Board of Directors

Board of DirectorsWe would like to thank our board members for their ongoing commitment and dedication to ENACCT!

Members

Karlynn BrintzenhofeSzoc - Board Chair
Susan M Fox
Marjorie High
Jane Kennedy
John Lofton Holt - Secretary/Treasurer
Margo Michaels - President
Andy Miller
Elizabeth (Betty) A. Patterson - Member at Large
Kristin Reed - Chair Elect
Elisa Weiss
Maria Gonzalez 
Peter "Quake" Pletcher
Carlea Bauman
Monic Stuart

Karlynn BrintzenhofeSzoc

Karlynn BrintzenhofeSzoc, Ph.D. has over more than 17 years of clinical and research experience in the areas of oncology, HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. She is currently an asAssociate pProfessor at the National Catholic School of Social Service at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. She also has a part-time faculty appointment at The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. Dr. BrintzenhofeSzoc teaches research methodology, practice evaluation, death, the healthcare specialization integrative seminar at the master's level and introduction to research methodology at the doctoral level. In addition to her academic work, Dr. BrintzenhofeSzoc She presents at local, national, and international conferences on topics regarding social work research in healthcare settings, implications of complicated grief, the importance of clinical trials and the role social work can have in this arena, the use of problem solving intervention in short-term work with chronically ill patients, and social work documentation. She has been published on a range of topics including screening for distress, prevalence of distress by cancer site, the development and testing of instruments for use in healthcare settings, interventions for use with patients and families, and program evaluation. Dr. BrintzenhofeSzoc continues to be active in the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) having held board positions including pPresident, cChair of the sSocial wWork oOncology rResearch gGroup (SWORG) and Chair chair of cCommunications. She was also on the Board of Oncology Social Work Certification. She is also active with the American Cancer Society (ACS) currently as a board member of the South Atlantic Division. Other community activities include the DC Pain Initiative, the campaign for Smoke Free DC (which was a coalition of the ACS and the Tobacco Free Kids and 40 other advocacy and community groups to make DC workplaces smoke free), , The Greater Washington Partnership for End of Life and Palliative Care, the Society for Social Work Leadership in Healthcare, and the Global Access Project.

Susan M Fox

Susan Fox began her career as an ER nurse from which she went on to become a public health nurse. While working at Indiana University Hospital she discovered a passion for oncology nursing which allowed her to combine her desire for close relationships to patients with an approach that is driven by science and research. As a research nurse Fox also served as the chair of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Nursing Committee. Currently, she is working as the manager of Global Oncology Advocacy and Professional Relations at Eli Lilly in South Bend, Indiana, from which she has gained a valuable understanding of the external oncology community both in the US and abroad. Fox earned her bachelor's and later a master's degree from Indiana State University.

Marjorie High

After passing the bar exam, Marjorie High practiced in legal aid for six years and currently maintains her own private legal practice that is focused on wills and other estate planning tools. In her free time, Ms. High, who is based in Seattle, volunteers at several organizations including the King County Family Law Clinic and the Snohomish County Legal Services Family Law Clinic where she provides free legal advice to low income residents. Ms. High graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Political Science from Gonzaga University. She then continued on to receive her Juris Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame Law School.

Jane Kennedy

Jane Kennedy is manager of the patient advocacy program at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She is responsible for the development and management of patient advocacy programs for cancer survivors, caregivers, and family members. Ms. Kennedy has previous experience in recruiting and training of community volunteers as special advocates in juvenile court along with extensive consulting experience for troubled physician practices, medical group practices, physician practice management companies and hospital systems. Ms. Kennedy has a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration from the University of LaVerne, from which she got her start as administrator for the East Valley Hematology and Oncology Medical Group. She also has a Master's of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, College of Social Work.

John Lofton Holt

John Holt is a co-founder and CEO of the Achronix Semiconductor Corporation in San Jose, California. Previously, Mr. Holt ran the Integrated Strategies Group, a management technology and venture consulting firm. In addition, Holt has several years of experience as a consultant for companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Booz Allen Hamilton. He has gained more than 15 years of electrical engineering experience beginning his career at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center as a design engineer. Mr. Holt has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Margo Michaels

Ms. Michaels is a former education branch chief at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) who for the last 13 years has developed programs to educate cancer advocates, community leaders, and health care professionals about policy and science issues related to cancer and cancer clinical trials education. While at NCI, she developed their Clinical Trial Ambassador Program, NCI's Clinical Trial Education Series, and the Clinical Research: Affiliates Funding Trials (CRAFT) program at the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in Dallas, TX. Prior to her work with NCI, Ms. Michaels was the director of the National Breast Cancer Coalition's Project LEAD. Ms. Michaels has extensive experience in project management, outreach, partnership development, and creation of educational materials. She holds an M.P.H. in Health Behavior/Health Education from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health.

Andy Miller

Andy Miller is the vice president of programs and policy for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in Austin, Texas. He joined LAF in 2003 and is responsible for the strategic direction and daily operations of the foundation's grants and partnerships, direct services for cancer survivors, and implementing the LAF Cancer Policy Platform. This includes providing funding and support to community-centered organizations that address the needs of cancer survivors, the foundation's cooperative agreement with CDC to provide survivorship programs to underserved populations, and strategic partnership development with other public health and research organizations. LAF is the founding partner of ENACCT and places a high priority on reducing the barriers to adult participation in cancer clinical trials. Mr. Miller is an active participant in ENACCT board activities and provides insight into how communities can effectively participate in health education activities. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Southwestern University in Sociology and a Master of Health Science Education from the University of Florida in Community Health. He is also a certified health education specialist.

Elizabeth (Betty) A. Patterson

Following a residency in Diagnostic Radiology, Dr. Betty Patterson joined the radiology staff of Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she developed an interest in mammography and breast cancer. She was one of the founders of the Pittsburgh Mammography Society and directed the first screening program in Western Pennsylvania, a campaign that became a model for programs throughout the state. Dr. Patterson has served on the board of directors of the American Cancer Society and advisory panels for the National Cancer Institute on Breast Cancer in Minorities, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's African-American Advisory panel, and the Washington State Department of Health Comprehensive Cancer Control Partnership. Dr. Patterson's concern regarding the lack of minority participation in clinical trials and health disparities has resulted in her active participation in: the National Medical Association's Clinical Trial project; serving as a board member of the Intercultural Cancer Council; becoming a member of the Eastern Clinical Oncology Group (ECOG) Advisory Panel, which addresses ways to increase the participation of minorities in clinical trials; and chairing the American College of Radiology Imaging Network's (ACRIN) Special Population Committee. Following her retirement from active practice, she relocated to the Seattle, Washington area where she has continued to be active in promoting breast cancer awareness and screening in minority and underserved women, and addressing health disparities and clinical trials participation. Patterson, M.D. FACR graduated from Howard College of Medicine in 1961.

Kristin Reed

Kristin Reed is senior manager of advocacy relations at Genetech, Inc. in San Francisco, California. In this position she has led the continued growth and development of advocacy relations, fostered existing relationships, created a focus on patient access and clinical trials, and guided grant making for oncology patient advocacy organizations. Previously, Ms. Reed held several positions with Bloomberg news, the most recent of which was as deputy team leader for the new organization's U.S. health team. Ms. Reed graduated from the University of Virginia with high honors and a Bachelor of the Arts in English and Modern Studies.

Elisa Weiss

Dr. Elisa Weiss is a medical sociologist and an assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health. She is also the director of projects and core resources for the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center. Dr. Weiss is presently co-investigator and project director of an NCI-sponsored participatory research study that is utilizing the Queens Borough Public Library system and community coalitions to foster access to cancer detection and preventive care in medically underserved communities. She recently served as the partnership evaluator for a federally-funded CBPR (Community Based Participatory Research) project to address teen health disparities in the Bronx. Dr Weiss also was the partnership evaluator for Team Up: Cancer Screening Saves Lives, a national collaborative project of the NCI, ACS, CDC, and USDA that was carried out in six Southern states to increase breast and cervical cancer screening rates among rarely or never screened women. She is also the co-principal investigator of a study recently funded by the NCI that will, in collaboration with ENACCT, explore primary care physicians' attitudes towards cancer clinical trials and their referral patterns for low-income cancer patients in New York City. This study will use the data to adapt and test ENACCT's cancer clinical trials education training programs for primary care physicians. Dr. Weiss received both her bachelor's degree and doctorate in sociology from Columbia University.

Maria Gonzalez

Maria Gonzalez has been the Cancer Research Manager at the Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment at St. Joseph Hospital, Orange since November 2006. Prior to 2006, Maria was the manager of the Gastrointestinal Program at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA where she specialized in GI Oncology Trials including surgical modality and vaccine trials. Shortly after coming to SJO in 2007, St. Joseph Hospital of Orange became one of the sixteen participating hospitals of the NCI's National Community Cancer Center Program (NCCCP) where she currently serves as the Chair for St. Joseph Hospital NCCCP Clinical Trials Committee and national co-chair of the NCCCP Clinical Trials Subcommittee. Maria also plays a lead role in the national NCCCP Clinical Trials Minority/Underserved Accrual Workgroup, the NCCCP Clinical Trials Screening and Enrollment Log Workgroup, NCCCP Clinical Trials Best Practices while providing support to the NCCCP Biospecimens Subcommittee and the NCCCP Disparities Subcommittee. AS a graduate of Biological Anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles combined with her training in research and healthcare, particularly in the field of oncology, Maria's interest in developing innovative clinical trials accrual strategies, expanding community access to national clinical trials and disparate population initiatives reflects her strong passion for serving the orange county community. 

Peter "Quake" Pletcher

Peter "Quake" Pletcher has been the Executive Director of the Hoosier Oncology Group since October 2008. Quake is very well-rounded and has extensive management experience - everything from running a manufacturing start-up to retail management. Prior to his work with Hoosier, Quake worked at Eli Lilly where he supported oncology drug hunting groups on the finance side. Quake holds a BA from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Southern California. He is an active volunteer with United Way, the YMCA and Fort Harrison Reuse Authority.

Carlea Bauman

Carlea Bauman is currently the president of C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition. She brings over 15 years of experience in communications, politics and advocacy to C3. As the National Director of Grassroots Advocacy for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), she directed ADA's "Call to Congress: Conquer Diabetes," which brought hundreds of diabetes advocates to Capitol Hill each election year. Prior to that, she was the Press Secretary for the groundbreaking Florida "Truth" Campaign, an initiative that resulted in a 10 percent drop in teen smoking within a single year. Her passion for health advocacy is personal: she lost her mother to diabetes and her father to cancer. Carlea got her stat in politics working for the late Florida Governor Lawton Chiles, and later, at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington, DC. Carlea is a proud graduate of Florida State University. 

Monic Stuart

Monic Stuart is a hematologist and is currently an executive medical director at Geron Corporation. After completing fellowships in hematology and bone marrow transplantation, Monic was on staff in the Division of Bone Marrow Transplantation at Stanford University Medical Center for 4 years and led mutiple clinical trials. In order to find new treatments to help cure cancer, she transitioned her career into the biotechnology arena. Over the past 6 years she has performed clinical research with targeted agents in both hemtologic and oncologic diseases. Monic spent 5 years at Genentech, Inc prior to joining Geron Corp, where she served as the clinical lead for oncology and strategic program lead for the telomerase inhibition program. In these roles, she led teams to imrpove clinical trial design by partnering with patient advocacy groups, investigators and health care staff. Monic is currently a member of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology and the American Society for Bone and Marrow transplantation. Monic has a masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and an MD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.