Steve Alperin
CEO
SurvivorNet
Steve Alperin is an executive with a 20 year track record managing national media news platforms in the US and building successful digital companies. He is currently the CEO of SurvivorNet, the leading media brand for cancer information in the US, with more than two million users per month. Steve was previously the Managing Editor of ABC News Digital. He served for many years as the Head Writer and Producer for ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, the most watched evening news program in the US. He began his career doing strategic planning at CNN. Steve has been the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in journalism including Dupont, Edward Murrow, and Writers Guild awards. He has an MBA from Columbia and BA from Harvard.
Dr. Cardinale Smith, MD, PhD
Chief Quality Officer
Cancer Services Mount Sinai Health System
Cardinale B. Smith, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology and the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Chief Quality Officer for Cancer Services, Mount Sinai Health System. She is a medical oncologist and palliative care physician whose clinical practice is focused on lung cancer and palliative care. Her research interests focus on doctor-patient communication, evaluating treatment disparities in cancer care, determinants of cancer patients’ quality of care, characterizing barriers to optimal cancer and palliative care and developing approaches to eliminating those barriers among racial and ethnic minorities. Dr. Smith is a 2013 recipient of a mentored research scholar grant from the American Cancer Society to evaluate determinants of disparities in the utilization of palliative care among patients with lung cancer. She was a co-investigator on a Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute grant to teach and enable goals of care conversations among oncologists. Additionally, she is the recipient Sojourn’s Scholar Leadership Grant to evaluate the role of bias among oncologists on minority cancer patient outcomes. Dr. Smith has had numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, and in 2015 was named one of the Top 40 Inspirational Leaders under 40 by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Dr. Otis Brawley, M.D.
Professor of Oncology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Otis Brawley is a globally recognized expert in cancer prevention and control. He has worked to reduce over screening of medical conditions, which has revolutionized patient treatment by increasing quality of life and reducing health disparities.
Brawley’s research focuses on developing cancer-screening strategies and ensuring their effectiveness. He has championed efforts to decrease smoking and implement other lifestyle risk reduction programs, as well as to provide critical support to cancer patients and concentrate cancer control efforts in areas where they could be most effective. Brawley currently leads a broad interdisciplinary research effort on cancer health disparities at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, striving to close racial, economic, and social disparities in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer in the United States and worldwide. He also directs community outreach programs for underserved populations throughout Maryland.
Brawley joined Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in 2019 from the American Cancer Society and Emory University.
Marecya Burton
Ovarian Cancer Survivor
Marecya Burton is a 29 year old Ovarian Cancer Survivor. After being diagnosed at only 20 years old during her junior year of college, she used her voice to speak out to young women about the signs of cancer and how to be an advocate for your health. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Political Science, Marecya has dedicated her gifts teaching high school social studies. Keeping in mind that there is power in her story, Marecya uses every opportunity to share her story to help other women know the signs.
Steve Madden
GM, Haymarket Media Business Media Group
Moderator
Steve Madden is the General Manager, Haymarket Business Media Group. A media veteran, Madden has held staff positions at brands such as Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Fitbie, Bicycling and MLB.com. He's the author of Embrace the Suck: A Crossfit Memoir.