Advocacy Summit Speakers

As one of the leading voices advocating for Nigeria to make cancer control a national health priority, I am a patient advocate, researcher, and fighter for women battling cancer. I am also the founder and executive director of Project PINK BLUE—Health & Psychological Trust Centre, a non-governmental organization focused on cancer advocacy, awareness, treatment, and support; oncology training for doctors and nurses; research; and fundraising for cancer patients.

Daniela Luvero is a gynaecologist with expertise in oncology. She has a strong interest in research and has been involved in several international trials as coinvestigator, authored/co-authored many peer reviewed publications, and is completing her PhD in oncology. She is active in gynaecological oncology and has recently been elected as the European representative for the IGCS Council (2020-2022).

Dr. Miriam Mutebi is a Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also the Vice-President of East Africa of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), treasurer for the Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (KESHO) and regional lead for the Union for International Cancer Control(UICC). She is the co-founder of the Pan African Women’s Association of Surgeons (PAWAS -www.africanwomensurgeons.org) to provide support and mentorship for women in surgery and to improve care on the continent. She did her general surgery residency at AKU. She subsequently did a two-year fellowship in Breast Surgical Oncology, which included a year in plastics and reconstruction at the University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa. She then worked for 2 years as a Surgical Oncology Research Fellow at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York and also completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Systems Research at the Weill Cornell University, New York, with a focus towards understanding the barriers to the diagnosis and treatment, for women with cancers in Africa, thus designing interventions to mitigate these barriers. She is currently pursuing a pilot’s licence in order to extend breast care services to marginalised areas.

Dr. Anuja Jhingran earned her M.D. at Texas Tech University in 1988, followed by residency training at Baylor College of Medicine in Internal Medicine and Radiation Oncology. She is currently a Professor of Radiation Oncology at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, specializing in the treatment of gynecologic cancers. Clinically, she is interested in the management of advanced ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers and the use of advanced radiation techniques to minimize toxicity. She is passionate about women’s health issues particularly as it relates to developing country’s efforts to establish improved healthcare for the general populace, not just the financially able.

As a Respiratory Therapist for 25yrs, I have passionately dedicated my clinical expertise to assisting my patients in improving their lives despite barriers presented to them by their respiratory illnesses. It is with that same compassion and dedication that I have navigated my own cancer experience to help improve the lives of Endometrial Cancer (EC) survivors through education, awareness and advocacy. After finishing treatment for cancer, I became committed to act as a mouthpiece of change to address the disparities in care that exist among black women; especially in low income communities where preventative gynecological health care is undervalued and overlooked. It is my hopes, that by staying actively involved in the cause of creating power sharing conversations around endometrial cancer, barriers to pathways into research for my community will become less challenging and reflect in our overall survival outcomes and long term quality of life.

Dr. Coleman completed his Obstetrics & Gynecology residency at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois and completed his fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1993. Prior to joining the M.D. Anderson faculty in 2004, he served as Vice Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. At M.D. Anderson, Dr. Coleman was a Professor and served as the Executive Director for Cancer Network Research, holding the Ann Rife Cox Chair in Gynecology In March 2020, he joined US Oncology Research as their Chief Scientific Officer. Dr Coleman has authored or coauthored over 600 scientific publications, including over 300 peer-reviewed articles, numerous book chapters, monographs, invited articles and textbooks. He is the current President of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society.

Daniela Luvero is a gynaecologist with expertise in oncology. She has a strong interest in research and has been involved in several international trials as coinvestigator, authored/co-authored many peer reviewed publications, and is completing her PhD in oncology. She is active in gynaecological oncology and has recently been elected as the European representative for the IGCS Council (2020-2022).

Dr. Miriam Mutebi is a Breast Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She is also the Vice-President of East Africa of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), treasurer for the Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology (KESHO) and regional lead for the Union for International Cancer Control(UICC). She is the co-founder of the Pan African Women’s Association of Surgeons (PAWAS -www.africanwomensurgeons.org) to provide support and mentorship for women in surgery and to improve care on the continent. She did her general surgery residency at AKU. She subsequently did a two-year fellowship in Breast Surgical Oncology, which included a year in plastics and reconstruction at the University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa. She then worked for 2 years as a Surgical Oncology Research Fellow at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York and also completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Systems Research at the Weill Cornell University, New York, with a focus towards understanding the barriers to the diagnosis and treatment, for women with cancers in Africa, thus designing interventions to mitigate these barriers. She is currently pursuing a pilot’s licence in order to extend breast care services to marginalised areas.

Rene Pareja is a Gynecologic Oncologist from Instituto Nacional de Cancerología in Bogotá, Colombia. He is the author of more than 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals and 8 book chapters. He is also a reviewer for 20 journals in the field, an Editorial Board member of Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, and an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. He is currently a member of the IGCS Council.

Dr. Angélica Nogueira-Rodrigues graduated in Medicine at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil, in 2001. She completed medical residency in Internal Medicine at UFMG in 2003, and in Oncology at the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA) in 2006. She pursued a PhD in Oncology at INCA and a Post-Doctoral fellowship in global oncology at Harvard University. She is currently President of the Brazilian Gynecologic Oncology Group, EVA Group, Chair of Gynecology in Latin America Cooperative Oncology Group, researcher and medical oncologist at UFMG. Main interests are gynecologic cancer, hereditary cancer, epidemiology of cancer in Latin America, and development of new anticancer drugs. Dr Rodrigues is a full member of some academic societies, including the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology (SBOC), ASCO, IGCS and SGO, and she has published a number of abstracts, book chapters and manuscripts.

Dr. Fujiwara is Professor and Director, Dept. of Gynecologic Oncology at Saitama Medical University Int’l Medical Center in Japan and the current President Elect of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society. “My career as a gynecologic oncologist started by learning the importance of evidence-based medicine and then it advanced to learning evidence generating processes, especially in the planning and conducting of clinical trials. This process is important not only to establish the evidence for future patient care but also to improve the quality of daily practice. Building clinical trial infrastructure requires multidisciplinary collaboration with nurses and other co-medical staff to support and protect our patients. After almost two decades of learning about and being actively involved in clinical trials, I have recently had the opportunity to serve as Chair of the Gynecologic Cancer Intergroup, GCIG, which is the global network of clinical trial groups worldwide (October 2018 until October 2020). In the past, evidence generation has been performed mainly in developed countries where resources and the infrastructure support of clinical trials are well established. It is now necessary to ensure that clinical trial expertise is disseminated to other part of the globe to fit the evidences in those areas by considering the uniqueness and differences in ethnical and cultural backgrounds. ”

Dr. Angioli is Full Professor and Chairman of the Obstetrics & Gynecologic Department at the Campus Bio Medico University of Rome. Dr. Roberto Angioli is a gynaecologic oncologist specialized in advanced surgical techniques, and he is involved in clinical research. He has co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and is a reviewer for many scientific journals. He is active in gynaecological oncology on a national and international level and is currently the Immediate Past President of the IGCS and current President of the Italian Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

Jenny Kirgis is an Arizona artist who has been creating and teaching abstract and mixed media art globally for over 15 years. Her passion for the outdoors is evident in her work, as she is often recognized for her abstract work with plants and animals. When teaching, she encourages her fellow artists to bring their personal history and passions into their work and to make each creation a personal experience. Jenny is also the owner of the traveling art company, Brews and Brushes.

I am a Professor in the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine, and Professor in the Program in Public Health, at the University of California, Irvine. The overall goal of my cancer control research program is to improve health outcomes and quality of life (QOL) for cancer survivors. I am actively involved in academic, scientific and collaborative interactions nationally, including serving as co-Chair of the Patient-Centered Outcome Research Committee of the NCI-funded NRG Oncology, and Director of the Biobehavioral Shared Resource at the UCI Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Jill Holdren is a BRCA1 mutation carrier, a survivor of ovarian cancer, and a research and patient advocate. She has a background in public health/epidemiology and is active as an advocate representing the hereditary breast and ovarian cancer community. As a representative of Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), she has served as a Consumer Reviewer for the Department of Defense’s Ovarian Cancer Research Program, as a peer navigator for other women with hereditary ovarian cancer, and is a co-leader of the Denver, CO region FORCE support group. She is a 2019 graduate of the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s Project Lead and has spoken extensively on hereditary cancer, peer support, and related topics. She also serves on the Steering Committee of the BRCA Exchange, a project of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health.

I am the Director of the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program at AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, Florida, and a board-certified gynecologic oncologist. I am also the co-founder of Healthy Eating & Active Lifestyle (HEAL), an intensive 8-week rehabilitation program for cancer survivors, largely funded through philanthropy. The program uses evidenced-based Mind-Body-Mindfulness techniques based on the six pillars of lifestyle medicine and incorporates symptom management, healthy eating demos, exercise training, physical therapy, mental health counseling, sex therapy, and stress management education. A cancer survivor myself, I provide compassionate, holistic, integrative, and state-of-the-art medical care. As a graduate of the ASCO Leadership Development Program, I am a member of the ASCO Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee and its Gynecologic Oncology Advisory Committee. I am fluent in four languages, sit on numerous boards for charity organizations, participate in international medical and surgical missions, and am a frequent national and international lecturer. For many years, my mission work has focused on collaborative efforts in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, through various organizations, recently primarily through Innovating Health International (IHI). IHI is a non-profit organization based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, founded by Dr. Vince DeGennaro, an internist and global health expert. It is one of the only sources of cancer care in Haiti, and no patient is ever turned away due to cost of treatment. With a commitment to health equity, IHI’s dual missions are to train and to empower local frontline physicians while simultaneously providing desperately needed oncologic care for women with cervical and breast cancer, the two leading causes of cancer-related death among women in Haiti. Survival rates are exceedingly low, secondary to issues of infrastructure and access to care with geopolitical underpinnings. After a short pause to start a family, I resumed mission work through IHI. I, and other volunteer physicians, travel to Haiti several times a year—at significant personal risk—to perform life-saving surgeries (otherwise unavailable) and to train gynecologists who now, for the first time, are providing gynecologic cancer services for Haitian women. I believe the services provided by and accomplishments of IHI, which has a team of extraordinary volunteers and staff, are far more significant than the contributions of any single person. A documentary film on IHI’s outstanding, life-changing work is in production. Direct requests for screenings to Dr. DeGennaro. I am grateful that my young children and husband value this work and are supportive of the time I spend away from them. September 2020 marks my 16-year anniversary of triple negative breast cancer survival. Living life with purpose in a way that one finds fulfilling is what I recommend to all survivors in my program. “Tomorrow does not belong to us, but if we live today with purpose and meaning, then today will have been enough.”

Janine is the Clinical Nurse Manager for the Choices Program at the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane. Her particular interests are in women’s health and wellbeing following a cancer diagnosis and managing the side effects of treatment particularly around sexuality, body image and menopause. She has recently completed her PhD, which examined the effect of an e-health, lifestyle intervention on improving body image and sexual wellbeing after cancer.

Runsi lost her mother to ovarian cancer, and in her memory, she founded OVARCOME. She is a passionate advocate for the cause and has dedicated her life to support women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Runsi has a master’s degree in Economics and MBA from Rice University. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Ovarian Cancer Research Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center as well as on the Alumni Board of Rice Business. Under her leadership, Ovarcome has experienced significant growth in the past few years since inception and continues to serve the Global Ovarian Cancer Community by raising global awareness, by funding breakthrough research in search of a cure, and by providing financial and psycho-social assistance to ovarian cancer patients in need.

Besides being a masters-level Oncology social worker, Linda is an ovarian cancer survivor since 1997. This has impacted her passion and career development for the last 35 years leading to pioneering oncology social work in SA towards. She is deeply committed to facilitate and develop Oncology support services in SA and Africa. The grassroots research project that Dr Lynn Edwards and Ms Greeff did between 2014 and 2017 has been a wonderful experience and has been informing many different levels of advocacy in the cancer terrain the last 5 years in South Africa. Some career highlights: Development of the ‘I Can Cope Program’ in South Africa; Presented at International conferences in the USA, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia; Co-Founder – South African Oncology Social Work Forum; Co-founder – Cancer NGO People Living with Cancer/Cancer Buddies); Chairperson of the Cancer Alliance Exco team(South Africa) lobbying for great cancer focus in SA; Serves on the Ministerial Task team for Cancer in South Africa; Co-principle investigator; research into grassroots challenges of cancer (publications in peer review journals); Experienced workshop facilitator and patient group leader and training of oncology social workers; Clinical social worker working mainly in the field of oncology, palliative care grief and bereavement counselling.

Based in Geneva, Dr Torode is Director of Special Projects for UICC, currently dedicating time supporting the WHO-led global effort to elimination cervical cancer. Julie likes to deliver results highlighted by key advocacy wins with UICC and NCD Alliance detailed in global commitments to cancer and NCDs in the global action plan, the 2030 SDGs and the 2017 cancer resolution. With a Bsc and PhD in Chemistry, Julie entered the health arena and field of oncology through leading clinical trials work across phases 1-IV, with a focus on breast and gynaecologic cancer while, nurturing an ongoing interest in cancer prevention.

Frances Reid, as Programme Director for the World Ovarian Cancer, Coalition devised and led their peer-reviewed Every Woman Study™ (2018) charting global experiences of women with ovarian cancer. She now leads their work on the Global Ovarian Cancer Charter. Her work with women with ovarian cancer began in 2003, and in 2008 she co-founded Target Ovarian Cancer (UK) where she worked as Director of Public Affairs and Services championing patient experience to drive policy improvements. Before this she was a BBC radio producer for 14 years.

Dicey Jackson Scroggins, a 24-year ovarian cancer survivor and health activist, is the Director of Global Outreach & Engagement for the International Gynecologic Cancer Society; chair of the Advocacy Special Interest Group for the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer; and a co-founder of In My Sister’s Care, an organization focused on improving gynecologic cancer awareness and care for medically underserved women and on eliminating health disparities. The recipient of the 2016 AACR Distinguished Public Service Award, Dicey is also a featured Cancer Health Change Maker in Cancer Health magazine (2020). Her activism is driven by a commitment to global health equity.