Speaker Bios
A dynamic and thoughtful group of speakers representing the past, present and future of breast and cervical cancer screening will join us for this two-day event. Please find their detailed bios below. Thank you to all of our speakers for your time during the event and your dedication to this important work!
Mistress of Ceremonies
Teri Larkins, PhD
Dr. Teri Larkins joined the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC) in 2006 as a postdoctoral fellow to the director to assist with educational and public health genomics efforts to reduce health disparities in cancer. In 2009, she became a DCPC Program Services Branch Public Health Advisor to the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and the Colorectal Cancer Control Programs (NBCCEDP and CRCCP) awardees.
Additionally, Larkins has actively served as a CDC work-life wellness liaison campus lead (Chamblee), a women’s health liaison on the CDC Coordinating Committee on Women’s Health, and a member of the DCPC’s HPV and Cervical Cancer workgroup.
As a PSB Communication workgroup lead, she was instrumental in launching ScreenOutCancer, a communication support and brand identity initiative for the CDC cancer prevention programs – NBCCEDP and CRCCP. Recently, she joined the CDC COVID-19 response with the Global Rapid Response Team and worked with the Southwest Border Migrant Health Task Force to improve the health and safety of unaccompanied children and staff at an emergency intake site in the Spring and Summer of 2021.
Larkins holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences – Cancer Biology from the Morehouse School of Medicine and has been trained in wellness and health coaching through Real Life Balance Global Wellness Services.
Dr. Nancy C. Lee
Dr. Nancy C. Lee is currently a private consultant in Washington, D.C., with more than 30 years of experience in public health practice and policy. From 2011 to 2016, Dr. Lee served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women’s Health and Director of the Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She focused on women’s health across the lifespan, violence against women, and health benefits to women from the Affordable Care Act. From 1981 to 2004, she worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where her research and public health efforts included cancer screening, the epidemiology of reproductive system cancers, safety of contraceptive methods, and HIV infection among American women. From 1999 to 2004, she served as Director of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, a division with more than 130 staff and an annual budget of $280 million. She left that position in 2004 to work as a private consultant.
Dr. Lee’s extensive experience in and outside of government encompasses surveillance systems, public health programming and evaluation, women’s health, and cancer prevention and control. She has published more than 100 articles in scientific journals and consulted with the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Services Resource Administration, the American Cancer Society, the Institute of Medicine, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the World Health Organization, and the Agency for International Development. She contributed to research projects in Africa, China, Central America, and Southeast Asia. Since 2009, she has chaired an Evidence-Based Prevention Program Review Committee of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Black Women’s Health Imperative.
Dr. Lee received a BA in mathematics (summa cum laude-1971) from the University of Texas, and an MD (cum laude-1977) from Baylor College of Medicine. She completed her residency training at the University of Pennsylvania in 1981 and was board-certified in internal medicine (now inactive). She is the mother of two wonderful adults, Jesse and Chloe.
Facilitator
Natalie Gilbert
Natalie Gilbert first worked in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she served as a Public Health Associate (PHAP) for two years at the Utah Department of Health. While in Utah, Gilbert worked as part of the Utah Arthritis Program team to strengthen Utah’s ability to deliver chronic disease evidence-based interventions by working with key organizations, such as healthcare systems and community organizations. She now sits as a Project Officer, providing programmatic technical assistance to the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and the Colorectal Cancer Control Program-funded states and tribes.
Gilbert is originally from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from the Ohio State University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, with a Sociology specialization, and a Spanish language minor.
Day One Opening Presentation
Capt. Jacqueline Miller, MD, FACS
Jacqueline Miller, MD, FACS, is a board-certified general surgeon and a Captain with the U.S. Public Health Service. She did her undergraduate education at Spelman College in Atlanta and earned her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She then completed an internship and residency in general surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss. After completing her training, she practiced general surgery for eight years in Atlanta with a special interest in breast cancer.
Miller later joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in the Division of Adult and Community Health. Currently, she is the Medical Director for CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control. She has authored more than 90 publications. She continues to provide clinical care in an outpatient clinic setting.
Day One Plenary Session: Health Equity and Partnership Development
Moderator: Tiffany Pertillar, MSW, MPH, CHES
Tiffany Pertillar is a leader in the field of Public Health and a health equity subject matter expert. Her public health career has spanned more than 15 years working on issues related to advocacy, chronic disease prevention, and health promotion. A University of Maryland-trained public health social worker, Pertillar is an unapologetic social reformer and compassionate crusader for justice, whose mission is to elevate equity and promote health for all people. Not only is she co-founder and CEO of Epic Health Solutions, a small consulting firm focused on engaging, educating, and empowering this generation to incite the kind of social change that lifts equity and upholds social justice in all ways, but she consults with national organizations such as the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, the National Parks and Recreation Association, and the Urban Land Institute on issues of chronic disease and health equity.
She’s known for her thought-provoking insights into the social issues that adversely impact the health of racial and ethnic minorities throughout the United States and beyond. She has a profound ability to captivate and connect audiences in efforts to bridge the racial and wealth gaps that have both defined and divided our nation.
Pertillar received a Bachelor of Art in Human Services from Geneva College in 2003 and master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Health from the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 2008. She also is a Certified Health Education Specialist, a fitness instructor, a bodybuilder, and a Certified Health Coach. Pertillar is originally from Harrisburg, Penn., but currently resides in Savannah, Ga., with her 10-year-old maltipoo named Riesling.
Presenter: Alexandra Bryden, MPP
Alexandra “Alex” Bryden, MPP (she/her), serves as the Technical Advisor in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health’s Program Alignment and Partner Engagement Group, where she leads the Health Equity Technical Assistance Program, as well as activities related to the CMS Equity Plan and the CMS Disparities Impact Statement. In her role, Bryden advises across the Agency on how to assess health equity impacts within CMS programs, helps identify barriers and challenges local communities may face that drive disparities in health and healthcare access, quality, and outcomes, and helps identify opportunities to embed health equity in CMS programs, policies, and operations. Bryden brings nearly two decades of local and national experience with safety-net providers including Federally Qualified Health Centers, and she applies her training in policy analysis and communication to identify and implement solutions to complex systemic challenges in health and healthcare.
Presenter: Darci L. Graves, MPP, MA, MA
Darci L. Graves, MPP, MA, MA, joined the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health in 2015. As part of her work, she assists in the coordination and implementation of priority Agency and officewide programs, policies, and products. In addition, she provides subject matter expertise in areas such as culturally and linguistically appropriate services, rural health, cancer, health disparities, and health equity. Graves holds graduate degrees in Communications, Religion and Sociology, and Public Policy, and she has more than 20 years of professional and academic experience in the fields of cultural and linguistic competence and health education.
Panelist: Elizabeth "Ellie" Berardi, MPH
Elizabeth ‘Ellie’ Berardi is the Program Director for the Tennessee Breast and Cervical Screening Program (TBCSP). She has worked in this program and with the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) for almost three years. Berardi received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Aurora University in Illinois in 2014 and received her Master in Public Health from Purdue University Global in Indiana in 2021. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to Tennessee in 2018. Berardi sits on the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) Cancer Council Leadership Group and also serves as the Co-Lead for the Screening Workgroup. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, two dogs, a cat, and they have a baby due March 2022. In her free time she likes to create digital designs, infographics, and materials for better visual data representation.
Panelist: Krista Guynes, MSW, LCSW
Krista Guynes, MSW, LCSW, has 18 years of experience in the field of social work. Guynes begin her pre-social work/public services training as a National Volunteer Service AmeriCorps member in 2000, later graduating with a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Delta State University in 2003 and a Master of Social Work degree from Jackson State University in 2008. She has been licensed at all three levels of social work in Mississippi and currently practices as a Licensed Certified (Clinical) Social Worker. Her background includes community mental health, medical social work, school social work, social work field education, public health social work, and program/grant administration.
Panelist: Crissy Hartsfield
Crissy Hartsfield serves as the Women’s Health Strategic Initiatives Director for the Tennessee Department of Health. She obtained a master’s degree in Business Administration from Trevecca Nazarene University with an undergraduate degree in Public Administration from Middle Tennessee State University. She has worked with the Department of Health for the last five years, serving for a period of that time as the Tennessee Breast & Cervical Screening Program Director. Previously, she served as the director of a nonprofit rural medical clinic for more than 10 years. Her passions are tied to reaching the underserved and reducing barriers for all women to ensure they receive quality and compassionate healthcare.
Day One Plenary Session: Expanding Service Delivery Using Data
Moderator: Vivian Lasley-Bibbs, MPH
Vivian Lasley-Bibbs, MPH, is an epidemiologist and the director of the Office of Health Equity (OHE) in the Kentucky Department for Public Health, which works to increase awareness, provide leadership and oversight on projects that address health disparities including the social and ecological factors, and address system-level factors that impact the health of disparate populations across the commonwealth.
Lasley-Bibbs is the newly elected Board Chair for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and current President of the National Association of State Offices of Minority Health (NASOMH). Lasley-Bibbs has presented as the subject matter expert at numerous state, local, and national conferences in the form of workshops, panels, and posters to address health disparities and inequities as relates to the social determinants of health and the root causes driving health disparities. Her expertise has afforded her the opportunity to publish in peer-reviewed journals, sit on regional and national committees, state and local advisory boards, and workgroups.
Lasley-Bibbs holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Kentucky State University and a master’s degree in Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology from the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. She is also a graduate of the Physician Assistant Program in the University of Kentucky’s College of Health Sciences. She has continued to expand her knowledge base by taking doctorate level courses in Public Health with an Epidemiology concentration in the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky. Her professional affiliations include national, regional, and state public health organizations, as well as civic, and community-based organizations.
Alexandra Bryden, MPP
Alexandra “Alex” Bryden, MPP (she/her), serves as the Technical Advisor in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health’s Program Alignment and Partner Engagement Group, where she leads the Health Equity Technical Assistance Program, as well as activities related to the CMS Equity Plan and the CMS Disparities Impact Statement. In her role, Bryden advises across the Agency on how to assess health equity impacts within CMS programs, helps identify barriers and challenges local communities may face that drive disparities in health and healthcare access, quality, and outcomes, and helps identify opportunities to embed health equity in CMS programs, policies, and operations. Bryden brings nearly two decades of local and national experience with safety-net providers including Federally Qualified Health Centers, and she applies her training in policy analysis and communication to identify and implement solutions to complex systemic challenges in health and healthcare.
Ann Elifrits, MS, LCP, LCAC
Ann Elifrits, MS, LCP, LCAC, has been part of the Cancer team at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for nearly three years. She has a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology and 30 years ofexperience in behavioral health serving individuals and families with mental illness, substance use disorder, and other chronic diseases in a variety of community settings. As a member of the Kansas NBCCEDP team, Elifrits is excited about learning and implementing new strategies to increase breast and cervical cancer screening among populations of focus across Kansas.
Darci L. Graves, MPP, MA, MA
Darci L. Graves, MPP, MA, MA, joined the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health in 2015. As part of her work, she assists in the coordination and implementation of priority Agency and officewide programs, policies, and products. In addition, she provides subject matter expertise in areas such as culturally and linguistically appropriate services, rural health, cancer, health disparities, and health equity. Graves holds graduate degrees in Communications, Religion and Sociology, and Public Policy, and she has more than 20 years of professional and academic experience in the fields of cultural and linguistic competence and health education.
Ahmed Ismail, MB BCh, PhD
Dr. Ahmed A Ismail is a Senior Epidemiologist at Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) supporting the cancer prevention and control programs, including Kansas Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (KS BCCEDP). He leads the development and implementation of the cancer surveillance and dissemination plan, employing a wide range of local and national data sources that include Kansas Cancer Registry (KCR), Vital Statistics, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), and the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System (YRBS). In addition, he manages the evaluation process of all KDHE cancer programs funded by CDC i.e., Cancer Prevention and Control, Early Detection Works, and Care of Cancer Survivors.
Recently, he developed the Burden of Cancer in Kansas report that addresses cancer priorities and disparities in the state and is used by the Kansas Cancer Coalition to formulate the new state cancer plan’s objectives and progress indicators.
Eric Lamy
Eric Lamy serves as the Rhode Island Department of Health’s (RIDOH) Women’s Cancer Screening Program Manager, providing oversight to its Colorectal Cancer Screening and WISEWOMAN Programs as well. He also serves as the Deputy Chief for RIDOH’s Center for Chronic Care Disease Management. In addition to his work at RIDOH, Lamy currently serves on the Board of Directors for River to Recovery, a harm-reduction nonprofit located in Fall River, Mass. He will be joining the Board of Directors at the RI Public Health Association this fall.
Day One Afternoon/Evening Remarks
Faye Wong, MPH
Faye L. Wong, MPH, is Chief of the Program Services Branch in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at CDC. She provides strategic leadership and manages the Colorectal Cancer Control Program and National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. Previously, Faye was the first director of the CDC’s VERB™ Campaign, a national mass media campaign aimed at getting tweens (ages 9-13) to be physically active, and the first co-director of the National Diabetes Education Program, a joint program of the CDC and National Institutes of Health. Faye developed nutrition surveillance systems and chronic disease nutrition programs at the beginning of her CDC career. She was recognized with the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Jeffrey P. Koplan Award in 2015 and the Department of Health and Human Services Award for Career Achievement in 2011. Faye was President of the American Public Health Association in 2001-2002. Over her public health career, Faye has worked at the Federal (CDC), State (Oregon), and local levels (Arizona, Michigan), specializing in the creation, growth, transformation, and management of public health programs and communication campaigns.
Debra Younginer, BS
Debra Younginer, BS, serves as Deputy Branch Chief in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control’s (DCPC’s) Program Services Branch (PSB).
Younginer joined DCPC in January 2002 as a Project Officer to grantees funded through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, and National Partnership Organizations initiative. She also served as staff lead for the case management program component and was the Designated Federal Officer for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Federal Advisory Committee.
In 2009, Younginer was promoted to Team Leader (Lead Public Health Advisor) in PSB, where she supervised a team of staff members who manage cooperative agreements in the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and the Colorectal Cancer Control Program.
Since 2013, Younginer has served as PSB’s Deputy Branch Chief. She manages the branch’s personnel and workload while maintaining oversight of the branch’s budget. She also actively participates in setting the strategic direction of the branch and implementing branch priorities.
Prior to working in DCPC, Younginer spent 11 years in the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention where she served in various roles such as a Disease Intervention Specialist, First-line Supervisor, and Surveillance Coordinator.
Day Two Opening
Tamika Felder
Cancer survivor and award-winning women’s health advocate Tamika Felder is the Chief Visionary at Cervivor, a nonprofit dedicated to cervical cancer advocacy and support. Named a “Cancer Rebel” by Newsweek in a 2017 cover story, Felder is a highly sought-after speaker on cervical cancer advocacy, cancer prevention, HPV education, and living life with purpose after cancer. She is the author of “Seriously, What Are You Waiting For? 13 Actions To Ignite Your Life & Achieve The Ultimate Comeback.” Felder currently serves on the steering committee of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable. She’s shared her story and experiences on Presidential Cancer Panels convened by the White House. An award-winning television producer, Felder is currently filming a documentary about cervical cancer, the women living with it, and the vaccine to prevent it. Her story of patient-to-advocate / survivor-to-Cervivor inspires and mentors not only patients and medical communities, but anyone who has struggled with obstacles in their life.
David Lacks, Jr.
David Lacks Jr. is the grandson of Henrietta Lacks and the son of David “Sonny” Lacks, Henrietta’s middle son. David travels around the world giving his personal insight about his grandmother’s legacy and how his family is bringing awareness to Henrietta’s story and promoting health equity and social justice.
David is honored to serve on the National Institutes of Health panel, where he reviews proposals from researchers seeking to use the HeLa genome in their research.
David has a degree in computer information systems and has traveled around the United States and Canada setting up computer systems and labs for companies and educational institutions. He also lends his talent to the Lacks family’s website.
Day Two Plenary Session: Where We Were 30 Years Ago
Moderator: James Marks, MD, MPH
Dr. James Marks retired from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) where he served as Executive Vice President and oversaw all grantmaking, research, and communications activities for the largest philanthropy dedicated solely to the health of everyone in the United States.
During his time at RWJF, Marks led many major initiatives, including efforts to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity, ranking the health of all US counties, and with the Federal Reserve, bringing the fields of community development and public health together.
Before joining RWJF, Marks held important leadership roles in public health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), retiring with the rank of Rear Admiral and Assistant Surgeon General in the US Public Health Service. At CDC he was director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for nearly 10 years. Throughout his tenure at CDC, Marks developed and advanced systematic ways to detect and prevent chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes to name a few, to monitor major health risks such as tobacco use and obesity, and to improve reproductive and infant health.
A national leader in public health for more than 35 years, Marks has received numerous awards from organizations such as the American Cancer Society, National Arthritis Foundation, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, Association of State and Territorial Chronic Disease Directors and U.S. Public Health Service. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2004 in recognition of his accomplishments in epidemiology and public health. He has served on many governmental and nonprofit committees, including the executive board of the American Public Health Association. Marks has published extensively in the areas of maternal and child health, health promotion, chronic disease prevention and health policy. He now serves on the board of the CDC Foundation, among others.
Marks received his BA from Williams College, his MD from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his MPH from Yale, where he was later honored as a distinguished alumni from the School of Public Health. He is married to his childhood sweetheart, Judi, and they have two children, both in medicine.
Panelist: Rep. Henry Waxman, JD, BA
U.S. Representative, California (1975-2015)
Rep. Henry A. Waxman currently serves as Chairman at Waxman Strategies, a public affairs and strategic communications firm. He advises clients on public policy and continues to focus on the issues he championed while in Congress, including health care, environment, energy, technology and telecommunications. In addition, he serves as a Regent Lecturer for University of California, Los Angeles, and as an advisor and lecturer at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Previously, Waxman spent 40 years serving in the House of Representatives. He had the distinction of serving as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy & Commerce Committee and Committee on Oversight & Government Reform. He also served as Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health and the Environment.
Waxman’s legislative work and tenacity has earned him recognition as “one of the most accomplished legislators of our time” by Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson, and “tougher than a boiled owl” by Sen. Alan Simpson when pushing for passage of the landmark Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
Waxman is the author of The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works.
Career Highlights:
- Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy & Commerce Committee
- Chairman and Ranking Member of the Oversight & Government Reform
- Chairman and Ranking Member of the Energy & Commerce
- Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment
- Member of the California State Assembly
Panelist: Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, MSW, BA
U.S. Senator, Maryland (1987-2017)
Born and raised in the Highlandtown neighborhood of East Baltimore, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski is known as a fighter and a champion for the people of Maryland. The longest serving woman in Congressional history, Sen. Mikulski served for five years on the Baltimore City Council; 10 years in the US House of Representatives; and 30 in the U.S. Senate. On Dec. 20, 2012, Sen. Mikulski became the first woman and first Marylander to chair the Senate Appropriations Committee. Throughout the length of her tenure, Sen. Mikulski never forgot that she was not only the Senator from Maryland, but the Senator for Maryland.
A tenacious advocate for the people of Maryland, Sen. Mikulski is known for her work in women’s empowerment, equity, health, civil rights education, jobs, research and innovation, cybersecurity, seniors, and veterans. She was also a champion for space exploration, playing a major role in saving the Hubble Space Telescope, which has led to countless advances in astronomy and physics. Throughout her time in office, she firmly believed there was no issue too small to advocate for, and no interest too large to take on.
For her tireless work focusing on the day-to-day needs of Marylanders and the long-range needs of the nation, Sen. Mikulski was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015. In addition, Mikulski was inducted to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame in 1988. She has received countless awards and accolades for her work and advocacy on behalf of the people, from organizations as varied as the American Heart Association, to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, to the US Coast Guard. She has also been awarded honorary degrees and doctorates in Humane Letters and Law from esteemed academic institutions including Goucher College, Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Pratt Institute.
Prior to her career in elected office, Sen. Mikulski earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Mount St. Agnes College in Baltimore (since merged with Loyola University), and a master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Maryland. Sen. Mikulski was an accomplished social worker and adjunct professor for many years prior to her election to the Baltimore City Council in 1971.
Her training and experience as a social worker formed the bedrock of her approach to politics and public office. She believed that constituents have a right to know, a right to be heard, and a right to be represented. She listened to her constituents and made the personal political. Through her work as a social worker, Sen. Mikulski recognized that many of the issues communities and individuals face are due to systems and policies rather than individual action or inaction.
This understanding, paired with her talent for organizing and communications, led a young Sen. Mikulski to fight the installation of a sixteen-lane highway along Baltimore’s waterfront – right through many of the city’s Black neighborhoods and ethnic urban enclaves. Known for her fiery wit, Sen. Mikulski famously told the powers that be that “the termites couldn’t take Fells Point, the British couldn’t take Fells Point, and by God, the State’s Roads Commission can’t take Fells Point!” Sen. Mikulski’s work – along with the work of countless activists across the city – helped save the waterfront and launched her political career.
Viewing politics as social work with power, Sen. Mikulski went to work every day for the people of Maryland asking “How can I help you today?” It was this spirit of service and focus on the needs of her constituents that allowed Sen. Mikulski to serve for as long as she did. When she was sworn into office on Jan. 5, 2011, Mikulski became the longest serving woman senator in U.S. history. On March 17, 2012 she became the longest–serving woman in the history of the United States Congress. Of these milestones, she says, “It’s not about how long I serve, but about how well I serve my state and my nation.”
After retiring from the Senate in 2017, Sen. Mikulski became a Homewood Professor of Public Policy at Johns Hopkins University, where she co-teaches undergraduate courses in Political Science, Sociology, and Public Health. She currently serves on the Boards of the National Democratic Institute and the Baltimore Community Foundation.
Panelist: Jeffrey Koplan, MD, MPH
Dr. Jeffrey P. Koplan is a Professor of Medicine and Global Health at Emory University and previously was Vice President for Global Health at Emory from 2006 to 2021. He established and served as the Director of the Emory Global Health Institute from 2006 to 2013. A former Director (1998-2002) and 26-year veteran of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Koplan began his public health career in the early 1970s as a member of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service.
He has played a key role in a variety of domestic and global public health issues, from infectious diseases such as smallpox, SARS, and HIV/AIDS, environmental issues such as the Bhopal chemical disaster, to the health tolls of tobacco, obesity, and chronic diseases. He was the founding Director of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. His work has included extensive international assignments in Bangladesh, India, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as US-China bilateral projects, World Bank missions, and World Health Organization consultations. From 1993 to 1998, he was President of the Prudential Center for Health Care Research.
Dr. Koplan is a Master of the American College of Physicians, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), where he chaired the Committee for Prevention of Childhood Obesity from 2003 to 2009. He was a trustee of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Yale University. He is currently a Kaiser Permanente – Georgia Board member and serves on the Board of The China Medical Board. He chaired the Visiting Committee for the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He is a co-founder and former President of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI). Dr. Koplan is also a senior investigator of the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Network (CHAMPS), a major program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Koplan is author of more than 240 scientific papers.
Panelist: Rosemarie Henson, MSSW, MPH
Rosemarie (Rosie) Henson joined CHAMPS as Chief of Staff in January 2019. She manages the CHAMPS Program office in Atlanta and oversees all workstream functions leading program performance, donor management, internal communications, and leveraging ancillary projects.
Henson previously served as the Senior Vice President for Prevention and Early Detection at American Cancer Society where she shaped the organization’s vision, strategies, and programs for HPV vaccination, tobacco control, cancer screening, obesity prevention, and health equity. Henson has worked on a number of programs to enable people and communities to make healthier choices, starting her career with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and later joining the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1990. Over the course of 19 years at CDC, she served in many leadership roles, including the Director of National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection, Director for the Office on Smoking and Health, and Deputy Director for the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Following her CDC tenure, Henson moved to Washington, D.C., to serve as Senior Advisor to the 15th Assistant Secretary of Health at the US Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration.
Throughout her public health career Henson has worked to implement chronic disease prevention programs, introduce public policy approaches to address tobacco cessation, childhood obesity, and viral hepatitis, and has forged partnerships to address racial and socioeconomic disparities. Henson has been honored with a number of awards for her leadership in public health, including the Surgeon General’s Medallion, the Secretary’s Award for Meritorious Service, and the Jeffrey P. Koplan Award.
Henson holds a Master of Public Health and a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in New York City, and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Northeastern University in Boston.
Day Two Plenary Session: Where We Are Now and Where We Are Headed
Moderator: Lisa C. Richardson, MD, MPH
Lisa C. Richardson, MD, MPH, is Director of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC), the largest unit within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. As director of DCPC, she works with partners at the national, state, and local levels to break down barriers to good health and create opportunities for everyone to live a long and healthy life. Under her leadership, DCPC’s four foundational programs have helped communities better understand, prevent, and control cancer across all populations. Dr. Richardson also provides guidance for the Division’s research agenda that includes the National Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network. A medical oncologist by training, she has authored or coauthored more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles examining multi-sectoral approaches to improving cancer care access, delivery, and outcomes.
Panelist: Gale D. Johnson, MPA
Gale D. Johnson has been the Director of the Wisconsin Well Woman Program (WWWP) in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) for more than 25 years. The statewide WWWP is Wisconsin’s component of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Johnson is a past member of the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection and Control Advisory Committee. In the DHS’s Division of Public Health, Johnson is the Chair of the Health Equity Advisory Team. She was appointed to the Governor’s Health Equity Council in 2020.
Johnson has been a member of the African American Health Network (AAHN) of Dane County since its inception in 2003. In the face of noted disparities in African American health, education, and access, Johnson has worked with AAHN members to coordinate health education activities and programs focusing on the HPV vaccine, heart disease, breast cancer, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease and AIDS.
Johnson is a “life-long learner” and has had the opportunity to work with and learn from many outstanding clinicians, researchers, advocates, faith-based organizations, and community leaders who are dedicated to the health and well-being of women and their families.
Panelist: Lydia Isaac, PhD, MSc
Lydia Isaac is the Vice President for Health Equity and Policy at the National Urban League. Dr. Isaac has a faculty appointment at Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Health Policy and Management. She most recently served as the Executive Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Health Policy Research Scholars Program (HPRS) program where she was responsible for the day-to-day operations and curriculum development for the program. Before joining HPRS she was the Director of Policy and Health Systems Analysis in the Office of Policy, Planning and Strategic Data in the First Deputy Commissioner’s office at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Dr. Isaac has worked in local and state government throughout her career, and in academia where she has taught classes on community health assessment and the social disparities in health. She has a bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University, a Master of Science degree in Health and Social Behavior from the Harvard School of Public Health, and a Doctorate in Health Policy and Management from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Dr. Isaac’s research interests include advancing health equity through translating research into policy and practice, investigating the mechanisms that lead to racial and ethnic health disparities, the social determinants of health, and the neighborhood environment and its role in health promotion.
Panelist: Ruth Thomas-Squance, PhD, MPH
Ruth Thomas-Squance, PhD, MPH, is Director of Field Building at the Build Healthy Places Network, where she directs the organization’s national Field Building Strategy, positioning cross-sector partnerships from community development, public health, and healthcare sectors to lead and leverage community-centered investments across the country to address social determinants of health and advance racial equity.
Dr. Thomas-Squance’s passion for contributing to the promotion of health and social equity has taken her from a successful career in biomedical research to management in the non-profit and public sectors. She brings 15 years of experience working in multi-sector collaborations with diverse partners. She served as executive director of a Bay Area non-profit, providing training in emotional intelligence skills development to low-income and minority populations. Before joining the Network she worked at the San Francisco Department of Public Health in Whole Person Care, a Medi-Cal waiver program strategizing cross-sector approaches to improve outcomes for adults experiencing homelessness and high users of urgent emergent healthcare services. She currently serves on the US Green Building Council Board of Directors.
Dr. Thomas-Squance earned her doctorate from Imperial College of Science, London, United Kingdom, and her MPH from UC Berkeley. She lives in San Francisco with her family.
Panelist: Donna Hubbard McCree, PhD, MPH, RPh
Dr. Donna Hubbard McCree is currently the Associate Director for Health Equity, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSPT), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. Prior to accepting the position in 2021, she was the inaugural Associate Director for Health Equity, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP), NCHHSTP, CDC (since 2010).
Dr. McCree has nearly 40 years of experience in Public Health and Pharmacy. She completed the Doctor of Philosophy, Delta Omega (1997) and Master of Public Health (1987) degrees at The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md., in Health Policy and Management with a specialty in Social and Behavioral Sciences. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Preventive Medicine with a specialty in sexually transmitted disease prevention at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude (1982), in Pharmacy from Howard University and is a registered pharmacist in the states of Maryland (active) and Connecticut (inactive), and the District of Columbia (active). She has held numerous positions in the fields of Public Health and Pharmacy including academia, bioavailability research, professional association management, and retail and hospital pharmacy practice. Her work has resulted in more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and 200 presentations at international and national scientific meetings.
Dr. McCree served as CDC Co-Chair for the Health Equity Goal, HIV National Strategic Plan 2021-2025. She is Guest Editor for an AIDS and Behavior Supplement on HIV-related stigma, was lead Co-Editor of a book focused on HIV in African American communities, African Americans and HIV: Understanding and Addressing The Epidemic (2010, Springer), and Guest Co-Editor for a themed issue of the American Journal of Public Health (2009). Dr. McCree was featured in the Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health magazine Masters of Public Health: The MPH Centennial. Additionally, she is the recipient of numerous awards including election as the inaugural Non-Academic Co-Chair of the American Public Health Association Pharmacy Section; a 2018 Outstanding Service and Leadership Award, American Public Health Association, Pharmacy Section; 2017 HUCOP Alumni Legacy by Decades Award from the Howard University Pharmacy Alumni Association; 2016 NCHHSTP Deputy Director’s Mentoring Award; a 2015 NCHHSTP Award for Excellence in Program or Policy Evaluation; and a 2009 DHAP Minority Health Mentor/Champion of Excellence Award for outstanding commitment and achievement as a mentor. In 2012, Dr. McCree was honored with a prestigious Distinguished Alumna Award from The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. This award is presented to alumni who typify the Johns Hopkins tradition of excellence and have brought credit to the university by their personal accomplishments, professional achievement, or humanitarian service.
Dr. McCree is a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (Alpha Chapter 1979; charter member of Phi Phi Omega Chapter) and a member of The Links Incorporated, Azalea City (GA) Chapter. She currently serves as the National HIV Initiative Chair for The Links, Incorporated. She has been married to CDR. Victor M. McCree, CDR, USNR-R, for 39 years. They are the proud parents of two adult sons, Jarryd (Antoinette) and Micah (Tiffany).
Day Two Closing Panel: Cancer Survivors and Influencers
Moderator: Kellie Goss, EdD
Kellie Goss is an Army veteran turned breast cancer advocate currently residing in Atlanta. She also is a BRCA1 previvor and the daughter of a two-time breast cancer survivor. In 2018, after discovering that she carried the BRCA gene mutation, Goss opted to have a prophylactic mastectomy and hysterectomy to mitigate the risk. Goss earned her doctoral degree from Grand Canyon University in Organizational Leadership. She shares her BRCA1 journey in the hopes that women of color will see themselves represented when making informed decisions about breast and ovarian health, early detection, and genetic counseling.
Panelist: Tamika Felder
Cancer survivor and award-winning women’s health advocate Tamika Felder is the Chief Visionary at Cervivor, a nonprofit dedicated to cervical cancer advocacy and support. Named a “Cancer Rebel” by Newsweek in a 2017 cover story, Felder is a highly sought-after speaker on cervical cancer advocacy, cancer prevention, HPV education, and living life with purpose after cancer. She is the author of “Seriously, What Are You Waiting For? 13 Actions To Ignite Your Life & Achieve The Ultimate Comeback.” Felder currently serves on the steering committee of the National HPV Vaccination Roundtable. She’s shared her story and experiences on Presidential Cancer Panels convened by the White House. An award-winning television producer, Felder is currently filming a documentary about cervical cancer, the women living with it, and the vaccine to prevent it. Her story of patient-to-advocate / survivor-to-Cervivor inspires and mentors not only patients and medical communities, but anyone who has struggled with obstacles in their life.
Panelist: Ericka Hart
Ericka Hart (pronouns: she/they) is a black queer femme activist, writer, highly acclaimed speaker and award-winning sexuality educator with a Master of Education in Human Sexuality from Widener University. Hart’s work broke ground when she went topless showing her double mastectomy scars in public in 2016. Since then, she has been in demand at colleges and universities across the country, featured in countless digital and print publications like Vogue, Washington Post, Allure, Harper’s Bazaar, VICE, PAPER Mag, BBC News, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, W Magazine, Glamour, Elle, and Essence. Hart’s voice is rooted in leading-edge thought around human sexual expression as inextricable to overall human health and its intersections with race, gender, chronic illness, and disability. Both radical and relatable, she continues to push well beyond the threshold of sex positivity. Hart has taught sexuality education for elementary-aged youth to adults across New York City for more than 10 years, including for four years at Columbia University’s School of Social Work and the CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College. They are currently an adjunct faculty member at Widener University’s Center for Human Sexuality.
Panelist: Cheyenne Kippenberger
Cheyenne Kippenberger, a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, grew up on the Hollywood reservation in Southern Florida. She is a former Miss Florida Seminole (2018-2019) and uniquely the first Seminole woman to hold the prestigious title of Miss Indian World representing Native American and Indigenous Peoples and the Gathering of Nations Powwow from 2019-2021, which included a year of serving during the global COVID-19 pandemic. As Miss Indian World, Kippenberger traveled throughout the country, and to Aotearoa/New Zealand, making more than 200-plus live and virtual appearances sharing uplifting messages, representing Native and Indigenous Peoples in both contemporary and traditional narratives, and gaining invaluable indigenous cultural insight as well as media training and opportunities. Through these ambassador roles, her passion about sustaining Indigenous culture and advocating on behalf of Indigenous issues as well as her community’s wellness continued to increase, as did her realization on the importance of stressing the message of encouraging personal well-being within her presentations.
Kippenberger’s personal journey includes an intense struggle with her own self-identity, mental health issues, and the continuous battle against the public prejudice of those conditions. As a troubled teen she struggled and became introverted. Through it all, she realized the need to reach out for help and drew upon her ancestral strength for courage. As a young adult she now openly speaks about her experience with radical acceptance, depression, struggling in school, seeking help, and proudly embracing both the unsuccessful and successful challenges of her life. As a young Indigenous leader, she continues to aspire to break down the stigmas of mental health conversations, empower and encourage her people, and share her experiences as a multicultural Indigenous woman.
Additional initiatives include Founder and Co-Chairwoman of the “Healing The Circle In Our Tribal Communities,” a trauma-focused healing symposium, in which Kippenberger has sought to create a safe space to discuss the traumas commonalities present in our Tribal communities. In 2019 Kippenberger was also appointed, along with other distinguished Native youth leaders, to serve as a Peer Guide for UNITY’s (United National Indian Tribal Youth) Healing Indigenous Lives Initiative program, which supports and enhances Native youth engagement with a focus on juvenile justice and delinquency prevention in Indian Country. She maintains an online presence with her own website, social media platforms, and supports young Native women endeavoring on the cultural and sisterhood aspects of Tribal Pageantry. Currently, Kippenberger maintains a live and virtual motivational speaking schedule and is employed with The Center for Native American Youth (CNAY) at the Aspen Institute, which is a national education and Native youth advocacy organization that works to improve their health, safety, and overall well-being.
Overall, Kippenberger strives for authenticity and to live a healthy life physically, mentally, and spiritually through her culture and teachings. Of utmost importance to her is the continued journey of advocacy work in wellness, healing, and empowerment for Indian Country and to pursue her higher education in communications and public health.
Copyright © 2021, National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.