On February 2, 2023, President Joseph Biden announced his intent to appoint six members to the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB). The NCAB plays an important role in guiding the Director of the National Cancer Institute in setting the course for the national cancer research program. The NCAB will complement the Cancer Moonshot by ensuring that the Biden Administration is investing in research and development that will help advance breakthroughs to prevent, detect, and treat cancer. More about the six new members follows.
- Margaret Anderson is Managing Director at Deloitte, where she advises federal health and nonprofit clients. She began her career with the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, where she explored the impact of biotechnology and genetics on society. She contributed to progress in several critical areas to advance the pace of research for patients—from genetics to HIV/AIDS, women’s health research, patient centricity, oncology, and the COVID-19 pandemic response. Prior to joining Deloitte, Ms. Anderson served as Executive Director of FasterCures, a center of the Milken Institute.
- Richard J. Boxer, MD is Clinical Professor of Urology at the David Geffen School at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a three-time cancer survivor who has cared for more than 7,000 patients with cancers. Dr. Boxer has represented the United States at the World Health Organization as a private citizen and was recently on the Board of Directors of Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation. He is on the Board of G4 Alliance, an international organization that promotes excellent care for all surgical patients.
Dr. Boxer has been an attending urologist for 16 years at VA hospitals in Miami and Los Angeles. He has published nearly 100 journal articles and book chapters on medical research. He also has published in the national press on health policy, including in TheNew York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. Dr. Boxer helped to create the clinical protocols for telemedicine beginning 15 years ago, becoming Chief Medical Officer of numerous telemedicine companies.
- Ysabel Duron is a broadcast journalist who came into the oncology advocacy community after her own experience with Hodgkin lymphoma in 1999. She is Founder and Executive Director of The Latino Cancer Institute and is an influential patient advocate leader dedicated to building community knowledge and capacity to respond to the cancer challenge. She works to amplify Latino voices around issues of cancer; collaborate in research with institutions nationwide; and promote policy that addresses disparities in education and access, screening, diagnosis, and precision care for communities of color and vulnerable populations.
- Julie Papanek Grant is General Partner at Canaan, a life science and technology venture capital fund. Ms. Grant identifies, grows, and invests in new biotech companies that turn scientific discoveries into medicines for patients in need. Ms. Grant was Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Reactive Biosciences, and founding investor in Synthekine and Nocion Therapeutics. Prior to Canaan, she held positions at Genentech across development and commercial, primarily focused on new oncology products.
- Ana Navas Acien, MD, PhD, is Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Her research and teaching focus on the role of the environment in common diseases with the goal of improving people’s health. Dr. Navas Acien has more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, leads multiple National Institutes of Health–funded research projects and is recognized for bridging medical and environmental health sciences using a participatory approach. She directs the Columbia University Northern Plains Superfund Research Program, a center that integrates science, technology, and traditional knowledge to protect the Northern Plains water resources and Indigenous communities from hazardous metal exposures.
After a 15-year career at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Navas Acien joined Columbia University in 2016, where she is also a member of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Population Science Program.
- Fred K. Tabung, PhD, MSPH, is Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he conducts a research program aiming to advance our understanding of how diet-related metabolic dysregulation impacts cancer risk and treatment response and to translate this knowledge into heathier eating and therapeutic diets. He is pioneering innovative approaches to studying the role of diet in cancer.
After obtaining his undergraduate degree in medical laboratory science, Dr. Tabung worked in the pathology laboratory of a reference hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon, helping to diagnose cancer, while also volunteering time to help start a population-based cancer registry for the city. Dr. Tabung pursued graduate-level education in nutrition and cancer epidemiologic research under the Fulbright Scholarship Program.
