The Breast Cancer Research Council
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Breast Cancer Research Council The overall objectives, strategies and priorities of CBCRP are set by the Breast Cancer Research Council, which actively participates in overseeing the program and making final recommendations on the research projects to be funded. In each Grant Cycle, CBCRP awards grants based on the Council's recommendations, which are based on peer reviewers' evaluations, Council members' assessment of responsiveness to program priorities, and available funds. The Council consists of 16 members: five representatives of breast cancer survivor/advocacy groups; five scientists/clinicians; two members from non-profit health organizations, one practicing breast cancer medical specialist, two members from private industry, and one ex officio member from the DHS Breast Cancer Early Detection Program. Council members are appointed by the University, drawn from nominations submitted by Council and the community.
Chair and Vice Chair
MARY ANN JORDAN
(7/1/98 — 6/30/01)
Mary Ann Jordan, Ph.D., earned her BA in mathematics, magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota, and her Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of Rochester, Rochester NY. At the University of Rochester she was an NSF and NIH graduate fellow. She has taught and conducted research at Washington University, University of Michigan, and Utah State University. For the last 20 years, as a researcher and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Dr. Jordan has focused on the mechanisms of anti-mitotic, anti-cancer drugs including vinblastine, taxol, and novel drugs such as the cryptophycins and dolastatins in binding to microtubules, suppressing microtubule dynamics, and the completion of mitosis and cell proliferation. She is interested in control of growth and proliferation of cancer cells and overcoming the development of resistance to anti-tumor drugs.
BARBARA BRENNER
(7/1/98 — 6/30/01)
Ms. Brenner was 41 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She quickly learned how little was known about breast cancer, and how much misinformation was being given to the public about the disease. She joined the board of Breast Cancer Action in September 1994 and became the organization's Executive Director a year later. Breast Cancer Action is a San Francisco-based national grassroots organization that carries the voices of people affected by breast cancer to compel and inspire the changes necessary to end the breast cancer epidemic. As Executive Director, Ms. Brenner is responsible for implementation of the organization's programs designed to dispel the myths about breast cancer, to inform the public about the realities of the disease, and to encourage more people to do something - besides worry - about the breast cancer epidemic. She represents Breast Cancer Action on committees addressing a wide-range of breast cancer issues, writes for Breast Cancer Action's widely-acclaimed bi-monthly newsletter, and is a frequent public spokesperson on issues ranging from detection to treatment to prevention. Vicki Boriack is a long-time resident of Santa Cruz, California, a 16 year veteran of the outdoor industry and an avid mountaineer, kayaker, and backpacker. Vicki was 39 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 1993. In February of 1995, Vicki climbed Mt. Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, as a member of Expedition Inspiration. The Expedition, comprised of 17 breast cancer survivors, was created to raise 2.3 million dollars for breast cancer research and to raise awareness of the disease. Vicki has since switched careers, and is now working for Community Health Partnership in San Jose as the manager of the Women's Health Partnership program which helps medically underserved women gain access to health care and education. She is a graduate of the Project LEAD training course sponsored by the NBCC, and has participated as an advocate observer during the CBCRP Cycle V grant review process.
ANNE WALLACE
(8/27/97 — 6/30/00)
Anne Wallace, M.D., has substantial experience with breast cancer patients, basic research, and clinical research. She is a Surgeon at the University of California, San Diego whose practice consists primarily of breast cancer patients. Dr. Wallace has experience in research at many levels. She heads the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) for UCSD, a large scale clinical study that has increased in efficiency and in patient participation under her direction. She is a member of the UCSD Cancer Center Protocol Review Committee, which is a body that evaluates the protocols for grant applications from the entire Cancer Center. She also collaborates on research projects that investigate the basic biology of breast cancer. She has a profound interest in funding forward-thinking research that is maximally beneficial to breast cancer patients.
FLORETTA CHISOM
(8/27/97 — 6/30/00)
Floretta Chisom brings her many years of experience in committee work and team building to the BCRC. She is recently retired from her position as the Director of Health and Human Services in Oakland, CA. She also serves on a variety of health and social service committees such as the Healthy Start Advisory Board; the City of Oakland Commission on Homelessness; the City of Oakland Health Commission; the Community Action Agency Advisory Board; and the Ann Martin Children's Center. She became active in the fight against breast cancer as a member of the Breast Cancer Fund Board. The welfare of her daughter provides Ms. Chisom with her strong motivation for eradicating breast cancer.
Advocates
VICKI BORIAK
(10/15/99 — 3/1/01)
Vicki Boriack is a long-time resident of Santa Cruz, California, a 16 year veteran of the outdoor industry and an avid mountaineer, kayaker, and backpacker. Vicki was 39 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 1993. In February of 1995, Vicki climbed Mt. Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, as a member of Expedition Inspiration. The Expedition, comprised of 17 breast cancer survivors, was created to raise 2.3 million dollars for breast cancer research and to raise awareness of the disease. Vicki has since switched careers, and is now working for Community Health Partnership in San Jose as the manager of the Women's Health Partnership program which helps medically underserved women gain access to health care and education. She is a graduate of the Project LEAD training course sponsored by the NBCC, and has participated as an advocate observer during the CBCRP Cycle V grant review process.
AKUA JITAHADI
(7/1/99 — 6/30/02)
Akua Jitahadi is a longtime community activist who has organized around such issues as homelessness, human rights and women imprisonment. She is a co-founder of Black Women for Wellness, a community based organization which focuses on health issues impacting black women. Ms. Jitahadi coordinates the organization's 'Keep in Touch...Do BSEs,' an outreach and education program. She is also a member of the Los Angeles County Partnered for Progress African American Breast Cancer Taskforce.
MICHELE RAKOFF
(7/1/98 — 6/30/01)
Michele Rakoff is a breast cancer survivor and advocate. She is a Board Member of the Los Angeles Breast Cancer Alliance (LABCA) and the California Breast Cancer Organizations (CABCO). Ms. Rakoff has participated in the Department of Defense (DOD) Breast Cancer Research Program and the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP) grant review process as a consumer advocate. She continues to work for the passage of legislation to increase research funding and to ensure access of care for all women dedicated to patient care and psychosocial programs. She is the Director of Breast Friends, a peer support mentoring program, at Long Beach Memorial Breast Center.
SANDRA WALSH
(7/1/00 — 6/30/03)
A seventeen-year survivor of breast cancer, Sandy was not involved in any breast cancer activities until 1996 when she received a request to be treasurer of Save Ourselves of Sacramento. After serving in this position for 4 years, she co-founded Y-ME of Davis, a breast cancer education, support and advocacy organization serving Davis, Yolo County and rural areas west of Sacramento. Y-ME of Davis is a member organization of California Breast Cancer Organizations and Sandy is vice president of CABCO. With CABCO and the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), she works to promote legislation that will provide funding for research and provide other health care needs for persons with breast cancer. She has served on review panels for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program and currently serves on the Breast Health Initiative Team for the American Cancer Society, on the Project LEAD committee for the NBCC and on the Scientific Advisory Committee California Teacher's Study, under the Department of Health Services Cancer Registry. Sandy is employed at the University of California, Davis as a research associate in the Center for the Study of Neuromuscular Diseases studying muscular dystrophies.
Ex-Official Member
GEORJEAN STOODT
(10/25/00 — Ongoing)
As Chief of the Cancer Detection Section for the California Department of Health Services, Dr. Stoodt implements public health programs that save lives by detecting cancer early so people with cancer can receive timely treatment. The Breast Cancer Early Detection Program, established by the same statute that created the Breast Cancer Research Program, is one of the important public health programs of the Cancer Detection Section. Dr. Stoodt has worked in a variety of human service, public health, and medical settings throughout her public service career. She has been a social worker in Ohio and Indiana, medical director of family planning and maternity services in South Carolina's Trident Health District, and in North Carolina served as Director of the Division of Adult Health, Chief of Chronic Disease, and Director of the Office of Resource Development and Clinical Support. At local, state and national levels, she has been instrumental in shaping public health initiatives and securing funding to prevent and control chronic diseases as well as to advance women's health. She received her B.S. in music and physical sciences from Indiana University, M.D. from the University of Cincinnati, undertook family medicine training at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and following training in public health and preventive medicine from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill became certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. She has held offices and leadership positions in several medical organizations, the Association of State and Territorial Chronic Disease Program Directors, their Women's Health Council, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the North Carolina Public Health Association. She was elected into the prestigious Women's Forum of North Carolina, and in 1994 was inducted into the YWCA Academy of Women. Her broad interests focus on strengthening organizational capacities, changing public understanding, and advancing public policies that will improve the public's health.
Industry Representatives
TERESA BURGESS
(7/1/99 — 6/30/02)
Teresa L. Burgess, Ph.D. earned her BA in Biochemistry with highest honors from the University of California,. Berkeley after receiving a solid educational foundation from CA public schools, including Diablo Valley Community College. Following a move across the SF bay, she received her Ph.D. for original research on peptide hormone secretion from U.C. San Francisco. As a Helen Hay Whitney Fellow, Dr. Burgess continued to investigate the basic cellular mechanisms of membrane trafficking at U.C. Santa Barbara. In 1992 she accepted a position as Research Scientist at the successful biotechnology company, Amgen Inc., where she has continued both basic and applied cell biological research. Her investigations have led to numerous peer reviewed research publications relevant to diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's and most recently osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases. Dr. Burgess brings to the Council not only her scientific expertise, but also an enthusiastic desire to contribute to a healthier future for all women.
KEVIN SCANLON
(2/10/98 — 1/0/00)
Kevin Scanlon, Ph.D. is Vice President and Head of the Cancer Research Department of Berlex Biosciences in Richmond, CA. Dr. Scanlon did his post-graduate work at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of London in the United Kingdom. He was a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Pharmacology at Yale University, School of Medicine and a scholar in the Leukemia Society of America. Dr. Scanlon was awarded the 1988 Paul Martini Internal Medical Research Prize in Germany. He has published over 85 papers on Cancer Research and currently serves as co-editor for Cancer Gene Therapy, and the Internet Book of Gene Therapy. His extensive experience as a member in the National Institutes of Health, Cancer Study Section provides the council with insight into the traditional review process.
CRAIG HENDERSON
(7/1/00 — 6/30/03)
I. Craig Henderson, M.D., is Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a member of the staff at the UCSF/Mount Zion Cancer Center, President, Access Oncology, Inc., and a member of the board of ALZA Corporation in Mountain View, California. He was a member of the Harvard faculty for 18 years before moving to UCSF where he was Professor of Medicine, Chief of Hematology/Oncology, and Associate Director of the Cancer Center. In 1995 he became Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Menlo Park, California, and continued there until the merger with ALZA Corporation in 1999. Dr. Henderson founded the multidisciplinary Breast Evaluation Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. At UCSF he developed the Bay Area Research Program funded by a Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant from the National Cancer Institute. He has served as chairman of the FDA's Oncological Drug Advisory Board and is a member of the National Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association technology assessment panel. Dr. Henderson has delivered innumerable presentations at medical conferences, and conducted grand rounds at medical schools throughout the United States and Europe. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh), and a Member of both the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Medical SpecialistROBERT CARLSON
(7/1/00 — 6/30/03)
Robert W. Carlson received his M.D. degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and did his internship and junior residency in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. He returned to Stanford for his senior residency and postdoctoral fellowship in medical oncology. He joined the faculty at Stanford after his fellowship and is Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. His primary areas of investigation include breast cancer clinical trials and the use of computer-based systems to assist health care providers in the delivery of patient care. Dr. Carlson serves as Chair of the Breast Cancer Guidelines Committee and the Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Guidelines Committee for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN).
BOBBIE HEAD
(1/15/97 — 6/30/00)
Bobbie Head, M.D., Ph.D., specializes in caring for women with breast cancer in her private practice in Marin County, California, providing education and information to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her practice caters to the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of women and provides access to complementary care modalities to assist women with making informed decisions about treatment options. Dr. Head chairs the Breast Health Committee at Marin General Hospital and the California Healthcare Systems Science Committee, which evaluates new trials for 3 Bay Area Hospitals, and is Medical Director of Hospice of Marin. She is active in clinical research and teaching and participates in national and pharmaceutical company trials that utilize new cancer therapies.
Non-Profit Health Organizations
FELICIA HODGE
(7/1/99 — 6/30/00)
Felicia Schanche Hodge, Dr.P.H., is the founder and director of the Center for American Indian Research and Education (CAIRE). Dr. Hodge, a Wailaki Indian from Northern California, has been the recipient of several R01 research awards from the NCI and the NINR. Her research is in the area of cancer prevention and control, as well as behavioral modification. Dr. Hodge is currently the Director of Research at the California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB) an advocacy agency representing California Indians, and is an adjunct Professor at UCSF.
IRENE LINAYAO-PUTMAN
(7/1/00 — 6/30/03)
Irene Linayao-Putnam is Project Director of the Southeast Asian Health Care Access Project and the Asian and Pacific Islander Communities Against Tobacco Project for the Union of Pan Asian Communities in San Diego. In these roles, she has provided significant leadership in addressing cultural and linguistic barriers to health care access for breast, cervical, liver and lung cancers in AAPI communities. She has also directed UPAC's API Breast Health Project, providing breast cancer community education through role modeling to women over age 40, and the Breast Health Outreach and Education project, raising breast health awareness and community capacities for early detection and risk reduction. She is Site Coordinator of the Life Is Precious Project: Addressing Breast Cancer Among Hmong Women & Men. This is a multi-site study being carried out in collaboration with the UCLA School of Public Health to assess breast health knowledge and practices among Hmong women and men, develop effective educational strategies, and provide interpretation and transportation to mammography sites. She is also Site Coordinator of the Pan Asian Language Services (PALS) for Health, Language Access Program, which is a multi-county, multi-agency collaboration to reduce language barriers to health education.
JUDITH LUCE
(8/12/97 — 6/30/00)
Judith Luce, M.D. has demonstrated her dedication to the fight against breast cancer in her volunteer and her professional work. She has been an active member of American Cancer Society for over 15 years. She has served as president of the San Francisco Unit of the ACS, as well as both member and Chairperson of the California Division Breast Health Task Force. Dr. Luce is a faculty member at UCSF and the director of Oncology Services at San Francisco General Hospital. She is also the principal investigator on several clinical trials including a study on breast and cervical cancer intervention, and a multi-center breast cancer prevention trial. Her proudest achievement of her volunteer/research life has been her work with others in the Department of Public Health to offer breast and cervical cancer screening to underserved women in San Francisco. “We started this work in 1988, and today have highly successful programs in BCCCP (we were one of the first in the state) and BCEDP, as well as a new program to do targeted outreach to every woman in our patient population who has not been screened. We have worked with a variety of others to accomplish this, and I am certain that we are seeing the results of these efforts in better health for women in our city.”
M. ELLEN MAHONEY
(7/1/00 — 6/30/03)
Ellen Mahoney, M.D. is a practicing breast surgeon in Arcata and Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Stanford. She is the co-founder of the Community Breast Health Project in Palo Alto. Her work there resulted in extensive knowledge of current breast cancer literature and of the questions and problems faced by patients and families. She has used this knowledge to support other nonprofit breast cancer organizations, including the Breast Cancer Fund and the Humboldt Community Breast Health Project. She helps Susan Love M.D. in the maintenance of the Personal Guidance service on www.susanlovemd.com. Her goal is that all patients have the latest concepts and knowledge available in language they can understand. She describes herself as “passionate about the need to improve our knowledge about breast cancer and our care of all whose lives are affected by this disease.”
Scientist/Clinicians
HODA-ANTON CULVER
(7/1/00 — 6/30/03)
Hoda Anton-Culver, Ph.D. is Professor and Chief of the Epidemiology Division in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. She received her baccalaureate degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of Alexandria in Egypt in 1964 followed by a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Biochemistry at St. Andrews University, Scotland in 1968. Following her doctoral degree, she began her academic career as a Lecturer at McGill University Medical School, Canada. From 1971 to 1978, she joined Dr. Henry Lynch as an Assistant and then as Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at Creighton University School of Medicine, Nebraska. Since 1978, she has been at the University of California, Irvine as an Associate Professor and then as Professor and Chief of the Epidemiology Division in the Department of Medicine. She also holds a joint appointment with the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine, and an adjunct appointment with the San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health.
SUSAN BLALOCK
(7/1/99 — 6/30/02)
Susan Blalock, Ph.D., M.P.H. is an Associate Professor in the School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at the University of the Pacific. Dr. Blalock is a behavioral scientist with expertise in health behavior and health education. She holds graduate degrees from the Schools of Public Health at the University of Michigan (M.P.H.) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Ph.D.). Dr. Blalock has served as a principal investigator on numerous studies investigating behavioral factors associated with illness prevention and disease management. Her current interests include quality of care issues, including economic and ethical issues that influence the delivery of health care services in the United States.
TAMMY TENGS
(7/1/99 — 6/30/02)
Tammy O. Tengs, Sc.D., is the Director of the Health Priorities Research Group and an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine. Previously she was a member of the research faculty in the Center for Health Policy Research and Education at Duke University. She completed her doctorate in Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health in 1994. Before coming to Harvard, she earned a master's degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and studied in the Engineering-Economic Systems Department at Stanford. Dr. Tengs directed the 1990-94 Lifesaving Priorities Project at the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, supervising a team of 20 that amassed cost-effectiveness data for hundreds of public health and medical interventions. She is the principal author of the papers “Five-hundred life-saving interventions and their cost-effectiveness” and “The opportunity costs of haphazard societal investments in life saving.” Following considerable media coverage, she has received approximately 1500 requests for these publications. Dr. Tengs is a “decision scientist.” Broadly, her research interests include the economic efficiency of societal investments in health and science. With $2.7 million in grants, she is collecting information on the cost-effectiveness of different interventions aimed at cancer and developing a computer simulation model to predict the long-term economic and public health consequences of any change in federal tobacco policy.
ANNA WU
(7/1/00 — 6/30/03)
Anna M. Wu, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Molecular Biology at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, in Duarte, CA, and an adjunct Associate Professor in the Dept. of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, UCLA School of Medicine. She graduated from Radcliffe College, Harvard University, with an A.B. in Biochemistry, and obtained her Ph.D. in the Dept. of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University. Postdoctoral studies were conducted at Yale University and at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1984 Dr. Wu joined the research staff at the City of Hope, where her work has focused on applications of molecular biology to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Current research interests include development of genetically engineered antibodies for imaging, radiommunotherapy, and biological approaches to cancer therapy. Dr. Wu has been active with local cancer support groups, and for several years has taught basic science with project LEAD of the National Breast Cancer Coalition.
