To view an archived Ask The Expert Page click on the heading.
Cancer's Impact on Relationships
Dr. Helen Coons is the President and Clinical Director of Women's Mental Health Associates, Philadelphia. She is a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in women's health and mental health. Dr. Coons is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, and is Adjunct Faculty, Department of Psychiatry, Pennsylvania Hospital, University of Pennsylvania Health System. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Temple University after interning in Medical Psychology at the Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Coons' private practice specializes in improving the well-being of women facing the diagnosis and treatment of breast, gynecological, colon and other cancer diagnoses. She works with women and couples of all ages before, during and after cancer treatment(s); women with early and advanced cancer; women who are at "high risk" for cancer as well as individuals who are caring for ill family members with cancer. Dr. Coons presented at the 2002 Institute of Medicine meeting on Psychosocial Service Needs Among Women with Breast Cancer, and was the keynote speaker for the 2006 Living Beyond Breast Cancer Annual Conference for Young Women with Breast Cancer. She received the 2001 American Psychological Association Committee on Women in Psychology Emerging Leader Award, and the 2005 American Psychological Foundation Timothy B. Jeffrey Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Health Psychology.
Treatment for Early Stage Breast Cancer
Minetta C. Liu, MD, received her B.A. in molecular biology from Princeton University and her M.D. from Jefferson Medical College before completing her training in Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at Georgetown University Hospital. She joined the faculty of the Breast Cancer Program at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in July 2001. An Assistant Professor of Medicine and Oncology and the Biomarker Section Chief for the Clinical Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, she serves as the principal investigator for several institutional, industry-sponsored, and cooperative group clinical trials in breast cancer. She is also involved in translational research with a particular focus on the development of new methods by which to increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying drug responsiveness. This research is currently supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and industry sponsors. In recognition of her work, Dr. Liu has been appointed Chair of the MedStar Health Network's Breast Cancer Clinical Research Group, a Cadre Member of the CALGB's Breast Committee and Audit Committee, and a Member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Young Survival Coalition.
Treatment for Metastatic (Advanced) Breast Cancer
Eric Winer, MD, received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University. He trained in internal medicine and served as chief resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Dr. Winer was a hematology-oncology fellow at Duke University Medical Center from 1987-89 and then remained on the faculty at Duke until 1997.
In 1997, he moved to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Currently, Dr. Winer is Director of the Breast Oncology Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Winer is also the co-chair of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B Breast Committee. Dr. Winer has participated in numerous practice guidelines panels and is the chair of the ASCO Technology Assessment Panel on the use of aromatase inhibitors in the adjuvant setting.
Dr. Winer serves as an editorial board member of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Breast Cancer Research, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, and Clinical Breast Cancer. He is a prolific contributor to the oncology scientific and clinical literature, contributing original research articles, editorials and textbook chapters.
____________________________________________________________________________
How to Help Your Children Through Breast Cancer (September 2006)
Cynthia Moore, PhD, is a child psychologist in the department of child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, and clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Her clinical work focuses on providing parent guidance to adults treated in the MGH Cancer, through the Parenting at a Challenging Time (PACT) program. This program provides consultation to parents with questions about how best to support children dealing with parental cancer. Her research interests include investigating how having parenting responsibilities changes the experience of facing cancer, and documenting the particular concerns about children's reactions to parental cancer that cause parents distress. She is a member of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society and the American Psychological Association.
____________________________________________________________________________
Detection and Diagnosis (August 2006)
Lillie Shockney, RN., BS., MAS is the Administrative Director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center in Baltimore, MD. Her career has been focused on clinical nursing care with a special focus on cancer patients. Mrs. Shockney was the Director of Performance Improvement and Utilization Management from 1987-1997. After being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38 in 1992, she began to contribute additional time to the Johns Hopkins Hospital as a volunteer for the Breast Center. In this role, Mrs. Shockney conducted patient satisfaction surveys, developed quality of care measurement methods, and worked with the clinical team to develop ways to improve patient care and services for women diagnosed with breast cancer. In 1997, she formally joined the Breast Center staff as the Education and Outreach Director, responsible for the quality of care programs, patient education programs, survivor volunteer team, community outreach at a local, regional and national level, webmaster, and patient advocacy. Mrs. Shockney is a registered nurse with a BS degree in Health Care Administration from Saint Joseph's College and a Masters in Administrative Science from the Johns Hopkins University. She is an Advisory Board and Board of Trustee member of the National Consortium of Breast Centers, a member of the National Consumer Advisory Council and was appointed to the Board of the National Women's Health Research Center. Mrs. Shockney is also on the Medical Advisory Boards of several breast cancer organizations, including the YSC Medical Advisory Board, and a recipient of numerous community service awards. She is a published author on the subject of breast cancer with two books and many articles to her name. Mrs. Shockney is also the co-founder and vice-president of the national nonprofit organization "Mothers Supporting Daughters with Breast Cancer."
__________________________________________________________________________
Fitness and Excercise (July 2006)
Sami Papacek is a personal trainer, cancer exercise specialist and fitness educator. She has been in the fitness industry for almost 10 years. Sami works with all types of clients, but specializes in women with breast cancer. Using her experience with weight loss programs, Pilates, core conditioning, as well as general strength training, she incorporates all types of exercise in her exercise design. Sami created the Pink T's Exercise Program, a free class for breast cancer survivors in the Kansas City area. She works with women of all levels of treatment and recovery to incorporate exercise back into their life. Her certifications include: Certified Personal Trainer, American Council on Exercise and National Strength and Conditioning Association, BOSU Master Trainer, Cancer Exercise Specialist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute and Leading Edge Fitness, Pilates Instructor, Fitour, and CPR, First Aid and AED.
_________________________________________________________________
