Conference Speakers

Keynote Speakers

Hoda Kotb

Named co-anchor of the fourth hour of the “Today Show” in August 2007, Ms. Kotb has been a “Dateline NBC” correspondent since April 1998 and host of the weekly syndicated series “Your Total Health” since September 2004.

In her nine years at NBC, Kotb has covered a wide variety of domestic and international stories: the aftermath and one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ka­trina, the war in Iraq, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, and the war in Afghanistan. She conducted an exclusive interview with Aung San Suu Kyi, an internationally recognized leader of Burma — the first time in 11 years that Suu Kyi had been interviewed by an American television network.

Kotb traveled to Southeast Asia to cover the devastating effects of the 2004 Tsunami, to war-torn Burma to report on 12-year-old twin warriors who were said to have magical powers, and co-anchored "Shades of Hope … Shadows of Hate," an MSNBC special on race.

She has received many awards, including the 2008 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Univer­sity Award and the Peabody in 2006 for her “Dateline NBC” report, “The Education of Ms. Groves." The four-time Emmy nominee also won the 2004 Headliner Award, the 2003 Gracie Award and the 2002 Edward R. Murrow Award.

A graduate of Virginia Tech University, Kotb is a natural storyteller who brings her fascinating experiences to life.

Martin Raber, M.D.

Dr. Raber, clinical professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at M. D. Anderson, attended medical school at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, trained in internal medicine at Dalhousie University in Canada and in medical oncology at M. D. Anderson. During his 30-year career, he has held a number of senior executive positions at the cancer center. His current interests include the management of patients with unknown primary carcinomas and the training of young oncologists. A cancer survivor, he has received treatment on a number of occasions for lymphoma and its complications.

Charles Petty, Ph.D.

Dr. Petty has been a counselor and professor and worked for large corporations in Texas and North Carolina. He served on the staff of Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. of North Carolina. He is the president of Family Success Unlimited in North Carolina, and has been inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame by the National Speakers Association.

A family humorist, he speaks to businesses, trade associations, Chambers of Commerce, volunteer and civic organizations and educators. Demand for his humor and insight is national and international. He has spoken in all 50 states and in 14 foreign countries.

Conference Speakers

Naghma Ahmed, P.T.

Ms. Ahmed graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1980 and an master’s degree in physical therapy in 1984, both from Texas Woman’s University. She has worked at M. D. Anderson for seven years as a physical therapist in the outpatient department with an interest in, and emphasis on, exercise and survivorship. She has given various talks on cancer and exercise at the Wellness Center and previously at this conference.

Eduardo Bruera, M.D.

El Dr. Eduardo Bruera, de origen argentino, ostenta la Presidencia de la F.T. McGraw en Tratamiento del Cáncer y del Departamento de Cuidados Paliativos y Rehabilitación del Centro Oncológico M. D. Anderson. Comenzó su carrera profesional como médico oncólogo dedicado al tratamiento de los enfermos con cáncer, pero, tras observar las necesidades de pacientes y familiares, desarrolló rápidamente su pasión por la medicina paliativa. Ha dedicado los últimos 25 años al desarrollo de la medicina paliativa como nueva especialidad, centrada específicamente en el cuidado de los importantes síntomas físicos y psicológicos, derivados del cáncer y de los tratamientos administrados para su control, que sufren tanto los pacientes como sus familiares.

En su etapa como presidente de la International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care, entre los años 2000 y 2005, el adquirió una gran experiencia en el conocimiento de las dificultades para la implantación de los cuidados paliativos y el tratamiento de soporte en los distintos países del mundo y en las diferentes culturas. Ha colaborado en la formación en cuidados paliativos de muchos médicos procedentes de las más diversas partes del mundo. Ha publicado un buen número de artículos y libros sobre diferentes aspectos de los cuidados paliativos. Sus frecuentes viajes a España y Latinoamérica le han familiarizado especialmente con los problemas existentes para el desarrollo de los cuidados paliativos en los países de habla hispana.

Thomas Burke, M.D.

Executive vice president and physician-in-chief at M. D. Anderson, Dr. Burke joined the institution in 1988 after serving in the United States Armed Forces. In his position, he is responsible for oversight and strategic planning for patient care delivery throughout the hospital, clinics and outreach programs. One of his major goals is to enhance patient services through increased efficiency of human, fiscal and space resources.

He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Tulane University in New Orleans, La. Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, he provides clinical care for women with gynecologic malignancies. His clinical research focus has been on vulvar and endometrial cancers. He has been instrumental in the development of conservative surgical options for women with vulvar cancer, including lymphatic mapping, surgical reconstruction and combined modality therapy for advanced tumors. His interests in uterine cancers have involved surgical staging procedures, adjuvant chemotherapy, treatment of recurrent disease and the management of high-risk subgroups. He leads the institution’s Uterine Cancer SPORE grant team.

He has written or contributed to chapters on vulvar and endometrial cancers for several textbooks and has authored or co-authored more than 130 original medical articles. He is a reviewer or editorial board member for several medical journals, including Gynecologic Oncology, Cancer, Annals of Surgical Oncology, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lancet and others.

Dr. Burke is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Surgeons, the Felix Rutledge Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. His clinical and educational activities have been recognized through his national and international presentations on gynecologic cancers as well as by several teaching awards and nominations to Woodward and White's "Best Doctors in America" and Good Housekeeping's "Best Doctors for Women."

Dr. Burke is committed to clinical excellence, improving patient outcomes through research-driven patient care and enhancing patient service.

David W. Chang, M.D.

Dr. Chang is a professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery, deputy department chair of clinical operations, director of the Plastic Surgery Clinic and director of the microsurgery laboratory at M. D. Anderson. He holds joint appointments as clinical associate professor, Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, and adjunct associate professor, Department of Bioengineering at Rice University. While he specializes in complex microsurgical reconstructive surgery in cancer patients involving all areas of the body, his primary research has been in breast reconstruction and restoration of extremity defects, such as lymphedema. He has been named to the “Best Doctors in America” list for the last eight years; been invited to lecture at more than 70 symposiums and meetings both nationally and internationally; and given more than 30 visiting professor lectureships in 15 countries. He has many publications credits, including over 60 peer-reviewed publications.

Jim Chastain

Mr. Chastain is an author, attorney, journalist, film critic, screenwriter, poet and band manager. He also is a husband, father and cancer survivor, and lives in Norman, Okla., with his wife and children. His memoir, “I Survived Cancer, but Never Won the Tour de France,” a collection of essays and poems, was

published in 2006 by HAWK Publishing and was named one of the top 10 nonfiction works of 2006 by the Austin Chronicle. The book covers his five-year battle with cancer. An attorney for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, Chastain refers to writing opinions for the Court as the "very essence of creative writing." He has been a film critic for The Norman Transcript for more than a decade and has written feature articles for Oklahoma Today magazine and for the Oklahoma Gazette alternative weekly. He writes a daily blog for Oklahoma's largest newspaper, The Oklahoman. He is a founding member of the Oklahoma Film Critic's Circle, and his screenplay, “The Dead Game,” finished in the top 10 percent at the 2003 Austin Film Festival. 

Elise Cook, M.D.

An assistant professor in Clinical Cancer Prevention, Dr. Cook is board-certified by the American Board of Family Practice. She practices in the Cancer Prevention Center, with special interest  and expertise in cancer screenings, screening for second primaries in patients with cancer, general cancer prevention and early detection, and prostate and breast cancer chemoprevention. She received her medical degree from the University of California-San Francisco and completed her internship and residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Melissa A. Crosby, M.D.

Dr. Crosby is an assistant professor in the Department of Plastic Surgery at M. D. Anderson. She specializes in complex microsurgical reconstructive surgery in cancer patients, with a focus in breast reconstruction. Her research interests are directed at improving outcomes in reconstructive surgery for breast cancer patients, including surgical treatments for lymphedema. Her current projects include evaluating the clinical outcomes and efficacy of using the paravertebral block in breast surgery, fat grafting for partial mastectomy defects and lymphaticovenular bypass for patients with lymphedema. She has authored numerous abstracts, book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals and is actively involved in educating the public on breast reconstructive options.

Tania De Los Reyes, R.D., L.D.

Tania De Los Reyes se graduó de la Universidad de Houston con una licenciatura en Nutrición en el año 2002. Desde entonces ella ha ejercidos varios puestos en el hospital M. D. Anderson. Actualmente ella trabaja como nutricionista cubriendo siete clínicas, incluyendo Medicina Interna donde trabaja con medicos y especialistas para atender pacientes con diabetes.  Sus intereses incluyen involucrarse más en la comunidad hispana.

Carol R. Drucker, M.D.

Dr. Drucker is associate professor of dermatology in the Division of Internal Medicine at M. D. Anderson, where she is associate medical director of the Cancer Prevention Center, Dermatology. She also is on staff at Memorial Hermann Hospital and the Harris County Hospital District. In addition to seeing patients, she teaches dermatology residents at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston. The author of numerous chapters and papers, she also presents talks at various medical meetings each year. Special interests include dermoscopy, or imaging of skin lesions, skin cancer prevention and screening, and skin manifestations of internal illness.

Lewis E. Foxhall, M.D.

Dr. Foxhall is vice president for Health Policy and associate professor of Clinical Cancer Prevention at M. D. Anderson. His work focuses on community-based cancer prevention and early detection, access and quality of care for low-income populations. His clinical background is in Family Medicine. He is responsible for coordination of M. D. Anderson’s charity care program through leadership of the Uncompensated Care Advisory Committee as well as administrative coordination of the M. D. Anderson/Harris County Hospital District oncology program. He is immediate past chair of the Harris County Healthcare Alliance, an umbrella organization for safety-net medical provider organizations in Houston and Harris County. To advance comprehensive cancer control at M. D. Anderson, he led a statewide effort to update the Texas Cancer Plan and served as chair of the Texas Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition. He is director of the Texas Cancer Information Web site project and chairs the Texas Medical Association’s Physician Oncology Education Program, both funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. He serves on the Texas Department of State Health Services Advisory Council and previously chaired the Texas Health Care Information Council. He supports policy development and outreach programs in collaboration with government agencies, voluntary health organizations and organized medical groups. He serves as liaison to community physicians and is medical director of the Office of Physician Relations. He is president of the Harris County Medical Society, an officer of the American Cancer Society High Plains Division Board of Directors and a board member of the National American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

Anna R.K. Franklin, M.D.

Dr. Franklin is an assistant professor in the Division of Pediatrics at M. D. Anderson, where she also is medical director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Program. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology and Oncology. She is a member of the steering committee of the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance, a group of organizations working together to improve the lives of young adults with cancer. Her clinical interests lie in biologic differences of cancers in the adolescent and young adult as well as improving the supportive care of these patients during and after treatment. She also has an interest in acute leukemias and developing novel therapies for them.

M. Kay Garcia, D.P.H., M.S.N., R.N.

Dr. Garcia is a clinical nurse specialist and licensed acupuncturist at M. D. Anderson and treats chronic pain patients at Memorial Hermann/Worklink-TIRR. She also is an associate professor at the American College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She has written numerous publications regarding the use of acupuncture in cancer patients and is a co-investigator on several acupuncture studies in the United States and China.

Kelly Hall, M.A., R.D., C.S.O., L.D., C.N.S.D.

Ms. Hall is a senior clinical dietitian in the Department of Nutrition at M. D. Anderson. She works at the Bay Area Clinical Care Center as well as at the radiation clinic at the main campus. She educates patients and families on anything from cancer prevention to side effects management during cancer treatment. She is certified in nutrition support and as a specialist in oncology nutrition. In addition, she has a growing interest in integrative medicine and recently completed a master’s degree in experiential health and healing. 

Hilary Hamby, Au.D., C.C.C.-A.

Ms. Hamby is a clinical audiologist in the Head and Neck Center, Department of Head and Neck Surgery at M. D. Anderson. She earned her doctorate of audiology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2007. She provides audiologic services, including audiometric testing of hearing abilities, assessment of middle ear dysfunction and measures of ototoxic effects on hearing sensitivity. In addition, she leads the audiologic program in the behavioral assessment of vestibular functioning. Her interests lie in disorders of the vestibular system and electrophysiological assessment of the auditory system. 

Ricki Hasou, B.S

Ms. Hasou is a senior managed care analyst in the Department of Managed Care at M. D. Anderson. She has twenty years’ experience in health care, having worked in several Houston-area hospitals and for a large managed care organization prior to joining M. D. Anderson in October 2007. Her role can be summed up in two words: education and operations. She holds regular managed care classes for staff that provide patient access services and teaches on various managed care subjects, including the basics of managed care and more specialized topics, such as access networks, radiology pre-certifications and managed Medicare. In her operations role, she researches issues regarding insurance policies and procedures, other managed care-related questions that come to her from internal hospital departments, and is the liaison between the Department of Managed Care and managed care companies. She also is a regular contributor to the Patient Business Services newsletter.

David Hong, M.D.

Dr. Hong joined M. D. Anderson in June 2005. He received his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in the Bronx, New York, and then served as an intern and resident in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He completed his fellowship in medical oncology at M. D. Anderson, where he was appointed chief medical oncology fellow. He is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. His research interests are Phase I studies, drug development and the molecular basis for cancer clinical interest therapy, biologic molecules, new combinational Phase I studies and novel protocol designs. He was a recipient of the Amgen Young Investigator Award in 2004 and the ASCO Young Investigator Award in 2004. Additionally, he received the Jesse H. Jones Award in 2004 and the Goodwin Funding Award in 2007. An assistant professor in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, he also serves as the clinical medical director of the Clinical Center for Targeted Therapy. 

Mary K. Hughes, M.S., R.N., C.N.S.

Ms. Hughes earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas Woman’s University. She is on the clinical faculty of Texas Woman’s University and The University of Texas-Houston and has been a clinical nurse specialist in the Department of Psychiatry at M. D. Anderson since 1990. In 1986, she was awarded the Sword of Hope Award from the American Cancer Society, and in 1993, she was awarded the Brown Foundation, Inc. Award for Outstanding Nurse Oncologist. Most recently, the Oncology Nursing Society awarded her the 2009 Mara Mogensen Flaherty Lectureship for excellence in psychosocial oncology nursing. She lectures internationally and nationally about quality-of-life issues of cancer patients and has published on these subjects. 

Andrew K. Lee, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Lee serves as director of the Proton Therapy Center at M. D. Anderson as well as director of the Program in Advanced Technologies. He is an associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology and specializes in genitourinary oncology with a special emphasis on prostate cancer. He was instrumental in developing the clinical program in proton therapy and treated the first patient with proton therapy at M. D. Anderson in May 2006. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters and has spoken internationally. His clinical interests include optimizing proton therapy for cancer care and preserving quality of life in cancer patients.

John Mendelsohn, M.D. 

Dr. Mendelsohn combines experience in clinical and laboratory research with administrative expertise for leading M. D. Anderson. Since becoming president in 1996, he has recruited a visionary management team and implemented new priorities for integrated programs in patient care, research, education and cancer prevention. The institution has doubled in size by most parameters. Under his direction, M. D. Anderson has been named the top cancer hospital in the nation six of the past nine years in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” survey, including 2008.

He was born in Cincinnati and earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1958. While there, he was the first undergraduate student of James D. Watson, M.D., who later won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for identifying the structure of DNA. After spending a year in Scotland as a Fulbright Scholar in biochemistry, he received his medical degree cum laude from Harvard Medical School in 1963. Between 1963 and 1970, he took residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, completed a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and completed a fellowship in hematology-oncology at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis.

From 1970 to 1985 at the University of California San Diego, he was founding director of a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, which he led from its inception in 1976 until he moved to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. At UCSD, he initiated his research on the epidermal growth factor receptor function and inhibition. Along with collaborators, he produced monoclonal antibody 225, which blocked EGF binding, blocked receptor tyrosine kinase activation and inhibited human cancer cell proliferation in culture and in xenografts.
 
At Memorial Sloan-Kettering from 1985 to 1996, he chaired, reorganized and expanded the Department of Medicine and held the Winthrop Rockefeller Chair in Medical Oncology. He also served for five years as co-head of the Program in Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics. In addition, he was professor and vice-chair of medicine at Cornell University Medical College. His group’s continuing laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical studies pioneered the concept of targeted anti-receptor therapy as a new form of cancer treatment. Antibody 225 (cetuximab) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for colon cancer in 2004 and for head and neck cancer in 2006. 

For 10 years, he has served as the founding editor of Clinical Cancer Research and has been on numerous editorial boards. He has authored more than 250 scientific papers and articles for journals and books and is senior editor of the textbook, “The Molecular Basis of Cancer.” He has received significant awards and honors, including: the Raymond Bourgine Award (1997), the Gold Medal of Paris (1997), the Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted Biomedical Research Award (1997), the Joseph H. Burchenal Clinical Research Award from the American Association for Cancer Research (1999), the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Jill Rose Award (1999), the Simon Shubitz Prize from the University of Chicago (2002), the David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2002), the Bristol-Myers Squibb Freedom to Discover Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Research (2004), the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Award for Public Service (jointly with Anne Mendelsohn in 2005), the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal (2005), the Dan David Prize in Cancer Therapy (2006), and the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research (2008). He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences (1997). He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Naples (2005), China Medical University (2006) and Yonsei University (2006). 

Thia McKann

Ms. McKann owns the only totally organic teashop in Houston, The Path of Tea. The only certified Tea Master in Texas, she teaches classes at the Place … of wellness at M. D. Anderson’s Main Building and Mays Clinic. She has published numerous articles on tea in industry publications and has a 20-year background as a practitioner of alternative therapies.

Cherie Perez, B.S., R.N., C.C.R.P., L.M.T.

Ms. Perez is the quality assurance specialist for the Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology Clinical Research Group. A graduate of Texas Woman’s University, she has been with the department for eight years and with M. D. Anderson for 19. Certified by SoCRA as a research practitioner, she was licensed in 1994 as a massage therapist and has completed 80 educational hours in aromatherapy. She has been teaching at the Place … of wellness since it opened in 1998. Her interests include genitourinary, head and neck and thoracic cancers, cancer prevention and complementary therapies. 

Mike Powers

Mr. Powers was introduced to tai chi in 1993. Two years later, after an intense study program, he earned a teaching certificate. After several more years of practice and teaching, he discovered he had a real love of teaching this Chinese martial art, which is sometimes referred to as "dancing meditation." In 1998, he began volunteering to teach tai chi at the Place of … wellness. He has been teaching tai chi and now qigong classes for more than 10 years to students and caregivers from all over the world.

Michael M. Richardson, M.T.-B.C.

Mr. Richardson began his career in 1985 by developing a music therapy program for the Psychiatric Center at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. As one of the first board-certified music therapists, he created programs for Gulf Pines Hospital, The Center for Hearing and Speech and The Villa de Matel. He came to M. D. Anderson in 1991 and is currently a full-time staff member through the Integrative Medicine Program’s Place … of wellness. He provides services throughout the hospital, is the music therapy internship director and has published several articles.

Maribel Robledo Sifuentes, M.S.

Maribel Sifuentes es educadora de salud en el departamento de Health Disparities Research en M. D. Anderson donde el enfoque es hacer investigaciones sobre las disparidades de salud. Ella trabaja en el programa Minority and Women Clinical Trials Recruitment Program. Su rol es educar a las minorías sobre temas de prevención del cáncer, demostrar que los estudios clínicos son una opción viable para el tratamiento de esta enfermedad y la importancia de la participación de minorías en estudios clínicos. Además, es miembra de la mesa directiva de la Hispanic Health Coalition, una coalición en Houston que se dedica a mejorar la salud de la comunidad hispana. También es miembra de la mesa directiva de LULAC en Houston donde es la presidenta del comité de salud y servicios sociales.

Valerie Stiner, O.C.N., R.N.

Ms. Stiner has worked at M. D. Anderson for 10 years, in both the sarcoma and lymphoma centers. She has trained staff and led patient education classes on subjects such as sarcomas, palliative care, bowel management and treatment side effects. She worked seven years as an oncology nurse, and for several years was a clinical nutritionist and instructor with the Women, Infants and Children Nutritional Program in Georgia. Though she has worked in surgery, post -op, endoscopy and the operating room, she prefers working in oncology and with oncology patients.

Sandi Stromberg, M.A.

Ms. Stromberg has worked as a freelance writer, columnist, European correspondent, contributing editor, editor and translator for the last 36 years. She teaches writing classes at the Jung Center in Houston. In addition to presenting at Anderson Network’s Living With, Through and Beyond Cancer Conference for the last nine years, she has presented at M. D. Anderson’s Brain Tumor Conference, the Jung Center Houston, the Sisters Network^® annual conference, Houston Community College’s Women’s Health Education Week and the International Women’s Writing Guild in New York. As program manager of external publications at M. D. Anderson, she is managing editor of the institution’s annual report and Conquest magazine, and oversees production of Network, CancerWise and FYI. She also is an award-winning poet with work recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. 

Sat-Siri Sumler, L.M.T., N.C.T.M.B., R.Y.T.

Ms. Sumler joined M. D. Anderson’s Integrative Medicine Program in 2003. A licensed massage therapist, she is nationally certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork. Her massage modalities include Swedish, geriatric, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, reflexology and skilled touch for the seriously ill. She has specialized in massage for the oncologic patient since 1991. She is co-developer and presenter of "An Integrative Approach to Oncology Massage,” a comprehensive continuing education course for licensed massage therapists desiring to work safely and effectively with persons touched by cancer. She also is a teacher trainer for IKYTA, the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers’ Association. She has trained extensively in Kundalini Yoga and Sat Nam Rasayan with the Center for Contemplative Awareness, giving her massage a foundation of total body/mind awareness.

Phyddy Tacchi, R.N., C.N.S., L.M.F.T., L.P.C.

Ms. Tacchi is a psychiatric advanced practice nurse who specializes in providing treatment for the emotional difficulties patients and caregivers encounter in adjusting to living a life with cancer. Her fields of interest include focusing on the emotional strengths and challenges of the family caregiver; working with couples struggling with the impact the cancer experience has placed upon their relationship; and training staff to enhance their communication skills during difficult conversations with patients and families using innovative role training techniques. She has produced two videos, “Caring for the Cancer Patient: The Caregiver’s Perspective” and “Cancer & Marriage: Four Couples.” She also has authored a caregiver booklet, “Caregivers: Facing the Challenge Together.”

Fran Zandstra, B.S.N., M.B.A., R.N., O.C.N., C.N.A.A.-B.C.

A nursing leader with more than 30 years of diverse oncology experience in health care organizations, Ms. Zandstra is the director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at M. D. Anderson. In this capacity, she is leading the institution-wide initiative to address the long-term clinical, psychological and social consequences of cancer and its treatment through integrated programming in patient care, education, research, prevention and education.