The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) Welcomes Two New Board Members And Scientific And Medical Advisory Board Chair

LOS ANGELES, July 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), a leading nonprofit in the fight against pancreatic cancer, has appointed Marco Argenti, co-chief information officer of Goldman Sachs, and Karyn Temple, senior executive vice president and global general counsel for the Motion Picture Association to its board of directors. Additionally, Margaret Tempero, MD, director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Pancreas Center has been announced as chair of PanCAN's Scientific and Medical Advisory Board (SMAB), as Andrew Lowy, MD, FACS, of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) steps down from his two-year term as chair. These leadership updates bring new energy and expertise to the national organization whose bold action is leading the way to accelerate progress for pancreatic cancer patients and create a world in which all pancreatic cancer patients will thrive.

Argenti and Temple join PanCAN's board, which is comprised of dedicated individuals who are leaders professionally and in their communities with a broad range of expertise, including business, revenue generation, corporate operations, finance, legal and board governance. Each member has been personally touched by pancreatic cancer, including Argenti who lost his close friend and Temple who lost both her father and grandmother to the disease.

Marco Argenti joined Goldman Sachs as a partner in 2019 and currently serves as co-chief information officer. Prior to joining the firm, he was vice president of technology for Amazon Web Services and previously spent time at Nokia Corporation as senior vice president and global head of Developer Experience and Marketplace. He has been a passionate supporter of PanCAN since 2017 when his friend and bandmate, Matt Bencke, died from pancreatic cancer. Argenti and his band, Element47, have been doing a fundraising concert series in his memory ever since. His passion for technology and research brings a unique perspective to PanCAN's board.

"I'm a technologist and am particularly interested in the intersection of technology and medicine," Argenti said. "The combination of tech and medicine is what will eventually cure cancer and I look forward to working with PanCAN to further explore that."

Karyn Temple currently serves as senior executive vice president and global general counsel for the Motion Picture Association. Previously, she led a 400-person agency at the U.S. Copyright office as Register of Copyrights and served in the Obama Administration as senior counsel to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States. Temple is committed to making access to healthcare resources available to everyone, particularly Black Americans who are affected by pancreatic cancer at a higher rate than other races. She lost her father to the disease in 2020.

"PanCAN was a lifeline for my family at such a critical time after my father's diagnosis," said Temple. "It only makes sense to give back to the organization that gave so much to my family."

"Marco and Karyn are incredible business leaders and truly experts in their respective fields. We are thrilled to welcome them to PanCAN's board," said Julie Fleshman, JD, MBA, president and CEO of PanCAN. "They are joining an already extremely talented and dedicated group of leaders that will continue to help PanCAN reach our ambitious goals by 2030 that include driving the 5-year survival from 10% to 20% and raising $80 million dollars annually."

In addition to new board of directors membership, Margaret Tempero, MD has taken the helm of PanCAN's SMAB as its new chair. PanCAN's SMAB is comprised of leading scientists, clinicians and healthcare professionals who specialize in pancreatic cancer from institutions across the United States. The SMAB provides scientific and clinical expertise to guide PanCAN in planning and implementing its research initiatives, as well as its in-depth information, resources and services for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. All members contribute their expertise on a pro bono basis.

Dr. Tempero is a gastrointestinal oncologist and the director of the UCSF Pancreas Center and leader of the Pancreas Cancer Program at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prior to joining UCSF, she was deputy director of the University of Nebraska's cancer center, and she has held editorial positions at prestigious journals including Cancer Research, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research and American Journal of Medicine. Dr. Tempero has been a scientific advisor to PanCAN since the organization's founding in 1999 and served as the SMAB chair-elect for the past two years under former chair, Dr. Lowy.

"PanCAN is the most reliable source in the world of information and support for patients and their families, and they have nurtured an army of talented investigators who are working tirelessly to beat this disease," said Dr. Tempero. "Having been an advisor to PanCAN leaders since it was founded, I'm proud to have helped in the organization's many achievements."

"Dr. Tempero has been a trusted advisor to PanCAN since the very beginning and her expertise has helped shaped this organization into what it is today," said Fleshman. "Her leadership as SMAB chair will help PanCAN continue to build upon that success, especially as we focus on bold research investments like PanCAN's Precision Promise clinical trial and our Early Detection Initiative."

To learn more about PanCAN's board and scientific advisory leadership, visit pancan.org.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) leads the way in accelerating critical progress for pancreatic cancer patients. PanCAN takes bold action by funding life-saving research, providing personalized patient services and creating a community of supporters and volunteers who will stop at nothing to create a world in which all pancreatic cancer patients will thrive. 

Media Contact:
Jillian Scholten
Senior Public Relations Manager
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
949-244-2561
[email protected]

SOURCE Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Related Links

https://www.pancan.org