2024 National Rural Cancer
Control Conference

Holly Andrilla is the Deputy Director of the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center in Seattle, Washington, where she has been generating policy-relevant rural health research findings for 30 years. As a senior research scientist and biostatistician, she has led and participated in numerous workforce studies documenting rural-urban health workforce supply disparities and maldistribution of physicians, behavioral health providers, physician assistants, obstetrical providers, dentists, dental hygienists, registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, and other health care groups. She has also conducted several studies documenting disparities in cancer treatment for rural patients.

Dr. Borders is a Professor in the College of Nursing, Director of the Rural and Underserved Health Research Center, and Acting Director of the Center for Health Services Research at the University of Kentucky. He also serves as Editor of The Journal of Rural Health, the nation's only scholarly journal focused on rural health issues. He earned a PhD in Health Administration, MA in Health Administration, and MS in Epidemiology from the University of Iowa and a BA in Psychology from the University of Kansas. He has received funding from the NCI, NIAAA, NIDA, RWJF, AHRQ, and HRSA to investigate rural health and health services. Dr. Borders is a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, Honorary Kentucky Colonel, and recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award for Career Achievement from the University of Iowa College of Public Health.

Amanda Bruegl is a Citizen of Oneida Nation and descendent of Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. She is a gynecologic oncologist at Oregon Health and Science University with a research interest in cervical cancer prevention among American Indian/Alaska Native and Rural Women.

Ms. Buffalo is an enrolled member of the Meskwaki Nation in Iowa, and Dakota from the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux Tribes. She received her undergraduate degree in child psychology from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and earned an MS in Human Development from South Dakota State University. Melissa has over 15 years of experience working in the public health sector in a variety of different roles, she brings a wealth of knowledge to AICAF. As the CEO, Melissa is committed to working with and or Tribal Nations, and urban and rural tribal communities with opportunities to heal; emotionally, historically, spiritually, and physically from the inequities of cancer. Her responsibilities as the CEO of the American Indian Cancer Foundation include the overall direction and implementation of a strategic vision to improve Indigenous cancer outcomes nationally.

Dr. Charlton is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa College of Public Health, Director of the Iowa SEER Cancer Registry, Co-Leader of the Cancer Epidemiology and Population Science Program in the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, and President of the Iowa Cancer Consortium. She has conducted numerous studies of cancer risk factors, outcomes, and disparities in access, quality and comprehensiveness of cancer care, particularly among rural populations.

Dr. Cole is a family physician and professor in Family Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. She studies implementation of evidence-based cancer control interventions and adaptation to rural context. She earned her MD at the University of Iowa in 2002 and her MPH in Health Services at the University of Washington in 2012.

Jennifer Coury is a Co-Director of the Research Program at the Oregon Rural-Practice-based Research Network. Coury conducts research focused on the implementation of evidence-based practices in health care settings, with a focus on cancer prevention and screening outreach. She has over 20 years of experience working with scientists, technology specialists, and health care professionals to conduct implementation and practice-based research, disseminate best practices in health care, and translate health research findings into practice-based solutions. Coury serves as project manager for the SMARTER CRC pragmatic trial, providing guidance and support to translate evidence-based colorectal cancer screening approaches with rural health care partners. She served as lead faculty for an Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) learning collaborative on Colorectal Cancer Screening Outreach in Rural Settings.

Dr. Dillon serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. In that role, she advises on clinical care and rural health in support of the Office’s programs and initiatives across the Department of Health and Human Services. Her areas of expertise include maternal health, mental illness and substance use disorders, health systems redesign, clinical quality improvement, and building resilient, trauma-informed teams and organizations. She is a family physician with 25 years’ clinical experience in Colorado and Oregon. Her background in rural primary care includes clinic, nursing home, obstetrics, inpatient, and emergency department services. After transitioning her focus to policy and administrative work, Dr. Dillon spent the past 8 years in leadership roles with the Oregon Medicaid program, the US Congress, and the State of Oregon’s COVID Response. She graduated with honors from the medical school at the University of California, San Francisco and from Dartmouth College, with a double major in Chemistry and Asian Studies.

Dr. Doescher is a Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences and the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the Stephenson Cancer Center. Before moving to Oklahoma, he served as the Director of the University of Washington – WWAMI Rural Health Research Center. Dr. Doescher’s longstanding commitment to improving health equity in rural and tribal communities has generated publications and policy reports lead to policy changes at the healthcare system, state and federal levels. Dr. Doescher’s current research centers on collaborating with Tribal Nations and their healthcare systems to increase receipt of cancer screenings. He is a clinically active physician with three decades experience seeing patients in public-sector settings. He attended medical school at the University of California – San Francisco, completed residency training in family medicine at the University of Rochester, and residency training in preventive medicine and public health at the University of Colorado.

Dr. Doolittle is the Capitol Federal Masonic Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Kansas (KU) Medical Center, the Medical Director of the Masonic Cancer Alliance, and Vice-Chair of Education in the Department of Internal Medicine at the KU School of Medicine. He has been a faculty member in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Kansas Medical Center for over 30 years, specializing in the treatment of malignant melanoma. Since 2007, as Medical Director of the MCA, he has led the effort to advance the quality and reach of cancer prevention, early detection, cancer treatment, and survivorship in the region.

Dr. Doolittle has written many publications on a variety of oncology topics, with a major emphasis on using technology to enhance the care of rural cancer patients. He currently serves as the PI for the KU Cancer Center/MCA Minority/Underserved NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), a grant designed to extend cancer clinical trials to the rural sector in the state of Kansas and western Missouri. Most recently, he, along with many others, has launched a TIL (Tumor Infiltrating Lympocyte) service for the treatment of malignant melanoma at the KU Cancer Center, one of only 27 sites authorized in the US to provide this treatment.

Ryan Finn was born and raised in Chautauqua County, NY. He attended the State University of New York at Albany where he obtained a BS in Human Biology and Neuroscience. He moved back to the area and started his healthcare career as a Medical Scribe. He has been a GAP Coordinator for about 6 months now, focusing on preventative medicine and quality assurance.

Brody Gibson is a PhD student in the Population Health Sciences program at the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute, working alongside Dr. Jennifer Doherty. As a first-generation college graduate, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Weber State University. His research is centered on addressing distance as a disparity with respect to cancer prevention and outcomes. In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he has developed a flexible coding scheme that can be used to understand disparities across the metropolitan-to-frontier continuum at both the tract and county levels.

Dr. Glaser is a medical anthropologist and health disparities researcher. Her work largely focuses on addressing inequity in health care delivery and barriers to care across the cancer care continuum. She serves as Program Leader for Community Health Center Outreach and Patient Navigation, a program focused on cancer screening and early detection working with local Federally Qualified Health Centers in the Western New York region. This includes implementing evidence-based guidelines into practice for cancer screenings using both practice facilitation and patient navigation to increase screening rates in both urban and rural underserved populations. Additionally, Dr. Glaser utilizes community-based participatory research approaches to advance community-academic partnership to investigate community-driven approaches to addressing cancer disparities and enhancing patient navigation.

Dr. Hallgren is an Assistant Professor in the College of Medicine and the Institute for Community Health Innovation at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and a full member of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Her work explores the relationship between economic resources, geographical barriers to care, and cancer health outcomes. Dr. Hallgren’s research focuses on understanding and addressing cancer health disparities for rural and underserved communities, with a focus on mitigating financial toxicity for patients, survivors, and caregivers. She has published over 25 articles, including over 10 articles focused on cancer health disparities and rural cancer survivorship. Dr. Hallgren was awarded a Rural Research Award Program grant from the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute to study facilitators and barriers to treatment for colorectal cancer patients. Dr. Hallgren’s goal is to reduce cancer health disparities for rural and underserved communities and make quality cancer health services accessible to all.

Dr. Hull is a medical sociologist with 19 years of experience in conducting community-engaged research with a focus on reducing health disparities in collaboration with community partners. Her research focuses on the implementation of evidence-based practices for cancer prevention and cancer care, specifically focused on HPV vaccination, social needs navigation, technology-based applications, and implementation science. Dr. Hull serves as Associate Director of Population Science and Community Impact for the UK Markey Cancer Center, where she leads Markey’s community outreach and engagement efforts through the Community Impact Office.

Dr. James is Professor in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. Within Siteman Cancer Center, she is Associate Director, Training and Education, and Program Leader, Prevention and Control. Dr. James’ research uses community engagement, intervention science, and implementation science to address cancer disparities and cancer health equity. Much of her research is directed at increasing and improving cancer screening and early detection. She leads trial of a multi-level intervention to increase colon cancer in rural southern Illinois and is MPI of the Washington University Building Equity in Cancer Screening through Research, an ACCESS Hub in the NCI Cancer Screening Research Center. The inaugural CSRN study will be a Vanguard trial of multi-cancer detection tests. Dr. James is also dedicated to training and supporting the next generation of cancer researchers, leading Siteman CRTEC as well as a postdoctoral T32 in cancer prevention and control.

Dr. Janitz is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Janitz is working on projects to understand health disparities and risk factors related to cancer, with a focus on cancer survivorship, and other chronic health conditions. She has a recently funded NIH grant to evaluate access to COVID-19 testing and vaccination among American Indians with chronic health conditions. She is working with the Strong Heart Study, which historically focused on cardiovascular disease, to understand metabolic risk factors for cancer among American Indian people. She is also working with the Stephenson Cancer Center to evaluate financial hardship among American Indian patients with cancer. Dr. Janitz is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Dr. Kennedy is the Health Disparities Research Coordinator in the Office of the Director in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute. In this role, she coordinates and leads trans-divisional initiatives to promote research priorities, with a primary focus on cancer health disparities and equity opportunities. Dr. Kennedy oversees work focused on improving the understanding of cancer health disparities in an effort to achieve health equity for all, with particular interest in cancer control issues experienced by Native American populations, geographic cancer disparities, genetic susceptibility differences between populations, and disparities in pediatric cancer risk and outcomes. Dr. Kennedy earned her PhD in Public Health (Epidemiology) and MPH (Environmental Health Sciences) from Florida International University, and her BS in Biology from the University of Miami.

Dr. Kepka is a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and a tenured professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah. She is a member of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences research group. She is the past Director of Global and International Health in the College of Nursing and the Founding Director of the 400+ member 12-state Mountain West HPV Vaccination Coalition. Kepka’s main research interests are the gaps in health care access and quality for vulnerable populations as related to the prevention, treatment, and survivorship of cancer with a focus on HPV-related cancers. Kepka has more than 85 peer-reviewed publications in HPV vaccination and cancer prevention and control and currently is the Principal Investigator of “PREVENT” which is an HPV Vaccination five-year R01 funded by the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Kills First is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and is Mnicoujou Lakota. He is a research associate professor in the Division of Oncological Sciences and clinical oncology pharmacist at the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute. His research seeks to uncover and highlight disparities in cancer care among Indigenous populations as well as elucidating genomic and familial factors contributing to disparate outcomes in this patient population. Dr. Kills First strives to increase the representation of his people in medicine by promoting the inclusion of Native American/Alaskan Natives in health professions and increasing diversity in healthcare. He is working with the Northwest Native American Center of Excellence, an umbrella center that encompasses many different programs focused on Native American’s in healthcare, to expand its programs from the School of Medicine into the College of Pharmacy.

Catie Knight is a clinical research program manager within the division of medical oncology at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. Catie earned her master’s in public health from the University of Kansas School of Medicine and has over 20 years of experience working with and managing multi-disciplinary teams and research projects across the cancer continuum in clinical cancer care, prevention, and survivorship. Catie has received training and certifications in cancer risk and genetics, health education and literacy, clinical research practice, Project ECHO®, and practice facilitation.

Dr. Scherezade (“Scher”) Mama is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Disparities Research at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She earned her doctorate in public health from the University of Texas School of Public Health and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer prevention and health disparities research at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Mama has a broad background in public health and specific training and expertise in behavioral medicine, implementation science, mixed methods research, and cancer health disparities. Dr. Mama’s research focuses on the development and cultural adaptation, implementation, and dissemination of community-based interventions to promote physical activity in underserved populations. She is particularly interested in the translation of evidence-based interventions into sustained practice within community settings to reduce cancer health disparities and promote health equity

Kevin Oestmann serves as the Chief Medical Officer for QHP, a clinically integrated physician hospital organization (PHO) based in Carbondale, Illinois. This non-profit organization is dedicated to improving the quality of care in Southern Illinois. He was in private practice from 1988 until 2011, when he joined Southern Illinois Healthcare. He began overseeing QHP in April 2014 and continues patient care on a part-time basis. QHP strives to improve the quality of healthcare for the southern region of Illinois through the integration of claims, EHRs, and external databases, yielding a patient-based registry that tracks patient care, identifies care gaps, and suboptimal care. The system can track patients through the various organizations of QHP and encourages shared credit/shared responsibility among the providers. Dr. Oestmann received his BA in physiology from SIU-C, his medical degree from St. Louis University Medical School, and completed his Family Medicine residency at SIU-C.

Tracy Onega, a clinical epidemiologist and health services researcher, received her BS cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 1989, her MA in Geography from University of Vermont in 1997, her MPAS (Physician Assistant) from University of Iowa in 2000, an MS in Health Informatics from Northeastern University in 2012, and her PhD in Clinical Epidemiology from Dartmouth Medical School in 2007. Having served as Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement and Program Lead for Cancer Control at the Dartmouth Cancer Center, as well as Chair of the Division of Biomedical Informatics in the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth until 2020, Dr. Onega is now Senior Director for Population Sciences at the Huntsman Cancer Center. She holds the Huntsman Cancer Institute Presidential Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and is Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Utah. Dr. Onega’s research focuses on optimizing and delivering cancer screening equitably and on improving access to care, especially for rural and frontier populations.

Dr. Paskett became the Marion N. Rowley Professor of Cancer Research at The Ohio State University in 2002. She is the Director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control in the College of Medicine, a professor in the Division of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health, Deputy Director for Population Sciences and Community Outreach and Founding Director of the Center for Cancer Health Equity at the James Cancer Hospital. Dr. Paskett’s 500+ peer-reviewed publications showcase her work in intervention research directed at cancer prevention, early detection, and survivorship issues. Her studies use multi-level interventions in transdisciplinary teams with community-based participatory research to identify and intervene on factors causing disparities among underserved populations such as social and ethnic minority groups and rural/underserved populations. Dr. Paskett was the Principal Investigator of the Ohio Patient Navigator Research Program and has received funding from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation since 2001. She continues to work with the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and is one of the multiple PIs of the WHI Cancer Survivor Cohort, and currently is the PI of the WHI Midwest Regional Coordinating Center. She has funding for a UG3 to improve colorectal cancer screening through implementation science and a P01 that is looking to improve cervical cancer prevention services in Appalachia. Dr. Paskett was elected as a Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004. She is a past-President of the American Society of Preventive Oncology, a past Deputy Editor of the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, and Section Editor of the journal, Cancer, and currently serves as Editor in Chief of the journal Preventive Oncology and Epidemiology. She is Director of the Cancer Control Program in Alliance. She has numerous awards such as the American Society of Preventive Oncology Distinguished Achievement Award, The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Jimmie Holland Award, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Distinguished Lecture Award on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities and the AACR Team Science Award for her long-standing role in the WHI. In 2016, she became a member of the National Cancer Institute’s National Cancer Advisory Board. Dr. Paskett became a member of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health (OCMH) in 2020 and was appointed Chair in 2023. In 2024, Dr. Paskett was elected to a 3-year term of the Board of Directors of AACR.

Michael Pease is Chief Executive Officer of The Chautauqua Center (TCC), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) providing healthcare in underserved rural areas of Western New York, including Jamestown, Dunkirk, and Gowanda, NY. He has been worked for TCC since opening their first site in 2013. TCC has been recognized as a health leader in the region. In 2017, TCC proudly achieved the designation of a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), reflecting an excellent track record of providing advanced primary care by taking the extra step for patients and those in the community. The mission is to deliver comprehensive high-quality patient-centered health and support services in the Chautauqua region.

Chelsea Redeye is an enrolled member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe of Walker River, Nevada and born and raised on the Seneca Nation Cattaraugus territory of New York. Chelsea is an alumnus of Syracuse University Class of 2015. Chelsea is a Patient Care Navigator at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Shawnna Rhine is the Community Outreach Coordinator and Public Information Officer (PIO) for Southern 7 Health Department and is the Lead PIO for the IDPH Marion Region 5 Territory. She is currently the secretary for the Talking Ovarian Cancer Project, member of the Illinois Ovarian Cancer Project, president of the Cancer Warriors Walk for Hope, and recipient of the Hope Light Foundation's "Hope Light Award for Excellence in the Fight Against Cancer.

Dr. Scarinci has dedicated her career to tobacco control and cervical cancer prevention and control among underserved populations in the U.S. and in low- and middle-income countries. As a behavioral scientist, her work centers on the application of behavioral science to public health by promoting behavior change at the population level and developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based interventions. Once evidence is established, she seeks to bring about sustainability and/or to inform policy changes. One example is a 18-year program to promote breast and cervical cancer screening among Latina immigrants in Alabama that relies 100% on the work of committed volunteers – Sowing the Seeds of Health. She has also been one of the leaders of OPERATION WIPE OUT – a statewide plan to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem in Alabama. In 2021, she was chosen as one of six “Champions of Health” worldwide by Rotary International for her work in cervical cancer prevention and control in the U.S. and other low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Shannon is a population scientist. Her work begins with consideration of the distribution and determinants of disease, with a focus on cancer at the population level. During her first 10 years with OHSU her work focused primarily on translation from the bench to the clinic. More recently she has shifted her focus toward roles that allow her to expand translational research to the population through community engagement and is associate director of Community Outreach and Engagement with the Knight Cancer Institute. Dr. Shannon focuses specifically on addressing barriers to cancer prevention and early detection in communities impacted by geographic and racial/ethnic disparities.

Dr. Shrubsole leads a research portfolio of molecular, nutritional, and interventional epidemiology and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She works to identify and evaluate modifiable factors, biomarkers, and molecular mechanisms for the prevention, early detection, and precision-based interception of cancer and its precursor lesions. Another major focus is to understand and ameliorate cancer health disparities in the U.S. South, particularly through the Southern Community Cohort Study and Southern Environmental Health Study.

Dr. Srinivasan is a sociologist and the Senior Advisor for Health Disparities in the Office of the Director, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), National Cancer Institute (NCI). She currently coordinates activities across DCCPS, NCI, the National Institutes of Health, and with other federal and non-governmental agencies to develop programs and initiatives to address health disparities and promote health equity. Through these NCI-funded programs she promotes the building of partnerships between communities and universities to address various health challenges in underserved and immigrant communities. Previously, she has taught and conducted research at various universities, and also has worked as a research director in a community-based health advocacy organization. Her scientific portfolio is primarily on social determinants of health, place, and inequities, including challenges in the utilization and access to health services. In all these projects, the goal is largely to inform health policy at the local, state, and national levels regarding health and health care for underserved and underrepresented populations.

Kelly Standage is a senior patient care navigator in the department of Community Outreach and Engagement at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. In this role, she supports a team of four patient care navigators that work to increase cancer screening uptake within Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Spanning four Western New York counties, the program emphasizes culturally tailored patient education combined with high patient engagement, and adapted workflows to meet the needs of patients and community practices. Kelly recently completed her master’s in public health at the University at Buffalo. Her public health area of interest is to reduce the burden of cancer in populations served by FQHCs through the development and implementation of health interventions that promote healthy behaviors, improve health literacy, and reduce barriers to care.

Chris Stockmyer serves as a program consultant for the National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC’s National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program provides funding for all 50 states, DC, 7 tribes and tribal organizations, and 8 US territories and freely associated states. Chris provides guidance and technical assistance to programs in her portfolio as they work with partners / cancer coalition to address the burden of cancer in their geographic area. Chris graduated with a BS in Dietetics from Fontbonne University (St. Louis) and with a MPH from St. Louis University.

Dr. Studts is a Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Scientific Director of Behavioral Oncology. Dr. Studts also serves as Co-Leader of Cancer Prevention and Control and Co-Director of the Population Health Shared Resource at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Dr. Studts is a clinical health psychologist, and his research develops and tests interventions to facilitate equitable and high-quality lung cancer screening and evaluate novel approaches to improving quality of life and well-being among lung cancer survivors. His research has been funded by NCI, NIDCR, NIDA, NIEHS, PCORI, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, the Kentucky Lung Cancer Research Program, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Dr. Studts is the Principal Investigator of the Kentucky LEADS Collaborative and serves on the Steering Committee of the National Lung Cancer Roundtable.

Dr. Tolle is the administrative director for the Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network at the University of Kentucky, a position she has held since the Network’s inception in 2006. During her past 35 years at UK, she has served as deputy director for the CDC-funded UK Prevention Research Center and partnership program manager/assistant project director for NCI’s Cancer Information Service of the Mid-South. Through her negotiating and partnership development skills, Ms. Tolle has helped to establish dozens of key relationships for the Markey Cancer Center and is committed to the philosophy of offering high-quality cancer care close to home. She earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in health education from Eastern Kentucky University and is a Certified Health Education Specialist.

Cristóbal Valdebenito serves as the Program Coordinator for the HPV Cancer Prevention Program at St. Jude. His responsibilities include engaging partners in the strategic implementation of evidence-based interventions to increase HPV vaccination coverage, nationally in rural areas and statewide in Louisiana and Mississippi. Before joining St. Jude in 2023, Cristóbal managed education and HIV/STI prevention programs for a reproductive healthcare organization covering Tennessee and Mississippi. Cristóbal holds a BA in Biology from Ohio State University, an MA in Language, Literature, and Translation from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and an MPH from the University of Memphis. He is also certified in public health and motivational interviewing.

Dr. Vanderpool is chief of the Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) where she leads a team dedicated to the development of research initiatives in areas such as cancer communication surveillance, patient-centered communication, digital health, and online health information. Dr. Vanderpool also collaborates with the Cancer Information Service, an essential part of NCI’s information dissemination efforts as well as the NCI Office of Cancer Centers on catchment area, rural cancer control, and community outreach initiatives. Prior to joining NCI, Dr. Vanderpool was a professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky (UK) and associate director for community outreach and engagement at the UK Markey Cancer Center. Dr. Vanderpool earned a DrPH in Health Behavior from UK (2006); a MPH in Public Health Education from Western Kentucky University (1999); and a BS in Psychobiology from Centre College (1997).

Dr. Weaver is a Senior Scientist and Program Director in the Health Systems and Interventions Research Branch (HSIRB) at the National Cancer Institute. Sallie manages scientific activities focused on organizational factors that influence clinical team performance, and interventions designed to optimize patient safety, care quality, and coordination within and across health system boundaries. She co-directs the NCI Healthcare Teams & Teamwork Processes in Cancer Care Delivery initiative that aims to improve the outcomes and experiences of people facing cancer through research on teaming in cancer care and translation of evidence-based team performance and care coordination interventions into practice. Sallie’s interests also includer esearch addressing disparities in care quality and access. She currently supports the NCI Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences Rural Cancer Control Research initiatives.

Dr. Zahnd is a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy in the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa. Her research employs health services research and social epidemiological approaches to address rural cancer disparities across the continuum and to ameliorate disparities in access to health care services. Currently, she serves as the deputy director of the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis, co-chair of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network’s rural cancer workgroup, president of the Iowa Rural Health Association board, and chair of the Journal of Rural Health editorial board. She is a full member of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and leads the Advancing Cancer and Rural Equity (ACRE) lab. She received her bachelor’s degree in microbiology and master’s and doctoral degrees in community health, all from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Sarah Zamarripa is a Population Science Research Analyst for Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth, TX. Moncrief Cancer Institute is a nonprofit, community-based early detection and support center and an affiliate of the UT Southwestern’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research focuses on improving access to screening, particularly as it relates to uptake for colorectal and lung cancer screening for rural and underserved Texans. Sarah completed her undergraduate education at The Ohio State University and her Master of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

Dr. Zhang received an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Temple University and a PhD in Epidemiology from The Ohio State University. Dr. Zhang’s research interests include health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, diet) in cancer prevention and control, with a focus on health disparities. She is passionate about integrating lifestyle modifications in cancer prevention and control to reduce cancer risk, improve health outcomes, and reduce health disparities. She is a member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, American Society of Preventive Oncology, American Association of Cancer Research, and American Society of Clinical Oncology.