Mary Jane Berry, NP
Nurse Practitioner
Institution: Texas Breast Specialists
Mary Jane is a Nurse Practitioner with Texas Breast Specialists in Austin, Texas. She provides care for patients with breast cancer in addition to those at high-risk for breast cancer and with benign breast disease. She is a member of the US Oncology GREAT (genetic risk evaluation and testing) program and performs genetic counseling and testing, and specializes in breast cancer risk assessment and high risk breast screening. She is a graduate of the City of Hope Intensive Course in Cancer Risk Assessment 2022 and Cancer Genetic Risk Assessment (CGRA) certified through the National Consortium of Breast Centers. She has obtained APP Breast Certification from the American Society of Breast Surgeons in 2024 in the inaugural cohort for this certification program which recognizes advanced practice providers contributions to high standards of practice and improvements in patient care in the breast specialty setting.
Kelly Bolton, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology
Institution: Washington University
Kelly Bolton is a physician-scientist at Washington University in St. Louis. She is currently an assistant professor in the Section of Stem Cell Biology Division, Division of Oncology. Her research group focuses on utilizing genomic markers of cancer risk to develop prevention and early intervention strategies. Originally from Los Angeles, she completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University. She completed medical school at the UCLA School of Medicine and a PhD in Genetic Epidemiology through Cambridge University. She went on to complete her residency in internal medicine and Cornell University and a fellowship in medical oncology at MSKCC. Her work has been published in high impact journals including Nature Genetics, JAMA, and JCO. She receives grant support from the National Cancer Institute, the EvansMDS foundation and the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.
Jane Churpek, MD
Assistant Professor, Section of Hematology/Oncology and Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics
Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison
JANE CHURPEK, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care within the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. She is a board-certified hematologist and oncologist who focuses on the care of adults with low blood counts due to acquired and inherited causes, including clonal hematopoiesis, myelodysplastic syndrome, and inherited bone marrow failure syndromes. She also specializes in the diagnosis and management of patients and their families with hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes. Dr. Churpek’s research focuses on identifying inherited genetic factors that cause increased risk of cancer and bone marrow disorders, especially among understudied tumors and blood disorders. Her goal is to understand who is at increased risk and how specific exposures increase or decrease risk. She aims to utilize this information to optimize early detection, treatment, and, ultimately, prevention of cancer and bone marrow disorders. Dr. Churpek has contributed to the understanding of several novel hereditary blood cancer predisposition syndromes and the role of inherited predisposition in exposure-associated cancers such as therapy-related leukemia and mesothelioma. She is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, and the American Society of Human Genetics, and she is the recipient of an American Society for Clinical Investigation Young Physician-Scientist Award.
Julie Culver, MS, LCGC
Director of Genetic Counseling, USC Norris Cancer Hospital Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Institution: USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Julie Culver, MS, CGC, CCRP is Director of Cancer Genetic Counseling and Assistant Professor at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. She received her Master’s degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1994. Ms. Culver then worked on research pertaining to breast cancer risk assessment and the public health impact of BRCA testing at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research in Seattle for almost a decade. In 2004, she joined the City of Hope Division of Clinical Cancer Genetics where she worked for 8 years and served as the Assistant Director of the Cancer Screening & Prevention Program Network. She continued her research pertaining to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and decision-making for woman carrying deleterious BRCA mutations and variants of uncertain significance. In 2012, she moved to the USC Norris Cancer Comprehensive Cancer Center where she currently serves on the faculty of Medical Oncology and is the lead genetic counselor. Her research pertains to high risk screening for breast cancer, cancer risk perception, and medical decision-making following genetic testing. She has served on the faculty for the City of Hope Intensive Course and taught cancer risk assessment to health professionals and students since 2004.
Tobias Else, MD
Professor, Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes
Institution: University of Michigan
Dr. Else’s primary appointment is with the Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Diabetes, but he currently serves as the Interim Chief of the Division of Genetics in Medicine in the Dept. of Internal Medicine. He received his MD degree from the University of Hamburg, Germany. He pursued his clinical training at the University of Hamburg (Residency: Internal Medicine) and the University of Michigan (Residency: Internal Medicine, Fellowship: Endocrinology). His main research interests are the genetics of endocrine tumors. Dr. Else’s clinical practice focuses on the care for patients with benign and malignant endocrine tumors, particularly pheochromocytoma, adrenocortical tumors and neuroendocrine tumors as well as accompanying hormone excess syndromes (e.g Cushing syndrome, primary aldosteronism). Dr. Else has a particular interest in taking care of patients with hereditary syndromes that predispose to the development of endocrine tumors (e.g. Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN) type 1, MEN2A & MEN2B, Hereditary Paraganglioma Syndrome). He attends the Multidisciplinary Endocrine Oncology Clinic, where patients with tumors receive diagnostic procedures and treatment. In addition, he is part of the Cancer Genetics Clinic, which evaluates patients for hereditary syndromes and facilitates regular exams and surveillance for patients at risk for endocrine tumors.
Carol Fabian, MD
Director, Breast Cancer Prevention & Survivorship Centers
Institution: KU Breast Cancer Prevention Center
Dr. Carol Fabian is a breast medical oncologist, University Distinguished Professor, and holds the Morris Endowed Chair in Cancer Prevention at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She received her medical degree from the University of Kansas in 1972, and fellowship in Medical Oncology at the University of Kansas in 1977. She is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. She has been on the faculty in the Division of Medical Oncology since 1977 and has served in multiple capacities including Medical Director of the Cancer Center, Founder and Director of the Breast Cancer Prevention and Survivorship Research Center, Leader or co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention Program, and Associate Director of Clinical Research in the NCI Designated Cancer Center.
Judy Garber, MD, MPH
Director, Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention
Institution: Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Dr. Garber is the Director of the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Disease Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Garber conducts research in clinical cancer genetics, with a special focus in the genetics of breast cancer. She has played a major role in the development of national guidelines in cancer genetics. She is also a leader in research into the characteristics and treatment of triple negative or basal-like breast cancer, the most common form in women with BRCA1 mutations. Her translational research focuses on the evaluation of novel agents targeting DNA repair defects in breast cancer, including PARP inhibitors for treatment and prevention of breast cancer and other BRCA-associated cancers.
In 2011-2012, Dr. Garber was the President of American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the largest organization of cancer researchers in the world. She is a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board and was recently elected to the Institute of Medicine.
Veda Giri, MD
Division Chief, Clinical Cancer Genetics; Director, Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program; Director, Early-Onset Cancer Program
Institution: Yale School of Medicine
Veda N. Giri, MD is a medical oncologist with specialization in clinical cancer genetics. She serves as Division Chief of Clinical Cancer Genetics for Yale School of Medicine, Director of the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program, and Director of the Early-Onset Cancer Program at Yale Cancer Center. As leader of Cancer Genetics and Prevention, Dr. Giri leads a comprehensive effort in genetic evaluation for precision medicine, tailored cancer screening, and hereditary cancer assessment across patient populations. She is the Principal Investigator of multiple grant-funded cancer genetic evaluation studies spanning genetic counseling, genetic testing, disparities, behavioral science, and implementation research. As Director of the Early-Onset Cancer Program, Dr. Giri is leading a cutting-edge translational effort to address clinical, research, and psychosocial needs of patients with early-onset cancers. Integral to this effort is to address the needs of underserved and minority patients with early-onset cancers.
Dr. Giri received her medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College (previously Jefferson Medical College) and proceeded to complete her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Hematology-Oncology at the University of Michigan. She then completed advanced training in molecular cancer genetics and cancer risk assessment at Fox Chase Cancer Center. She also has a certification in cancer risk assessment from City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Giri currently serves on several national committees including the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, NIH PDQ® Cancer Genetics Editorial Board, and American Society of Clinical Oncology, contributing expertise in cancer risk assessment and genetics at the national level.
Teresa Heckel, MBA
Project Director, Clinical Programs
Institution: Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Teresa Heckel, MBA, is an accomplished healthcare executive with over 30 years of progressively responsible experience in the oncology field. For the past 14 years she has worked with large national health systems to assist them in cancer program strategy and development. In her most previous role as Director of the National Oncology Service Line for Catholic Health Initiatives, she provided leadership in the strategic development and implementation of cancer initiatives across their 50 cancer treatment facilities. As an oncology consultant, her work with national health systems has been largely focused around developing clinical programs and creating tumor specific cancer centers of excellence. She is currently leading the effort to develop High Risk Women’s Programs across the Sarah Cannon/HCA enterprise. She is a Past President of the the Association of Cancer Executives, and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of the National Consortium of Breast Centers and is a board trustee for the American College of Surgeon’s National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.
Karen Hurley, PhD.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Institution: Cleveland Clinic
Karen E. Hurley, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic specializing in hereditary cancer risk and a Clinical Member of the Cancer Prevention, Control and Population Research Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. She received her A.B. in psychology from Bryn Mawr College in 1983, and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Temple University in 1998. Before joining the Cleveland Clinic staff, she spent eight years on faculty at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center conducting NCI-funded research on patient decision-making about cancer genetic risk management and other psychosocial issues relevant to high risk patients. She has provided psychotherapy and consultation to nearly 500 individuals, families and couples with a variety of inherited cancer susceptibility syndromes, including breast/ovarian (BRCA1/2), Lynch syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), Li-Fraumeni syndrome, and diffuse gastric cancer syndrome (CDH1). Dr. Hurley has conducted numerous professional education seminars and patient workshops for organizations such as American Psycho-Oncology Society, the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered). She is a past or current member of several national advisory boards for high risk individuals, including FORCE, Bright Pink, Sharsheret, The Cancer Support Community’s Breast & Gastric Cancer Registries, the City of Hope National Medical Center’s Cancer Genetics Career Development Program, and the National Cancer Institute’s PDQ Cancer Genetics Editorial Advisory Board. In 2014 she received the Spirit of Empowerment-Individual Commitment award at the 8th Annual FORCE conference, in recognition of her work on behalf of the hereditary cancer community.
Junne Kamihara, MD, PhD
Attending Physician Instructor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Institution: Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
Instructor of Pediatrics
Institution: Harvard Medical School
Dr. Kamihara received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and her PhD in genetics from MIT. She completed her pediatric residency training at Boston Children’s Hospital/Boston Medical Center and her fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital. She is currently an attending physician in the Jimmy Fund Clinic. Her research and clinical interests focus on pediatric cancer predisposition syndromes.
Dr. Kamihara serves as an expert for the Department of Hematology-Oncology for Boston Children's Hospital Precision Medicine Service. For more information about the Precision Medicine Service please visit bostonchildrens.org/precisionmed.
Sonia S. Kupfer, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Institution: University of Chicago Medical Center
Sonia S. Kupfer is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Gastroenterology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. She is the Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic and co-Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Risk and Prevention clinic at the University of Chicago. She is funded by a K08 career development award from the NIH/NCI to study colorectal cancer genetic susceptibility variants in African Americans. Dr. Kupfer is also currently investigating genetics related to chemopreventive agents for colorectal cancer, notably vitamin D. In addition to her translational research, Dr. Kupfer is actively engaged in clinical studies in high-risk colorectal cancer primarily Lynch syndrome. Her clinical work focuses on hereditary GI cancer evaluation, testing and management. She also has served as co-Director of two CME conferences on genomics. Dr. Kupfer received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and then completed medical school, residency, chief residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at the University of Chicago. She is originally from a northern suburb of Chicago and currently resides in the Hyde Park area with her husband, an art dealer, and her two children.
Allison W. Kurian, MD, MSc
Professor of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Population Health
Institution: Stanford University School of Medicine
ALLISON W. KURIAN, M.D., M.Sc., is a Professor of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University. She is Associate Chief of the Division of Oncology, Director of the Stanford Women’s Clinical Cancer Genetics Program, and Co-Leader of the Stanford Cancer Institute Population Sciences Program. Dr. Kurian’s research is designed to understand cancer burden and improve cancer treatment quality at the population level, with a focus on identifying women with elevated breast and gynecologic cancer risk, and on the development and evaluation of novel techniques for early cancer detection and risk reduction. She leads epidemiologic studies of cancer risk factors, clinical trials of novel approaches to cancer risk reduction, and decision analyses of strategies to improve cancer outcomes. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, California Breast Cancer Research Program, Komen for the Cure Foundation, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and others. Dr. Kurian’s work has been honored by Impact Awards of the National Consortium of Breast Centers and the BRCA Foundation, selection as a Komen Scholar and election to the American Society of Clinical Investigation. Dr. Kurian also contributes her extensive expertise to the City of Hope Clinical Cancer Genomics Community of Practice as a distinguished faculty member.
Katharine F. Lord, PA-C
Physician Assistant
Institution: Texas Oncology
Katharine Lord, PA-C, MMSc is a certified physician assistant practicing at Texas Oncology since late 2012. I previously practiced at department of Leukemia and Lymphoma at Emory Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, Georgia. I am NCCPA board certified. I received my Bachelor of Arts in French from Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont. I then went on to receive my Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant form Emory University School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program in Atlanta, Georgia. I served as Texas Oncology’s Central Region Governance Committee lead from 2015-2020 where I coordinated regional APP educational initiatives, organized, and led quarterly APP meetings, supported APPs in troubleshooting practice issues, helped to coordinate APP onboarding, regional leader in implementation and growing of APP initiatives. I resumed this role in 2022, once again serving as the lead APP in the organization’s central region. I completed the City of Hope Intensive Course in Genomic Cancer Risk Assessment, November 1, 2019-March 14, 2020. More recently I was the lead author on a paper accepted to JAAPA (publication pending) entitled Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment for PA Practice: Meeting Unmet Needs Through Novel Approaches to Care. Since 2019 I have served as the APP representative to Austin’s Physician Executive Committee where I attend monthly meetings, relay relevant APP issues, promote and implement APP initiatives. During my tenure at Texas Oncology, I was the lead APP on the Bone Marrow Biopsy Task Force where I helped to create a comprehensive toolkit for training and credentialing APPs for preforming these procedures within the Texas Oncology network. I was the lead author on a paper accepted (publication pending) to JADPRO entitled Development of a Standardized Bone Marrow Procedure Training and Competency Toolkit for Advanced Practice Providers in a Large Community Oncology Practice.
Lisa Madlensky, PhD, CGC
Director, Family Cancer Genetics Program
Institution: Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health
Lisa Madlensky, PhD, is a board-certified genetic counselor who provides cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling for patients and their families. She helps people investigate their family health history, navigate the genetic testing process, and understand and adapt to the medical or psychological implications of genetic diseases. As director of the Family Cancer Genetics Program at Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, Dr. Madlensky helps ensure that patients and families with an increased risk of cancer receive outstanding care, with a focus on cancer prevention and early detection. In addition to her clinical activities, Dr. Madlensky is a researcher at Moores Cancer Center. Her work centers on cancer prevention in those at increased risk of disease because of their family history or genetic predisposition. Her research themes include clinical genetic testing and follow-up for families with Lynch Syndrome and BRCA1/2 mutations; the public health implications of cancer genetic testing; quality of life in those at increased risk of cancer; the integration of cancer risk assessment into family practice; and family-level cancer prevention. Dr. Madlensky earned her doctoral degree from the University of Toronto Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. She obtained a Master of Science in genetic counseling from McGill University in Montreal Canada.
Rachelle Manookian, MS, CGC
Genetic Counselor
Institution: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
RACHELLE MANOOKIAN, MS, CGC is a licensed and board-certified cancer genetic counselor specializing in pediatric oncology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). She was previously with the Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics at City of Hope, and before that, a general genetic counselor at the West VA Medical Center. She brings her growing expertise in medical education to her role as an adjunct faculty member for the Keck Graduate Institute Genetic Counseling and Genomic Data Analytics master’s programs. She serves as a faculty mentor, graduate capstone supervisor, and rotation supervisor for current genetic counseling students. She is actively engaged in the Fanconi anemia community and has been a volunteer at Fanconi Anemia Family Week since 2016, and she is a two-time nominee of the Heart of Genetic Counseling Award from the National Society of Genetic Counselors.
Brian Shuch, MD
Director of the Kidney Cancer Program and the Alvin & Carrie Meinhardt Endowed Chair in Kidney Cancer Research.
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Brian Shuch is a urologic oncologist focused on kidney cancer. He trained at UCLA in urology followed by an oncology fellowship at the NCI. At Yale he established the GU Cancer Genetics Clinic, before moving to UCLA as Director of the Kidney Cancer Program. He also directs the UCLA VHL Program which is one of the largest in the west coast. His laboratory research focuses on understanding HLRCC/SDH Cancer syndromes including how Krebs Cycle mutations influence the homologous recombination pathway. He has helped define “early onset RCC” and led two genetic risk assessment consensus conferences on RCC to better select who should have genetic testing. He is active in clinical trial leadership and is co-chair of the NCI Renal Task Force, co-chair of the SWOG Renal Committee, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Society of Urologic Oncology Clinical Trials Committee.
Colin Pritchard, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Institution: University of Washington
COLIN PRITCHARD, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Washington and Program Director for Cancer Precision Diagnostics for the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine. He also serves as the Co-Director of the Genetics and Solid Tumors Laboratory that services the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. The Pritchard laboratory focuses on oncology molecular diagnostics, particularly the source and utility of cell-free nucleic acid biomarkers in blood, and the development of innovative molecular diagnostics for the identification of DNA repair gene mutations that can guide therapeutic decision-making. His clinical work focuses on applications of next-generation sequencing gene panels for cancer risk assessment and precision treatment. He has led the development and implementation of the ColoSeq™ Lynch and Polyposis Syndrome Panel and the UW-OncoPlex™ Cancer Gene Panel in current clinical use for cancer patients and their families. He is a longstanding distinguished faculty member of the City of Hope Clinical Cancer Genomics Community of Practice. In 2021 Dr. Pritchard was awarded the C2 Catalyst for Precision Medicine Award from Scientific American.
Padma Sheila Rajagopal, MPH, MD
Physician-Scientist Early Investigator
Institution: Cancer Data Science Laboratory and Women's Malignancies Branch at the National Cancer Institute
PADMA SHEILA RAJAGOPAL, MD, MPH, MSc, is a Physician-Scientist Early Investigator at the Cancer Data Science Laboratory and Women’s Malignancies Branch at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Rajagopal’s laboratory focuses on how characterizing genomic and transcriptomic interactions between germline variants/inherited cancer syndromes and somatic development in tumors can improve clinical prediction and prognostication in patients with cancer. Her current research focuses on using transcriptomics to characterize breast cancers and treatment responses in patients with hereditary cancer syndromes. She received her M.D. at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, during which she also received an M.P.H. in quantitative methods with a focus on genetic epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed her internal medicine residency training at the University of Pittsburgh and a fellowship in hematology/oncology with an additional fellowship year focused on cancer genetics at the University of Chicago, where she received an M.Sc. in biomedical informatics. Dr. Rajagopal is a recipient of the Ruth L. Kirschstein F32 Postdoctoral Fellowship and the American Society of Clinical Oncology / Breast Cancer Research Foundation Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award.
Charite Ricker, MS, CGC
Cancer Genetic Counselor And Genetic Services Coordinator
Institution: University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine
Charité Ricker, MS, LCGC - is a board certified genetic counselor with specialization in hereditary cancer risk assessment with the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. She has a Bachelors of Science in genetics from Texas A&M University and received her Masters of Science in genetic counseling at California State University, Northridge. Ms. Ricker is fluent in Spanish and is interested in the provision of cancer genetics services in medically underserved and culturally diverse populations. She is actively involved in cancer genetics education to physicians, physician fellows, nurses, other healthcare professionals and patients. Ms. Ricker is a voting member of the Institutional Review Board for the USC Health Science Campus, LAC+USC Medical Center and Health Research Association. Ms. Ricker is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Colorectal Cancer (CGA), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM). She currently serves as the co-chair of the NSGC Cultural Competency Sub-committee and is a member of the ASCO Genetics Sub-committee.
Michelle Weaver Knowles, FNP, CBCN, ONNCG, ACGN, CGRA
Family Nurse Practitioner, Owner
Institution: Ava Health
Michelle Weaver Knowles is a Family Nurse Practitioner and owner of Ava Health in Missoula, Montana. In addition to her Master’s in Nursing from Gonzaga University, she is a Certified Breast Health Navigator through Educare and the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators as well as a Certified Breast Care Nurse from the Oncology Nursing Society. She is certified as a genetics professional by City of Hope and has her certification in Cancer Genetic Risk Assessment from National Consortium of Breast Centers. She was the 2012 recipient of the Academy of Oncology Nurse Navigators/Health Monitor Nurse Navigator of the Year.
Michelle first became interested in how genetics connects to health and wellbeing with her own diagnosis of BRCA 1 positive, triple negative breast cancer at age thirty-eight. Her diagnosis occurred four years after her sister died of breast cancer. Finding out her family had a BRCA mutation instilled in her a path to understanding disease and genetics. Because of her experience as a patient and family member, she is determined and motivated to educate patients and their families in understanding their diagnosis and resources. Her work as a Breast Health Navigator is a rewarding passion and has included being recognized by colleagues, coworkers and patients as a compassionate resource with expertise in breast health as well as hereditary cancer risk assessment. She also educates providers about national guidelines for standards of care and advocates on behalf of patients. She inspires her patients to be better advocates for their own health care needs and decisions by teaching them a clear understanding of the terminology and tools used by health care providers.