Lillian's Story - HPV Cancers Alliance

Isabella is a public health professional specializing in patient education, sexual health promotion, and infectious disease. She serves as an Assistant Instructor at the UVM Larner College of Medicine, where she applies her expertise in clinical uro-oncology and health equity research to train future healthcare professionals. In her role as Project Manager at the HPV Cancers Alliance, she oversees all programming, driving initiatives that enhance HPV education, advocacy, and patient support. With a deep commitment to women’s health and public health policy, Isabella is dedicated to advancing equitable healthcare solutions and improving patient outcomes.

Dr. Freeman is a board-certified gynecologist practicing for over 20 years in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and her medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology was completed at St. Luke’s University Health Network in Bethlehem, PA. She is a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

She is a Certified Menopause Practitioner and is a founding member of the St. Luke’s Menopause Group. She has sat on several menopause panels and served on the AMGA Osteoporosis Collaboration. She and the Menopause Group offer a series of patient centered lectures on various topics in Menopause.

She lectures the Family Medicine residents on topics in Gynecology and has twice received the Specialist of the Year teaching award from the St. Luke’s Coventry Family Medicine Program.

Marcie Reeder is currently the HPVCA Operations Director. Her most recent position was as a Director, Global Patient Affairs at Blueprint Medicines where she helped to bring the patient voice into all areas of the company. Her previous positions were Executive Director at the NCCN Foundation and the Cancer Support Community, following many years in oncology advocacy at the American Cancer Society, Fox Chase Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute. She has also served as a long-time adjunct professor in the Public Health Department at East Stroudsburg University.

Heather Entenmann has worked in the vaccine industry for the past 16 years where she combines her public health expertise and passion with business strategy. Two years ago, Heather joined the Sanofi US Vaccine Public Affairs & Patient Advocacy team leading initiatives focused on vaccine advocacy, policy, and public health partnerships. During her career, Heather has led multiple team projects with the goal of improving vaccine confidence, strengthening vaccine policy, and building partnerships that advance vaccine access and awareness.

Heather is excited to join the HPV Alliance Leadership team! When Heather was ten her father was diagnosed with a HPV related cancer and she remembers watching him go through multiple surgeries to recover. Fortunately, Heather’s father survived, but it forever changed his life. She hopes to use her passion for advocacy and public health to increase awareness and advance policy that eliminates HPV related cancers.

Following completion of medical studies at Boston University and Radiation Oncology post-graduate training at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY, Luq joined Annapolis Radiology Associates in Annapolis, Maryland in 2011, where he was Full-Partner with specific interests including Head and Neck Cancers, Stereotactic Techniques, Proton Beam Therapy, trainee education, Global outreach, and Cancer Equity. In 2020 he returned home to the hospital, where he was born, in Silver Spring, Maryland, and helped build a brand-new Radiation Oncology Program at the White Oak Cancer Center, serving as Medical Director for the Center for Advanced Radiation Oncology. As an Affiliate Partner of the Maryland Proton Treatment Center (MPTC), he also has an Adjunct Faculty appointment with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Dad currently serves in leadership roles on 3 ASTRO Subcommittees: 1) International Education, 2) Code Utilization and Application, and 3) Radiation Oncology Institute (ROI) Development. Dr. Dad’s passion is in helping transfer radiation oncology care and technical expertise to underserved communities across the globe; he completed his Executive MBA at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business in May of 2022, with concentrations in Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Strategy. In January 2023, Dr. Dad joined the team at Columbia University as Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, Co-Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center Head and Neck Cancer Program and Radiation Oncology Director of Outreach and Global Engagement.

JULIA DeVILLERS is a bestselling and award-winning author of middle grade and YA fiction and nonfiction books. She recently sold a TV Pilot to CBS (her first adult project). She is a co-producer on the docuseries, “Anxious Nation,” about kids and anxiety. Julia is a recent survivor of anal cancer.

Dr. Said-Al-Naief is currently a senior staff pathologist and director, of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology/H&N diagnostic surgical pathology service, in Tigard Orgon and served as a professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Laboratory at the Department of Integrated Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences at OHSU, School of Dentistry and School of Medicine and most recently served as a Professor & Chair, Department of Pathology and Radiology at OHSU SOD & SOM and as a director of the maxillofacial diagnostic pathology laboratory. He had also served as a Professor of Oral Diagnosis, Radiology, and Pathology @ LLU School of Dentistry & as an Associate Professor at Loma Linda U. School of Medicine, Department of Anatomy & Pathology, Head & Neck Pathology, an Associate Professor & Director of OMF Pathology Lab/ Oral Medicine at the U. of Pacific, in San Francisco CA. He began his medical career with a DDS from Marquette U., in Milwaukee, WI, where he also served as faculty for a few years, then completed two residencies in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology; the first at U. of Illinois at Chicago where he also obtained his M.S degree in Oral Biology at UIC graduate college & the second residency was in Long Island Jewish Medical Center / Albert Einstein Hospital. Dr. Said continued and completed an advanced fellowship in Head and Neck /ENT Pathology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in NY also attended a 2-year externship in General Pathology/Dermatopathology at the U. of Illinois at Chicago and 2 months of additional training at the AFIP in Washington DC. He authored and co-authored numerous articles, manuscripts, abstracts, chapters, and posters on various topics in head and neck pathology and 3 chapters in Maxillofacial / Head and Neck Pathology including the most recent WHO classification of head and neck tumors in 2016. He received several awards in his field and has been also invited to present numerous lectures, seminars, and continuing education courses nationally and internationally. He did and continues to actively participate in a wide range of basic and translational research related to head and neck pathology.

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William Brown, a seasoned healthcare executive and theater aficionado, brings a wealth of experience to the HPV Alliance Board of Directors. A Los Angeles native, William has embraced New York City as home for the past 30 years. As the Founder and CEO of Reimbursify, a pioneering insurance reimbursement platform, he has revolutionized access to healthcare and mental health support for tens of thousands of practitioners and patients. William seamlessly fuses his professional life with his artistic endeavors, serving as President of the ACC Theater in NYC, the nation’s oldest continuously producing theatrical society, founded in 1884. An accomplished actor, director, and producer, his leadership has fortified the theater’s reputation as a cultural landmark.
In joining the HPV Alliance, William will leverage his innovative mindset and commitment to public health, reflecting his passion for blending creativity and practical solutions to address societal health issues.

Christine Parry Schwent is a Senior-Level Project Manager with over 12 years’ experience in Portfolio, Enterprise, and Program Management who is passionate about supporting non-profit and healthcare companies. Always enjoying the journey, Christine’s personal mission as a PM is to collaborate with organizations to create a plan for their success. Like a stage manager, she ensures that the stage is set for all employees of the company to successfully connect with their clients and fulfill their mission!

Christine currently works for Lucet Health, and as a private business consultant for a variety of organizations to provide client focused PMO solutions, and agile operations process improvement strategies in marketing, IT, capital planning, and Human Resources that add value for employees, shareholders, and the clients they serve. Always seeking to satisfy her love for personal growth and improvement she has achieved recognition as a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Project Manager, and Scrum Master and is currently set to complete her MBA July 10, 2023.

Born and raised in Staten Island, NY, Jolene and her family relocated to San Diego, CA in 2010. She graduated from Boston University in 1999 with a BA in Psychology. She is an experienced marketing and communications professional and has worked over 20+ years in hospitality, event management, nonprofits as well as real estate. Outside of work, Jolene enjoys outdoor activities and traveling with her husband and two boys.

Professor and vice chair, translational research, pediatrics,
Professor, microbiology & immunology
Professor, epidemiology and population health
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Attending physician, pediatrics, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore

Dr. Burk grew up in the Washington DC area and is a graduate of the Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, MD. He graduated GWU Medical School while also working with Dr. John Minna in the laboratory of Dr. Marshall Nierenberg. He won local and national research awards for his studies on the genetic control of retroviruses using somatic cell hybridization. He completed a surgical internship and pediatric residency at UCSF and subsequently a fellowship in medical genetics at Johns Hopkins. He is board certified in both pediatrics and medical genetics. Dr. Burk is a tenured professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine with appointments in the departments of Pediatrics; Microbiology and Immunology; Epidemiology & Population Health; and, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health.

He has received many local, national and international awards and honors including the Saul Korey Award in Translational Science & Medicine at Einstein (2013). He has served on the Executive Committee and Board of the International Papillomavirus Society and is a Member and Past Chair of
the Papillomavirus Study Group of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). He is an appointed consultant to the FDA
Medical Devices Advisory Committee and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. In addition, he serves on various NIH review
committees.

He has published over 450 original communications in reviewed journals and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAA).

With nearly three decades of diverse nonprofit leadership and development experience, Michele has worked with various health and education organizations. She has independently raised more than $35 million in revenue, with an additional $100 million collaboratively for small, community-based nonprofits and large NGOs. Currently, Michele is the Director of Development for an educational nonprofit organization based in Virginia. Previously, she held development and executive roles with the American Cancer Society, Cancer Support Community, and National Comprehensive Cancer Network. She has served on numerous boards that help people, pets, and the environment. Michele has also published several fictional short stories in anthologies and magazines.

Shobha S. Krishnan, MD, FAAFP is the founder and president of GIAHC. She is a board-certified family physician and a gynecologist. She has been involved in the areas of primary care and women’s health for over 30 years. She has extensive experience both nationally and internationally in the field of HPV and HPV related diseases.

Dr. Krishnan serves on the Board of Directors at the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA). She is the chair of the Us vs. HPV Prevention Week in the US and member of the Advocacy and Campaign committee at the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS). In addition, she represents GIAHC as one of then founding members of the Cervical Cancer Action for Elimination (CCAE) network among many others. She has served as a member of the STD research-working group at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and as surveillance physician for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

She is the author of the award-winning book, The HPV Vaccine Controversy: Sex, Cancer, God and Politics (Praeger 2008). The book is the recipient of the 2009 Book of the Year Award from the American Journal of Nursing and is the winner of two 2010 International Book Awards. Details of the book and other pertinent information can be found at thehpvbook.com. She has also contributed a chapter in the award-winning book, Cancer Screening in the Developing World (Dartmouth University Press, May 2018) which outlines GIAHC’s experiences with cervical cancer screening and early treatment rural India.

She is the recipient of the 2019 Esther Pohl Lovejoy award presented by The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) for her interest and dedication to the promotion of international relations through improvement in global health.

Krishnan completed her OB/GYN residency in India and a second residency training in Family Medicine at St. Vincent Hospital and Healthcare Center, Indianapolis, USA. She then went into private practice for 10 years in the Indianapolis area before joining Columbia University in New York in 1999- 2011. In December 2015, she received her graduate certification in Non-Profit Leadership and Management from the University of Florida.

Dr. Alessandro Villa, is the President of Oral Medicine Associates, PA and Chief of Oral Medicine, Oral Oncology and Dentistry at the Miami Cancer Institute. Dr. Villa specializes in treating oral mucosal and salivary gland diseases, oral potentially malignant disorders and oral toxicities from cancer therapy. He also serves as a Professor at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University. Prior to joining the Miami Cancer Institute in 2022, Dr. Villa was an Associate Professor of oral medicine and head and neck surgery at University of California San Francisco (UCSF). He also directed the oral medicine residency programs and oral oncology fellowships both at UCSF and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Villa’s research focuses on oral dysplasia, and oral complications from cancer therapy. He works closely with several organizations to reduce the burden of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) related cancers. Dr. Villa has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in medical and dental journals.

Dr. Jane Grover has been the Director of the Council on Advocacy for Access and Prevention of the American Dental Association since 2013. She received both her dental degree and Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan. Previously, she was the Dental Director of an FQHC in Michigan, adjunct faculty of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, and AEGD residency doctor for Lutheran Medical Center. She was awarded the Clinician of the Year award from the Michigan Primary Care Association for advocating for the return of dental Medicaid benefits for adults in Michigan, and she testified before the US Congressional Subcommittee on dental Medicaid benefits for underserved populations. She was awarded the distinguished Alumni of the Year award by the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 2014.

Dan Lifton is CEO of Quality of Life Labs, a research-driven health nutrition company recognized by three prestigious Nutracon awards for “Best New Product of the Year.” Previously, Dan served as President of the “Patented and Branded Products” division at Maypro Industries, the leading global supplier of nutritional ingredients.

Dan holds an MBA with honors from Columbia Business School, a BS in Economics cum laude from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service, and a certificate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Dan serves on the board of the Natural and Organic Health Association and regularly mentors start-up entrepreneurs in the health and wellness, green tech and non-profit industries.

“Mama Doctor Jones”

Dr. Danielle Jones is a board-certified ObGyn from Texas who is currently practicing in Aotearoa/New Zealand where she serves as Lead Colposcopist for the entire Southland Region. In addition to her busy clinical practice, she is known online as Mama Doctor Jones, where she is recognized as the leading voice in pregnancy and gynecology education with over 3 million followers across platforms like YouTube and Facebook. She acts as a digital ambassador for the American College of ObGyn, serves as a medical advisor to several start-ups in health technology spaces, and is often cited as an expert by major media outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, and BBC World News. She is passionate about patient empowerment and autonomy, the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals in pregnancy and gynecologic care, and advocating for reproductive rights through education. In addition to her busy jobs in clinical medicine and media, she enjoys leading a semi-nomadic life and seeing the world with her husband and four young children.

YouTube 1.2m Subscribers

Facebook 480K Followers

Instagram 310K Followers

Twitter 77.9K Followers

Videos To Watch

What is HPV?

Is the HPV Vaccine Actually Dangerous?

Jeff Wittek HPV Discussion

HPV Vaccination: What Your Doctor Should Be Telling You

Michele Broad is on a global mission to disrupt the women’s health education space by showing women how to be their healthiest self and teaching them how to be their #1 self-care advocate. A certified women’s health and adult nurse practitioner with over 25 years of public and private practice, Michele is the founder of the Well Women Network, an online community dedicated to women’s health providing education, coaching, and membership. She is the host of the Well Women Healthy Lifestyle podcast where she lives her mission– one health conversation at a time.

Michele is a graduate of UCLA school of nursing and received her master’s degree in nursing from CSULB. She holds two nurse practitioners’ licenses from Harbor UCLA nurse practitioner school. She is nationally certified in women’s health through NCC. Michele operated her own private practice for 8-years in Murrieta California.

Danielle is a 20-year veteran of the marketing and public relations industry. She cut her teeth in New York City while working at agencies with a wide variety of national and international clients such as HGTV, CNN, MTV, Discovery Channel, Citi, Johnnie Walker, SVEDKA, Moet & Chandon, and many more. After graduating from agency life, she launched Media Tonic, a marketing and public relations agency serving state agencies and private businesses. She is now the Director of Marketing Strategy and Public Relations for Maypro® Group, a leading global nutraceutical supplier with offices in the U.S. and Asia.

Throughout Alayna’s ten years of international experience in the biotechnology industry, she’s had the privilege of partnering with patient communities to help shape the strategies of pre-clinical and clinical programs to foster patient-focused drug development by bringing in the patient voice. Alayna has therapeutic experience in gynecological oncology, hematological, neuromuscular, and rare disease indications between start-up, mid-size, and large commercial biotechnology companies. The data and reasoning people use to make healthcare decisions has always been a passion and curiosity of hers, which lead Alayna to study Economics, followed by a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Boston University. Alayna is currently the Associate Director of Patient Advocacy at PepGen.

Liora Brosh writes the quarterly HPV Cancers Alliance newsletter and also publishes interviews with medical experts on our website. When Liora was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2018, she was first seen at a cancer center that misinformed her about her treatment options. Because she had difficulty finding accessible but detailed medical information online, she is now committed to making more in-depth medical information available to patients through her series of interviews. Liora believes that medically informed patients are better able to advocate for themselves.

Liora has a Ph.D. in English and teaches Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Literature at New York University; she also teaches some English courses at the University of Connecticut at Stamford. Liora also freelances as a proofreader, editor, and writer.

Steve has more than thirty years of technology and collaboration expertise working with New York City-based luxury brands and is currently Head of Global Digital Asset Management and Collaboration at Ralph Lauren Corporation.

His background includes seven years of volunteer service developing reading education programs in the public school system of Jamaica, West Indies. Steve recently completed chemoradiation treatment for HPV Anal Cancer in October of 2021 and is looking forward to assisting HPV Cancers Alliance empower others with knowledge about the health and lifestyle impact of HPV infection.

Maccy Franze has spent over 20 years in the wellness space working for a global nutraceutical organization focused on delivering safe, innovative, and clinically proven supplement ingredients. During her tenure at Maypro® she has helped launch an international subsidiary, Quality of Life®, managed global tradeshows and corporate events and overseen marketing and communications efforts. Her skills in organization, management, and execution are a tremendous asset to HPV Cancers Alliance and her role as Treasurer. Her passion for human health, is even more so.

As a board-certified ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist and head and neck surgeon, Jacqueline Jones, MD, serves patients of all ages at her offices, located in Brooklyn and on the Upper East Side of New York City. She is a part of Weill Cornell Physicians.

Dr. Jones benefits from a prestigious education at several Ivy League universities. She completed her undergraduate degree at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, before earning her medical degree at Cornell University Medical College in New York, New York. She served her internship in general surgery and her residency in otorhinolaryngology at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Jones went on to complete a rigorous fellowship training in pediatric otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Jones treats a wide range of conditions including strep throat, tonsillitis, sinusitis, sleep apnea, swimmer’s ear, and more. She offers personalized attention and customized treatment plans designed to relieve painful symptoms while healing illness.

In addition to her practice at Park Avenue ENT, Dr. Jones is a member of the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College. She frequently publishes research and lectures on her work at conferences around the country. Dr. Jones is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Surgeons.

Jason Mendelsohn is a survivor of stage IV HPV-related tonsil cancer. He launched SupermanHPV.com back in 2017 to provide inspiration & information for those diagnosed and/or researching HPV, the HPV vaccine & HPV-related cancers. He also serves on the Executive Board for the Head & Neck Cancer Alliance and spoke on Capitol Hill as part of the Congressional Briefing to increase HPV vaccination rates. His cancer story has been shared in over 100 countries.

Outside of cancer advocacy work, Jason is President of his family business, www.AsharGroup.com, where they appraise and monetize life insurance policies, representing policy owners. He has been married 25 years and has boy/girls twins that are 20 years old and a 14-year-old son. His goal is to have his cancer story shared on all seven continents, to save hundreds of thousands of lives of boys and girls worldwide, protecting them from HPV-preventable cancers.

Dr. Nathalie Dauphin McKenzie is an award-winning, board-certified gynecologic oncologist with tremendous expertise and experience providing advanced surgical treatments including laparoscopic and robotic-assisted procedures for women with all types of gynecologic cancers. A cancer survivor herself, she provides compassionate, holistic, integrative, and state-of-the-art medical care. She is especially known for her expertise in radical debulking surgeries to remove advanced tumors and has a passion for cancer research.

Dr. McKenzie, who speaks four languages fluently, earned her medical degree with research honors in New York; completed residency and fellowship at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital & Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. She also earned her Master of Science in Public Health and Epidemiology with honors while completing her fellowship training after which she was inducted into the Honor Society of graduate and professional schools. She has received numerous awards and has been voted by medical staff as best physician colleague. Her innovative research initiatives during the early part of her career resulted in research funding awards and recognition. Most recently Dr. McKenzie was selected as one of 16 oncologists from all over the united states and the world to undergo extensive leadership training with the premier oncology society, ASCO. As a graduate of this leadership development program, she sits on national committees that monitor and provide guidance to oncology practices throughout the country.

With a passion for teaching, she serves as the current Program Director of Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship and has affiliate faculty appointments with the FSU and UCF Colleges of Medicine through which she regularly mentors students and residents.

In addition to teaching and research, Dr. McKenzie also sits on numerous boards for charity organizations, goes on surgical missions to impoverished areas internationally, and frequently lectures nationally and internationally.

Since immigrating to the United States from Romania at 21, Ioana Engstrom has built her career on entrepreneurship, service, and building long-term trusting relationships no matter the industry in the global marketplace. Ms. Engstrom’s accomplishments range from taking one company from startup to successful global sales to turning around a video technology company focused on the Opera industry to successfully managing distributors in five continents for a water disinfection technology company including securing the largest sale in the company history to Coca Cola. Since retiring, Ms. Engstrom has been consulting in international market development for industries as diverse as wine distribution and non-toxic disinfection technology.

Ms. Engstrom has served on numerous service boards including the White House Conference on Small Business, the New Futures Foundation, and the Technology Industry Association, and the Board of FUSION Theater. She has a B.A. in Political Science/Asian Studies Magna Cum Laude and MBA Marketing/International Management from the University of New Mexico.

Dr. Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at UTHealth McGovern Medical School and Director of the Women’s Health Integrative Medicine Research Program. She also is an oncology clinical pharmacy specialist at the UTHealth-Memorial Hermann Cancer Center. She received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy from Union University Albany College of Pharmacy. She completed residency in Pharmacy Practice and Oncology Pharmacy Practice at National Institutes of Health (NIH) followed by a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology at UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC).

Previously she was a Faculty member in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology at UTMDACC. Dr. Smith is an active member of many pharmacy professional organizations. She has been Board Certified in Oncology Pharmacy and Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality. Her research mission is to advance the progress of the safe and effective use of nutritional and herbal supplements with pharmacologic modalities as it relates to women’s health and cancer through innovative thinking, systematic methodology and collaborative interactions throughout the UTHealth System and global research community.

Shannon M. Christy, PhD, is an Assistant Member in the Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior at Moffitt Cancer Center and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology. In addition, she is a Member of the Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer at Moffitt Cancer Center. She also holds a courtesy appointment of Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncologic Sciences at University of South Florida in the Morsani College of Medicine.

Dr. Christy completed a BA in Psychology, an MA in Counseling, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology. In addition, Dr. Christy completed National Cancer Institute-funded predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships in Behavioral Oncology.

Dr. Christy’s research aims to improve public health and reduce cancer disparities by promoting cancer preventive and early detection behaviors including human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical cancer screening, among others. Much of her work is conducted with multidisciplinary collaborators and utilizes community-based participatory research approaches. Her program of research includes examining the associations between psychosocial factors, health beliefs, affect, social determinants of health, patient-provider communication, and engagement in cancer preventive and early detection behaviors as well as designing and evaluating the efficacy of low literacy educational interventions aimed at promoting cancer preventive and early detection behaviors.

Dr. Levent is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and Medical Director of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases at AdventHealth in Children in Orlando, Florida. She received her medical degree at Cukurova University in Adana, Turkey. She completed a Pediatric Residency at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, TX followed by a Pediatric Infectious Diseases fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.

She is board certified in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases. She is a member of multiple professional societies including American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and Society of Hospital Epidemiology of America. She has been running the Antibiotic Stewardship Committee and a member of the Infection Control Committee at AdventHealth for Children. She enjoys being able to diagnose, treat and prevent infections while exploring the wide variety of opportunities to improve health locally and globally. In addition to patient care and administrative duties, she has been involved in clinical research, quality improvement projects and teaching of medical students, residents, and fellows.

After graduating with a degree in Law, Rebecca chose to pursue a career healthcare, completing a BSc (hons) in Radiotherapy at The University of Liverpool in 2019. Currently Rebecca is studying for a MSc in Enhanced Radiotherapy and Oncology whilst working as a radiation therapist at the Rosemere Cancer Centre, Royal Preston Hospital part of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHTR) NHS, UK.

Rebecca’s interest in HPV and its relationship with cancer began whilst undertaking research for her BSc dissertation. The study was driven by her observations in clinical practice, both in the UK and Canada after completing an elective trip to the London Regional Cancer Program, London Health Science Centre (LHSC), Ontario. Rebecca’s experience highlighted the potential impact of a HPV diagnosis on an individual and their partner, and the variations in support and information available to facilitate open discussion on the topic.

Working with the British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists (BAHNO), Rebecca’s aim was to investigate whether UK healthcare professionals were equipped to provide information and support on HPV to patients diagnosed with cancer of the head and neck. This work has been published in the Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice and has led to opportunities working with experts in HPV related head and neck cancers from the Liverpool Head and Neck Centre. Based on the study findings, Rebecca has also led a project in conjunction with the multidisciplinary head and neck oncology team at LTHTR to implement an education package for healthcare professionals to support their understanding of high risk HPV and its connection to head and neck cancer.

Rebecca is passionate about removing the stigma often associated with HPV, and globally raising awareness by promoting the education of both health professionals and the public around the topic.

Ashley Burton Arkema is a Nurse Practitioner in The Female Sexual Medicine and Women’s Health Program (FSMWHP) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). This program provides individual interventions to female cancer patients, women at risk of cancer, and survivors coping with the physical and emotional challenges of cancer treatment. In her current role, she provides care to women experiencing sexual health concerns, including vaginal dryness and pain secondary to their cancer treatment.

Prior to joining MSKCC, she worked in family planning with adolescent girls and a gynecology private practice caring for women across the lifespan. Her academic training includes completing a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health at Purdue University, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at The University of Miami, and a Master of Science in Nursing at Columbia University. She is also a member of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health and received additional training from the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH). Her career goal is to empower female patients and survivors with strategies to improve their quality of life, and she is actively involved in women’s health research, as well as lecturing on this topic with patients and clinicians both within and outside of MSKCC.

Dr. Halperin is a Board-Certified Dermatologist and Dermatologic surgeon. He is recognized by New York Magazine and Castle Connolly’s Top Doctors as one of New York’s premier Medical and Cosmetic Dermatologists. He helps educate the Cornell Medical students and Dermatology Residents as Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at The New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College and Hospital for Special Surgery. He is Past President and on the Board of Governors of the Dermatologic Society of Greater New York. He is Treasurer of the Manhattan Metropolitan Dermatologic Society, a member of the American Academy of Dermatology‘s Professionalism and Ethics Committee and a member of the Physician’s Scientific Society.

Peter graduated Summa Cum Laude from Brandeis University, attended NYU Medical School, and completed his Dermatology Residency training at Weill Cornell New York Hospital, where he was Chief Resident. He volunteers his time at the pediatric clinic at Cornell NY Hospital.

Peter wholeheartedly believes in the goals of the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance (HNCA) and is committed to help the organization foster and promote awareness, early detection and treatment of oral, anogenital, and Head and Neck cancers.

Dr. Anne Lin is an Associate Professor of Surgery at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is a practicing colorectal surgeon and also serves as the Director of Quality for the Division of General Surgery and the Medical Director of Telehealth Programs for UCLA Health.

Dr. Lin works closely with her patients and their families to provide patient-centered and individualized care. She is the recipient of several awards for clinical excellence including “Top Doctor” by Castle Connolly and Super Doctors. Her clinical interests and expertise include colorectal and anal cancer, minimally invasive colorectal surgery (laparoscopic and robotic), inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s & ulcerative colitis), HPV, and anorectal disorders.

Dr. Lin’s research interests include remote monitoring and innovative technology to improve patient engagement and quality of life, and quality improvement efforts to reduce disparities in adoption of telehealth, surgical site infections and length of stay.

Dr. Lin was recruited to join the UCLA Department of Surgery in 2011. She obtained a Master of Public Health degree from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Dr. Lin attended medical school at Tufts University in Boston and general surgery residency at Brown University. She completed a colorectal research fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, followed by a colorectal clinical fellowship at Cleveland Clinic Florida. She was an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis from 2007 to 2011 and served as the director of the Inherited Colorectal Cancer Registry. She is a member of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and is actively involved with the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

Anna R. Giuliano, PhD, is the founding director of the Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer (CIIRC) at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. She received her doctorate from Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, continuing her studies at the New England Epidemiology Institute in Boston and at the University of Arizona in Tucson as a National Cancer Prevention and Etiology Fellow. From 1993 to 1998 she was the recipient of an NIH National Cancer Institute Preventive Oncology Career Development Award.

Dr Giuliano’s career had its inception in the relationship between human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and cervical cancer in women, and has evolved over the past 30 years to encompass HPV and penile, anal, and oral cancers in men, as well as other infectious diseases and their causal relationships with various cancers. Her work has contributed significantly to our understanding of the rate at which HPV infections are acquired and cleared, the proportion that progress to disease, and also to HPV vaccine protection against multiple diseases in women and men.

An expert in the field of cancer research with a longstanding and successful record of National Institutes of Health funding since 1990, she has been actively involved in cancer epidemiology and prevention studies conducted among diverse populations in the United States and abroad. In the course of those endeavors, Dr Giuliano was a contributor to the 1999 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report titled The Unequal Burden of Cancer and the 2005 International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) report that concluded for the first time that HPV is a cause of multiple cancers in women and men. Dr. Giuliano has been honored to receive two important awards from the American Cancer Society (ACS).

In 2013, at the ACS 100th anniversary, she was the recipient of the ACS Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Award. In 2018, she was selected for the ACS Clinical Research Professor Award for “Prevention of Infection-Related Cancers.” In 2019, Dr. Giuliano received the American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) Fraumeni Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr Giuliano has authored >400 peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Blank, MD, is the Director of Gynecologic Oncology for the Mount Sinai Health System, a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director of Oncology Programs for the Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute and the Director of Women’s Health at the Blavatnik Family – Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai. Dr. Blank, who specializes in the treatment of patients with ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers, and the care of women at increased genetic risk for gynecologic cancer, joined the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2017. Previously, she spent 16 years at the NYU Langone Medical Center, where she rose from Assistant to Associate to Full Professor, built a busy clinical practice, launched and ran the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program, developed a cancer risk assessment program for underserved women at Bellevue Hospital, and directed the Gynecologic Oncology Research Program.

Dr. Blank’s research focus is on genetic predisposition to cancer, novel therapeutics and translational research, survivorship, quality of life, and fertility preservation. She serves on the Ovarian Committee of the national cooperative group NRG and has been a principal investigator for investigator-initiated as well as industry-sponsored and cooperative group trials. Dr. Blank is broadly published in peer-reviewed journals and text books and frequently presents at industry seminars and conferences on women’s gynecologic oncology issues. She is the recipient of many honors and awards, including Castle Connolly Top Doctors, Super Doctors, and the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology Teaching Award, among others.

Dr. Blank serves on numerous boards and committees and is actively involved with many professional organizations, including the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, NRG Oncology, Foundation for Women’s Cancer, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She is a Member of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s Gynecologic Oncology Division, through which she helps set the standards by which gynecologic oncologists are accredited. Additionally, she is a member of the Board of Directors of SHARE and the Medical Advisory Board of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.

Dr. Blank received her undergraduate degree from Yale University, majoring in English and Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and her medical degree from the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center and a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. She is a 2020 fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program.

Dr. Araujo is Chief Executive Officer of the ADA Science & Research Institute and the ADA Foundation, in addition to providing direct scientific advice to the ADA Board of Trustees and the ADA Chief Science Officer.

Dr. Araujo leads the scientific and dental research activities and manages the research agenda, including ADA policies and programs pertaining to the Council on Scientific Affairs; Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry; Research and Standards ADA Seal of Acceptance and Scientific Information. He provides administrative and scientific guidance within the Institute and agencies of the ADA to address current and emerging scientific issues that affect public health, patient care, dental practice, and national and international health programs. Dr. Araujo serves as the liaison to ADA Foundation Dr. Anthony Volpe Research Center and is the Scientific Advisor to the FDI Science Committee.

Prior to the ADA, Dr. Araujo held Research & Development senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry, both in dentistry as well as other therapeutic areas, including cardiology, nutrition, women’s health, among others, always aiming innovation in healthcare, dissemination of science and improvement of professional education and with academic research. His clinical work has been published in peer review journals, including JADA, benefitting dental practices across the world through global scientific program implementation.

Dr. Araujo held academic positions both in the United States and in Brazil, where he also practiced dentistry in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Araujo received his Doctor in Dental Surgery and earned a Certificate in Periodontology at Universidade Gama Filho in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He received his Ph.D. in epidemiology and community health, and Master of Sciences, Oral Sciences from State University of New York at Buffalo, where he also completed a two-and-a-half year Fellowship in Periodontology research and teaching.

Dr. Sigel is an Associate Professor in the Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Sigel received his BS, MPH, and MD degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his PhD and internal medicine and infectious diseases training from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Sigel is a clinical researcher and epidemiologist with a primary research interest in clinical factors related to the abnormal biology of anal cancer in patients with HIV. He co-directs the Cancer Core of the Veterans Aging Cohort and is the principal investigator of two NIH funded studies to evaluate cancer screening and cancer treatment in people with HIV. He is a member of the Mount Sinai Anal Cancer Screening Program and has published numerous studies related to the early detection of anal cancer.

Dr. Posner is Professor of Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY (2010). He is Medical Director of the Head and Neck Oncology Program (2010), Associate Director of the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapeutics (2016), and co-Director of the Cancer Clinical Investigation Program (2018) for the Mount Sinai NCI – National Cancer Institute designated Cancer Center. He was also the Medical Director of the Cancer Clinical Trials Office (2010-2015) at Mount Sinai. He graduated from Yale University with a BA in psychology (1971) and Tufts Medical School with an MD (1975). He completed residency in Internal Medicine at Boston City Hospital (1978) and a medical oncology fellowship at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (1981). He was an Instructor in Medical Oncology at DFCI and Harvard (1981-1983). He was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Roger Williams Medical Center, and Brown University (1983-1991); an Assistant (1991) and Associate Professor (1994) of medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. He served as Medical Director of the Head and Neck Oncology Program and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School (1995-2010).

Dr. Posner has published more than 275 peer-reviewed basic laboratory and clinical studies and multiple reviews and abstracts. He has been principal investigator of RO1 grants in immunology and HIV and was Director of the Human Monoclonal Antibody Laboratory at the Roger Williams Medical Center, Brown University (1983-1991), and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School (1991-2010). Dr. Posner has been the principal investigator on numerous therapeutic and laboratory studies of immunotherapy and monoclonal antibodies in pemphigus, HIV, and nasopharynx cancer. He has been principal investigator on Phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials in Head and Neck Cancer and other cancers. He holds multiple patents in human monoclonal antibodies to infectious agents. He has a major interest in the immunobiology and therapeutics of Human Papillomavirus and oropharynx cancer and has served on numerous advisory boards for drug development and Data Safety Monitoring Boards for clinical trials.

Dr. Goodman is Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and serves as the Associate Director of Clinical Research in the Tisch Cancer Institute. She recently moved to Mount Sinai from the University of Colorado and was previously the head of GI Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Goodman obtained her undergraduate and medical degrees from Stanford University. She completed her residency training in Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and earned a Masters in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2006.

Dr. Goodman’s interests include image-guide radiation therapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy, and intensity modulated radiotherapy treatment planning for gastrointestinal cancers with the intent of reducing toxicity and improving results with radiation therapy. She has also focused her research on quality of life and late effects after radiotherapy. In addition to her interest in technical advances in radiation oncology, she is involved in the development of therapeutic protocols combining radiation, chemotherapy, targeted agents, and immunotherapy for gastrointestinal cancers.

Dr. Goodman is an internationally recognized expert in gastrointestinal cancers and has served in numerous leadership roles on multiple national committees. She now serves as the Co-Chair of the NCI’s Gastrointestinal Steering Committee. She serves as the national Radiation Oncology principal investigator of the RTOG/NRG 0848 study, a phase III trial evaluating the use of post-operative radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer and the national study chair for the CALGB/Alliance 80803 trial evaluating PET-directed therapy for esophageal canceresophageal cancer. She has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles, review articles, and chapters.

Dr. Gaisa has a strong interest in HIV infection, sexually transmitted infections, anogenital HPV infection and men’s health. He is an associate professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. He has more than 10 years of experience in conducting high-resolution anoscopies for anal dysplasia screening and cancer prevention. He directs the anal dysplasia program for the Mount Sinai Health System and is part of a prolific clinical research group.

Dr. Goldstone is an active member of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. He attended the State University of NY at Albany, graduated Summa Cum Laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He attended the Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honor society. He completed a surgery residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center and served as Chief Resident for the last two years of his residency.

Dr. Goldstone has spoken at conferences around the world and has done extensive research on human papillomavirus (HPV). His work has been published in many prestigious medical journals. He has developed a surgical technique to treat anal HPV dysplasia and is currently involved in testing both prevention and treatment procedures for HPV. He is a member of the AIDS Malignancy Consortium. Dr. Goldstone is an expert on gay men’s health and authored the best-selling book The Ins and Outs of Gay Sex — A Medical Handbook for Men. He is past-president of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Alumni Board of Governors. He is the immediate past president of the International Anal Neoplasia Society and has a surgical practice in New York City.

Dr. Katz established and serves as the Program Director of Urology Residency Program at NYU Long Island School of Medicine and is an attending physician at Winthrop Urology, a progressive urology practice with offices in Garden City, Long Island and the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Prior to joining Winthrop, he was a Professor of Urology at Columbia University Hospital College of Physicians and Surgeons and was the Director of the Center for Holistic Urology, a Center which he established in 1998 performing basic research and clinical trials to investigate the role of natural therapies within urology.

Dr. Katz is also recognized as an expert in the field of prostate cryosurgery. In the early 1990s, he began using cryosurgery to treat and cure prostate cancers. His pioneer work in advancing the technology helped Medicare approve this therapy for treating radiation-recurrent tumors. Dr. Katz has trained over 100 Urologists internationally to perform cryosurgery in their hospitals. Dr. Katz has published more than 150 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has written five chapters for Urologic textbooks. He is currently the host of “Katz’s Corner”, a men’s health radio program aired every Sunday morning at 7 a.m. on WABC Radio.

Dr. McDougall received his undergraduate degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College. His medical residency was completed at the Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his fellowship in gastroenterology at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Dr. McDougall has received a number of awards: the Leo Davidoff Society Award for excellence in teaching medical students of Albert Einstein College of Medicine; an Excellence in Teaching Award at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Dr. McDougall is a board-certified gastroenterologist. His practice is currently located in Midtown Manhattan where he continues to provide a wide array of gastroenterological services to patients with related disorders and diseases.

He has published extensively in peer review journals, and is an active member in a number of medical societies, including The American Gastroenterological Association, The American College of Gastroenterology, and The New York Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Dr. Romesser earned a combined BA/MD at Boston University. He studied at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Howard-Hughes Medical Institute and National Institutes of Health Research Scholar. He completed residency in Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he was Chief Resident. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a physician scientist with an interest in developing novel radiation sensitizers for gastrointestinal tumors. He is a member of the NRG; (NSABP/RTOG/GOG) Oncology colorectal and non-colorectal committees and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Rectal-Anal Task Force. His work has been published in Nature, Science, Cell, The Lancet, Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biophysics, and Cancer.

Melissa DeFreece has a long career in the nonprofit sector and has been committed to uplifting communities in need. Her passion for creating a better world led her to launch a consulting agency with four of her closest friends called, Kolektif | V. The agency is committed to co-creating equitable change within and through communities.

Her love for helping people and being a voice for others has been the driving force behind her being an innovative leader. Melissa serves as the Development Director for the Greater Delaware Valley chapter with JDRF where she recently led the charge for a virtual gala that raised over $2 million dollars. Prior to JDRF, she worked at Liberty Lutheran building relationships with external stakeholders, working on food insecurity and wellness issues for low income seniors, and became a co-facilitator for trainings that covered core competencies such as communication and listening, emotional intelligence, and diversity for internal stakeholders.

Melisa worked at Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia and built a volunteer program from zero to over 100 volunteers recruited to support the mission of serving food and providing social services to the homeless in Philadelphia. Her experience includes nonprofits from the NPR/PBS station (KERA) in Dallas, One Family, Inc. and she worked at Tufts University in Boston. Over the years, her roles varied from program development, volunteer management to fundraising and development work.

Melissa has lived in the Poconos, Dallas, Boston but her home state of NY where her heart lies. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. In 2017, she received her MBA from Temple University. Melissa lives in Philadelphia but still loves going home to the Bronx. In her spare time, she spends time with her family and friends and loves to travel.

Shazia Ahmad serves as a Senior Director of the Patient & Physician Services team at UBC, a leading provider of pharmaceutical support services. Shazia earned a B.S. in physiology and neurobiology from the University of Maryland and has 20+ years of experience in the healthcare industry. In her role at UBC, Shazia provides oversight and strategy on patient recruitment and retention as well as site feasibility and recruitment for clinical, late stage, safety and risk management programs. Shazia has a passion for ensuring the patient journey and pathway to diagnosis is understood in every program she implements. Shazia is a recognized thought leader and is actively involved with integrating patient advocacy representation in her programs and is also actively involved in presenting with patient advocacy representatives in industry conferences on the importance of working with advocacy groups in the clinical research programs and has chaired sessions at major industry wide meetings, such as the Annual DIA Conference.

Before joining UBC, Shazia served as a study coordinator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). While at the NIH, Shazia coordinated intramural clinical trials across the various institutes, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Her work included direct parent/patient family interaction across various indications, including but not limited to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Shazia also served as a study coordinator for ClinSearch, a private research center where she supported protocols from various sponsors and therapeutic areas.

Shazia is a thought-leader in patient advocacy, with a desire to improve healthcare and integrate successful solutions that bring optimal access and diversity. Shazia is committed to support the organization in the advancement of awareness and education of HPV.

“I am very excited to join the HPV Alliance Board, and thrilled to be a part of this amazing group of leaders in healthcare with the uniform goal to help advance the prevention of HPV-related cancers through education, advocacy, and research.”

For more than a decade, Lauren Dillon-Thomas has been a dynamic advisory professional serving the fundraising efforts of various nonprofits and social impact enterprises. She founded Triad Resource Group to meet the specific organizational needs of emergent organizations seeking to increase funding, operate more philanthropically, and execute with greater clarity and focus. Lauren has extensive and diverse experience sitting on several sides of the “donor table” as fundraiser, consultant, and volunteer board member. These roles equip her with an intimate understanding of the many challenges and nuances involved with donor development. As a collaborative leader, she is committed to ‘getting into the trenches’ with Triad’s clients, working together to do whatever it takes to produce real results that further their mission and drive maximum impact.

The majority of her time with clients is spent in major gift cultivation, relationship management, systems efficiency, and grant writing. Lauren has significant, advanced education in international public administration and has layered this acumen with certificates in fundraising management. Additionally, she’s a Certified Trainer of the StartingUp Now™ curriculum for nonprofit startups, helping them to architect the foundational lumber of their inspired vision.

Andrew Ackerman consults with not for profit organizations in the arts, education, and health and on projects that integrate different disciplines. With 45 years of experience in not for profit management, government policy development and partnering with major corporations, he specializes in refining and connecting mission to long term vision, creative ideas and sustainable human and capital resources. With a broad view of the marketplace and networks, Andy generates ideas and pathways to forge new alliances and pathways in align mission and vision with program, often serving as a comprehensive planner to make strategic planning efficient and affordable.

Previously, Andrew was the Laurie M. Tisch Executive Director of the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) for 29 years. During that time, the Museum more than doubled its attendance and budget; secured funding for influential exhibitions and programs; implemented city, state and nationwide outreach projects in early childhood health and literacy; and committed to welcome and give voice to diverse communities. Major projects such as the nationally touring exhibition “America to Zanzibar: Muslim Cultures Near and Far,” exhibitions about American Jazz and the cultures of Japan and China and contemporary arts shows all engaged community members in leadership roles. To reach into the community, the Museum installed health and learning “hubs” in 30 homeless shelters and Head Start Centers citywide. Each hub features permanent exhibitory, graphics and initial programs to foster healthy living and early literacy.

In late 2017, Andrew successfully led the Museum’s effort to acquire 361 Central Park West as its new home, securing pledges for almost $50 million. The new site will double the amount of exhibition space and will accommodate more than twice the number of visitors than the current museum location.

Prior to his tenure at CMOM, Andrew was the first full time director of the Arts in Education Program for the New York State Council on the Arts, working in partnership with the State Education Department. He authored new guidelines and oversaw the funding of hundreds of projects each year. From 1977 to 1986, Ackerman was the Associate Director of The Jewish Museum and Director of Education, where he oversaw all educational initiatives, curated exhibitions and administered international projects.

Andrew is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Herbert H. Lehman College and earned a M.A. from the University of Michigan. He has served on the staff of archaeological excavations in Israel, published a book and numerous articles, delivered scores of conference speeches and appeared on national and local television.

Jamie Otis Hehner met her hubby on Season One of the popular reality television series Married at First Sight. After meeting at the alter six years ago, they are still happily married and have two beautiful children, Henley Grace & Hendrix Douglas. Now, they co-host the top podcast, Hot Marriage, Cool Parents and have a YouTube channel with over 50,000 subscribers. Jamie also hosts Married at First Sight: Unfiltered and appears on Married at First Sight: Couples Cam on Lifetime. After being diagnosed with Cervical Dysplasia due to HPV in 2020, she has been a public advocate for frank and open talk around HPV and women’s health. Jamie is also a registered nurse who worked at New York’s Columbia Presbyterian where she specialized in labor and delivery.

Marcia Anne Cross is an American actress. She began her career on daytime soap operas such as The Edge of Night, Another World, and One Life to Live before moving to primetime television with a recurring role on Knots Landing. From 1992 to 1997, she starred as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on Melrose Place. Cross played the role of the conservative housewife Bree Van de Kamp on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives (2004–12), for which she was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She also recurred as President Claire Haas on the ABC series Quantico.
In June 2019, Marcia revealed that she had been battling anal cancer and is now in remission. Since then, she has been talking about her cancer battle to help destigmatize the disease and encourage people to treat it.

Lillian Kreppel is many things: she’s a public speaker, entrepreneur, successful marketing strategist and public relations expert. She’s funny, outgoing, and a lover of life. Most recently, she added new roles to her list: anal cancer thriver, activist, and tireless pioneer advocating for the prevention and treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV). Lillian is a woman with an ironclad mission and vision with the endless energy and dedication to achieve them. Her goal is to inspire others with her personal journey and to empower them with the education and awareness they need to manage their own health.

More information about Lillian:
https://www.survivornet.com/articles/lillian-kreppel-got-cancer-through-hpv-and-she-wants-to-stop-the-vaccine-controversy/
A Survivor Perspective | Lillian Kreppel – YouTube
https://www.patientresource.com/Anal_Survivor_Story3.aspx
https://online.flippingbook.com/view/309257/50/
https://womenforone.com/surviving-and-fighting-cancer/
https://womenforone.com/ending-the-stigma-around-anal-cancer/

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