Cancer Policy Institute Advisory Board

Jeff Allen, PhD

President and Chief Executive Officer
Friends of Cancer Research

Jeff Allen, Ph.D. serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Friends of Cancer Research (Friends), a think tank and advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. Friends is one our country’s leading voices in advocating for policies and developing solutions that will get treatments to patients in the safest and quickest way possible. As a thought leader on many issues related to Food and Drug Administration, regulatory strategy and healthcare policy, he is regularly published in prestigious medical journals and policy publications, and has contributed his expertise to the legislative process on multiple occasions. Recent Friends initiatives include the establishment of the new Breakthrough Therapies designation and the development of the Lung Cancer Master Protocol, a unique partnership that will accelerate and optimize clinical trial conduct for new drugs. Dr. Allen received his Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from Georgetown University, and holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology from Bowling Green State University.

Lauren G. Barnes

Vice President, Managed Markets
Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Lauren Barnes is Vice President, Managed Markets at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a global biotechnology company that aims to discover, develop and commercialize innovative medicines so people with serious diseases can lead better lives. In addition to its clinical development programs focused on cystic fibrosis, Vertex has more than a dozen ongoing research programs aimed at other serious and life-threatening diseases.

Ms. Barnes was previously Senior Vice President, Avalere Health. At Avalere, she provided strategic payer planning and public policy expertise to clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to assist in the successful commercialization of their products. Prior to joining Avalere, Ms. Barnes was Director of the Payment and Coverage Group at Amgen. Immediately prior to her time with Amgen, she worked for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Coverage and Analysis Group and sat on the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System panel.

Ms. Barnes has a BA in Public Health and a MHS in Health Care Policy from Johns Hopkins University. She serves on the board of the Cancer Support Community, an international nonprofit dedicated to providing support, education, and hope to people affected by cancer.

Jeff Belkora, PhD

Associate Professor
Institute for Health Policy Studies
University of California, San Francisco

Jeff Belkora, PhD, is Associate Professor of Surgery and Health Policy at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). His professional mission is to help people grow in their capacity for leadership, teamwork, and decision-making. To this end, Dr. Belkora develops, implements, and evaluates patient engagement programs in health care. His programs have been implemented and evaluated in academic and community settings in the United States and the UK. He is the author of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and case studies on patient decision making. Dr. Belkora also disseminates his work internationally through speaking, training, and consulting engagements. Prior to joining the UCSF faculty, Dr. Belkora was a co-founder of Outcome Software, a decision analysis software company. Dr. Belkora earned a B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics from Brown University. His graduate training at Stanford University included an M.Sc. in Statistics and culminated with a Ph.D in Engineering.

Linda J. Blumberg, PhD

Senior Fellow
The Urban Institute

Linda J. Blumberg, PhD, is a senior fellow in the Urban Institute’s Health Policy Center. She is an expert on private health insurance, health care financing, and health system reform. She has been at the Urban Institute since 1992. Her recent work includes a variety of projects related to the analysis of health reform as well the provision of technical assistance to states in their efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These include: a large, ongoing, multi-year quantitative and qualitative analytic effort monitoring and evaluating the effects of the ACA; analyses of the implications of the King v. Burwell Supreme Court case (findings cited in the Court’s majority opinion); analyses of insurance transparency for consumers; a series of analyses on competition in nongroup insurance markets; and analyses of the ACA’s implications for employer decisions. She has a particular interest in insurance issues for populations with high levels of medical need. Dr. Blumberg received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan.

Caroline Brown

Partner
Covington & Burling LLP

Mary Beth Donahue

former Executive Vice President

America's Health Insurance Plans

Mary Beth Donahue is nationally recognized as a leader in management and advocacy in the private and public sectors. She has decades of experience working in large, complex organizations. She is known for her unique ability to build and execute plans, develop collaborative teams, foster strategic alliances, and successfully achieve goals. Mary Beth most recently served as Executive Vice President at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), one of the nation’s largest trade associations, which represents over 1,200 member companies providing health benefits to more than 200 million Americans. Mary Beth managed the 160 person association with a $60 million budget. She oversaw all operations and played a strategic role in the advocacy efforts for the health industry. She lead the management team and coordinated all activities for the Board of Directors. Mary Beth began her AHIP tenure as Vice President of Federal Affairs in 2001 where she developed and advocated the health industry priorities.

Prior to joining AHIP in 2001, Mary Beth served in a number of positions in the public sector, including Chief of Staff for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she worked from 1993-2001. As Chief of Staff, Mary Beth managed the operations of the HHS agencies, oversaw personnel, coordinated HHS priorities and initiatives with the White House, and served as principal advisor to Secretary Donna Shalala. She was appointed to HHS in 1993 as Congressional Liaison in the Legislative Office where she advocated HHS’ policy agenda to Congress. She was selected as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary in 1998. Mary Beth began her career as Executive Assistant to Massachusetts’ Governor, Michael Dukakis, 1987-1990. Mary Beth’s career included leadership roles on the political front. She was selected by the Kerry Presidential Campaign in 2004 to serve as Chief of Staff to the Vice Presidential Nominee. She built and managed the staff, budget and operations for the VP Nominee’s team. She also worked on the 1992 Clinton Presidential Campaign and served on the Clinton-Gore Transition team.

Mary Beth is a member of the Board of Directors for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an initiative focusing on childhood obesity. Mary Beth also serves on the Advisory Board for the Cancer Support Community, on organization empowering cancer patients with education, support services and resources. Mary Beth attended Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, received an M.P.P. from Georgetown University and a B.S. from Boston College. She was a recipient of the Campbell Alumni Award from Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy. She is a native of Massachusetts and resides with her family in Maryland.

Stephen Edge, MD, FACS

Vice President of Healthcare Outcomes and Policy; Professor of Oncology
Roswell Park Cancer Institute

Stephen Edge, MD, is the Vice President of Healthcare Outcomes and Policy; and Professor of Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. Founded in 1898 as the nation’s first cancer center, Roswell Park set the standard for today’s multidisciplinary approach to the highest quality cancer care. Dr. Edge trained at Case Western Reserve University and the National Cancer Institute. Prior to his current position, Dr. Edge served as the Cancer Center Director at Baptist Cancer Center in Memphis, TN. Until July 2013, Dr. Edge served for 21 years as Chief of Breast Surgery and the Alfiero Foundation Endowed Chair in Breast Oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. He is the immediate past Chair of the Commission on Cancer and the American Joint Committee on Cancer. His research focuses on community wide quality of cancer care across the continuum of care.

Pamela Greenberg, MPP

President and CEO
Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness

Pamela Greenberg is the President and CEO of the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness. ABHW is the national voice for specialty behavioral health and wellness companies. ABHW member companies provide services to 175 million people in both the public and private sectors to treat mental health, substance use and other behaviors that impact health. Pamela serves on the Editorial Board of the Bloomberg BNA Health Insurance Report and BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE magazine. She also was the Chair of the Coalition for Fairness in Mental Illness Coverage, one of the leading Coalitions that helped develop, advocate for, and get the Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 signed in to law. Prior to joining ABHW Pamela was the Deputy Director of Federal Affairs for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). Before joining AHIP Ms. Greenberg was a Legislative Assistant at Capitol Associates, a healthcare consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Pamela has a B.A. in politics from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for Landmark Health, a company that provides home-based medical care to individuals with multiple chronic conditions, and a Board member of the Lupus Foundation of DC/MD/VA.

Niraj Gupta, MD

Medical Director

St. Vincent Cancer Care

Fauzea Hussain

Vice President of Public Policy
McKesson

Diana D. Jeffery, PhD

Government Health Psychologist

Diana D. Jeffery, PhD, is a health psychologist with more than 30 years of health research experience. She is a healthcare research analyst at the Defense Health Agency, Clinical Support Division, Department of Defense. Her research focuses on health care costs, utilization and policies related to cancer care, the impact of chronic comorbid conditions among cancer survivors, substance use, and patient-outcome measures. She currently serves on the Board of the Scientific Network for Female Sexual Health and Cancer and is an advisor to the CSC Cancer Policy Institute.

Lovell A. Jones, PhD, FHDR

Research Faculty, College of Science & Engineering
Texas A & M University Corpus Christi
Professor Emeritus
U.T. Distinguished Teaching Professor
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Professor Emeritus
University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Co-Founder, Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC)
Chair, Board of Directors, Children And Neighborhoods Defeat Obesity (CANDO)

Lovell A. Jones, PhD, a member of the Research Faculty in the College of Science & Engineering at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi previously held the post professor in the Department of Health Disparities Research and Founding Director of the joint UT MD Anderson Cancer Center/University of Houston Dorothy I. Height Center for Health Equity & Evaluation Research. He is now Professor Emeritus in the Department of Health Disparities Research at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center as well as the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, one of the few individuals to hold such a position at two UT System institutions. He continues to serve on a number of advisory groups and boards that focus on addressing health equity. He has more than 35 years of experience in addressing minority health and the health of the underserved. As a scientist, he has also done extensive research into the relationship between hormones, diet and endocrine responsive tumors and has presented his work both nationally and internationally. He has edited one of the few comprehensive textbooks on this subject: Minorities & Cancer. He has chaired or co-chaired numerous major events regarding the underserved and cancers, including the 1st National African Cancer Education meeting in Abuja, Nigeria. He is co-author of the congressional resolution designating the third full week in April as "National Minority Cancer Awareness Week." For his work, the NIH/National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities was awarded him its Director’s Award for Excellence in Health Disparities. He has also received the Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award and was selected as one of the top African American Scientist in America by the National Science Foundation “The History Makers.” In January 2000, he was named the first director of the congressionally mandated Center for Research on Minority Health (CRMH), a multidisciplinary center which aims to a) foster research that addresses the causes of health disparities and translates scientific results back to the communities affected by those disparities; b) encourage minority students to pursue careers in the biomedical sciences; and c) increase recruitment and retention of minority and medically underserved populations into clinical trials.

Deborah Kamin, RN, PhD

Vice President
Policy and Advocacy
American Society of Clinical Oncology

Deborah Kamin, RN, PhD, joined ASCO in 1998, leading the Society’s work on a wide range of issues of concern to oncology professionals in all practice settings. Prior to joining ASCO she directed health policy and benefit design for the Department of Defense civilian health insurance program, TRICARE, which covers more than 9 million beneficiaries worldwide. Dr. Kamin earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the Medical College of Georgia, a master’s degree in management science at the Naval Postgraduate School, and a PhD in health policy at the George Washington University.

Michele McCorkle, RN, MSN

Executive Director, Oncology Nursing Society

Michele R. McCorkle, RN, MSN, is Executive Director of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS). With more than 27 years oncology nursing experience and 20 years in association management, Michele has executive oversight of the membership association, which encompasses education, research, publications, membership and component relations, integrated marketing communications, and health policy. Over her 20 years at ONS, she has led a number of strategic efforts at ONS, including the development and leadership of Oncology Education Services, Inc., ONS’ for-profit subsidiary (1996-2005); the development of the ONS strategic plan, and partnerships.

Prior to joining the ONS staff, Michele was Patient Care Manager, Staff Development Instructor, and Clinical Nurse at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (now part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC). She received both her BSN and MSN from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Michele can be reached at 412-859-6266 or mmccorkle@ons.org

C. Daniel Mullins, PhD

Professor
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

C. Daniel Mullins, PhD, is a professor and former department chair of the Pharmaceutical Health Services Research Department at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. He received his BS in Economics from M.I.T. and his PhD in Economics from Duke University. His research and teaching focus on pharmacoeconomics, comparative effectiveness research, patient-centered outcomes research, and health disparities research. He has received funding as a Principal Investigator from the NIH/NIA, NIH/NHLBI and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and was the Shared Resources Core Director for the NIH-sponsored University of Maryland Center for Health Disparities Research, Training, and Outreach. He also has served as a co-Investigator on other grants funded by AHRQ, HRSA and the NIH. He served as a member of the Health Systems Research (HSR) study section of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and currently is a Regular Study Section Member for the National Cancer Institute (NCI-J).

Sharyl J. Nass, PhD

Director
National Cancer Policy Forum, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Sharyl Nass, Ph.D. is Director of the Board on Health Care Services and Director of the National Cancer Policy Forum at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Board’s activities pertain to the organization, financing, effectiveness, workforce, and delivery of health care. The Cancer Forum examines policy issues pertaining to the entire continuum of cancer research and care. For more than 15 years, Dr. Nass has worked on a broad range of health policy topics that includes the quality and safety of care, clinical trials, oversight of health research, developing biomarkers and omics-based tests to guide patient care, technologies and quality standards for breast imaging, strategies for large-scale biomedical science, and contraceptive research and development. With a Ph.D. in cell and tumor biology from Georgetown University and postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, she has published papers on the cell and molecular biology of breast cancer. She also holds a BS in genetics and an MS in Endocrinology/Reproductive Physiology, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, she studied developmental genetics and molecular biology at the Max Planck Institute in Germany under a fellowship from the Heinrich Hertz-Stiftung Foundation. She was the 2007 recipient of the Cecil Award for Excellence in Health Policy Research, the 2010 recipient of a Distinguished Service Award from the National Academies, and the 2012 recipient of the Institute of Medicine staff team achievement award (as the team leader).

Mark A. O’Rourke, MD

Medical Director
Greenville Health System Center for Integrative Oncology and Survivorship
Greenville Health System Cancer Institute

Mark A. O’Rourke, MD, is a medical oncology cancer specialist with the Greenville Health System Cancer Institute in Greenville, South Carolina. He is the medical director for the GHS Center for Integrative Oncology and Survivorship, which became the first hospital affiliate of the Cancer Support Community in 2012. He grew up in Santa Barbara, California, attended Stanford University for undergraduate study and served in the U.S. Navy as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power School. He went to UCLA for medical school and to the Duke University Medical Center for residency training and fellowships in medical oncology and geriatrics. He has been a member of the medical staff at Greenville Health System since 1990.

His practice includes blood and cancer illnesses that affect adults. He also participates in the GHS Gastrointestinal Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic, which specializes in cancers of the stomach, pancreas, bile ducts, liver, and colon. Dr. O’Rourke actively participates clinical cancer research through the GHS Institute for Translational Oncology and Research (ITOR) and through the National Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) of the Carolinas.

The Center for Integrative Oncology and Survivorship is a separate clinic, which helps cancer survivors regain their full physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health after cancer treatment. Integrative Oncology addresses the full range of a person’s experience with cancer, including exercise, nutrition, mind-body therapies, social support, and mental and spiritual health.

Dr. O’Rourke and his wife, Rita, have two children and three grandchildren. In his free time, he helps Rita in the garden and in the kitchen.

Michael Paese

Glocal Co-Lead, Office of Government Affairs
Goldman Sachs

Michael is global co-head of the Office of Government Affairs. He joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director in 2009.

Prior to joining the firm, Michael was executive vice president for Global Advocacy at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), where he was responsible for global legal, governmental, and legislative affairs and advocacy initiatives. Previously, he was Deputy Staff Director of the US House Financial Services Committee and he also had joint responsibility for Committee policy related to the banking, securities and insurance industries.

Earlier in his career, Michael worked at Mercantile Bankshares Corporation, where he held several senior positions, including executive vice president and chief administrative officer. Before joining Mercantile, he held the position of Senior Minority Counsel with the House Financial Services Committee. Michael has also held positions at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell with the financial institutions practice.

Michael earned a BA from Notre Dame and a JD from Notre Dame Law School.

Dylan H. Roby, PhD

Associate Professor & Associate Chair of Health Services Administration

University of Maryland School of Public Health

Lisa Simpson, MB, BCh, MPH, FAAP

President and CEO
AcademyHealth

Dr. Simpson, MB, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of AcademyHealth. A nationally recognized health policy researcher and pediatrician, she is a passionate advocate for the translation of research into policy and practice. Her research focuses on improving the performance of the health care system and includes studies of the quality and safety of care, health and health care disparities and the health policy and system response to childhood obesity. Dr. Simpson has published over 80 articles and commentaries in peer reviewed journals.

Before joining AcademyHealth, Dr. Simpson was Director of the Child Policy Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and professor of pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati. She served as the Deputy Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality from 1996 to 2002. Dr. Simpson serves on the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and Health Policy Scholars Program National Advisory Councils, and the Editorial boards for the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research and Frontiers in Public Health Systems and Services Research. In October 2013, Dr. Simpson was elected to the Institute of Medicine.

Dr. Simpson earned her undergraduate and medical degrees at Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland), a master’s in public health at the University of Hawaii, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in health services research and health policy at the University of California, San Francisco. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies in 2013.

Dr. Simpson's areas of expertise include translating research into policy; quality and safety of health care; health and health care disparities; childhood obesity; and child health services.

Daniel E. Smith, JD

Founder and President
AdvocacySmiths

Dan Smith, JD, is founder and president of AdvocacySmiths, a strategic consulting firm that works with organizations to forge advocacy programs that lead to lasting, positive changes in public policy. With nearly 30 years experience in government, politics, and advocacy, Dan specializes in strategic planning, building organizational capacity, assembling coalitions, facilitating meetings, and leadership development.

Prior to founding AdvocacySmiths, Dan was staff director for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Prior to that he launched and led the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy arm. Dan also founded One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC). Before joining ACS CAN, he served as a state director, chief of staff, and agriculture committee staff director for U.S. Senator Tom Harkin. A native of Iowa, Dan has also served in leadership roles for several presidential campaigns.