Susan G. Komen recently announced new organizational advisory roles for five breast cancer oncologists. The new appointees will join the group of breast cancer researchers, clinicians, and advocates who help guide the organization’s work, particularly through the organization’s $988 million research program—the largest nonprofit investment in research outside the U.S. government.
Alan Ashworth, BSc, PhD, FRS
Alan Ashworth, BSc, PhD, FRS, President of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, became the newest member of Komen’s Scientific Advisory Board. Members of Komen’s advisory board help guide the organization’s research programs and priorities. A translational biologist and laboratory researcher, Dr. Ashworth brings expertise in exploiting genetic deficiencies in cancer to develop new therapeutic approaches. He was a key part of the team that identified the BRCA2 breast cancer susceptibility gene. He previously served as a Komen Scholar since 2010.
Four New Komen Scholars
Komen also welcomes four new members to the Komen Scholars—an advisory group of leaders in breast cancer research and advocacy. The new class of Scholars includes two patient advocates who are also members of the Komen Advocates in Science Steering Committee.
Chosen for their knowledge, leadership, and contributions to breast cancer research, Komen Scholars provide scientific expertise and guidance to a variety of Komen programs, including leading Komen’s scientific peer review process. They also serve as experts and advocates for Komen’s nationwide network of affiliates and in communities around the globe.
The newest members of the Komen Scholars are:
Regina Barzilay, PhD
Cheryl Jernigan, CPA
Edith A. Perez, MD
Sandra Spivey, MBA
- Regina Barzilay, PhD, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, has focused on bringing the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence to oncology. She is also a breast cancer survivor.
- Cheryl Jernigan, CPA, Advocates in Science Steering Committee, Kansas City, Missouri, is a cancer survivor and research advocate, serving as a liaison between patients and scientific researchers.
- Edith A. Perez, MD, Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacsonville, Florida, conducts research focusing on translational research and genetic biomarkers.
- Sandra Spivey, MBA, of the Advocates in Science Steering Committee in Orange County, California, is currently living with metastatic breast cancer and works as a research advocate. ■
