policy positions on a range of topics and engaged with trade associations, patient advocates, and policymakers. She was a deputy vice president at PhRMA and spearheaded its work on Medicare Part B and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, and she held policy roles at the American Academy of Ophthalmology and URAC.
Kelsey holds an MPP in health policy from Georgetown University and a BA in women’s studies from The George Washington University.
Gautam Mehta, MD – Oncology Center of Excellence, U.S. Food & Drug Administration
Gautam Mehta is an acting cross-disciplinary team leader in the Division of Oncology 2 at FDA and the lead for the Oncology Center of Excellence’s Project Confirm. Prior to joining FDA he was a member of the Neurosurgery faculty and Chair of the Research Committee at the House Ear Institute. He has published over 80 scientific papers and book chapters related to neuro-oncology and currently serves as the Scientific Liaison for Adult Neuro-Oncology at FDA’s Oncology Center for Excellence. He is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Neuro-Oncology, Chair of the Endolymphatic Sac Tumors/Audiologic Screening Guidelines Subcommittee for the VHL Alliance, and a member of the Executive Committee for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurosurgeons Section on Tumors. At FDA, he developed and leads Project Confirm, an initiative to increase the transparency around the Accelerated Approval program for oncology indications.
Shelley Fuld Nasso, MPP – National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
Shelley Fuld Nasso, MPP has served as Chief Executive Officer of NCCS since October 2013. Prior to joining NCCS, Shelley served in leadership roles at Susan G. Komen, where she leveraged Komen’s grassroots network in Washington, DC, and in state capitals. Under her leadership, Komen successfully secured $80 million in state funding for cancer screening and treatment for uninsured and under-insured women.
Shelley has also served as Director of Community Philanthropy at The Dallas Foundation and held management positions at communications and technology enterprises. She is a graduate of Rice University and holds a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Shelley’s commitment to the work of NCCS is strongly tied to the experiences in the cancer care system of her dear friend, Dr. Brent Whitworth, a beloved physician who was diagnosed with stage IV cancer days before his 42nd birthday and who passed away 19 months later. Through Brent’s experiences, Shelley witnessed the strengths and flaws of the cancer care system and embraces the notion that policy change can make cancer care better for patients and caregivers.
Shelley and her husband Michael live in Maryland and are the parents of three young boys.
Director, Office of Cancer Survivorship,
National Cancer Institute
“Cancer survivor stories are important, not just to other cancer survivors, but to researchers and advocates who are looking to be inspired and informed.”
Dr. Emily Tonorezos, the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship (OCS), delivered the closing keynote where she highlighted the important work of the OCS and the challenges of delivering quality cancer survivorship care. She emphasized the importance of improving survivorship care in the primary care setting since more than two-thirds of the 18.1 million cancer survivors in the US receive their care there. Dr. Tonorezos acknowledged that primary care providers are willing and able to take care of cancer survivors. However, there are challenges that are specific to cancer survivors who are treated in primary care. Some of the challenges primary care physicians encounter include identifying cancer history; accessing updated diagnosis, treatment history, and recommendations; identifying which provider is responsible for different components of care; communicating regularly with oncology providers and across different health systems; treating a growing number of survivors; and being aware of symptoms that may be related to a patient’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.
She also touched on issues experienced by cancer survivors living with metastatic or advanced cancer. As of 2018, more than 600,000 cancer survivors in the United States are living with advanced and metastatic cancer, but they are often excluded from survivorship programs. Just like survivors with early-stage cancer, this population still suffers side effects from treatment and needs management of their comorbidities; however, they are often told that survivorship care is not applicable to them.
Dr. Tonorezos described NCI funding opportunities to address the primary care needs of cancer survivors and the needs of people living with metastatic or advanced cancer. She also discussed their efforts to support the next generation of survivorship researchers. Finally, she shared examples of how OCS interacts with advocates, highlighting meaningful stories from cancer survivors who have engaged with their office, and opportunities for advocates to get involved. Cancer survivor stories, she said, are important, “not just to other cancer survivors, but to researchers and advocates who are looking to be inspired and informed.”
Emily Tonorezos, MD, MPH – Director, Office of Cancer Survivorship, National Cancer Institute
Emily S. Tonorezos, MD, MPH, serves as director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship, part of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). In this position, Dr. Tonorezos leads NCI’s efforts to address the challenges facing cancer survivors and their families — to prevent or mitigate adverse effects and to improve the health and well-being of cancer survivors from the time of diagnosis through the remainder of their lives.
Dr. Tonorezos came to NCI from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Weill Cornell Medical College, both in New York, NY, where she served as director of the Adult Long-Term Follow-Up Program for survivors of childhood and young adult cancers. Her research, which has been funded by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, the American Institute of Cancer Research, and others, focuses on cardiometabolic consequences of cancer therapy, childhood and young adult cancer survivorship, diet and nutrition, and care coordination for this population. She serves as Obesity and Diabetes Mellitus Silo leader for the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines and as co-leader of the International Guideline Harmonization Group for the metabolic syndrome. She also has served on the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee on Childhood Cancer and Disability and on the Cancer Survivorship Committee, the Adolescent and Young Adult Task Force, and the Clinical Guideline Committee for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). In addition, Dr. Tonorezos led a recent international effort to develop recommendations for adult survivors of heritable retinoblastoma.
Dr. Tonorezos earned her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed internal medicine residency and chief residency at Columbia University Medical Center, as well as a general internal medicine fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
(as of 3/29/2023)
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Founder
Northeast Regional Cancer Institute
“Perhaps one of the most impactful collaborations in Dr. Brereton’s extraordinary career remains his early work and long friendship with Ellen Stovall. Through him, and in turn through the thousands of lives he has touched, Ellen’s work continues, and her mission lives on.”
—Karen M. Saunders
President, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute