Cancer External Advisory Board

External Advisory Board Chair
CEO, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Kimryn Rathmell, M.D., Ph.D., holds the Jeri B. Block and Robert H. Schottenstein Distinguished Chair in Cancer, and oversees the cancer program for The Ohio State University. Formerly the 17th director of the National Cancer Institute, serving from December 18, 2023, to January 20, 2025, she also previously led the Vanderbilt University Medical Center as physician-in-chief and chair of the Department of Medicine. With a specialty in the research and treatment of complex and hereditary kidney cancers, Rathmell also focuses on underlying drivers of kidney cancers using genetic, molecular and cell biology to develop interventions to improve patients’ lives. Beyond her research interests, Rathmell is also a steadfast champion for mentorship and the development of early career researchers. Rathmell earned undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa and her Ph.D. in biophysics and M.D. from Stanford University. She completed an internal medicine internship at the University of Chicago and an internal medicine residency, medical oncology fellowship, and postdoctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned a Master's of Management in Health Care from Vanderbilt University in 2022. Rathmell is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.

Chairman and Clinical Service Chief, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Ronald D. Alvarez, M.D., has engaged in research on the development of novel therapeutics for ovarian cancer and new screening and vaccine strategies for cervical cancer. He has been the recipient of several NCI and other industry-funded grants in support of his research in gene therapeutics for ovarian cancer and was co-PI for one of the projects in the previously funded UAB Ovarian Cancer SPORE. These efforts led to the development and implementation of several “bench to bedside” phase 1 trials investigating, in part, suicide gene therapeutics, infectivity enhanced vectors, noninvasive imaging strategies, innovative oncolytics, and an IL-12 expressing lipopolymer. He was a co-principal investigator in cervical neoplasm gene-based vaccine projects included in the John Hopkins/UAB Cervical SPORE.

Paul A. Bunn, Jr. Endowed Chair in Cancer Research; Professor and Dean, Colorado School of Public Health; Deputy Director, University of Colorado Cancer Center

Prior to joining the University of Colorado, Cathy J. Bradley, Ph.D., was the founding chair of the Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Virginia Commonwealth University. Bradley is a health economist and received her Ph.D. and M.P.A. from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Bradley has served on the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s National Cancer Policy Forum and the National Advisory Committee to the Agency for Healthcare Quality & Research. She is currently the vice chair of the Methodology Committee for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). She has received numerous awards and honors including the Women in Science, Dentistry, and Medicine Professional Achievement Award in Leadership and Excellence in Leadership Award from the University of Colorado and maintains an active research portfolio of NIH grant and foundation grants that explore the economic implications of cancer and cancer survivorship. She has been continuously funded throughout her career and held prominent leadership roles in cancer centers for over 20 years.

Senior Vice President, Research Emory University

Deborah Bruner, Ph.D., is a professor and Robert W. Woodruff Chair in Nursing, a professor of radiation oncology, and a member and former associate director for mentorship at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an internationally renowned researcher and clinical trialist with a focus on patient reported outcomes (PROs), symptom management and comparative effectiveness of radiotherapy modalities. Her most current research is focused on the role of the human microbiome in carcinogenesis and cancer treatment outcomes.

Molecular Oncology Section Co-Director and Medicine and Pathology & Immunology Professor, Washington University

David G. DeNardo, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in cell biology where he studied nuclear hormone receptor signaling. As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, he studied how adaptive immune responses regulate macrophages in tumors. In 2011, he joined the faculty at Washington University, School of Medicine, in St. Louis (WUSM) and became a member of the Siteman Cancer Center. The goal of his research program is to investigate how the tumor microenvironment regulates responses to therapy in cancer. Over the last fourteen years, his group has focused on three areas: understanding the role of fibrosis in tumor immunity; therapeutically reprogramming myeloid and dendritic cell responses to improve response to therapy; and understanding the impact of myeloid cell heterogeneity’s impact on function. DeNardo is the co-leader of Siteman Cancer Center’s Tumor Immunology Program, leader of the Tumor Microenvironment Section within the Division of Oncology, and Leader of WUSMs SPORE in pancreatic cancer. His lab currently focuses on pancreatic, lung and breast cancers and their interaction with the immune system and stromal environment.

Executive Director of Research & Business Administration, Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes Jewish Hospital

At Siteman, Nicholas Fisher oversees all administrative, operational, human resource and fiscal responsibilities for the research arm of the center. As a member of Siteman’s senior leadership team, he is critical to helping the center realize its mission of preventing cancer in the community and transforming cancer patient care through scientific discovery while maintaining and continually renewing Siteman’s status as an exceptionally ranked NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. Prior to his current role he served as both the director of clinical research, where he was responsible for the center’s clinical research operations, and as the director of operations, where he represented Siteman’s interests throughout the medical center and held responsibility for all research administration operations.

President & CEO, the M&T Bank Presidential Chair in Leadership, and Professor of Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Joining Roswell Park in 2002, Candace S. Johnson, Ph.D., became its first female leader in 2015, driving major advancements in immunotherapy, cellular therapies, and community outreach. She earned her Ph.D. in immunology from The Ohio State University and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Michigan Cancer Foundation. Her research focuses on translational cancer therapies, particularly the anti-proliferative effects of vitamin D. She has authored nearly 200 publications and holds patents in cancer treatment innovations. A respected voice in oncology, she chaired the NCI Frederick National Laboratory Advisory Committee for the last six years and serves on multiple editorial boards and scientific societies. Her leadership has earned her numerous accolades, including the Woman of Distinction and Lifetime Achievement awards.

Senior Vice President and Physician in Chief at City of Hope, Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center

Edward S. Kim, M.D., is an internationally recognized physician executive, scientist and medical oncologist known for his trailblazing discoveries, leadership and advocacy for equity in clinical study participation. Kim’s leadership at City of Hope has significantly improved patient outcomes and access to nationally ranked cancer research and treatment, including more than 730 cancer-focused clinical trials each year. He is among the country’s foremost champions for eliminating outmoded clinical trial participation criteria that often impacts underserved populations, resulting in serious gaps in care and research integrity. He has served as a principal/co-principal investigator on numerous clinical studies and protocols and authored/co-authored more than 250 published articles, book chapters, and reviews in top-tier journals such as The Lancet, The Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer Discovery, Cancer, Nature Medicine, and Cancer Prevention Research. Kim is renowned for his seminal BATTLE (Biomarker-integrated Approaches of Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer Elimination) study, which revolutionized lung cancer by introducing effective personalized therapies. He is one of only 15 oncologists worldwide to be recognized as a 2024 “Giant of Cancer Care” by OncLive, oncology’s most prestigious honor. He has twice been honored by Modern Healthcare as one of the nation’s Top 25 Diversity Leaders, recognized as one of the top cancer leaders in the nation by Friends of Cancer Research and honored as a U.S. News & World Report “Top Doctor.” In addition, he has been repeatedly recognized as one of Orange County’s most influential people by The Orange County Register and Orange County Business Journal.

Deputy Director, Population Science; Professor of Epidemiology, Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Thomas A. Sellers, Ph.D., brings decades of leadership experience from institutions including the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic, Moffitt Cancer Center and OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. A genetic epidemiologist, Sellers has led pioneering research on inherited and modifiable risk factors for breast, ovarian and prostate cancers, supported by over $100 million in peer-reviewed funding. His work has produced more than 400 publications and over 40,000 citations. He is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and has served on numerous national boards and advisory committees, including the AACR and NCI. Sellers is deeply committed to mentorship, team science and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in cancer research.

Enterprise Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute; Professor of Radiation Oncology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University; Staff Physician, Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-oncology Center

John Suh, M.D., completed his internship, residency and fellowship at Cleveland Clinic. His clinical, research and educational interests include brain, spine and ocular tumors, stereotactic radiosurgery, and stereotactic body radiation therapy. He has been the editor of Applied Radiation Oncology since 2012 and on the Board of Trustees for the American Board of Radiology since 2020.