Our mission is championed where it counts!
We are very fortunate to be gathering up more and more support from all corners of Cancerland.
Board of Directors
Erika Hanson Brown
CEO/Founder/Chair
ONE CANCER PLACE
Denver, CO
Erika Hanson Brown is CEO and founder of ONE CANCER PLACE, the non-profit organization that is the newest iteration of the development of the formidable POWERHOUSE concept, a Brown design. The new POWERHOUSE leads the cancer patient communities in providing the foundation for patient education and trailblazing leadership in the oncoming “molecular revolution” in cancer care.
Erika believes that she is fortunate to have learned that there are three aspects of life that make her life worth living: GOOD HEALTH, HEALTHY PURPOSE, and LOVE. Her life today is abundant with all three, and she wishes to share this learning with all of her cancer stakeholder friends for the rest of her life.
Erika loves to swim!
Michael Sapienza, Treasurer
CEO Colorectal Cancer Alliance
Washington, DC
Michael Sapienza is the Chief Executive Officer of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the largest colon cancer advocacy group in the country. He lost his mother to colorectal cancer in May 2009. He turned his profound grief into action, inspiring and challenging the colorectal cancer community, family, friends, and professional associates to follow his lead and dedicate themselves to ending colorectal cancer within our lifetime—the mission of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Michael founded The Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation and served as its President from 2010-2015. In 2016, he led the team that merged the Foundation and the Colon Cancer Alliance, creating the nation’s largest colon cancer specific nonprofit, which changed its name to Colorectal Cancer Alliance in 2017 to embrace both the colon and rectal cancer communities.
Over the last decade, Michael has become an expert and trusted voice on the topics of colorectal cancer prevention, patient care, and medical research. Michael regularly appears on TV and radio programs throughout the United States, including NBC’s TODAY show. He is frequently quoted in national publications such as USA Today, Newsweek, and The New York Times, promoting awareness and the importance of increased funding for colorectal cancer research and early detection.
Michael is a member of The Ruesch Center for the Cure of GI Cancer’s Advisory Board at Georgetown University, and in 2020 he was appointed to the President’s Cancer Panel and NCCRT’s 2021 Steering Committee. In 2014, Michael received three prestigious industry awards: David Jagelman, MD Award for advocacy in Colorectal Cancer Awareness by the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons; the Public Service Award from the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract; and the Champion Award from Preventing Colorectal Cancer. In 2018, Michael was honored with a Luminary Award from OncLive and The Ruesch Center for his lifetime commitment to improving the lives of patients affected by gastrointestinal cancer.
Michael holds degrees from both Northwestern University and Rice University and currently resides in the District of Columbia.
Michael plays the trumpet professionally!
Christopher Heery, M.D., Director
Chief Medical Officer
Arcellx, Inc.
Gaithersburg, MD
Dr. Heery has served as Chief Medical Officer of Precision BioSciences and Bavarian Nordic. At Precision, he oversaw the clinical development of one of the first allogeneic CAR T cell platforms and provided clinical insight into clinical efforts for gene editing therapeutics. While at Bavarian Nordic, he oversaw clinical development programs for its immune-oncology and infectious disease vaccine portfolio.
Prior to his roles in biotech, he was head of the Clinical Trials Group of the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He joined the NCI Medical Oncology Branch as a Medical Oncology Fellow in 2009 and also held an Adjunct Appointment in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch. At NCI, Dr. Heery was part of the larger effort of the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology to create new immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.
Dr. Heery is board certified in Medical Oncology and Internal Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago after receiving his M.D. from East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine. Dr. Heery also holds a B.A. in English Literature from Duke University.
Dr. Heery is a great teacher!
Eric Hoffman, Secretary
Public Affairs Strategist
Schmidt Public Affairs
Alexandria, VA
Eric Hoffman is a Senior Counselor at Schmidt Public Affairs. He brings nearly thirty years’ experience in public affairs, corporate communications and advocacy. Eric’s healthcare portfolio focuses on health technology, medical devices, value assessment and healthcare delivery.
Eric builds and executes strategic communications programs that achieve reputational, legislative and regulatory objectives. He is skilled at creating and managing integrated campaigns the leverage earned media, content strategy, third-party validation, grassroots activations and analytics to achieve results.
In his professional career, Eric has been a press secretary on Capitol Hill, worked to raise infant immunization rates at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, served as spokesman for then-first-time Senate candidate Mark Warner and worked for numerous fascinating clients during the last twenty years at two multi-national PR agencies.
Eric lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife, two teenagers and incredibly cute dog. When he’s not working, Eric is most likely playing basketball, swimming or dealing with those teenagers.
Eric loves to dance!
Liza Marshall, J.D., Director
Author
Volunteer: HOPE CONNECTIONS
Bethesda, MD
Liza Marshall, a graduate of Duke University and the University of Virginia School of Law, practiced communications law in Washington, DC. In 2005, she retired from practice to manage her family and focus on volunteer work, helping to found a cancer support organization, Hope Connections for Cancer Support in Bethesda, MD. In 2006, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at the age of 43. Liza continues to be an active volunteer at Hope Connections, her church, and other local non-profits, serving on boards, directing development campaigns, and supporting a variety of communities and missions. She is the co-author with her husband of Off Our Chests: A Candid Tour Through the World of Cancer.
Liza loves to help patients!
CONTRIBUTING CHAMPIONS
Gina Friedmann-Armstrong
Sarah Edgell
Josh Brokering
Maxwell Egyed
SCIENTIFIC CHAMPIONS
Christopher Lieu, M.D.
Associate Director, Clinical Research
Director Medical Oncology
University of Colorado Cancer Center
Aurora, Colorado
Dr. Lieu joined the University of Colorado School of Medicine faculty in July 2011. He trained in internal medicine at the University of Colorado, where he served as a Chief Medical Resident. He completed his fellowship training in medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and also served as the Chief Medical Oncology Fellow. Dr. Lieu is the Associate Director for Clinical Research and Director of GI Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, the Vice-Chair of the National Cancer Institute Colon Cancer Task Force, serves on the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, and he serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Panel for Neuroendocrine Cancers.
Fellowship Training: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Residency Training: University of Colorado
Medical School: MD, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Eli Van Allen, M.D.
Associate Professor Harvard Medical School
Associate Member: Broad Institute
Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care
Boston, MA
Dr. Van Allen is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a clinician at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care, and an Associate Member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. His research focuses on computational cancer genomics, the application of new molecular profiling technologies to advance precision cancer medicine, and studying resistance to cancer therapeutics. As both a computational biologist and medical oncologist, he has specific expertise in clinical computational oncology and the development of algorithms to analyze and interpret genomic data for clinically focused questions. Overall, his research contributes to the field of precision cancer medicine and resistance to targeted therapeutics via expertise and study in translational and clinical bioinformatics.
Originally from Los Angeles, CA, he studied Symbolic Systems at Stanford University, obtained his M.D. from UCLA, and completed a residency in internal medicine at UCSF before coming to Boston and completing a medical oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care program.
Fellowship Training: Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care, Boston, MA
Residency Training: University of San Francisco
Medical School: UCLA
INDUSTRY CHAMPIONS
Exact Sciences Corporation is a true believer in our goal of making life better for patients by “eradicating cancer and the suffering it causes — through tests that help prevent it, detection that finds it earlier,”. Our KAPA INSTITUTE counts on Exact for continuing support as our educational concepts and delivery gain traction, because they know that knowledge is powerful for patients.
Seagen, Inc. deeply dedicated to revolutionizing cancer care also recognized OUR revolutionary potential and put their money where their support is…..and with their belief in us. THANK YOU, SEAGEN!
Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. Breakthrough therapies and their carefully-executed clinical trials, such as those developed by Mirati ,are careful about the patient groups they support; we are honored to be one of their patient advocacy designees.
Guardant Health Our newest Champions are the lovely folks from Guardant. The Shield blood test for CRC “demonstrated early-stage detection…. in range with other guideline-recommended non-invasive CRC screening modalities.” Yippee!
ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNERS
Colorectal Cancer Alliance – the “granddaddy” organization that defined the colorectal “space” from the get-go, supporting awareness, earlier detection, research, community…..and us. Thank you.
Colon Cancer Coalition – In 2004, Kristin Lindquist started planning for the very first Get Your Rear in Gear® race after losing her best friend and sister, Susie Lindquist Mjelde, to colon cancer. Today the organization runs these races in about 49 American towns; the money raised stays in that town and funds – through grants – the locally-designated concept.
Everyone has fun with the Colon Cancer Coalition, and everyone wins!
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
- Julie Johnson
- Shauna Gruwell
- Antoinette Williams
- Carol Koch
- Danielle Sproehnle
- Debbie Harris
- Carly Armstrong
- Mary McLachlan
- Janet Hanson
- Jenny Jones
- Suzanne Lindley
- Phyllis L. Rogers
- Latasha Barber