Adult CIRB - Late Phase Emphasis Members

Sanjay R. Mohan MD, MSCI

Dr. Sanjay Mohan is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he serves as the Clinical Director of the Myelodysplastic Syndromes Program and is a principal investigator for multiple early- and late-phase clinical trials in myeloid malignancies. He completed his fellowship training in hematology/medical oncology and in experimental hematology therapeutics at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, where he developed an interest in clinical translational research involving therapy-related MDS and acute leukemia. He serves as chairperson of the Vanderbilt IRB Health Sciences Committee and currently sits on the NCCN Myeloproliferative Neoplasms panel.

Aidnag Diaz MD

Aidnag Diaz, MD, MPH, is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and the Medical Director of Radiation Medicine at the Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ. He also serves in the Cancer Institute’s Scientific Review Committee. 

Dr. Diaz received his MD from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons and his MPH from Columbia University School of Public Health. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at St. Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York. He then went on to complete his Radiation Oncology Residency and an American Cancer Society fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.

He is currently involved in patient care and clinical research. He is board certified in radiation oncology with expertise and special interest in stereotactic radiosurgery. His clinical expertise also includes treating patients with sarcoma, leukemia, lymphoma, head and neck cancer, central nervous system tumors and pediatrics. 

Everett Dodson

Everett Dodson is a Community Health Educator at Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center who is actively engaged in community advocacy to address cancer health disparities throughout communities in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Dodson has been recognized locally and nationally for his efforts as an advocate.  He has served on the NCI Director's Consumer Liaison Group, Clinical Trials and Translational Research Advisory Committee, and Patient Advocate Steering Committee. He has also served on the Data and Safety Monitoring Board with the Cancer and Leukemia Group B, and as a patient advocate faculty member for the ASCO/AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop.

Mr. Dodson currently serves on the Men's Health Committee at Shiloh Baptist Church of Washington, DC and, as Community Health Educator at Georgetown, develops and implements community-based intervention and education programs aimed at cancer prevention, and was a contributing author for the article entitled, "Role of Active Surveillance in the Management of Men with Localized Prostate Cancer." (Annals of Internal Medicine, April 17, 2012).

Cheryl Jernigan CPA, FACHE

Cheryl Jernigan, CPA, FACHE is a 18-year breast cancer "thriver" and a pro-bono leader in cancer and research advocacy. She is a "co-survivor" with her husband, who is a survivor of metastatic prostate cancer and HPV tonsil cancer.

Among her leadership roles, she is the Immediate Past Chair of The Advancement Board, Co-Chair of the Cancer Funding Partners, and Chair of the Breast Cancer Prevention Center Advocate Advisory Board for The University of Kansas Medical Center and The University of Kansas Hospital.

Ms. Jernigan is also a member of Susan G. Komen's (national) Scientific Advisory Board, which oversees Komen's breast cancer research program; a founding and current board member, and Chair of the Strategic Mission Committee of the Greater Kansas City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; a member of the steering committee for the (national) Komen Advocates in Science program; and Treasurer for the Susan G. Komen Advocacy Alliance's Board of Directors.

Nationally, Cheryl is a member of the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative's Patient Leadership Council; a member of the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center's Working Group on Returning Clinical Trial Results to Participants; Lead Advocate for the Greater Plains Clinical Data Research Network (a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative (PCORI) grant; a member of the DIA's Patient Advocate Fellowship Alumni group; a past member of the National Cancer Institute's Director's Consumer Liaison Group (DCLG); and has served as an advocate reviewer for Komen's Research Program, the U.S. Congressionally-Directed Breast Cancer Research Program, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Cheryl's former professional career included leadership roles in healthcare/hospital finance, administration and public policy.

George Lehman BA

George Lehman is a retired California civil service executive living in Vacaville, CA.  During his public service career, Mr. Lehman held several management and executive positions within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.  At the time of his retirement in 2008 he was a career executive with the California Board of Prison Terms. 
  
In coordination with the University of California, Los Angeles, Mr. Lehman also developed and managed a major statewide research project to improve prison population management and inmate safety.  He is an Honored Alumni of the California State University, Sacramento Division of Criminal Justice.

Mr. Lehman is an 8+ year survivor of Invasive Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the tonsil and neck.  After completing treatment, he participated in a study of Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy in Cancer Survivors at the University of California, San Francisco.  These experiences fostered a commitment to patient safety and advocacy.  

Mr. Lehman has been a Community Member of the University of California, Davis, Institutional Review Board for Biomedical Research since January 2019.  He joined the National Cancer Institute as a Patient Representative in 2022.   

Judy Perkins BS

Judy Perkins was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2013.  A retired engineer, she became involved with patient advocacy at first to learn more about her own diagnosis and attended conferences offered by the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network and the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC).  She continues to be involved with the metastatic community through the Inspire Advanced Breast Cancer Discussion Group.  Since 2014, she has continued to attend NBCC Summits and lobby for increased federal funding for breast cancer research. 

Ms. Perkins attended Project LEAD in 2015, and she has served four times as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.  She attended the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in 2016 with a scholarship from the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation (FBCF).  In 2017, Ms. Perkins became a member of the Scientific Committee with FBCF.  In 2018, Ms. Perkins was invited to participate with the Center for Immunotherapeutic Transport Oncophysics (CITO) - Physical Sciences Oncology Center (PSOC) as a consultant advocate at Houston Methodist.

As a patient with metastatic cancer, Ms. Perkins participated in two clinical trials.  The first trial was at the University of Miami for an FGFR1 inhibitor.  After the first trial failed, Ms. Perkins learned about the second trial at the National Institutes of Health.  In December, 2015, Ms. Perkins became the first breast cancer patient to be treated with immunotherapy using tumor infiltrating lymphocytes.  Since then, she has been cancer free.

Ross Allen Abrams, MD

Ross A. Abrams, MD graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and subsequently trained in and became Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, and Hematology.

Following 5 years of practice in Hematology and Oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wis.  Dr. Abrams trained as a Radiation Oncologist and subsequently remained in academic medicine in Radiation Oncology; first, at Tufts New England Medical Center and then at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in Baltimore, MD where he rose to the rank of Professor.

In 2004 Dr. Abrams left Johns Hopkins to become the Frank Hendrickson, MD Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, ILL. from where he retired from full time practice in 2018 and now is on staff at the Hadassah Oncology Center in Jerusalem, Israel.

Dr. Abrams primary research interests are in the adjuvant therapy of pancreatic cancer with chemoradiation, and in the clinical management of sarcoma and lymphoma. He is an author or co-author on 181 peer reviewed articles and was active in the research activities of the RTOG and NRG in gastrointestinal cancer for over 30 years prior to his retirement from full time practice.

Donna Haney RN, BSN, OCN, CCRC

Ms. Donna Haney works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center as the Clinical Research Manager for the 22 Community Network Cancer Center sites located in Pennsylvania. Donna’s responsibilities include leading the research staff working in these sites as well as providing oversite to the various departments contributing to protocol conduct and compliance.

Donna’s brings to the group 25 years of oncology nursing experience from both a small community hospital and in large academic settings. Her clinical research experience spans over 20 years, having begun as a Clinical Research Coordinator. She also holds certifications in Oncology Nursing and Clinical Research, maintaining memberships in the Oncology Nursing Society and the Association of Clinical Research Professionals.

Donna serves as a member of the Community Oncology Committee and is a past member of the Protocol Clarity and Patient Preference Working Groups for Alliance Cooperative Group. She participates in various community outreach programs including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk.

Melissa Johnson PharmD, BCOP

Melissa Johnson joins the NCI's Adult Central IRB from Shands at the University of Florida where she is currently Coordinator of the Investigational Drug Service. Dr. Johnson has previously served as a member of the Clinical Research Center Advisory Committee and IRB at Shands at the University of Florida (2000-2003), served as a member of the Clinical Cancer Investigations Committee at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (2003-2011) and as a member of the University of Utah IRB (2004-Present) as well as Vice Chair of the University of Utah IRB (2010-Present). Dr. Johnson has previously served as a research assistant for the FDA in Saint Louis, MO, staff pharmacist at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, and as a consultant to various organizations. Melissa has presented widely on various topics pertaining to adult hematology/oncology patients. Dr. Johnson earned her Bachelor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees at the Saint Louis College of Pharmacy.

Maureen Kavanah MD

Dr. Kavanah is an associate professor of surgery at BU School of Medicine (BUSM) and a surgical oncologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC). She is currently the principal investigator of NSABP Clinical Research at BMC.  She has led numerous NSABP-sponsored clinical studies in breast and bowel cancers. She has served on NSABP's Board of Directors since 1988 and also serves as the protocol chair for the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (P-1) and chair of the Ethics Committee.  In addition to her renowned scientific achievements, Dr. Kavanah has dedicated her time to the scientific community by serving as a faculty supervisor for many young investigators. In 1990, she established BMC as a full-member institution of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and served as its principal investigator until 1994. Dr. Kavanah belongs to numerous professional organizations and has been a member of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons, president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American College of Surgeons, president of the New England Cancer Society, and has previously served as a member (2004-2006) and subsequently Chair of the National Cancer Institute CIRB (2006-2008). She lectures extensively and has been chosen as a "Top Doctor" by Boston Magazine annually since 2008.  In April 2012 she received the distinguished Investigator Lifetime Achievement Award of the NSABP.

Joyce Lee, Pharm.D., BCOP, BCPS

Joyce Lee, PharmD, BCOP, BCPS is a Senior Clinical Pharmacist, Oncology and Investigational Drug Services at The University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA. Dr. Lee completed her Clinical Pharmacy Residency, Oncology Specialty Pharmacy Residency and followed by a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) fellowship at UC Davis. Dr Lee is a board-certified Oncology Pharmacist and Pharmacotherapy Specialist. She serves as a voting member of the UC Davis IRB Committee since 2013.

Judith Manola MS

Judith Manola is a biostatistician in Boston, Massachusetts.  She earned her MS in Biostatistics from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1997.  She served on the Genitourinary Cancers, Head and Neck Cancers, and Symptom Management Committees of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group beginning in 1997. From 2012 until her retirement in 2016, she was the Assistant Director for Operations of ECOG-ACRIN’s Biostatistics Center in Boston.  During her concurrent tenure as a statistician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, she served on the Scientific Review Committee, Data Safety and Monitoring Committee, and the local IRB.  Her publications include peer-reviewed results of clinical trials, editorials, and book chapters.

Lakshmi Rajdev MD, MS

Lakshmi Rajdev, MD, MS, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is the Medical Director of Oncology at Mount Sinai Morningside. Dr. Rajdev’s specialty is GI Oncology with particular expertise in gastroesophageal and anal carcinoma.

A nationally recognized investigator, Dr. Rajdev has chaired and co-chaired investigator-initiated and cooperative group studies. She serves on numerous scientific committees, including the Esophago-Gastric and Rectal Anal Task Force of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Gastrointestinal Cancer Steering Committee and the NCI Adult Central Institutional Review Board Late Phase Emphasis Committee. She has held leadership roles in the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group GI Committee and the AIDS Malignancy Consortium. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Rajdev spent most of her career at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein Cancer Center. More recently, she served as Chief of Hematology and Oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital and Director of GI Malignancies for the Western Region of the Northwell Health System.

Dr. Rajdev earned her MBBS from Grant Medical College in Bombay. She completed her Internal Medicine residency Beth Israel Medical Center, and a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at New York University. Dr. Rajdev also has a Masters in Clinical Research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Lindsay Renfro, Ph.D.

Dr. Lindsay Renfro is an Associate Professor of Research at the University of Southern California and the Associate Group Statistician for Children's Oncology Group (COG). Within COG, Dr. Renfro is also a faculty statistician for the Renal Tumors Committee.
 
Previously, Dr. Renfro served as lead committee statistician for the Experimental Therapeutics and Rare Tumors Committee of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, where she collaborated on gastrointestinal cancer clinical trials, research, and correlative science projects at Mayo Clinic.
 
Beyond her experience with NCTN cancer clinical trials, her expertise and methodological interests include novel trial designs such as adaptive, Bayesian, and biomarker-driven designs and master protocols. Dr. Renfro also enjoys teaching statistics to non-statisticians (including as faculty at the ASCO/ASCR Workshop on Methods in Clinical Cancer Research), mentoring students, traveling, and enjoying the mountains and beaches of Southern California with her son.

Karen Seiter MD

Dr. Karen Seiter received her medical degree from New York Medical College, completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Bronx Municipal Hospital (Albert Einstein College of Medicine), and her fellowship in Medical Oncology/Hematology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She returned to New York Medical College in 1992, and has been a member of the Hematology and Medical Oncology Divisions since then. She is currently director of the Leukemia Service at Westchester Medical Center and also attends on the Stem Cell Transplantation Service.  Dr. Seiter is Chair of the Oncology Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB), and has also been a chair of several safety committees including the Medication Error division of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, and the Stem Cell Transplant Quality Improvement Committee. Her research interests include clinical trials in acute leukemia and other malignant hematologic disorders. She is the author of over 100 articles in the field.  She is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Hematology & Oncology as well as Leukemia Research. 

Joan Westendorp RN, MSN, OCN, CCRA, CIM

Joan Westendorp is the Director of Research and Oncology at Metro Health Hospital in Wyoming, MI.  Ms. Westendorp is a member of various professional organizations including the Oncology Nursing Society National IRB association and the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA), as well as various professional committees including board member of the Michigan Cancer Consortium and Southwestern Michigan Cancer Control Consortium, as well as committee member on the cooperative research base nursing committees. In addition, Joan has been involved in various community outreach activities including the Colorectal Awareness Network (CRAN) and Lung Cancer Screening program. Ms. Westendorp earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing (Healthcare Administration) degrees from Graceland University.

Kory Trott JD, MPH

Kory is the Director of the Research Integrity and Consultation Program at Virginia Tech. He also serves as the university’s Research Integrity Officer. Before joining Virginia Tech, Kory worked for the CDC in Atlanta, where he was a Presidential Management Fellow and a member of the Public Health Ethics Unit.  At CDC Kory provided ethics training to and consultation for the agency’s scientists. Prior to joining CDC, Kory worked as a staff reviewer for the University of Wisconsin Health Sciences Institutional Review Board.
 
Kory holds a master’s degree in public health from Drexel University, and a JD from the University of Wisconsin School of Law.