Lung Cancer Research Foundation Announces Education & Engagement Committee

Committee to Steward Foundation's Educational Resources and Outreach Programs

NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is pleased to announce the appointment of a select group of volunteers to its newly formed Education & Engagement Committee. Comprised of clinicians, researchers, patients, caregivers and advocates, this committee is tasked with ensuring that LCRF is providing educational content that is relevant, helpful, and meets the needs of the lung cancer community. In addition, it will ensure these resources are readily available to inform and empower individuals on their lung cancer journey. 

The new committee grew out of LCRF's Patient Education Review Committee, led by Dr. Narjust Florez and Dr. Joan Schiller. Dr. Isabel Preeshagul is chair of the new Education & Engagement Committee, and Drs. Florez and Schiller remain critical advisors.

"I am so pleased to see the evolution of this advisory committee," says Dr. Schiller. "Working with Dr. Preeshagul and the LCRF staff to deliver programs and resources that meet the needs of lung cancer patients, their caregivers, and their healthcare teams is an important part of ensuring that LCRF is able to deliver on its research commitments."

"I'm delighted to be chairing this incredible committee," commented Dr. Preeshagul. "With Dr. Schiller's invaluable experience and guidance, this dedicated group of volunteers will make certain that LCRF's programs and resources are always timely, accurate, and accessible for all patients with lung cancer and those who care for them. This committee's varied membership provides us with a diverse perspective, ensuring that we continue to deliver high quality comprehensive information. I'm excited about the positive difference we're making in the lives of patients, caregivers, and their families through LCRF's programs."

"As a primary caregiver to someone with a lung cancer diagnosis, having access to resources, information, and experts in the field is important to me – and raising awareness of lung cancer without stigma even more so," says Rhonda Meckstroth. "LCRF has been a resource for me, and I'm honored to be a part of such an important committee. I can lend my experience to help others in my shoes, and help people understand that anyone with lungs can get lung cancer."

Members of the Education & Engagement Committee serve a two-year term and share a commitment to the mission of LCRF: to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer.

LCRF's Education & Engagement Committee Members:

Isabel Preeshagul, DO, MBS 
Committee Chair 
Assistant Attending Physician, Thoracic Oncology 
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

Sydney Barned, MD 
Survivor and Advocate 
Internal Medicine Hospitalist 
Anne Arundel Medical Center 

Dave Bjork 
Survivor and Advocate 
Vice President of Empowerment 
GRYT Health 

Phil Bonomi, MD, MS 
Professor Emeritus 
Rush University Medical Center 

Meghan Cox      
Advocate            

Denise D. Cutlip 
Survivor and Advocate 

Devika Das, MD, MSHQS 
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology 
Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 
Section Chief of Oncology, Birmingham VA Medical Center 

Narjust Florez (Duma), MD 
Associate Director, Cancer Care Equity Program 
Thoracic Medical Oncologist 
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Cancer Center 
Member of the Faculty, Harvard Medical School 

Kathryn A. Gold, MD 
Clinical Professor of Medicine    
University of California San Diego, Moores Cancer Center 

Benjamin Philip Levy, MD 
Clinical Director of Medical Oncology       
Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center 
Associate Professor of Oncology 
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 

Stephen V. Liu, MD        
Thoracic Medical Oncologist and Associate Professor of Medicine 
Georgetown University 
Director of Thoracic Oncology and the Head of Developmental Therapeutics 
Georgetown University Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center 

Rhonda Meckstroth 
Caregiver and Advocate 

Catherine Paykin, MSSW, LCSW 
Social Worker 
NYU Langone Health 

Jyoti D. Patel, MD 
Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of Thoracic Oncology 
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center 
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine 

Rachel Sanborn, MD 
Medical Director, Thoracic Oncology Program 
Medical Director of Phase I Clinical Trials Program 
Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute at Providence Cancer Institute 

Joan H. Schiller, MD   
Deputy Director, Inova Schar Cancer Center (Emeritus) 
Adjunct Professor, Department of Medicine 
University of Virginia

Nagashree Seetharamu, MD, MBBS       
Medical Oncologist, Thoracic and Head and Neck Oncology          
Monter Cancer Center, Northwell Health Center for Advanced Medicine 
Professor, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell 

Christos Stavropoulos, MD, FACS             
Director of Thoracic Oncology 
The Lefcourt Family Cancer Treatment and Wellness Center 
Chief of Thoracic Surgery 
Englewood Health 

Ishwaria M. Subbiah, MD, MS 
Medical Oncologist 
Palliative Care and Integrative Medicine Physician            
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 

About the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF)

The Lung Cancer Research Foundation® (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer. LCRF's mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer. To date, LCRF has funded 394 research grants, totaling nearly $39 million, the highest amount provided by a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding lung cancer research. For more information, visit lcrf.org. 

Contact: 
Sheila Sullivan 
Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications, LCRF 
[email protected]  

SOURCE Lung Cancer Research Foundation