Tracy Chen brings over 20 years of leadership experience in healthcare, with a focus on diagnostics…
As a transactional attorney with expertise in data privacy, clinical trial strategy and design, and identifying…
Brad Fomon is a real estate development professional based in San Diego. A graduate of the University…
Doug brings over thirty years of experience as an Executive Recruiter in the life sciences, serving…
Michael Gershenson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ridge Real Estate Partners with over 25 years…
Paul manages overall operations, leads all client and partner relationships, and makes major…
Victoria Manax Rutson M.D., is a medical oncologist with specialty interest in global drug…
Michael has been a leader in Healthcare and Biotech for over 30 years, currently serving as CEO at…
Jessica Everett is the Senior Research Strategy Director at the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego…
Jeffrey Gaier is an attorney and Certified Financial Planner® Professional, also family office director. Since 1983, Jeffrey…
Dr. Ilya Gipp has an MD in diagnostic radiology and a PhD in neuroradiology. Currently – Chief Medical…
Subha is a dynamic and results-driven leader with a strong track record of excellence in organizations…
Prior to his retirement, Craig Tendler, M.D. was Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Development…
Traci Pawlowski is a molecular geneticist, diagnostic test developer and scientific manager with…
David is President of DS LifeScience Consulting. He is an industry veteran with over 25 years…
Tom Schoenherr is responsible for the strategic, financial, and operational leadership of the…
Dr. Grenell is the founder and President of Preferred Health Strategies, a health care consulting…
I have dedicated my career to taking care of patients with pancreatic cancer. I strongly believe…
Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of the Muzzi Mirza Pancreatic Cancer Prevention and…
Professor of Medicine, Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mount Sinai West & Mount Sinai…
Dr. Zogopoulos is a physician-scientist whose lab studies the genetics and oncogenomics of…
Dr. Brand is an experienced endosonographer and physician-scientist with an extensive background…
Dr. Sears’ research expertise is in systems biology of cancer and includes cellular signaling pathways that…
Dr. Kupfer is an adult gastroenterologist with clinical and research interests in inherited gastrointestinal…
Giovanni Parmigiani is a statistician whose research investigates statistical principles and…
Dr. Graff has over 25 years of experience in conducting epidemiologic studies of cancer causes…
Join our mailing list for the latest news and events. We assure you that we will not send unnecessary emails.
(914) 263-7968
info@precedefoundation.org
Debbie Brandel
PO Box 207
Red Hook, NY 12571
In March 2020, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I was shocked by what is often viewed to be a devastating diagnosis, but I found myself to be very lucky in several important ways.
First, my friend Debbie Brandel introduced me to Dr. Diane Simeone, who was then at NYU Langone Hospital. Within a few days of my diagnosis, Diane and her team met with me and my wife Elisa to review my case and discuss possible treatment. The depth of their knowledge, coupled with the honest way they spoke to us and approached my case, immediately gave us the confidence and assurance we needed that we were in the best hands possible in dealing with what would be the biggest fight of my life.
Second, because my cancer was discovered relatively early and had not spread, this enabled me to be a candidate for the Whipple operation. Within one week of meeting Dr. Simeone, I began the first of six chemotherapy sessions, followed by a successful operation in July, then six additional chemotherapy sessions. Less than eight months after my original diagnosis, my treatment was done, and I was told that I was cancer free and ready to begin the process of making my way back to health.
Facing a disease where very few of those diagnosed are candidates for surgery, where only 25% of the people diagnosed will survive one year, and only around 10% survive five years, it became clear to me that early detection is critical. When Debbie and Dr. Simeone told me that they were part of an organization that focuses on early detection and whose stated goal is to increase that five-year survival rate to 50%, I decided that I wanted to help in whatever way I could.
I have dedicated my career to taking care of patients with pancreatic cancer. I strongly believe that the path to change outcomes in this disease is through early detection. I am committed to the efforts of Precede Foundation in executing that vision, with an overarching goal of a 50% for pancreatic cancer in the next 10 years.
Tracy Chen brings over 20 years of leadership experience in healthcare, with a focus on diagnostics, patient advocacy, and commercial strategy. She has held executive roles across corporate, start-up, and consulting environments and is deeply committed to advancing equity in healthcare. Tracy is also an active philanthropist, supporting initiatives in cancer research, the arts, and child welfare. She is honored to serve on the board of PRECEDE, helping accelerate progress in early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
As a transactional attorney with expertise in data privacy, clinical trial strategy and design, and identifying and mitigating contractual, regulatory, and ethical risks associated with clinical research, I have dedicated my career to advancing impactful research in oncology. Currently, I serve as Vice President, Legal Affairs, and Head of Data Privacy at TORL BioTherapeutics LLC, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on multiple indications, including pancreatic cancer. Prior to my current role, I spent six years working at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, where I met and worked closely with Diane Simeone on Precision Promise, an innovative platform clinical trial in PDAC.
I have spent almost twenty-five years working in and consulting/advising for contract research organizations, cancer centers, collaborative research groups, and patient-centric organizations with a focus in oncology, in part because I lost my brother to an aggressive cancer during the early stages of my career. It was clear to me then that early detection presented an unmet need in oncology, as there were a lot of questions, but few answers. My journey ultimately led me to the pancreatic cancer community, where I witnessed the dedication of clinicians and scientists in the fight against this devastating disease; their perseverance was inspiring. This is the same community that embraced me when I was diagnosed with multiple brain tumors (meningiomas) in 2022, where the what, the how, and the why remain unanswered, and early detection is not coordinated and/or prioritized. Early detection as an unmet need became personal.
I have been closely following the progress of the PRECEDE Consortium since its inception and am deeply impressed by its collaborative approach to accelerating early detection on a global scale. It would be an honor to contribute my background and expertise to the pancreatic cancer community and PRECEDE’s mission of accelerating new and innovative approaches to the early detection of pancreatic cancer, enabling patients to get the answers and the futures they deserve.
is a real estate development professional based in San Diego. A graduate of the University of San Diego, he has built a career rooted in strategic vision, integrity, and a commitment to community-centered growth.
After the loss of his wife to pancreatic cancer at age 41, Brad became deeply involved with Precede, a nonprofit focused on advancing pancreatic cancer research and early detection. Alongside his son and daughter, he has turned personal tragedy into advocacy, working to raise awareness and support for those affected by the disease.
Brad is also a longtime supporter of Rady Children’s Hospital, where he has spent more than eight years fundraising to help ensure access to vital programs and care for families throughout Southern California.
Whether in his professional life or philanthropic work, Brad leads with compassion, resilience, and an unwavering sense of purpose.
Doug brings over thirty years of experience as an Executive Recruiter in the life sciences, serving pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well as major academic cancer centers across North America. He joined National Search Associates in 1993 and leads the firm’s retained search division. In 2001, Doug’s life was profoundly changed when his father, Michael Frankel, passed away at the age of 57 from a pancreatic tumor that had metastasized to his liver. Doug put his recruiting work on hold to do everything he could to give his father more time. Through his connections in the oncology community and support from several leading physicians in both industry and academia, Michael was able to live another 18 months. This was a pivotal time for Doug, inspiring him to refocus his recruiting practice with a dedicated emphasis on clinical oncology. He plays a prominent role in recruiting oncologists and bridging connections between industry leaders. He attends ASH, ASCO, and AACR annually, and supports industry networking events that provide oncologists with valuable opportunities to engage with top leaders in the field. With Doug’s knowledge of the marketplace and industry trends, he brings a unique perspective to his search process and has built lasting partnerships with leading executives in the field.
Michael Gershenson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ridge Real Estate Partners. Mr. Gershenson has more than 25 years of real estate investment experience across property types including an extensive track record in the multifamily, industrial and life science sectors.
Prior to forming Ridge, Mr. Gershenson was a Global Partner/Managing Director in Carlyle’s US Real Estate group, where he was responsible for all aspects of real estate investments. During Mr. Gershenson’s 20 years at Carlyle he executed over $6 billion in transactions. Previously, Mr. Gershenson was with Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown’s mergers, acquisitions and corporate advisory group in New York where he specialized in real estate transactions.
Mr. Gershenson received a B.S.B.A. from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Steers Center for Global Real Estate at Georgetown University. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the PRECEDE Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection (PRECEDE) Consortium. Mr. Gershenson resides in New York City with his wife and two daughters.
Paul manages overall operations, leads all client and partner relationships, and makes major decisions for Skipper’s direction. He also develops client engagement strategies by prioritizing and delegating tasks among team members. Paul received his PhD in Cancer Biology from the MD Anderson Cancer Center – UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, where he studied exosome biology and their biomarker potential in the laboratory of Dr. Raghu Kalluri.
Victoria Manax Rutson M.D., is a medical oncologist with specialty interest in global drug development, medical affairs, and patient advocacy. Her expertise includes innovative clinical trial designs not only in oncology but in multiple disease areas. Dr. Manax was involved in the development, approval, and launch of the drug Abraxane for multiple indications including pancreatic cancer. She most recently served as the Chief Medical Officer of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. She currently holds a number of various corporate board positions, patents, and chair positions for multiple data, safety, and monitoring boards. Like so many others, cancer became a word all too familiar within my family. From a young age, cancer not only affected the ones I love most but it dictated my career in medicine. I have had the opportunity to serve in so many special positions from caretaker of cherished loved ones, treating patients, to oncology drug development. My path brought me to the pancreatic cancer community, which is so very special, a community that shines in itself. My goal is to ensure other individuals have the option of learning more about pancreatic cancer through knowledge, early detection, and viable treatment options.
Michael has been a leader in Healthcare and Biotech for over 30 years, currently serving as CEO at Exai Bio and is a founder and advisor of Longevity Life Advisors. He has previously served in executive roles at GE Healthcare, Clarient, Biocept and Biological Dynamics as well as other companies. He was a board member for the Clearity Foundation for 8 years and serves on the Industry Relations Committee for the Moores Cancer Center at UCSD.
In March 2020, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but I was fortunate enough to make it through both chemo and the Whipple surgery successfully. Much of that success had to do with brilliant doctors that treated me, but also on the fact that my cancer was discovered in its early stages. I have been cancer free since July 2020.
After the completion of my treatment, my surgeon, Diane Simeone, told me about the PRECEDE Consortium and its fundraising arm, TrovaNow, and how these organizations were dedicated to finding a test for early detection of this insidious disease. The five year survival rate for pancreatic cancer was only 10%, and the goal was to increase the survival rate to 50% within the next ten years. I decided to get involved, and my firm, Pryor Cashman, graciously agreed that we would provide legal services to PRECEDE and TrovaNow on a pro bono basis. When that decision was first made, many of my partners and colleagues pitched in, but the person who stepped up the most was my longtime friend and law partner, Jeffrey Johnson.
When Jeff first got involved with PRECEDE and TrovaNow, there were many contractual and IP issues that needed attention. We also needed to complete deals with companies that needed access to PRECEDE patient samples so that they could test their own early detection tests. Jeff got involved early and often in all of this work, graciously devoting his time and attention to this very worthy cause. In the process, he became a crucial member of the TrovaNow Board of Directors.
Then, in what can only be described as an incredibly unfortunate coincidence, as he was devoting more and more time to the PRECEDE/TrovaNow cause, Jeff was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was relatively early, but not as early in the process as mine, so his chemo treatment and his Whipple were more complicated.
And despite having to deal with his own medical issues, Jeff continued to devote a significant amount of his time to all of the legal issues that still needed resolution, including helping to strengthen the bridge between the doctors that led the Consortium and the volunteers who gave their time to TrovaNow. Everyone loved working with Jeff, not only because he was smart, insightful and creative, but also because he was always upbeat and positive, just an absolute pleasure to be with.
A few months ago, Jeff’s health took a turn for the worse and he needed to undergo more chemo treatments and a number of sessions of radiation. Despite
this, Jeff never stopped helping other people, devoting whatever time and energy he could to help the cause. Unfortunately, in June 2024, Jeff experienced some additional and serious health setbacks. On July 7, 2024, he succumbed to this disease and died peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family. He was only 65.
As we ramp up our fundraising effort for PRECEDE and TrovaNow in the weeks and months ahead, we wish to pay tribute to our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Jeffrey Johnson. And as we mourn his passing, we think about the importance of early testing and how it could have made a difference in his life.
Please give as much as you can to support our organization. Please do it in Jeff’s honor or in honor of any other friend or loved one who faces this horrible disease.
Thank you.
Jamie M. Brickell
President, TrovaNow
Prior to joining the PRECEDE Foundation, I spent my entire career working in the health care industry beginning in the public sector working on health care policy and for many years working on coverage and reimbursement for biotech companies. I am thrilled to have the chance to now work with PRECEDE as a way of giving back. Although I have had no personal experience with pancreatic cancer, both my parents died of other forms of cancer and I have witnessed first-hand the terrible toll and loss that it takes on families. I have also seen the extreme dedication that so many clinicians and scientists that are part of the PRECEDE Consortium bring to bear in helping their patients through this terrible disease. I look forward to the day when pancreatic cancer is routinely detected in its early stages and patients can look forward to receiving treatment that allows them to spend many more tomorrows with their families.
Rich is the President of RJS Associates and Consultants, LLC (RJS), a CFO outsourcing company that he formed in 2001. Rich leads of team of seasoned executives as well as a bookkeeping division, providing consulting services to organizations in need of financial and operational expertise. Rich also serves on the advisory board of a NJ based bank.
RJS has worked with companies in industries such as health care, not for profit, real estate, manufacturing and service businesses. Assignments range from project based to full management oversight. Experience includes, financial and accounting management, budgeting, business planning, revenue cycle management, materials management, cost reduction strategies, IT management, payroll and HR, retirement plans, practice management system review and implementation, policy and procedure development and outcomes management.
Prior to forming RJS, Rich served as the Regional Vice President of Operations for two national management companies where he managed healthcare entities throughout the east coast. In this role, he was responsible for both the financial and operational success of these entities. He also served as CFO/Controller for a startup Physician Practice Management Company, was involved in the formation of this entity and during his tenure raised $25 million in capital and intergraded the operations of 15 healthcare entities. Prior to these roles, Richard earned his CPA designation in New York State working as a public accountant for 2 large CPA firms.
Rich has served on both the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants Healthcare Committee and as an elected Board Member of the New York State Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers. He was also selected by the New York State Department of Health to serve on 2 special task force committees to represent the interest of Ambulatory Surgery Centers to help develop new policies as it related to healthcare practices in the State of New York.
Jessica Everett is the Senior Research Strategy Director at the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego. She is a genetic counselor who has worked specializing in treating patients with pancreatic cancer. Genetic counselors play a vital role in healthcare by providing expert guidance to patients and families. In addition to her work in the clinical setting, Jessica has been working on the development, design and implementation of the PRECEDE Consortium since its inception in 2020. She is a critical part of the ongoing strategic planning, operations and research strategy for the Consortium.
Jeffrey Gaier is an attorney and Certified Financial Planner® Professional, also family office director. Since 1983, Jeff has provided financial services, primarily in the area of estate and wealth management planning for individuals and family offices, while counseling business entities on retirement plan design and executive compensation.
Dr. Ilya Gipp has an MD in diagnostic radiology and a PhD in neuroradiology. Currently – Chief Medical Officer for oncology at GE HealthCare, responsible for company strategy in cancer care; driving partnerships with leading healthcare programs around the world; and advancing health technology in oncology. He also continues to practice diagnostic imaging remotely for the chain of clinics in the Southeast of Europe.
Before joining GE HealthCare, Ilya worked at Philips, and more than 20 years ago, Dr. Gipp worked full-time as a radiologist and later as a chief of one of Europe’s largest radiology department. Besides running various research projects in advanced imaging, he has driven conversion to filmless radiology and has supervised adoption of one the first full-scale PACS systems. Has managed numerous partnerships between the clinic and various industrial companies for co-developing new technologies, medical environment testing and ensuring legal compliance for new products. Dr. Gipp has over 100 publications with over 45 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals primarily related to various areas of diagnostic imaging, management in radiology, oncology, and healthcare informatics.
He resides in Atlanta, GA.
Subha is a dynamic and results-driven leader with a strong track record of excellence in organizations that operate at the nexus of science, technology and business. She has initiated and successfully directed several productive clinical research and development programs at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, MedStar hospital network, FDA, NIH and BioPharma industry. She was co-leader of the FDA’s Center for Excellence in Regulatory Science and worked with the Oncology and Vaccine teams. She was an advisory member to the Biden Foundation’s Cancer Moonshot Program and advised on pre-competitive data sharing initiatives across Pharma, Health Tech companies and research organizations to drive innovation. She has been recognized for her work through several awards including the Service to America award in the Science and Environment category (2005), Research Acceleration Award by AACR and Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (2015), and Women in Tech Global award (2021). She is currently the Head of Clinical AI/ML & Data Sciences at Pfizer worldwide R&D where she leads a team focused on advancing precision therapies across multiple treatment areas including Anti-Infectives, Oncology, Immunology & Inflammation among others.
Prior to his retirement, Craig Tendler, M.D. wa Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Development, Diagnostics, and Medical Affairs for the Oncology Therapeutic Area at Janssen Research & Development, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. In this position, he wa responsible for creating and overseeing robust development plans, including optimal integration of biomarkers and diagnostics, and comprehensive data generation activities for all products in the oncology portfolio, from proof of concept through registration and lifecycle management. He worked closely with teams in early development and the disease areas of focus to implement a seamless end-to-end oncology clinical research strategy that incorporates compelling science, broad clinical trial access to diverse populations, and addresses areas of high unmet medical need.
Prior to this role, Craig served as Vice President of Medical Affairs for Tibotec Therapeutics and then Ortho-Biotech, where he led medical affairs teams in lifecycle management and data generation for the Janssen Virology and Oncology franchises.
Craig has overseen and coordinated more than 30 major drug approvals by national regulatory agencies, including at least ten NDAs by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He and his have team worked in collaboration with the FDA and the European Medicines Agency to secure the worldwide approvals of Janssen’s treatments in prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, as well as for lung and bladder cancer. Further, together with his team, Craig has been instrumental in achieving 11 FDA breakthrough designations for accelerating the early development of promising investigational medicines intended for the treatment of serious oncology conditions.
Prior to joining Janssen, Craig served as the Vice President of Oncology Clinical Research and Chair of the Oncology Licensing Committee at the Schering-Plough Research Institute. In addition to his pharmaceutical industry experience, he has served as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics/Hematology-Oncology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and as a research fellow at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.
Craig earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, and graduated from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, with high honors and induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society.
Traci Pawlowski is a molecular geneticist, diagnostic test developer and scientific manager with over 20 years of diagnostic experience. Currently she is the VP and Head of Clinical Solutions for Illumina in San Diego, CA, leading IVD assay development for oncology, NIPT and clinical whole genome sequencing applications. Prior to joining Illumina in 2017 as Sr Director of Oncology Product Development, she held progressive positions at Hologic, Epic Sciences, Clarient GE Healthcare and Caris Life Sciences. She received a PhD in Genetics from Clemson University in 2007, and has a BA from Indiana University in Biology and Psychology. She did her postdoctoral work in the neuroscience department at the Translational Genomics Institute (TGEN) in Phoenix, AZ. In addition, Dr. Pawlowski holds 10 patents in the diagnostic space and multiple publications in biomarker research.
David is Managing Director of DS LifeScience Consulting. He is an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in public and private biotech and pharmaceutical companies. He has been responsible for numerous financings, mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances, and other partnerships. Prior to the merger of Cend Therapeutics with Caladrius Biosciences to form Lisata, David served as President and CEO of Cend. Previously, David was co-founding CBO at Viracta Therapeutics. David also served as Vice President for Business Development at Ionis Pharmaceuticals as well as senior roles at Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, RPR Gencell and Aventis Pharmaceuticals.
Tom Schoenherr is responsible for the strategic, financial, and operational leadership of the organization.
Tom joined Ambry in 2017 as Chief Commercial Officer and was responsible for the execution of Ambry’s go-to-market strategy and overseeing all commercial functions including service, support, sales, marketing, business development, managed care and genetic specialists. Prior to Ambry, Tom spent more than 20 years in leadership positions in the molecular diagnostics space, most recently as the CCO of Omada Health where he was responsible for driving business growth and increasing market share. He also served in similar roles at Counsyl, Quest Diagnostics, Siemens Healthcare, and Abbott Diagnostics. Tom earned his BS from Michigan State University and completed his Executive Business Development Program at the University of Notre Dame.
Dr. Grenell is the founder and President of Preferred Health Strategies, a health care consulting firm. She has worked extensively in the area of strategic planning, business development and contracting, and she is a recognized expert in the healthcare field. Dr. Grenell has worked in every region of the country assisting clients with the development of contracting strategies and the design and implementation of strategic plans as well as business and marketing plans. Ms. Grenell also functions as an advisor and health care consultant to numerous corporations, venture capital firms, specialty societies and associations. Prior to founding PHS, Dr. Grenell was the Director of PPO Development for Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New York, implementing regional programs for large employers such as General Motors and the City of New York; she was Senior Medical Research Consultant for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia. She started her career in the nationally known Research Department at Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania. She received her B.A. degree from Queens College, City University of New York and her Ph.D. degree in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University, New York, NY.
I had the good fortune to meet Diane Simeone some time ago . I came to her as a potential patient to be regularly screened for Pancreatic Cancer. My Mother, who was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and died 17 months after her symptoms presented. As a breast cancer survivor myself, I began thinking about where could I find a doctor who would screen me regularly so that if and when I get pancreatic cancer it could be detected in an early stage so that I could have the opportunity to survive for many years. It is only through early detection can this serious disease be treated effectively. It is an honor to be part of this effort.
Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of the Muzzi Mirza Pancratic Cancer Prevention and Genetics Program and the Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention and Genetics clinic.
Dr. Kastrinos is a practicing gastroenterologist with primary research and clinical interests in the genetics and prevention of gastrointestinal cancers, notably colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. She has extensive experience in running clinical studies aimed at screening and early detection of these cancers and in the development of clinical risk assessment tools for routine use by healthcare providers. Her research group developed the clinical prediction model, PREMM, a widely used web-based tool incorporated into current guidelines by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) for the risk assessment and prediction of mutations in the mismatch repair genes associated with inherited colorectal and endometrial cancers. She has been instrumental in the design and analyses of large-scale studies involving multiple national and international collaborators to improve genetic risk assessment and optimize surveillance strategies for inherited colorectal and pancreatic cancer. This includes studies focused specifically on Lynch syndrome and early-onset colorectal cancer through the International Mismatch Repair Consortium (IMRC) and Collaborative Group of the Americas for Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancers (CGA-IGC).
Professor of Medicine, Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mount Sinai West & Mount Sinai Morningside Hospitals
Dr. Aimee Lee Lucas is Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside. Dr. Lucas’ clinical practice encompasses the full spectrum of digestive disorders and endoscopy, with particular interest in caring for patients with hereditary cancer syndromes and those at high-risk for developing gastrointestinal cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Her research interest is in developing screening regimens to detect early pancreatic cancer and precancerous lesions in high-risk patients with family history of pancreatic cancer or genetic cancer syndromes. Her work has been published in numerous gastroenterology and oncology journals, and she is a recipient of research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and other non-profit organizations.
Dr. Zogopoulos is a physician-scientist whose lab studies the genetics and oncogenomics of pancreaticobiliary cancers. His research includes discovery of genetic associations with familial pancreatic cancer, and therapeutic opportunities for pancreaticobiliary cancers driven by homologous recombination deficiency. He established and directs the Quebec Pancreas Cancer Study (QPCS), a familial patient registry and biospecimen repository for pancreatic, biliary tract and peri-ampullary malignancies. He is the Pancreatic Disease Oriented Group co-Chair of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG), and his research activities also include the pan-Canadian Pancreatic Cancer Profiling for Individualized Care (EPPIC) study, the Quebec Consortium for Novel Cancer Therapeutics and Biomarkers, and the Pancreatic Cancer Genetic Epidemiology (PACGENE) consortium.
Dr. Brand is an experienced endosonographer and physician-scientist with an extensive background in gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, pancreatic diseases and biomarker development. Dr. Brand has a track record of successful subject enrollment and biospecimen collection and leads the University of Pittsburgh’s Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Gene-Environment Registry (PAGER). He is a principal investigator in the Early Detection Research Network and participates in multiple NCI-, NIH- and DoD-funded research projects focused on the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and has been honored as a fellow of both the American Gastroenterological Association and American College of Gastroenterology. Dr. Brand is the current president of the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancers, member of the NCI Pancreatic Cancer Task Force and national board member for the National Pancreas Foundation.
Dr. Sears’ research expertise is in systems biology of cancer and includes cellular signaling pathways that control tumor cell phenotype and tumor stromal cell cross talk. Mechanistically, she focuses on the role of post-translational regulation of the MYC oncoprotein in the regulation of cell phenotypes and therapeutic resistance. She is working on novel strategies and technologies to detect pancreatic cancer earlier as well as precision cancer therapy using innovative patient-derived models of pancreatic cancer. Dr. Sears has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation, as well as several other private foundations. She has received both research and business innovation awards in the areas of cancer biology, therapeutics, and technology advancement. She is a member of the scientific and medical advisory board for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and the scientific advisory board for Cancer Research UK’s Precision Panc clinical trials program.
Dr. Kupfer is an adult gastroenterologist with clinical and research interests in inherited gastrointestinal cancers and health disparities. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Section Chief for Education. Dr. Kupfer holds grants from the National Institute of Health to study colorectal cancer disparities. She has served as co-Director of several national clinical genetics conferences and is a core faculty member in the City of Hope cancer genetics educational program. Dr. Kupfer is Past-President of the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer, and serves on several committees for the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). She is the recipient of the Division of Biological Sciences Diversity and Inclusion Junior award, the Joseph B. Kirsner Mentorship Award, and the 2019 American Gastroenterological Association Young Investigator Award.
Giovanni Parmigiani’s is a statistician whose research investigates statistical principles and tools, often with a focus on understanding cancer data and improving decision making. He has a long term interest in helping families who are susceptible to inherited cancer understand their risk and make informed decisions. He uses Bayesian modeling and machine learning concepts to predict who is at risk of carrying genetic variants, and to integrate literature-based and other information about the effects of mutations (BayesMendel lab). Through his three-decade long experience implementing machine learning approaches in clinical activities, he identifed replicability across populations and heath systems as a key roadblock to rational use of machine learning in health. He is addressing the challenges of cross-study replication of predictions, by designing prediction approaches that learn replicability via training on multiple studies. He is the Associate Director for Population Sciences of the multi-institutional Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC), and is the director of the postdoctoral training grant in Quantitative Sciences for Cancer Research at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His home is in the Department of Data Science at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Graff has over 25 years of experience in conducting epidemiologic studies of cancer causes, control, and outcomes, with most of his research focusing on quality of care in newly diagnosed cancer patients and treatment outcomes well into their survivorship period. He served as a Principal and Co-Investigator at the State of New Jersey and Metropolitan Detroit NCI-funded SEER Registries, overseeing data collection, data access, data use, and population participation in numerous research studies.
