Elizabeth Melachrinoudis MS
Elizabeth is the Grassroots Engagement Manager for Policy & Advocacy at Cancer Support Community. In this role, she supports the organization's advocacy efforts by engaging and empowering patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates to help advance policies that improve the lives of people impacted by cancer.
Before joining Cancer Support Community, Elizabeth served as Advocacy Coordinator at the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, where she led grassroots advocacy initiatives, cultivated relationships with patient advocates, and worked alongside policymakers and coalition partners to advance legislation and policies benefiting people affected by cholangiocarcinoma. Previously, she was a Member Recruitment Coordinator at NMDP, where she partnered with communities and organizations across the Mountain West to grow the blood stem cell donor registry and educate the public about the lifesaving impact of blood stem cell donation. Throughout her career, Elizabeth has remained committed to connecting communities, empowering advocates, and advancing patient-centered change.
Elizabeth's passion for advocacy is deeply personal. After losing her father to cholangiocarcinoma in 2015 and her mother to breast cancer in 2018, she devoted her career to ensuring that no one faces cancer alone. She lives in Washington, D.C., where she is honored to combine her professional expertise with her personal passion for ensuring that everyone impacted by cancer has access to the support, resources, and advocacy they deserve.
Grassroots Engagement Manager, Policy and Advocacy
Breast Cancer Biomarker Testing: What Patients Need to Know
United States
This event will be presented in Spanish, with English closed captioning available for attendees.
Discover how biomarker testing is transforming breast cancer care.
In this upcoming webinar, you’ll hear from a board-certified breast surgical oncologist, a breast cancer patient, and a psycho-oncology expert as they break down the differences between breast cancer types and biomarkers. Our panel will explore breast cancer experiences in the Latina community, explain biomarker-informed treatment, and share real-life strategies for partnering with your care team. Whether you're newly diagnosed or caregiving for a loved one, this session will help you feel informed, empowered, and ready to take an active role in care decisions.
Yolande Goncalves serves as a Project Manager in the Education Department, where she manages patient and caregiver education projects within the Frankly Speaking About Cancer program. She holds a Master of Public Health and brings over ten years of experience in health research, health education and communication, and community outreach.
Dr. Gladys Giron is a breast surgical oncologist, board-certified, with dual specialized training (fellowship). She has over 18 years of experience at the Miami Cancer Institute, where she focuses on the surgical treatment of breast cancer, high-risk breast lesions, and benign breast conditions that require surgery. She also serves as a medical lead in preparing sentinel lymph node biopsy reports, helping to improve the quality of breast cancer care. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Gladys Giron is committed to medical education and training future healthcare professionals. She works as a volunteer preceptor and associate professor at Florida International University, where she contributes to training the next generation of doctors and advancing knowledge in breast oncology.
Sheila Godreau has been living with metastatic breast cancer for 11 years. She was born in Puerto Rico and currently lives in the state of Florida. She is married and has two adult children, a son and a daughter. Her favorite hobbies are traveling, reading, singing, dancing, and watching soccer games. After earning her bachelor's and master's degrees in Business Administration, she worked for 30 years as a business consultant and project and program director.
Brenda Roig has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Buenos Aires. She worked at the Ministry of Health of Argentina for ten years, coordinating various initiatives in the field of health equity, mainly aimed at migrant and vulnerable populations. She completed specialized training in psycho-oncology at the Argentine Medical Association and currently serves as Director of Mental Health and Survival at Nueva Vida, with one of her main tasks being the implementation and supervision of support groups in Spanish for Latin women with cancer.