BOARD OF DIRECTORS (As of March, 2008)
Appointed by the Founding Members
Sarah Shafir, MPH
American Cancer Society, New England Division
Lisa McCooey, MPH
Connecticut Department of Public Health
Andrew Salner, MD
Connecticut State Medical Society
David Gregorio, PhD
University of Connecticut Health Center
Linda Mowad, RN
Yale Cancer Center
Elected Directors (2-year term)
Vincent F. Barbetta
Carol E. Bower
Brenda Cartmel, PhD
Jerold R. Mande
Marion Morra, ScD
Robert Piorkowski, MD
Mark Samos, MA
Elected Directors (1-year term)
Frank Detterbeck, MD
Thad King
Rafael Perez-Escamilla, PhD
Wayne S. Rawlins, MD, MBA
Andrea L. Silber, MD
Maureen Smith, RN, MS
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES
Vincent Barbetta has been engaged in various sales and executive
capacities with Axa/Equitable for all of his working years. A graduate of Bethany College and
a veteran of The United States Marine Corps, he has been an American Cancer Society (ACS)
volunteer for 17 years. Vince has served on the Boards of Directors of the Connecticut and
New England Divisions of the American Cancer Society and is currently the Chair of the ACS New
England Board. A resident of Fairfield, he brings an important business perspective to the
Connecticut Cancer Partnership.
Carol E. Bower is Lead Planning Analyst in the State Health Planning Section, Connecticut Department of Public Health. Previously, she was Senior Research Analyst at the Connecticut Commission on Hospitals and Healthcare, Technical Director of New England Bioassay, Director of the Institute for Marine and Aquarium Studies at Eastern Connecticut State University, and Research Associate in tropical public health at Harvard School of Public Health. A medical writer/editor, she is the author of two books and numerous journal articles and reports on the health of special population groups. She is site editor for ctcancerpartnership.org and serves on three Partnership committees.
Brenda Cartmel is a cancer epidemiologist at the Yale University School of Epidemiology and Public Health, where she has worked for over 10 years. Her primary research interests are in the area of nutrition and cancer prevention. Dr. Cartmel recently completed a dietary intervention trial aimed at developing and testing a behavioral intervention to increase fruit and vegetable intake in patients treated curatively for early stage cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx who are at high risk for developing a second cancer. She is participating in a nationwide quality of life study in cancer survivors in which she is studying nutritional supplement intake in patients following diagnosis of cancer. She is also collaborating on an etiologic study of uterine cancer; a study of fat intake and biomarkers of risk for breast cancer; a validation study of a novel method for measuring carotenoids in vivo; and an intervention study to reduce exposure to isocyanates in auto body shops. She co-chairs the Partnership's Data, Surveillance, and Evaluation Committee.
Frank Detterbeck is a Professor of Surgery at the Yale School of Medicine, and the Associate Director for Clinical Affairs at the Yale Cancer Center. He is also Chief of the Section of Thoracic Surgery at the medical school and Surgical Director of the Yale-New Haven Thoracic Oncology Program. Before coming to Yale, Frank practiced at the University of North Carolina since 1992; he was named Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2004. His major clinical interest is in thoracic oncology, and he has focused his research on evidence-based medicine, improvements in outcomes for patients with lung cancer, and multidisciplinary care programs. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Northwestern University in 1983. Frank completed his Residency in General Surgery at the Virginia Mason Clinic in Seattle before joining the University of North Carolina in 1988 to complete a Residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery and a Fellowship in Thoracic Transplantation. He is chair of the Thoracic Oncology Network and serves on the steering committee for the Guidelines in Lung Cancer of the American College of Chest Physicians.
David Gregorio is Associate Chair of the Department of Community Medicine and Director of the University of Connecticut's Graduate Program in Public Health. His research addresses gender, racial, and economic disparities in cancer, care seeking behaviors, and patient-physician factors that influence medical care delivery. Most recently, David's research focuses on variation in the geographic distribution of cancer and the development of census-based measures of community-wide deprivation of material and social resources. He co-chairs the Partnership’s Data, Surveillance and Evaluation Committee.
Thad King is the Local Director of Health for the Chatham Health District that serves five towns in Connecticut with 46,000 residents, and was a catalyst in its formation. Thad has worked for 18 years building services at the municipal level to address environmental and chronic disease issues. He has worked with numerous community partners and the State Department of Public Health to implement prevention programs such as radon testing and mitigation, obesity and nutrition awareness, and smoking cessation. He has been a Board member of the Connecticut Association of Directors of Health for the past six years, and co-chair of its strategic planning committee, and is also a member of the Connecticut Environmental Health Association.
Jerold R. Mande is Associate Director for Policy at the Yale Cancer Center, a lecturer in public health, and is on the core faculty of the Yale RWJ clinical scholars program. Before coming to Yale, Jerry served on the White House staff as a health policy advisor, was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, and he was senior advisor and executive assistant to the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. He also was the health and environment legislative assistant to Representative and then Senator Al Gore. He designed and managed the White House public outreach and consultation on the tobacco settlement, and played a principal role in shaping the President’s tobacco policy. Today he serves as co-chair of the C-Change tobacco team where he developed and is leading an effort to fund state comprehensive cancer control plans with state tobacco revenue. Jerry co-chairs the Partnership’s Prevention Committee.
Lisa McCooey is the Co-Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Program, including the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, and the Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) Program, at the Connecticut Department of Public Health. She has more than 20 years of experience in directing assessment, surveillance, and evaluation activities for numerous chronic disease and injury prevention programs. Lisa holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Connecticut Health Center.
Marion Morra is President of Morra Communications, a medical and health communications consulting firm. An expert in patient communications, she is the co-author of four best selling patient self-help books, including CHOICES: A Sourcebook for Cancer Information, (Avon, 1980, 1987, 1994; Harper-Collins, 2004). Marion is Co-Principal Investigator of the Cancer Information Service Research Consortium (CISRC), a nationwide community laboratory for communications research and a Co-founder of the International Cancer Information Service Group, where she serves as a member of its Board of Directors. She serves as Chair of the national Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society. Marion has been a part of the Connecticut Cancer Partnership since its inception, and is Co-Chair of the Communications Committee.
Linda Mowad is the Director of the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service of New England at the Yale Cancer Center and represents the Cancer Center as a founding member of the Connecticut Cancer Partnership. She brings to the Partnership a wealth of experience in working with cancer patients and with community partners in cancer control. Linda is the Co-Chair of the Partnership’s Early Detection Committee and of its Nominating Committee. She also serves as Chair of the Board of the New England Division of the American Cancer Society.
Rafael Perez-Escamilla is a Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Director of the Center for Eliminating Health Disparities among Latinos at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. He currently leads or co-leads four nutrition capacity-building and translational research programs in Connecticut, Ghana, and Brazil, in the fields of nutrition-related health disparities, breastfeeding, HIV, and household food security. He has been a senior scientific advisor to projects funded by USAID, UNICEF, the World Bank, WHO, USDA, and the governments of Mexico and Brazil. He has been principal mentor of numerous students from all over the world, and has published extensively, and is on the editorial board of three nutrition-related journals.
Robert Piorkowski is a surgical oncologist and senior staff surgeon at Hartford Hospital. He is also the Connecticut State Chairman for the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. The Commission on Cancer is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to reducing the morbidity and mortality of cancer through education, standard setting, and the monitoring of quality care.
Wayne S. Rawlins is National Medical-Head of Business Planning and Reporting of Aetna’s National Board Services and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut Medical School. He leads the design, implementation and management of Aetna’s end-of-life-care program (The Aetna Compassionate Care Program), and heads the Aetna Condition Analysis. He also co-leads Aetna’s Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care Initiatives, is the clinical lead for corporate pandemic planning, and the corporate clinical lead representing the chief medical officer in crisis and disaster preparedness. Before joining Aetna, Wayne was Physician-in-Charge at the Manchester Health Center. He graduated in 1980 as a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Connecticut Health Center, was Chief Resident at the University of Rochester Associated Hospitals Program, and earned a Master of Business Administration in 2001 from the Lally School of Management and Technology at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is certified in Internal Medicine.
Andrew Salner is the Director of Radiation Oncology and Director of the Helen and Harry Gray Cancer Center at Hartford Hospital. A 24-year American Cancer Society volunteer, Andy has been Chair of both the Connecticut and New England Division Boards of Directors. He is presently the Chair of the Connecticut Cancer Partnership and co-chairs its Treatment Committee. Andy brings to the Connecticut Cancer Partnership a wealth of experience in dealing with people who are undergoing treatment for cancer, along with expertise in working with community partners in cancer control.
Mark Samos is a Special Assistant to Tribal Council Secretary Charlene Jones at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, where he is responsible for planning, grant writing, and health and mental health program development. Mark has an extensive background in education, human resources, and human services. He holds a Master of Arts in Counseling from the University of Connecticut and is Connecticut Licensed Professional Counselor.
Sarah Shafir serves as the Connecticut Vice President for Cancer Control of the American Cancer Society, New England Division. Prior to coming to the American Cancer Society, Sarah was employed by the Maine Department of Human Services and Bureau of Health. Sarah received her Masters in Public Health from Tulane University. She is the Treasurer of the Connecticut Cancer Partnership and co-chairs its Prevention Committee.
Andrea L. Silber is a medical oncologist who has been active in cancer care in New Haven since 1987. She is currently the director of the oncology clinic at the Father Michael J. McGivney Cancer Center at the Hospital of Saint Raphael that serves a diverse underinsured population, and she also has a private practice that specializes in breast cancer. Her personal focus is to find innovative strategies to diminish the gap in cancer outcomes seen in economically deprived populations. She developed the Sister-to-Sister program that has provided outreach and inreach to African-American women in New Haven for the past eleven years, and has improved utilization of breast cancer screening services. She has participated in many community initiatives and served on committees devoted to the elimination of cancer health disparities.
Maureen Smith is the Director of Consumer Relations at the Connecticut Office of the Healthcare Advocate. She focuses on assisting consumers and providers in reaching resolution to their problems with health insurance. A registered nurse, Maureen has clinical expertise in pediatrics, neonatology, and gerontology, and business experience in managed care. Maureen also represents her agency in projects involving healthcare issues. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Cancer Care Program, is a member of the CT Family Support Council, and participates in the Department of Public Health's Diabetes Program. She co-chairs the Partnership's Survivorship Committee.
Page last updated 03/12/2008
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