The Head and Neck and Cancer Alliance in conjunction with the HPV Cancers Alliance hosted a webinar, “How to Talk About HPV With Your Loved Ones” on May 12, 2022 at 5 PM ET. This was a prerecorded webinar with two guest speakers, actress and HPV-attributed anal cancer advocate, Maria Cross, and medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, David Pfister, MD.
Presented by:
Table of Contents:
Keynote Speakers
Medical Oncologist
Chief, Head and Neck Oncology Service
Associate Deputy Physician-in-Chief, Strategic Partnerships
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
David G. Pfister, MD received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed a residency in internal medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar and trained in clinical epidemiology at Yale University, and did a fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Dr. Pfister holds the ranks of Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and Member at MSKCC, where he is Chief of the Head and Neck Oncology Service within the Department of Medicine and Co-leader of the Head and Neck Cancer Disease Management Team. He is also Associate Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Strategic Partnerships at MSKCC. Dr. Pfister is an internationally recognized expert in the management of head and neck tumors, and has pioneered the development of combined modality, “organ preservation”, treatment programs, intended to preserve function and cosmesis without compromise in survival. He is the 2011 recipient of the Willet F. Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence at MSKCC. Dr. Pfister has previously served in an editorial capacity for both Clinical Cancer Research and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. In addition to the development of combined modality-organ preservation therapies, his current research focuses on the evaluation of targeted and immunotherapies, the development of innovative therapies for rare tumors, and healthcare outcome assessments. Dr. Pfister is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and is Chair of the NCCN’s Head and Neck Cancer Practice Guidelines Panel. He is former Chair of the Protocol Committee for the International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG), and former member of the Executive Committee of the Board for that organization. He is past Co-chair of the Head and Neck Cancer Recurrent/Metastatic Disease Task Force at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He is a member of the Medical Advisory Board for Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer (SPOHNC).
Marcia Anne Cross is an American actress. She began her career on daytime soap operas such as The Edge of Night, Another World, and One Life to Live before moving to primetime television with a recurring role on Knots Landing. From 1992 to 1997, she starred as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on Melrose Place. Cross played the role of the conservative housewife Bree Van de Kamp on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives (2004–12), for which she was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She also recurred as President Claire Haas on the ABC series Quantico.
Panel 1: How to Talk About an HPV Diagnosis with Your Partner, Family, and Friends
Shazia Ahmad serves as a Senior Director of the Patient & Physician Services team at UBC, a leading provider of pharmaceutical support services. Shazia earned a B.S. in physiology and neurobiology from the University of Maryland and has 20+ years of experience in the healthcare industry. In her role at UBC, Shazia provides oversight and strategy on patient recruitment and retention as well as site feasibility and recruitment for clinical, late stage, safety and risk management programs. Shazia has a passion for ensuring the patient journey and pathway to diagnosis is understood in every program she implements. Shazia is a recognized thought leader and is actively involved with integrating patient advocacy representation in her programs and is also actively involved in presenting with patient advocacy representatives in industry conferences on the importance of working with advocacy groups in the clinical research programs and has chaired sessions at major industry wide meetings, such as the Annual DIA Conference.
Before joining UBC, Shazia served as a study coordinator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). While at the NIH, Shazia coordinated intramural clinical trials across the various institutes, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Her work included direct parent/patient family interaction across various indications, including but not limited to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Shazia also served as a study coordinator for ClinSearch, a private research center where she supported protocols from various sponsors and therapeutic areas.
Shazia is a thought-leader in patient advocacy, with a desire to improve healthcare and integrate successful solutions that bring optimal access and diversity. Shazia is committed to support the organization in the advancement of awareness and education of HPV.
“I am very excited to join the HPV Alliance Board, and thrilled to be a part of this amazing group of leaders in healthcare with the uniform goal to help advance the prevention of HPV-related cancers through education, advocacy, and research.”
Stephanie Blank, MD, is the Director of Gynecologic Oncology for the Mount Sinai Health System, a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director of Oncology Programs for the Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute and the Director of Women’s Health at the Blavatnik Family – Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai. Dr. Blank, who specializes in the treatment of patients with ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers, and the care of women at increased genetic risk for gynecologic cancer, joined the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2017. Previously, she spent 16 years at the NYU Langone Medical Center, where she rose from Assistant to Associate to Full Professor, built a busy clinical practice, launched and ran the Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship Program, developed a cancer risk assessment program for underserved women at Bellevue Hospital, and directed the Gynecologic Oncology Research Program.
Dr. Blank’s research focus is on genetic predisposition to cancer, novel therapeutics and translational research, survivorship, quality of life, and fertility preservation. She serves on the Ovarian Committee of the national cooperative group NRG and has been a principal investigator for investigator-initiated as well as industry-sponsored and cooperative group trials. Dr. Blank is broadly published in peer-reviewed journals and text books and frequently presents at industry seminars and conferences on women’s gynecologic oncology issues. She is the recipient of many honors and awards, including Castle Connolly Top Doctors, Super Doctors, and the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology Teaching Award, among others.
Dr. Blank serves on numerous boards and committees and is actively involved with many professional organizations, including the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, NRG Oncology, Foundation for Women’s Cancer, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She is a Member of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s Gynecologic Oncology Division, through which she helps set the standards by which gynecologic oncologists are accredited. Additionally, she is a member of the Board of Directors of SHARE and the Medical Advisory Board of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.
Dr. Blank received her undergraduate degree from Yale University, majoring in English and Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and her medical degree from the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center and a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. She is a 2020 fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program.
Associate Professor
Director of Research
Health Psychologist
University of Louisville School of Medicine
Dr. Liz Cash is an Associate Professor, Clinical Health Psychologist and Director of Research for the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky. As part of the multidisciplinary head and neck cancer team at her institution, Dr. Cash has instituted services to offer patients supportive psychological care, consulted with the team of physicians on social aspects of treatment decisions, and has acted as liaison to ensure patients receive needed services.
In her research, Dr. Cash investigates how the effects of anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and stress response systems may adversely affect adequate head and neck cancer control and survival. She and her team have observed that patients who experienced depressive symptoms near the time of diagnosis were more likely to miss their future chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments. They also learned that patients who start treatment with greater depressive symptoms had tumors were more likely to persist after treatment. She has expanded these findings through examination of rest/activity rhythm using actigraphy devices, and endocrine disruption expressed in salivary cortisol measures. Her team observed that patients who were experiencing more depressive symptoms at the time of diagnosis were also suffering from more sleep disruption at night, and both of these factors were significantly associated with shorter overall patient survival. Dr. Cash and her team continue to explore behavioral interventions that may make promising targets for enhancing cancer treatment and extending life expectancy for patients with head and neck cancer.
Lillian Kreppel is many things: she’s a public speaker, entrepreneur, successful marketing strategist and public relations expert. She’s funny, outgoing, and a lover of life. Most recently, she added new roles to her list: anal cancer thriver, activist, and tireless pioneer advocating for the prevention and treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV). Lillian is a woman with an ironclad mission and vision with the endless energy and dedication to achieve them. Her goal is to inspire others with her personal journey and to empower them with the education and awareness they need to manage their own health.
More information about Lillian:
Panel 2: How to Talk About an HPV-Associated Cancer with Your Partner, Family, and Friends
Amanda Hollinger has served as Executive Director of the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance since 2018. With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sector, Amanda has held leadership positions in a variety of organizations, including the YWCA of Greater Charleston, Trident Technical College, and as a nonprofit consultant. Her skills include fundraising, federal and foundation grant writing, advocacy, community outreach, and organizational development. Co-authored publications related to head and neck cancer include: Yan, et. al. (2020). The role of head and neck cancer advocacy organizations during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Head & Neck: Journal of the Sciences and Specialties of the Head & Neck (Vol 42, Issue 7) and Reed, et. al. (2010. Oral Cancer Preventive Practices of South Carolina Dentists and Physicians. Journal of Cancer Education (Volume 25), pages 166–173. Amanda received her Bachelor’s degree from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and her Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. In her free time, Amanda enjoys cooking, running, volunteering, reading, traveling and spending time with family. Head and neck cancer has impacted the lives of family members close to her, and Amanda is committed to helping HNCA fulfill its vision of saving lives through prevention, education, and advocacy.
Dr. Fakhry earned her medical degree at Johns Hopkins University, where she also completed her internship, residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and fellowship in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery. Dr. Fakhry serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins University. She also has appointments in the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Department of Oncology and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology. Her clinical and research interests include determining the prognostic significance of human papillomavirus in head and neck cancers, understanding the changing landscape of head and neck cancer, oral HPV natural history, and innovative mechanisms for the screening and early discovery of oropharyngeal cancers. She serves as Associate editor for Oral Oncology, science advisory board member for Oral Cancer Foundation, as well as various peer review activities.
Associate Professor
Director of Research
Health Psychologist
University of Louisville School of Medicine
Dr. Liz Cash is an Associate Professor, Clinical Health Psychologist and Director of Research for the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky. As part of the multidisciplinary head and neck cancer team at her institution, Dr. Cash has instituted services to offer patients supportive psychological care, consulted with the team of physicians on social aspects of treatment decisions, and has acted as liaison to ensure patients receive needed services.
In her research, Dr. Cash investigates how the effects of anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and stress response systems may adversely affect adequate head and neck cancer control and survival. She and her team have observed that patients who experienced depressive symptoms near the time of diagnosis were more likely to miss their future chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments. They also learned that patients who start treatment with greater depressive symptoms had tumors were more likely to persist after treatment. She has expanded these findings through examination of rest/activity rhythm using actigraphy devices, and endocrine disruption expressed in salivary cortisol measures. Her team observed that patients who were experiencing more depressive symptoms at the time of diagnosis were also suffering from more sleep disruption at night, and both of these factors were significantly associated with shorter overall patient survival. Dr. Cash and her team continue to explore behavioral interventions that may make promising targets for enhancing cancer treatment and extending life expectancy for patients with head and neck cancer.
Jason is co-founder and President of Ashar Group, LLC, a privately held, nationally licensed firm specializing in the secondary market for life insurance. He is a stage 4 HPV-related oral cancer survivor and serves as the co-chair for the Patient Education Committee for the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance. Jason was first diagnosed back in May 2014 and shortly thereafter had a radical tonsillectomy, neck dissection (42 lymph nodes removed) followed by seven weeks of chemo, radiation and a feeding tube. He made the decision to share his cancer story publicly so that others could learn about HPV-related oral cancer, oral cancer screenings, including the HPV vaccine. He created a website, www.SupermanHPV.com to inspire, educate and encourage others diagnosed with HPV-related oral cancer. Jason is passionate about oral cancer awareness and hopes to eliminate HPV-related oral cancer for future generations.