2025 Think Tank Speaker List

Name: Philip Abbosh MD, PhD

Institution: Fox Chase Cancer Center

Phil Abbosh is a urologic surgeon and scientist at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.  His lab studies urine-based biomarkers, the bladder cancer microbiome, and mouse models of bladder cancer.

Name: Karin Allenspach Dr.med.vet. FVH, DECVIM-CA, PhD, FHEA, RCVS, AGAF

Institution: University of Georgia

Karin Allenspach is a clinician-scientist and Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She is currently employed as Professor of Comparative Medicine at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA, and is a PI of the SMART Translational Medicine Lab at the University of Georgia, which focuses on the development and culture of adult stem stem-cell-derived organoids from dogs. Dr. Allenspach has successfully supervised 16 PhD students, 23 MS students and numerous veterinary and undergraduate students in her lab. Her goal is to contribute to the reduction of live animal use in drug discovery by replacing some of the pre-clinical screening with canine organoids.

Her latest efforts have resulted in the founding of a start-up company (3D Health Solutions, Inc.) with the goal of commercializing assays for drug screening based on organoid methods.

Name: Andrea B. Apolo, MD

Institution: National Institutes of Health

Andrea B. Apolo, M.D. is an internationally recognized expert in bladder cancer research. She was recruited to the National Cancer Institute’s Physician-Scientist Early Investigator Program in 2010 to build a translational bladder cancer program. In 2014 Dr. Apolo received the Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Award and in 2021 was granted tenure at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Apolo serves within the Center for Cancer Research of the National Cancer Institute as Acting Deputy Chief of the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Head of the Bladder Cancer Section, and Director of the Bladder Cancer and Genitourinary Tumors Multidisciplinary Clinic. Dr. Apolo is dedicated to improving the treatment and survival of patients with bladder cancer and other genitourinary tumors. Her research involves developing and designing clinical trials to test novel therapies for bladder, kidney, and rare genitourinary cancers. She has been instrumental in the clinical development of multiple immunotherapeutic agents and combinations, from first-in-human studies through phase 3 clinical trials. Dr. Apolo’s work has led to impactful outcomes for patients with genitourinary tumors.

Name: Leslie Ballas, MD

Institution: Cedars-SInai Medical Center

Leslie Ballas is a Professor of clinical radiation oncology at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. She specializes in genitourinary malignancies with a focus on bladder cancer.

Name: Anna Bausum, MD

Institution: Winship Cancer Institute

Dr. Anna Bausum serves in the role of naturopathic oncology specialist in the Integrative Oncology and Survivorship Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Georgia’s only NCI-designated cancer center. Dr. Bausum inaugurated the role at Winship for a licensed naturopathic physician, serves patients with inter-professional colleagues to incorporate a variety of integrative medicine tools alongside standard of care oncology regimens, as well as coordinating integrative care for patients enrolled in phase 1, 2, and 3 investigational and interventional clinical trials. Under the leadership of Dr. Bausum the program has managed to log over 12,500 patient encounters in the last four years. This currently reflects nearly 700 patient appointments per month on all service lines in the integrative oncology program.

Name: Brian F. Billings, R.A.

Institution: Brian F. Billings, R.A., AIA

Brian Billings is an architect living and working in New York. His firm is BFB Architect, PC and he has been self employed for 25 years doing residential architecture in the tristate area. Brian founded The New York City Bladder Cancer Support Group in 2022 following his diagnosis with bladder cancer in 2020 and subsequent RC and neobladder creation surgery in 2021. It has been his great joy to work with BCAN on the BCAN Walk to end bladder cancer for the past four years as well as the BCAN S2S program in addition to his support group work.

Name: Kelly Bree, MD
Institution: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Kelly Bree is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology at the University of MD Anderson Cancer Center. She serves as the associate fellowship program director for the Urologic Oncology fellowship and is the Director the Department of Urology Advanced Practice Providers program. She was born and raised in Delaware and earned her medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She subsequently completed her urology residency at the University of California San Diego. After residency, she completed a two-year fellowship in Urologic Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Upon completion of her fellowship, she remained in Houston to join the faculty at MD Anderson. She runs a busy clinical practice with a focus on urothelial carcinoma. Her research interests include clinical research focused on bladder cancer and improving perioperative care to patients with urologic malignancies.

Name: Laura Bukavina, MD, MPH, MSc

Institution: Cleveland Clinic

Dr. Laura Bukavina is an Assistant Professor of Urologic Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute and translational science lead in GU oncology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. She completed her medical training at Case Western Reserve, followed by a fellowship in urologic oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center. She holds master’s degrees in epidemiology (Johns Hopkins) and immunology/molecular genetics (Drexel).

Dr. Bukavina has received multiple national awards for her research in bladder and kidney cancer, including honors from the AUA, BCAN, SWIU, RWJF, and AACR. Her work focuses on the intersection of genetics, microbiome, and tumor microenvironment. She serves on editorial boards for European Urology and Urology Times, and contributes to leading committees in bladder and kidney cancer research.

Name: Aadel Chaudhuri, MD, PhD

Institution: Mayo Clinic Department of Radiation Oncology

Dr. Aadel Chaudhuri, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Radiation Oncology and physician-scientist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where his research focuses on cancer genomics and the development and application of liquid biopsy technologies, with a special emphasis on genitourinary malignancies. His laboratory is R01- and R35-funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, respectively.

After earning dual undergraduate degrees in Biology and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from MIT, he completed his MD at Stanford University and a PhD in Biology at the California Institute of Technology. His PhD work, supervised by Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, explored the roles of microRNAs in the immune system, leading to several highly cited publications. During his residency in Radiation Oncology at Stanford, Dr. Chaudhuri conducted postdoctoral research with Maximilian Diehn on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a biomarker for minimal residual disease (MRD) in lung cancer, which was groundbreaking for the field.

After completing his residency and postdoctoral training at Stanford, Dr. Chaudhuri spent the next six years as a physician-scientist at the Washington University in St. Louis, where he developed and applied an array of different cell-free DNA technologies both in plasma and urine. Last year, Dr. Chaudhuri moved his laboratory to the Mayo Clinic, and has been focusing on cell-free DNA epigenomics and multi-omics to track cancer response vs. resistance to therapy, including in patients with bladder cancer.

Name: Jennifer R. Cracchiolo, MD

Institution: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Jennifer R. Cracchiolo, MD is an Associate Attending on the Head and Neck Service at MSK, she maintains a high-volume head and neck oncology practice focused in oral cavity, skin and salivary gland cancers.  She leads the Patient Reported Outcomes research program in the Department of Surgery at MSK. Through NCI grant funded research she has worked to develop systems to collect and report clinically meaningful, patient-centered outcomes data across all of surgical oncology.

Name: Caretha L. Creasy, Ph.D.

Institution: Urogen Pharma, Inc.

Name: Fran Curtis

Fran is a dedicated advocate and bladder cancer survivor whose personal journey has fueled a passion for helping others face their own health battles with strength and hope.

Diagnosed with non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer in 2016, Fran stepped into a world few expect to navigate. Nearly a decade later, while attending a research conference with the American Urological Association, she received difficult news—her cancer had returned. This time, she began treatment with a groundbreaking gene therapy called Adstiladrin. Since then, Fran’s follow-up scans have shown no evidence of disease, a testament to both medical advancement and her resilience.

Professionally, Fran works with an educational software company that serves school districts across New Jersey.

Outside of work, Fran volunteers for the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN), providing support, raising awareness, and amplifying the patient voice in medical research and policy conversations. Her lived experience gives her a powerful platform to connect, educate, and inspire.

Fran lives in Ocean County, New Jersey, near the shore, with her husband Dan.

Name: David J. Decewicz, MD, MS, MHA

Institution: Astellas Pharma

David is currently a Medical Director at Astellas Pharma, working on the PADCEV brand, with over 13 years of industry experience.  Prior to Astellas Pharma, Dr. Decewicz has worked at Novocure, Medtronic, Janssen Oncology, Hologic Inc., and four years as a Research Physician, with the Windber Medical Center/ Research Institute. 

David received his Bachelor of Science (Biology/Chemistry) from Slippery Rock University, a Master of Science (Physiology) from the University of Pittsburgh, Master of Health Administration from Saint Joseph’s College, and his Doctor of Medicine, from St. Matthew’s University, School of Medicine.

David lives in Windber, Pa, just east of Pittsburgh.  He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his wife Alisha, and their four Children, Braeden (19), Brenna (17), Kendall (16) and Delaney (10).

Name: David DeGraff, PhD

Institution: Johnson & Johnson

David DeGraff, Ph.D. is a Medical Affairs Director, Bladder Therapeutic area, US Medical Affairs at Johnson & Johnson. From 2014 to 2024, Dave was a tenured Associate Professor within the Departments of Pathology and Urology at Penn State College of Medicine, where he also served as the Director of Translational Urologic Research.  As an investigator, his group discovered several mechanisms by which advanced bladder cancers develop molecular and morphologic heterogeneity. In addition, he has been active in both the design and correlative analysis of bladder cancer-focused clinical trials.  Dave has served the field of urologic oncology research in a diverse set of roles.  These include as a committee member to the American Urological Association (AUA), Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DoD), the Albert Institute and Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR), among many other roles.

Name: Neil B. Desai MD MHS, Associate Professor

Institution: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology

I am a radiation oncologist at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, TX, entering my 10th year of practice specializing in genitourinary malignancies here. I am active in designing and/or conducting clinical trials in cancers of the prostate and bladder institutionally and at the NRG Oncology cooperative group and lead our institution’s radiation oncology clinical research office. I particularly find fulfillment in multi-disciplinary efforts to find new treatment strategies for those more complex medical issues than traditional treatments allow. Most recently and of relevance to this session, this has taken the form of a study of enfortumab vedotin with radiation in cisplatin-ineligible patients prior to surgery. In my free time, I enjoy time with my young family and poorly executed do-it-yourself projects.

Name: Gail Dykstra

Gail Dykstra is a BCAN volunteer as a patient advocate and a member of the 2025 Think Tank Steering Committee.  Gail organizes Seattle’s BCAN Seattle Walk to End Bladder Cancer and participates in the BCAN Survivor to Survivor and Survivorship Task Force.  Gail Retired from the University of Washington in 2018.

Name: Krisztina Emodi, NP-C, MPH, CNS

Institution: UCSF GU Surgical Oncology

Krisztina is a senior Nurse Practitioner at UCSF’s Genitourinary Surgical Oncology program, where she has delivered expert care to patients with complex urologic cancers for over a decade. With a clinical focus in bladder cancer, she leads innovations in surgical preparation and recovery. She developed UCSF’s pre-cystectomy education program and individualized preoperative teaching—interventions that have significantly reduced postoperative complications, readmissions, and ostomy-related and neobladder related issues. Krisztina also leads the department’s bladder cancer survivorship clinic, guiding patients through long-term recovery and quality-of-life care.

In 2022, she became the first Advanced Practice Provider in urology to earn NP3 leadership status, joining a distinguished group of 70 clinical leaders across UCSF. She serves on the NP3 Clinical Leadership Committee and maintains a full-time clinical role. Nationally, she works with BCAN to expand the presence and impact of APPs, and proudly serves as UCSF’s annual Bladder Cancer Walk team captain. 

Name: Bishoy M. Faltas, MD

Institution: Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology

Dr. Bishoy Faltas is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Cell & Developmental Biology at Weill Cornell Medicine, where he serves as Chief Research Officer of the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine. He is a practicing genitourinary medical oncologist and physician-scientist whose research focuses on dissecting the role of APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases as evolutionary drivers of mutagenesis and therapeutic resistance in bladder cancer. Dr. Faltas has received the BCAN Research Innovation Award in 2024 for developing bio-digital avatars for optimizing personalized treatments in bladder cancer. Dr. Faltas has received several prestigious awards including the NIH R37 MERIT Award, the Young Physician-Scientist Award from The American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Irma T. Hirschl Research Award. His groundbreaking work on the interplay between APOBEC3 and extrachromosomal DNA in urothelial cancer evolution was published in Nature and was featured on the journal’s cover in 2024.

Name: Mario I. Fernández, MD

Institution: Clínica Alemana Universidad del Desarrollo

Board Member of Sociedad Chilena de Urología, Editor-In-Chief of Revista Chilena de Urología and Head of the Bladder Cancer Working Group of CAU (Latin American Urological Confederation). Editorial Board Member in Bladder Cancer and JU Open Plus; also serving as reviewer for >20 journals. Member of the IBCG Core Committee.

Research efforts focus on genetic susceptibility, epidemiology, carcinogenesis, and clinical and molecular prognostic factors in urothelial cancer, especially for arsenic-related urothelial tumors in Northern Chile.

Name: Lawrence Fong, M.D.

Institution: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Lawrence Fong, M.D. is the Bezos Distinguished Scholar, director of the Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, and director of the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. Prior to 2024, he was the founding director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program at UCSF and founding co-director of the Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy at UCSF, where he was for over 20 years rising from assistant professor to an endowed distinguished professor.  He received his B.A. from Columbia University and his M.D. from Stanford University. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Fong has been involved in both pre-clinical and clinical studies of multiple cancer immunotherapies including anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 antibodies that are now FDA-approved. His laboratory has identified multiple immunologic mechanisms that underlie response and resistance to immunotherapies that could enable novel treatments.  He is the recipient of an NIH Outstanding Investigator Award and an elected board member of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC).

Name: Laura Beane Freeman, PhD

Institution: Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute

Dr. Laura Beane Freeman conducts research in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch at the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, part of the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health. She received her doctorate in epidemiology from the University of Iowa in 2003 and then joined the NCI where she is currently a Senior Investigator.  She is the NCI Principal Investigator of the Agricultural Health Study, the Early Life Exposures in Agriculture Study, and the NCI Formaldehyde Industries cohort. Dr. Beane Freeman has received numerous awards recognizing her work, including two NCI Director’s Innovation Awards, and the DCEG Mentoring Award. She has over 20 years of experience in conducting epidemiologic studies of drinking water contaminants that have been linked to bladder cancer, including arsenic and disinfection byproducts.

Name: Matthew D. Galsky, MD

Institution: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Dr. Galsky is a medical oncologist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine/Tisch Cancer Institute focusing on bladder cancer clinical care and clinical/translational investigation. He currently serves as the Lillian and Howard Stratton Professor of Medicine and Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Associate Director for Translational Research, and Co-Leader of the Cancer Clinical Investigation Program, and Co-Director of the Bladder Cancer Center of Excellence. His research efforts involve the development of novel therapeutic approaches for bladder cancer.

Name: Tullika Garg, MD, MPH, FACS

Institution: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Dr. Garg is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Urology and Population Health Sciences at Geisinger. She is a urologic oncologist and health services researcher. Her clinical practice focuses on care for older bladder cancer patients, and she conducts research on age-friendly care for older adults with bladder cancer. She received her MD at Baylor College of Medicine. Following urology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, she completed her urologic oncology fellowship on an NCI T32 training grant at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she concurrently received an MPH at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In 2024, Dr. Garg completed an Implementation Science Fellowship at Penn State College of Medicine. She served on the bladder cancer guideline panel for the International Society of Geriatric Oncology. Her research has been funded by the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health. 

Name: Christopher Garris

Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School

Dr. Garris has studied myeloid cells in cancer biology for over 15 years. Using dynamic in vivo reporters of cytokine expression he has demonstrated critical myeloid:T cell interactions that drive anti-tumor immunity and is now leveraging these findings to design new therapies. He received his PhD in Immunology from Harvard University in 2018 and then moved on to the Rockefeller University for his postdoctoral studies. Since 2021, he is an Assistant Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in the Department of Pathology and Center for Systems Biology.

Name: Fed Ghali, MD

Institution: Yale School of Medicine

Fed Ghali, MD, is a urologic oncologist specializing in cancers of the bladder, ureter, kidney, and testis. He received his medical degree from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, completed a general surgery internship and urology residency at the University of California, San Diego, and went on to complete a Society of Urologic Oncology fellowship at the University of Washington. He is now an assistant professor of Urology at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Ghali is an active investigator with research interests in clinical trial design, tumor evolution, and biomarker development. Working closely with a multidisciplinary team of translational scientists and clinical researchers, he is focused on advancing the way we evaluate new therapies and identify patients most likely to benefit from them.

Name: Pooja Ghatalia, MD

Institution: Fox Chase Cancer Center

Dr. Pooja Ghatalia is a medical oncologist specializing in genitourinary cancers, with a focus on bladder cancer. His research centers on biomarker-driven approaches to predict treatment response and advance bladder-sparing strategies to improve patient quality of life. She serves as Principal Investigator on multiple investigator-initiated phase II clinical trials, including RETAIN-2 (NCT04506554), which explores risk-adapted therapy to avoid cystectomy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and NCT05923190, studying schedule de-escalation of Enfortumab Vedotin with or without pembrolizumab in metastatic disease. He also leads a DOD-funded trial evaluating pembrolizumab maintenance after EV/pembrolizumab induction in front-line metastatic urothelial carcinoma. 

Name: Saum Ghodoussipour, MD

Institution: Rutgers Cancer Institute

Saum Ghodoussipour is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Director of the Bladder and Urothelial Cancer Program at the Rutgers Cancer Institute. He completed his urology residency and SUO fellowship at the University of Southern California, and his research focuses on clinical trials, translational studies, and the development of perioperative care pathways in bladder and upper tract urothelial carcinoma. He is also actively involved in medical education and mentorship.

Name: Scott M Gilbert, MD, FACS

Institution: Moffitt Cancer Center

Dr. Scott Gilbert is a Urologic Oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.  He received his Medical Degree (MD) from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in 2000 and completed residency at the New York Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center in 2005.  Following residency, he pursued urologic oncology fellowship at the University of Michigan between 2005 and 2008 and earned a Master of Science (MD) in clinical trial and statistical methods from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2007.  Dr. Gilbert joined the University of Florida, Department of Urology in 2008 prior to moving to Moffitt Cancer Center in 2014.  His clinic practice focuses mainly on the surgical and multidisciplinary management of bladder and testis cancers.  His clinic surgical expertise focuses on cystectomy, urinary diversion, and reconstruction.  His research interests are in the fields of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Cancer Care Delivery.

Name: Heather Greene

Heather has been an oncology nurse practitioner for 21 years and currently serves as Lead Advanced Practice Provider for over 40 APPs in the medical oncology outpatient setting. Her clinical focus is on GI and GU cancers, and she serves as a sub-investigator on related protocols. She has contributed to JADPRO and the Oncology Nursing Society and has spoken at various local, regional, and national conferences, including the West Oncology Annual Conference, ONS Congress, and JADPRO Live.

Name: Stewart Greenfield

Stewart Greenfield is a dedicated bladder cancer advocate whose journey began over nine years ago. Initially feeling isolated in his diagnosis, Stuart found a supportive community with BCAN. Despite being given a dire prognosis, he began treatment with a newly approved immunotherapy and now thrives, continuing to scuba dive and advocate for others. Stuart’s mantra is simple yet profound: “Never give up, no matter how bad it sounds. There’s always a chance, and I’m living proof of it.”

Name: Petros Grivas, MD, PhD, FASCO

Institution: University of Washington

Dr. Petros Grivas is board-certified medical oncologist with vast experience and high expertise in genitourinary (GU) cancers. He is the Clinical Director of the GU Cancers Program and Professor at the Dept. of Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology, University of Washington and at the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. He received M.D. and Ph.D. in Greece in 2005 and 2009, respectively. He completed Internal Medicine Residency at Hahnemann University Hospital/Drexel University College of Medicine (Philadelphia) in 2010, and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in 2013. He was a Clinical Lecturer before he was recruited as Assistant Professor at Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland). He has had main role in several clinical trials leading to FDA approval of new drugs for urothelial cancer. He is considered a key opinion, thought leader and international expert, giving lectures in several countries, educating oncologists and other healthcare providers, mentoring numerous trainees, leading large innovative clinical trials, reviewing grant proposals and manuscripts, and publishing novel and important research. He is dedicated to personalized and outstanding patient care, efficient clinical operations, and believes in optimal patient-physician relationship as well as community outreach.

Name: Brendan Guercio, MD

Institution: Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center  

Dr. Brendan Guercio is a genitourinary medical oncologist specializing in bladder cancer, with a dual focus on clinical care and research. He earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and pursued fellowship training in oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Guercio now leads the Bladder Cancer Medical Oncology Program at the Wilmot Cancer Institute in upstate New York. His research centers on clinical trials and investigating how nutrition and the microbiome influence therapeutic outcomes. His work has been published in leading journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Clinical Cancer Research, and has been supported by both the BCAN Young Investigator Award and the BCAN Career Development Award. In his clinical practice, Dr. Guercio collaborates closely with geriatric oncology and palliative care teams to provide highly individualized, goal-oriented treatment plans for his patients

Name: Vanessa Hale, MAT, DVM, PhD

Institution: The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Vanessa Hale is an Associate Professor in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her DVM PhD at Purdue University, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Mayo Clinic Microbiome Program in the Center for Individualized Medicine. Her research employs translational animal models of disease to explore the role of the gut and urine microbiome in human and animal diseases. One major research focus of her lab is defining chemical-microbe-host interactions, and how gut and urine microbes metabolize environmental chemicals, and the impacts of this metabolism on the host. She works with a naturally-occurring canine model of bladder cancer, and the goal of her research is to reveal ways in which we can manipulate the microbiome to prevent or treat diseases like bladder cancer.

Name: Matthew G Hanna, MD

Institution: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Matthew G Hanna, MD, is the Vice Chair of Pathology Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Dr Hanna serves on the UPMC Computational Pathology & AI Center of Excellence (CPACE) Director of AI Operations. His prior roles include Director of Digital Pathology Informatics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where he completed his Oncologic Pathology fellowship training at MSKCC and was a Clinical Instructor of Pathology Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed his Pathology Informatics fellowship. He completed his residency training at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Dr Hanna serves as Treasurer on the Executive Board of the Digital Pathology Association. He also actively contributes as a member of the CAP as the Chair of the Artificial Intelligence Committee and member of the Council of Informatics and Pathology Innovation. He has expertise in digital & computational pathology. His clinical interests include breast pathology, informatics, digital pathology, image analysis, machine learning, clinical operations/implementation, and decision support tools. 

Name: Donna E. Hansel, MD, PhD

Institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Donna Hansel completed a Bachelor of Science degree program in Biology at the Johns Hopkins University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. She subsequently completed the M.D., Ph.D. Medical Scientist Training Program, pathology residency and urologic pathology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Hansel joined the Cleveland Clinic Anatomic Pathology Staff as Assistant Professor in 2006 as a subspecialty genitourinary pathologist and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010. Dr. Hansel was subsequently recruited to the University of California at San Diego as a Professor of Pathology and Chief of the Division of Anatomic Pathology in 2013. In 2019, she assumed the role of Chair of Pathology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon.  In September 2022, Dr. Hansel joined the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as Division Head of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Dr. Hansel has authored over 190 peer-reviewed publications, edited or authored 5 textbooks on urologic pathology and biospecimen repositories, and has participated in more than 100 national or international talks on bladder cancer. She has participated in the Kidney-Urinary tract panel for the 8th Edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual and contributed to the 5th edition of the WHO Classification of Tumours of the Urinary System and Male Genital Organs. In addition, Dr. Hansel is on the editorial board of American Journal of Surgical Pathology, Advances in Anatomic Pathology, American Journal of Pathology, Histopathology, and Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine where she serves as Deputy Executive Editor.  She has mentored over 40 residents, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, while remaining active in clinical sign out and overseeing a research laboratory focused on invasive cancer mechanisms.  Dr. Hansel is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and a recipient of the Ramzi S. Cotran Award from USCAP. 

Name: Comron Hassanzadeh, MD, MPH

Institution: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Comron Hassanzadeh is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Bone Metastasis Clinic Director where he specializes in the management of patients with bladder, prostate, kidney, testicular cancers, and patients with bone metastases. Prior to his appointment, he earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri Kansas City. He then completed a residency in Radiation Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine. During residency, he completed a Master of Public Health at the University of Missouri.

He serves as the Principal Investigator on both bladder and prostate cancer trials aiming to define clinical practice. He has received extramural research support and his research has been presented at national/international conferences and published in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals. In addition, he has authored national guidelines for the management of prostate and bladder cancer through committee service in the American Radium Society, American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology, and International Bladder Cancer Group.

He currently serves in various leadership roles within organizations including NRG Oncology, Bladder Cancer Network, American College of Radiation Oncology, American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology, ECOG-ACRIN, International Bladder Cancer Group, Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, Radiological Society of North America, American Radium Society, and American College of Radiology.

Name: Patrick Hensley, MD

Institution: University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Patrick Hensley is an Assistant Professor of Urology and Pathology at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.  He completed residency at the University of Kentucky followed by an SUO Fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.  Dr. Hensley chairs the GU clinical trials program at the University of Kentucky and serves on the Board of Directors for the International Bladder Cancer Group.

Name: Lindsey Herrel, MD, MS

Institution: University of Michigan

Lindsey Herrel, MD, MS, is an Associate Professor in the Divisions of Urologic Oncology and Health Services Research in the Department of Urology.  Dr. Herrel received her Medical Degree from Saint Louis University and completed her urology residency at Emory University. She completed her urologic oncology fellowship and received a Masters in Health and Healthcare Research from the University of Michigan where she joined the faculty in 2017. Her primary area of research interests is evaluating the impact of health care policy on vulnerable populations with cancer.  She also works to understand issues related to the future of the urologic workforce. Clinically, she focuses on care for patients with bladder cancer.

Name: Hanna Hunter, MD

Institution: University of Washington

Hanna Hunter MD is a board certified physician in physical medicine and rehabilitation. She is the Medical Director of Cancer Rehabilitation at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the UW School of Medicine. She graduated from Rutgers Medical School prior to her residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia/Cornell. She completed a fellowship in Cancer Rehabilitation at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before moving to Seattle. Dr. Hunter works closely with oncologists as well as a team of physical, occupational, speech and lymphedema therapists to develop holistic and personalized rehabilitation plans. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal and neurologic changes that can occur from cancer and its treatment. Dr. Hunter’s scholarly interests focus on improving mobility and fitness prior to, during, and after cancer treatment. She treats patients throughout their cancer journey, whether it is creating an exercise plan to optimize strength before a surgery (pre-habilitation) or restoring strength during survivorship.

Name: Burles (Rusty) Johnson, MD, PhD

Institution: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Dr. Johnson is a genitourinary medical oncologist who specializes in treating patients with bladder cancer and upper tract urothelial carcinoma.  He obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Medical College of Georgia, where he completed his residency in Internal Medicine.  He then completed his medical oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins and did additional postdoctoral research there before joining the faculty.  

His laboratory is devoted to understanding factors driving bladder cancer tumorigenesis and the tumor immune microenvironment, with current focus on sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma.  He is a previous awardee of the BCAN Young Investigator Award, and his research has previously been funded by ASCO, AACR, and the Harry J. Lloyd Charitable Trust.  He is currently funded by the Department of Defense and the Commonwealth Foundation.    

Name: Sindhuja Kadambi, MD, MS

Institution: Wilmot Cancer Institute

Dr. Sindhu Kadambi is an Assistant Professor of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Wilmot Cancer Institute, specializing in Genitourinary cancers. Her work is particularly focused on advancing treatment and improving outcomes for older adults with cancer. She earned her medical degree from Rutgers University and completed her Internal Medicine residency, as well as fellowships in Geriatrics and Medical Oncology, at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

An accomplished early-career clinician-scientist, Dr. Sindhuja Kadambi has received several prestigious awards, including the ASCO Young Investigator Award, the Wilmot Fellowship Award, and the NIH Loan Repayment Award. Her work has led to multiple oral presentations and over 25 peer-reviewed publications. She also holds leadership roles within the geriatric oncology community, including co-chair of the Cancer and Aging Research Group junior faculty board and the American Society of Geriatrics Special Interest Group.

Name: Ashish M. Kamat

Institution: University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Ashish M. Kamat is an Endowed Professor of Urologic Oncology (Surgery) and Cancer Research, and the Director of the Bladder Cancer Support Program at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He is the founding President of the International Bladder Cancer Group (IBCG) and serves as the Associate Cancer Center Director at the RFHNH Hospital in Mumbai. Dr. Kamat specializes in genitourinary cancers, with a particular focus on immunotherapy for urothelial cancers. He has led numerous research efforts and clinical trials in this field, resulting in over 610 publications in prestigious journals, textbooks and news articles.

Dr. Kamat’s influence extends globally through his leadership in organizations such as the IBCG, the International Bladder Cancer Network (IBCN), and the Société Internationale d’Urologie (SIU). He actively contributes to organizations including the American Urologic Association (AUA), the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and European Association of Urology (EAU), having served on their boards and played pivotal roles in organizing national and international meetings. Additionally, Dr Kamat serves on advisory boards for research groups, healthcare systems, industry think tanks, and biotech innovators.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Kamat served as Fellowship Director at MD Anderson (2005-2016) and continues to mentor students, residents, fellows, and international visiting scholars, including via the AUA USMART Program. He serves on editorial boards of leading journals including European Urology Oncology, Urologic Oncology, Journal of Urology, Expert Reviews, and leads UroToday’s Bladder Cancer Center of Excellence.

Dr. Kamat deeply committed to patient advocacy. He has received the Compassionate Doctor Award from patient groups and serves on the boards of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (US) and the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WPBPC), including as inaugural Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. His contributions have earned him listings in Who’s Who in Medicine and Best Doctors in America. In recognition of his service, the “Wayne B. Duddlesten Professorship in Honor of Dr. Ashish Kamat” was established in 2016 to advance cancer research and education at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Name: Max Kates, MD

Institution: James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute,
The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

Max Kates is the R Christian Evenson Professor and Director of the Division of Urologic Oncology at the Brady Urologic Institute at Johns Hopkins.    Dr. Kates has clinical expertise in all areas of urologic oncology, with a particular emphasis on the surgical management of complex prostate and bladder malignancy. His research interests parallel his clinical practice, with a focus on evaluating novel therapies for early stage bladder cancer and identifying predictive biomarkers of disease response. 

Name: Elizabeth Kessler, MD

Institution: University of Colorado School of Medicine 

Elizabeth R Kessler, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She is a genitourinary medical oncologist and cares for patients at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

Dr. Kessler is a clinical researcher and has served as the Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator of many phase I, II, and III clinical research studies. Her own research focuses on improving the evidence base in caring for older adults with cancer. Dr. Kessler has been funded by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, NIH, DOD, and is a American Cancer Society Clinician Scientist Scholar. Her research program focuses on increasing goal concordant care delivery by performing geriatric, goals of care and oncologic assessments at the outset of care planning for older patients with bladder cancer.

Name: Samer N. Khader, MD, FIAC 

Institution: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center  

Dr. Samer Khader is the System Director of Cytopathology at UPMC and the Director of the Cytopathology Fellowship Training Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and leads the Cytology Division and Center of Excellence at UPMC Shadyside. He is also a Professor of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Dr. Khader’s clinical and academic interests include urine and serous body fluid cytopathology, as well as the integration of digital pathology and artificial intelligence to advance diagnostic precision and efficiency.

Nationally, he serves as a Delegate in the College of American Pathologists’ House of Delegates, a member of the Cytopathology Committee of the American Society for Clinical Pathology, the American Society of Cytopathology Case Study Committee, and the University of Pittsburgh Faculty Assembly.

Name: Ali Raza Khaki, MD, MS

Institution: Stanford University School of Medicine

Ali Raza Khaki is a genitourinary medical oncologist and clinical assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. His research focuses on clinical trials and real-world evidence with a particular focus on bladder cancer/urothelial carcinoma. He was awarded the John Quale Travel Fellowship for the BCAN Think Tank in 2020. He also serves as an editor for genitourinary oncology for HemOnc.org and theMednet. 

Name: William Kim, MD

Institution: University of North Carolina

William Kim, MD, is the Rush S. Dickson Professor of Medicine, Genetics, and Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Kim earned his medical degree from Brown University Medical School in Providence, RI and completed his internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Hospital.  He completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and then performed a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. William G. Kaelin, Jr (DFCI). His research explores the intersection of caner genomics and cancer biology with the goal of developing novel therapies and diagnostics. Dr. Kim is Co-Leader of the Lineberger Cancer Genetics Program and the Co-Director of GU Cancer Research at UNC Lineberger.   

Name: Deborah W. Knapp, DVM

Institution: Purdue University

Deborah W. Knapp, DVM, is the Dolores L. McCall Professor and Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology in the Dept. of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Purdue University. She earned her BS degree from North Carolina State University, DVM from Auburn University, and MS/Veterinary Medical Oncology Residency Certificate from Purdue University. After post-doctoral research in cancer pharmacology and tumor immunology, she joining the Purdue faculty in 1990. Dr. Knapp directs the Werling Comparative Oncology Research Center (WCORC) in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and is on the senior leadership team in the NCI-Designated Purdue University Institute for Cancer Research. Her work is conducted at the interface of studies at the bench, animal model work, and translation of important findings to humans. Dr. Knapp’s research is strongly focused in invasive urinary bladder cancer in which the naturally-occurring form of the cancer in dogs serves as a highly relevant model for the human condition.

Name: Vadim S Koshkin, MD

Institution: University of California, San Francisco

Vadim Koshkin is a genitourinary medical oncologist at the University of California San Francisco where he co-leads the bladder cancer clinical program in medical oncology. He completed his medical school at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, internal medicine training at the University of Michigan and oncology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. His research interests have focused on clinical trials, targeted agents and biomarkers in bladder cancer, as well as imaging and radioligand therapies in bladder and prostate cancer. He is co-leading the Urothelial Cancer Network to Investigate Therapeutic Experiences (UNITE) study, a large, multi-institutional, retrospective study of patients with advanced urothelial cancer treated with novel targeted agents. At UCSF he also serves as the co-chair of the Molecular Imaging & Radionuclide Therapy site committee. Dr. Koshkin is the author of numerous publications including first author manuscripts in JCO, Clinical Cancer Research, Cancer and JITC, and has presented his research at national and international meetings.

Name: Stella Koutros, PhD, MPH

Institution: National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health  

Dr. Koutros is a cancer epidemiologist in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute. She is an internationally recognized expert in the design and conduct of epidemiological studies to evaluate workplace exposures as risk factors for cancer and to clarify the etiology of bladder cancer, a disease substantially influenced by occupational, environmental, and genetic factors. Across multiple studies of highly-exposed individuals, she has initiated the collection of biospecimens for the conduct of genetic and molecular pathology studies to further understand the mechanisms of chemical-induced carcinogenesis.

Name: Seth P. Lerner, MD

Institution: Baylor College of Medicine 

Seth P. Lerner, MD, is Professor of Urology and holds the Beth and Dave Swalm Chair in Urologic Oncology, in the Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine.  He is Director of Urologic Oncology and the Multidisciplinary Bladder Cancer Program and Vice-Chair for Faculty Affairs. He has 32 years of experience as a clinical investigator for both NCI and industry funded clinical trials and is Chair of the SWOG GU committee. He is PI of SWOG S1011 – the node dissection trial – recently published in New England Journal of Medicine.

Name: Robert Lipman

Mr. Lipman is a long-term bladder cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with high-grade carcinoma in situ (NMIBC) in 2003. Since then, he has become a dedicated patient research advocate and an active volunteer with the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN), contributing in various roles since its founding in 2005. He currently serves on the Advocate Advisory Board for the PCORI-funded CISTO project, which compares intravesical therapy and surgery as treatment options for bladder cancer. Mr. Lipman was the patient advocate on the 2020 American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines panel for microhematuria and presented the patient perspective at the 2022 National Cancer Institute (NCI) Bladder Task Force Clinical Trial Planning Meeting. He also participated in the Patient Empowerment through Engagement Research (PEER) working group, which focused on addressing cystoscopy-related anxiety and discomfort

Name: Yair Lotan, MD

Institution: Southwestern Medical Center

Yair Lotan, MD, is a professor of urology, chief of urologic oncology, and holder of the Jane and John Justin Distinguished Chair in Urology, in Honor of Claus G. Roehrborn, MD at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He also serves as Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs of the Department of Urology and Head of the Clinical Research office.

He is the medical director of the urology clinic at Parkland Health and Hospital System. Dr. Lotan graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and earned his MD from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Dr. Lotan is known for his research on urine markers and molecular markers that help detect cancer and to determine which patients are at higher risk for recurrent cancer. He is also interested in health economics research, which evaluates the cost-effectiveness of surgery and cancer prevention. Dr. Lotan has published over 700 peer reviewed articles, review papers and book chapters. He is also an editorial reviewer for many medical periodicals, including the Journal of Urology, European Urology, Cancer, Urologic Oncology, and the British Journal of Urology International.

Dr. Lotan currently holds a position as co-chair of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center disease-oriented team, focused on urologic cancers. He is a member of UT Southwestern’s Clinical Research Planning Group and the Tissue Bank Steering Committee and Cancer Committee. Dr. Lotan is a popular guest speaker at medical conferences around the world and belongs to numerous professional organizations, including the American Urological Association, the Society of Urologic Oncology, and the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network.

Name: Michael J. Louie, MD, MPH, MSC

Institution: UroGen Pharma

Mike is an experienced pharmaceutical physician with a background in drug development and medical affairs and a focus on addressing unmet medical needs. He’s been with UroGen Pharma since July 2023 where he’s concentrated primarily on the development of UGN-102 as a potential treatment for low-grade intermediate-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.  Prior to UroGen, Mike held leadership positions at Esperion, Regeneron and Pfizer.  Mike received his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, completed his residency in internal medicine at Weill Cornell Medical Center, was a Clinician Scholar at Rockefeller University, and received a master’s in public health from Columbia University. 

Name: Katie Marchetti, MD

Institution: University of Iowa

Katie Marchetti, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Urology at the University of Iowa. She earned her M.D. and completed her residency in Urology at the University of Michigan, and finished her Society of Urologic Oncology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. Her clinical focus is on the multidisciplinary management of bladder cancer. Dr. Marchetti’s research centers on integration of remote patient monitoring and evidence-based care pathways to detect complications following cystectomy and support recovery. She is actively involved in clinical trials and implementation research aimed at improving quality of life and treatment delivery for patients with bladder cancer. Dr. Marchetti is proud to support BCAN’s mission by contributing her clinical and research expertise to advocacy and education efforts that improve her individual patients’ care, as well as more broadly the lives of those affected by bladder cancer.

Name: Suzanne B. Merrill, MD

Institution: Colorado Urology

Dr. Suzanne B. Merrill is a fellowship trained urologic oncologist whom has developed a comprehensive community centered bladder cancer program with Colorado Urology, a United Urology Group.  Dr. Merrill graduated summa cum laude from The University of Delaware and with Alpha Omega Alpha honors from The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine.  She completed her residency at Duke University followed by a Society of Urologic Oncology fellowship at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  While at Mayo, she also received a certificate in Translational Research.  Dr. Merrill has received numerous awards for her accomplishments and leadership in the field including being named the American Urological Association Young Urologist of the Year and inducted into the American Urological Association Leadership Program in 2020.  Prior to being at Colorado Urology, she was an Associate Professor of Urologic Oncology and Residency Program Director at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania.  Here she was recognized with awards for her outstanding faculty leadership/mentorship as well as humanism and professionalism in surgery.

Name: Matthew I. Milowsky, MD

Institution: University of North Carolina

Matthew I. Milowsky, MD, is the George Gabriel and Frances Gable Villere Distinguished Professor of Bladder and Genitourinary Cancer Research, Vice Chief for Research & Education, and Section Chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service in the Division of Oncology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. He also serves as a Program Leader for Clinical Research and Co-Director of the Urologic Oncology Program at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Milowsky is a medical oncologist and clinical and translational researcher. His clinical interest is in the treatment of patients with genitourinary cancers with a focus on the care of patients with advanced bladder cancer. His research involves the development of novel therapies for patients with urologic cancers with a particular interest in the design of clinical trials that utilize immunotherapy as well as those that use an integrated genomics approach to characterize urothelial cancers for genetic alterations that may represent targets for novel agents. He chairs the BCAN Bladder Cancer Genomics Consortium (BCGC) and serves as Principal Investigator for BCAN’s Urothelial Cancer-GENOmic Analysis to iMprove Patient Outcomes and rEsearch study (UC-GENOME), a large-scale genomically-driven bladder cancer study in partnership with eight academic medical centers recognized for their expertise in bladder cancer to foster collaborative translational research to better understand the biology of bladder cancer and develop new therapies.

Name: John Morley

John Morley is a bladder cancer survivor, advocate, and storyteller dedicated to raising awareness and empowering patients through education and lived experience. Diagnosed in 2022 with stage 2 muscle-invasive bladder cancer, John underwent chemotherapy followed by a radical cystectomy with ileal conduit. His journey inspired the creation of BeatingBladderCancer.com and a YouTube channel by the same name, where he shares insights, interviews, and practical guidance for patients and caregivers.

John brings a professional background in marketing and a personal passion for connecting survivors, elevating patient voices, and improving access to information—especially for veterans and underserved communities. He recently joined a BCAN-sponsored scuba trip with fellow survivors, capturing the experience as a mini-documentary to inspire others to thrive after diagnosis.

John is honored to serve as a patient advocate at the BCAN Think Tank and looks forward to contributing a survivor’s perspective to the conversation.

Name: Matthew Mossanen, MD, MPH

Institution: Harvard Medical School

Dr. Mossanen is a urologic oncologist in the Department of Urology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and an Assistant Professor of Surgery Harvard Medical School. He received his MD degree from UCLA and completed his urology residency at University of Washington in Seattle. He completed his urologic oncology fellowship at the combined Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and BWH program. He received an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is the assistant fellowship director for the Urologic Oncology Fellowship at BWH and MGH and is the Director of Quality Improvement for BWH. His clinical and research interests include urologic malignancies with a focus in bladder cancer.  

Name: Neelam Mukherjee, PhD

Institution: UT Health San Antonio

Neelam Mukherjee, Ph.D., is a cancer immunologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Her research centers on characterizing immune populations and investigating the recruitment and activation mechanisms pivotal for effective anti-tumor responses. Her passion lies in overcoming immunotherapy resistance and improving immunotherapy outcomes for bladder cancer patients. Her lab also explores the role of innate immune cells in bladder cancer biology and develops innovative immune therapeutic strategies, integrating animal models with clinical research.

Name: Katie S Murray, DO, MS, FACS

Institution: NYU Langone

Katie Murray is currently Professor in the Department of Urology at NYU Langone Health and Grossman School of Medicine.  She also serves as the Chief of Urology Service at the NYC HHC Bellevue Hospital.  Dr. Murray received her undergraduate degree from Westminster College followed by Medical School at A.T. Still University.  She completed her residency in Urology at the University of Kansas followed by a Society of Urological Oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City in 2016.  She then served on faculty at the University of Missouri from 2016 to 2022.  While at the University of Missouri she completed a Master of Science degree in Academic Medicine.  She has published over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles as well as book chapters.  

Name: Rosa Nadal Rios, MD, PhD

Institution: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

I am a medical oncologist specializing in genitourinary (GU) oncology. I began my career as a trialist and translational researcher, focusing on the clinical development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies and the evaluation of biomarkers for GU malignancies, with particular emphasis on bladder and kidney cancers. I have continued to investigate innovative immunotherapies, including T-cell-based approaches for kidney cancer. This work included conducting a clinical trial of HERV-E TCR-transduced T cells for patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma. This trial represents the first cellular therapy targeting peptides derived from a human endogenous retrovirus in cancer. My translational research has focused on developing alternative methodologies for quantifying circulating engineered T cells following adoptive transfer, characterizing the molecular features of cell infusion products using multi-omics analysis, and identifying biomarkers to predict treatment response. I recently joined the faculty of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center as an Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Name: Darrell Nakagawa

Institution: BCAN Patient Advocate

Darrell Nakagawa is a Patient Advocate with BCAN.  He has participated in Think Thank, Patient Summits, Walk to End Bladder Cancer, Patients Insights Webinars, BCAN on the Hill, and Coffee and Conversations.  Nakagawa leads the Chicago Chapter and is a Community Leader of BCANs Inspire Blog space.  Outside of BCAN, Darrell is the Bladder Patient Advocate with SWOG Cancer Research Network.  His work at Northwestern Medicine includes facilitating the mixed Bladder Cancer Support Group, member of the Patient and Family Advisory Board, and the Scientific Review Committee at Lurie Cancer Center/Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine.  He is an advocate member of ASCO and was a 2025 participant of the Scientist <-> Survivor Program at the AACR Annual Meeting. 

Mr. Nakagawa has many years of experience transforming Fortune 10/100/500 corporations as a continuous improvement leader. His certifications in Six Sigma (MBB), Lean (Master), Agile, Project Management, Training, Facilitation and Change Management provide a strong foundation to successfully drive change.  Throughout his career, his work has resulted in multi-million-dollars of impact.  He has a long history of supporting non-profit organizations and championing personal development. 

Name: Vignesh Packiam, MD

Institution: Rutgers Cancer Institute

Dr. Packiam received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh and completed a six-year urology residency at the University of Chicago. He then completed a two-year Society of Urologic Oncology accredited fellowship at Mayo Clinic and also obtained a Postdoctoral Research Certificate at the Center of Clinical and Translational Science. He had a robust clinical practice and research portfolio in bladder and upper tract urothelial cancer for several years at the University of Iowa, prior to his recruitment as Associate Professor at Rutgers Cancer Institute. He has a strong interest in urothelial cancer and has published on numerous prospective trials in this space. He has 

received research funding from the American Cancer Society to develop novel bladder cancer treatments. He is passionate about improving both quantity and quality of life for patients with bladder cancer. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

Name: Chong-xian Pan, MD, PhD, MAS
Institution: Harvard Medical School

Chong-xian Pan, MD, PhD, MAS, is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Lead Investigator of Urology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Staff Physician at VA Boston Healthcare System. He is a board-certified medical oncologist and hematologist, physician-scientist, immunologist and clinical investigator. Dr. Pan received his MD at Fudan University Shanghai Medical College, PhD in Microbiology & Immunology at Loyola University Chicago, MAS in Clinical Research at University of California Davis (UC Davis), and finished his Hematology/Oncology fellowship training at Indiana University. He has translated his own preclinical studies into 7 investigator-initiated trials (IITs) and developed several new drugs from the very beginning target identification: one at a Phase I first-in-human clinical trial and two at the IND stage with several more in development. His research has been funded by NIH, DoD, VA, Prostate Cancer Foundation, American Cancer Society and many other agencies.  

Name: Sunil H. Patel, MD, MA

Institution: Johns Hopkins Medicine

Sunil H. Patel, M.D., M.A., is an Assistant Professor of Urology and Oncology at the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins. He serves as and the Director of the Urologic Oncology Fellowship. He also serves as Director of the Testicular Cancer program. He treats all urologic malignancies, including adrenal cancer, kidney cancer, urothelial cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, testes cancer, and penile cancers.

His research interests are in environmental factors contributing to oncogenesis in urological cancers, especially bladder cancer. Furthermore, interested in the development of bladder cancer in young patients and working with other medical specialties to learn more about cancer development in young adults.  He is dedicated to international health and works closely with international volunteers in urology.

Name: Melanie Pepin, MS, CGC

Institution: Patient Advocate

Melanie is a 5 year survivor of muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Her tumor was treated

with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, a radical cystectomy and one year of immunotherapy

(Ambassador clinical trial). She has a “familial” ATM gene variant that she was unaware of

before her diagnosis. ATM is a “cancer-associated” gene that carries with it a moderate risk for additional forms of cancer.

Melanie is a board certified genetic counselor and was employed in clinical research and

genetic testing at University of Washington for 20+ years. As a patient advocate, she would

like to contribute to understanding the need for genetic variant testing in BC families, the role of cancer genes in BC and their impact on custom treatment plans. 

Name: Eugene Pietzak, MD

Institution: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Eugene Pietzak is a urologic oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York who specializes in the surgical treatment of bladder cancer and upper tract urothelial cancer. Dr. Pietzak leads a R01-funded translational research program focused on biomarker development and novel treatment approaches for patients with localized bladder cancer. Dr. Pietzak is also the Principal Investigator for multiple investigator-initiated clinical trials for patients with NMIBC, including the GAIN trial; a randomized phase III trial of Gemcitabine plus BCG vs. BCG alone for patients with BCG exposed NMIBC (Alliance A032303) currently open nationally to accrual through the NCTN cooperative group network.

Name: Sarah P. Psutka, MD, MSc, FACS

Institution: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and University of Washington

Dr. Sarah Psutka MD, MSc is an Associate Professor of Urology in the Department of Urology at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. She received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard University and completed urology residency training at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She completed a Society of Urologic Oncology Fellowship in Urologic Oncology at the Mayo Clinic, and concurrently obtained her Masters in Clinical and Translational Science.

Dr. Psutka’s clinical efforts are centered on the management of non-muscle-invasive and muscle-invasive bladder cancer, advanced kidney and testis cancer, with a particular focus in the care of older and medically complex patients.  In addition to her practice at the University of Washington main campus, she leads the urologic oncology program at Harborview Medical Center and is the Associate Program Director of the UW Society of Urologic Oncology Fellowship Program.

Dr. Psutka’s research focuses on the study and development of personalized, comprehensive risk stratification measures in patients with advanced urologic malignancies. She leads research studying the integration of principles of aging research, comprehensive geriatric assessments, body composition, and resilience in patients with advanced GU malignancies with a focus on patient-centric outcomes and development of prehabilitation interventions using digital health innovations. She is a clinical trialist, currently leading the UW Get Moving Trial (NCT06040762), a randomized controlled trial evaluating a personalized home-based prehabilitation exercise intervention delivered via a digital application. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging (2022-2024 GEMSSTAR award), the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, and the Andy Hill Care Foundation. She was the 2022 Recipient of the Society of Urologic Oncology Young Investigator Award and the 2023 Kidney Cancer Association Christopher G. Wood Rising Star Award. She served as a member of the Board of Directors and Fellowship committee of the Society of Urologic Oncology 2022-2024 and currently serves on the SUO Clinical Trials Consortium Board of Directors (Kidney), the AUA Practice Guidelines Committee, and is the Cancer Control Committee Liaison for the SWOG Genitourinary Executive Committee. She was a co-founder of the Society of Women in Urologic Oncology in 2019.  Dr. Psutka served as the Senior Editor for the Oncology Section of the AUA Core Curriculum from 2019-2023 and is currently the Senior Consultant for Oncology and the Chair Elect for the AUA Core Curriculum 2026. She is an Associate Editor for European Urology.

Name: Michael W. Rabow, MD, FAAHPM

Institution: UCSF

Michael W. Rabow, MD, FAAHPM, the Helen Diller Family Chair in Palliative Care, is a Professor of Clinical Medicine and Urology at UCSF.  He is the Associate Chief of Education & Mentoring in the Division of Palliative Medicine in the Department of Medicine, and the Medical Director of Palliative Care at UCSF’s Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Board-certified in internal medicine and palliative care, Dr. Rabow directs a leading outpatient palliative care program– the Symptom Management Service.  Dr. Rabow is a member of UCSF’s Academy of Medical Educators and is the Founding Director of the MERI Center for Education in Palliative Care. He is a past recipient of the AAHPM/PDIA National Palliative Care Leadership Award, the Soros Project on Death in America award, and the Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Award. In 2024, he was recognized as a Visionary in Palliative Care by the American Association of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Name: Jonathan E. Rosenberg, MD

Institution: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Jonathan Rosenberg MD is the Chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Attending Physician at Memorial Hospital at MSKCC, and Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.  He holds the Enno W. Ercklentz Chair in Genitourinary Oncology.

Dr. Rosenberg received his Bachelor of Science degree from Duke University and his medical degree from Harvard. Dr. Rosenberg completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at UCSF. He previously served on the faculty at UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute prior to coming to MSKCC in 2012. Dr. Rosenberg became Chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service in 2018. Dr. Rosenberg’s research focuses on understanding bladder cancer biology with the goal of developing new therapeutic approaches in bladder cancer. He works closely with laboratory investigators to correlate novel genetic and immunologic biomarkers with clinical outcomes in bladder cancer.

Name: Keyan Salari, MD, PhD

Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Keyan Salari, MD, PhD is a Urologic Oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and Associate Member of the Broad Institute and the MGH Center for Genomic Medicine. He is a urologic surgeon specialized in the treatment of genitourinary cancers using open and minimally-invasive surgical techniques. Dr. Salari graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in molecular and cellular biology, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Biology Fellow. He earned his MD and PhD in Genetics from Stanford University School of Medicine in the NIH Medical Scientist Training Program. He trained in General Surgery and Urology at the MGH and subsequently completed a fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Salari serves as the Director of the Prostate Cancer Genetics Program at the MGH Cancer Center. His research laboratory focuses on leveraging genomic and computational methods to advance early detection and biomarker discovery for genitourinary malignancies.

Name: Tim Savatt, PA-C

Institution: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Tim Savatt is a Physician Assistant working at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Tim graduated from Lock Haven University in 2016, and began his career as a Physician Assistant at Geisinger Health System Urology in Danville, PA. There, he worked with patients with urologic malignancies with a focus in survivorship. In 2023, he began work at UPMC, where he has continued his focus on survivorship care. Additionally, he currently serves as co-facilitator of UPMC’s Bladder Cancer Support group.

Name: Kristen R. Scarpato, MD, MPH, FACS

Institution: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Kristen Scarpato received her MD from Tufts University School of Medicine and MPH from Boston University School of Public Health. She completed Urology Residency at the University of Connecticut and Fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is Associate Professor of Urology at VUMC and serves as Urology Residency Program Director and Vice Chair of Education.

Her clinical practice focuses on diagnosing and managing bladder and prostate cancer. She has particular interests in focal therapy and salvage prostate ablation, as well as advanced prostate cancer.

She has served as site PI at VUMC for a national trial examining patient centered outcomes among patients with NMIBC and led several clinical trials evaluating the utility of specific biomarkers in the diagnosis and management of bladder cancer.

Dr. Scarpato is committed to advancing the field of urology through patient and resident education and enjoys collaborating on educational endeavors with local and national organizations. She’s been the course co-director for the AUA’s Annual Board Review Course since 2020 and is the AUA representative for the Commission on Cancer at the ACS. She serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Committee (Prostate Cancer), AUA Core Curriculum Online Content Team (Prostate Cancer), AUA Advanced Prostate Cancer Guideline, Urology Practice Editorial Committee, Urology Care Foundation Public Education Council and is the chair of the Urology Care Foundation Bladder Health Committee.

Name: Robert P. “Bob” Schreiber, PE, BCEE, D.WRE

Institution: BCAN Patient Advocate           

Robert (Bob) Schreiber is dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients and their partners, caregivers, families, and friends, to give back based on all the help given by others, especially BCAN. Bob is a bladder cancer survivor and proud owner of a 2017 model year neobladder. He has multiple roles at BCAN: Survivor to Survivor program volunteer; participant in Patient Summits; Think Tank Steering Committee and participation as invited speaker, panelist, and breakout session co-chair; Survivorship Task Force; Congressional office visits; Patient-Centered Clinical Young Investigators Award reviewer; and more. And with help from BCAN Bob has served as a patient advocate resource for selected pharmaceutical companies, and as a research proposal reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program / Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program; plus, various outreach efforts including media interviews, articles, and video recordings. His personal outreach outside of BCAN events and contacts, led to interactions with over 120 fellow bladder cancer patients and their loved ones. Committed to family and friends while easing into full retirement and continuing to work as a consulting civil engineer on selected client projects, Bob is a volunteer for professional organizations, focusing on groundwater resource protection.

Name: John Sfakianos, MD

Institution: Mount Sinai

Dr. Sfakianos is a Professor of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He completed his MD from the School of Medicine and Biosciences at Buffalo and completed his internship and residency at the State University of New York at Downstate Medical Center. He then went on to fellowship in Urologic Oncology, which was completed at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. His clinical and research focus is on understanding and treating patients with urothelial carcinoma including improving clinical outcomes through the use of robotic intracorporeal radical cystectomy.  He is focused on translational research to help understand and identify novel targets in treating urothelial carcinoma.  He studies both the molecular biology underlying urothelial carcinoma as well as the immune microenvironment.   His work is funded by both the DOD and NIH, PI on multiple NIH R01 and R21 awards.  Dr. Sfakianos is the author of over 170 articles in peer-reviewed publications and several book chapters on urothelial carcinoma. 

Name: Daniel Shoskes MD, MSc, FRCS(C)

Institution: Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Daniel Shoskes is an academic Urologist with a career spanning UCLA and The Cleveland Clinic. Service to the American Urological Association includes the presidency of two sub-specialty societies, membership in the Research and Education committees and directorship of the Board Review Course. He has authored over 250 articles and book chapters and was the editor for 9 textbooks. For the past four years he has worked in Industry, most recently at Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

Name: Parminder Singh, MD

Institution: Mayo Clinic Arizona

Parminder Singh is a clinical investigator and oncologist specializing in genitourinary malignancies, particularly bladder cancer. He is affiliated with Mayo Clinic Arizona and leads the Genitourinary Oncology research group. He is actively involved with SWOG, having served on its Genitourinary Executive Committee, and has led phase III registration clinical trials including S1806 and co-led S1605. He is committed to advancing clinical trial infrastructure, integrating precision oncology, and mentoring early-career investigators.

Name: Kristen Watts, LPN

My name is Kristen Watts. I am 24 years old. I am a wife, a mommy to a little boy and an LPN. I am currently in school to get my RN license. I have urethral transitional cell carcinoma, high-grade aggressive cancer. I have now been over 2 years without reoccurrence. I did BCG treatment for 8 weeks. I am now getting cystoscopies regularly along with the FISH test to ensure my cancer has not reoccurred. I hope to help others who are diagnosed and help doctors understand bladder cancer in young adults better.

Name: Angela B. Smith, MD, MS, FACS

Institution: University of North Carolina

Angela B. Smith, MD, MS, FACS, is a Professor of Urology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where she serves as Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs in the Department of Urology. A urologic oncologist specializing in bladder cancer, she is also a leading researcher in patient-reported outcomes and pragmatic trials, with multiple NIH and PCORI-funded studies, including an $8.5 million PCORI trial. She has held key leadership roles in the American Urological Association and serves on the boards of the Society of Women in Urology and the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network. An ACC-certified coach, she co-leads the UNC School of Medicine Coaching Academy. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she developed a deep appreciation for hard work, storytelling, and resilience while growing up in her grandmother’s beauty shop. She holds dual degrees in Biostatistics and Music Performance from UNC, where she met her husband of 20 years, a fellow musician. Outside of work, she enjoys time with her husband and their two daughters, 8 and 11 years old, traveling, hiking, gardening, and playing music, embracing a meaningful life guided by her motto, Esse quam videri—to be, rather than to seem.

Name: Armine Smith, MD

Institution: Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital

Armine Smith, M.D., is the Director of Urologic Oncology at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital and an Associate Professor of Urology at the Brady Urological Institute of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is also a member of the Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute and directs the Women’s Bladder Cancer Program at Sibley.

Dr. Smith earned her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, completed her urology residency at the Cleveland Clinic, and pursued a fellowship in urologic oncology at the National Cancer Institute.

She specializes in advanced open, minimally invasive, and robotic surgeries for urologic cancers. Her research focuses on identifying risk factors for bladder cancer, developing strategies for oncologically safe organ preservation in bladder and kidney cancer, and improving treatment outcomes for patients with bladder cancer.

Name: Brandon Sterling, PhD, APRN, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, CMQ

Institution: UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

Brandon Sterling, PhD, APRN is a nurse practitioner at MD Anderson and assistant clinical professor at the University of Texas Houston Cizik School of Nursing in Houston, Texas. His research focus is on cystectomy caregivers and enhanced recovery program. Brandon is active on the BCAN survivorship taskforce, the BCAN Think Tank planning committee, The Advanced Practice Provider Committee of the American Urologic Association, and a member Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates and AANP. He is passionate about increasing the participation of advanced practice providers in research and quality improvement projects.

Name: Douglas R. Stewart, MD

Institution: National Cancer Institute

Dr. Stewart focuses on the quantification of risk of cancer arising from germline variation (mutations) in pediatric and adult monogenic tumor-predisposition disorders. He serves as the principal investigator of the DICER1 natural history study and a new natural history study on RASopathies. He is investigating the “genome-first” approach in cancer genetics to quantify prevalence, penetrance and phenotype through a funded multi-year collaboration with the Geisinger Health System using their cohort of >230,000 individuals with electronic health record-linked exome sequencing. He is active with the American College of Medical Genetics, ClinGen, serves as a cancer editor for Genetics in Medicine, is a member of the ACMG Secondary Findings Workgroup and has been recognized for his mentoring. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He was recently elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and to the board of the American College of Medical Genetics.

Name: Julius Strauss, M.D.

Institution: Bristol Myers Squibb

Julius Strauss, M.D., received his medical degree from Stony Brook University Medical School and completed his residency in internal medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. He completed his fellowship in medical oncology as well as immunotherapy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Prior to coming to Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), Julius was the clinical director of the Combination Immunotherapy Group of the Center of Immuno-Oncology at the NIH. Julius is presently a senior clinical trial physician in oncology drug development at BMS.

Name: Mary Sullivan, M.A.

Institution: BCAN Patient Advocate

Mary Sullivan, M.A. is a BCAN patient advocate who has served as the 2025 Boston Walk co-chair and is a member of the BCAN Think Tank Steering Committee and Survivorship Task Force. She also volunteers with the BCAN Survivor to Survivor Program as well as the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s 1:1 Program.
She is a retired Program Manager who worked in a variety of state agencies creating programs and services with constituencies across Massachusetts in the areas of public health, safety, consumer protection, civic engagement and community service.

Name: Rob Svatek, MD, MSCI
Institution: UT Health San Antonio

Rob Svatek is Professor at the Department of Urology, University of Texas Health San Antonio.   He received urologic residency training at UT Southwestern in Dallas, urologic oncology fellowship training at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston along with a concurrent Masters in Clinical Research Investigation at UT Houston. In San Antonio, his practice is principally devoted to the care of patients suffering from bladder cancer for which he offers robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery including total intracorporeal conduits and neobladders.  Dr. Svatek runs a DOD- and NIH/R01-funded cancer immunology laboratory, which focuses on the role of innate effector cells in mediating cancer immune surveillance and cancer therapy.  Dr. Svatek is actively involved in the development and conduct of investigator-initiated trials and cooperative group trials through the Southwest Oncology Cooperative Group (SWOG).  Rob enjoys running and spends most of his free time with his wife and three teenage kids.

Name: Ruchika Talwar, MD, MMHC

Institution: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dr. Ruchika Talwar is a urologic oncologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Medical Director in the Episodes of Care Office, where she leads and operationalizes VUMC’s specialty value-based care programs. She is a residency graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was affiliated with the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at Wharton. She completed a Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) fellowship and Masters of Management in Healthcare at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Talwar has served in several national leadership roles, including Chair of the American Urological Association’s residents and fellows committee, the Health Policy, Young Urologic Oncologists, and Women in Urologic Oncology Committees of the SUO, and is currently the Fundraising Chair for the AUAPAC. She held the H. Logan Holtgrewe Legislative Fellowship, working on Capitol Hill in the office of Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09). Dr. Talwar’s clinical practice includes both robotic and open approaches to urologic cancer surgery. Her academic work in health policy, value transformation, drug pricing, and costs of care has been published in several JAMA journals and the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Name: : Richard Toner

Institution: Mayo Clinic

Rich Toner is the enterprise Division Chair, Pricing and Reimbursement at Mayo Clinic.  He is also the administrative head of Therapeutic Strategy for the clinical practice.  Prior to joining Mayo Clinic, he served as AVP of Reimbursement and Payer Contracting at Temple University Health System.  Prior to Temple, he was a senior analyst in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where his work focused on government spending and policy within Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance markets.  

Name: Glenn J Treisman, MD, PhD

Institution: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Glenn Jordan Treisman is the Eugene Meyer III Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is Director of the AIDS Psychiatry Service and The Johns Hopkins Pain Treatment Program. The Pain Treatment Program provides care for chronic pain syndromes and is a national referral resource for patients with intractable pain. He was the co-founder and co-director of the Amos Center, a program that studies atypical GI disorders and the relationship between food, the nervous system of the GI tract, the microbiome, and disease and is now the co-founder of a new. multidisciplinary clinic for dysautonomia within the Lyme Disease Research Center in collaboration with John Aucott, Malcolm Brock and Jonathan Zenilman.

Name: Samuel L. Washington III, MD, MAS  

Institution: University of California

Dr. Morganna Vance currently serves as Senior Medical Director in theDr. Samuel L. Washington III is a urologic oncologist and Assistant Professor within the Departments of Urology and Epidemiology & Biostatistics at University of California, San Francisco. He also serves as the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Prostate Cancer Program Community Outreach and Engagement Liaison and serves on several national guidelines committees focused on standardizing urologic oncology care. His research focuses on understanding how regional and healthcare system-related factors interact with race and ethnicity, geography, and social environment to perpetuate disparities in urologic care and how to develop mitigation strategies through interventions and organizational change.

Name: Daniela Wittmann, PhD, LMSW

Institution: University of Michigan 

Dr. Wittmann is a Clinical Associate Professor Emerita in the University of Michigan’s Department of Urology. She is a psychotherapist, educator and researcher. She was a lead faculty in developing the Brandon Prostate Cancer Survivorship Program and is currently the Associate Director of the Weiser Center for Prostate Cancer at the University of Michigan. She is an AASECT certified sex therapist and sex therapy supervisor. She is a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Dr. Wittmann has published research, review, opinion articles and chapters on sexual issues in cancer and urologic diseases. She is the lead author of the international guidelines for sexual health care in prostate cancer. Her research focus has been on using mixed methods to develop and test interventions that support couples’ sexual recovery after prostate cancer treatment.

Name: Jonathan Wright, MD, MS, FACS

Institution: University of Washington/Fred Hutch Cancer Center

Jonathan Wright is a Professor of Urology at the University of Washington/Fred Hutch Cancer Center.  He has a Masters in Epidemiology from the UW School of Public Health.  He is the holder of the Paul H. Lange, M.D. Endowed Chair in Urological Oncology.

Name: Diane Zipursky Quale

Institution: BCAN

Diane Zipursky Quale is the co-founder of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, the first national patient advocacy organization dedicated to increasing public awareness about bladder cancer, advancing bladder cancer research, and providing educational and support services for the bladder cancer community. Diane and her husband, John Quale, launched BCAN in May 2005.  John, a bladder cancer survivor who was initially diagnosed in July 2000, died of metastatic bladder cancer in June 2008.

Ms. Zipursky Quale served as President of BCAN from 2005-2016, and has been a member of BCAN’s Board of Directors since its inception.  In addition to her active role at BCAN, Ms. Zipursky Quale has served as a patient advocate for a variety of other entities, including as a member of the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute (NCI): as the patient advocate representative on the NCI’s Bladder Cancer Task Force; as a member of  the External Advisory Board of the Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute and as a member of the Board of Directors of The Hope Foundation for Cancer Research, a public charity supporting SWOG Cancer Research Network.  She has also served as an Associate Editor of the international journal, Bladder Cancer. 

Name: Kun-Hsing “Kun” Yu, MD, PhD

Institution: Harvard Medical School

Kun-Hsing “Kun” Yu, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School. He pioneered the first fully automated artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm capable of extracting thousands of features from whole-slide pathology images. His research has uncovered molecular mechanisms driving the microscopic phenotypes of tumor cells and identified novel cellular morphologies that predict patient prognosis.

Dr. Yu’s lab integrates multi-omics (e.g., genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics) profiles with quantitative pathology patterns to predict clinical phenotypes in cancer patients. The AI methods developed by the Yu Lab have been independently validated by over 80 research laboratories worldwide.

His contributions to AI in pathology have earned numerous honors, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award, Google Research Scholar Award, American Medical Informatics Association New Investigator Award, Harvard Medical School Dean’s Innovation Award, Department of Defense (DoD) Career Development Award, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) Research Scholar Award. He is a Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association (FAMIA).