Matthew Meyerson, MD, PhD

Matthew’s research focus includes genomic analysis of human lung cancers, genome-inspired cancer drug discovery, and the cancer microbiome. One major discovery was somatic mutations in the epidermal growth factor gene, EGFR, that predict response to EGFR kinase inhibitors, a discovery that has propelled research in personalized medicine. His laboratory developed the computational subtraction approach for discovery of novel disease-causing microbes and discovered the association of Fusobacterium with colorectal cancer.

Wendy Garrett, MD, PhD

Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Organizations: Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health/Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts

Emma Allen-Vercoe, PhD

Professor and Canada Research Chair

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology

University of Guelph

Hans Clevers, MD, PhD

Professor of Molecular Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht

Principal Investigator at the Hubrecht Institute (KNAW) and the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology.

Marios Giannakis, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor in Medicine

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts

Robert Holt, PhD

Scientific Co-Director, BC Cancer, Immunotherapy Program

Distinguished Scientist, BC Cancer, Genome Sciences Centre

Professor, University of British Columbia, Department of Medical Genetics,

Professor, Simon Fraser University, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry

Curtis Huttenhower, PhD

Curtis is a Professor of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics in the Departments of Biostatistics and Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he co-directs the Harvard Chan Microbiome in Public Health Center. He is an Associate Member at the Broad Institute's Microbiome Program.
His lab focuses on computational methods for functional analysis of microbial communities and molecular epidemiology of the human microbiome. This includes systems biology reconstructions integrating metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and other microbial community 'omics, the microbiome in diseases such as colorectal cancer, and its potential as a diagnostic tool and point of therapeutic intervention.

Kimmie Ng, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Director, Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center

Co-Director, Colon and Rectal Cancer Center

Director of Translational Research

Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Shuji Ogino, MD, PhD, MS

Professor of Pathology, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Professor (Epidemiology), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Chief Program in Molecular Pathological Epidemiology, Brigham and Women's

Associate Member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Laura Porter, MD

Jodi Hirschman, PhD

Jodi Hirschman is the Research Program Manager of the OPTIMISTICC project. Previously she was a Senior Scientific Writer and Product Manager at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, where she developed web content and communications for the Connectivity Map and Human Cell Atlas projects. Her interest in microbial genetics began as a graduate student exploring the regulatory pathway governing nitrogen uptake and utilization in Salmonella typhimurium. As a postdoctoral fellow she studied the role of heterotrimeric G proteins in mediating signaling in the yeast S. cerevisiae. She is thrilled to manage the OPTIMISTICC project and explore the complex relationships between bacteria and human cells in cancer.

Josep Tabernero, MD, PhD

Director of Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology

Head of the Medical Oncology Department of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital

Director of Clinical Research at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology

Co-Director of Research Unit for Molecular Therapy of Cancer-“la Caixa” at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology

Head of the Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Tumors Group at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology

Director of Innovation, Care and Research, Catalonian Oncology Network. Barcelona, Spain.

Professor, Medicine Department, Universitat de Vic, Universitat Central de Catalunya. Vic, Barcelona, Spain.

Prof Fiona Powrie, FRS

Fiona is Director of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford. She gained a PhD from the University of Oxford before moving to the DNAX Research Institute in Palo Alto. She returned to the University of Oxford in 1996 where she was the Sidney Truelove Professor of Gastroenterology from 2009-2014.
Fiona’s research is focused on interactions between the intestinal microbiome and the immune system and how this dialogue breaks down in inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. Her work has identified an essential role for regulatory T cells in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. She has also shown that both adaptive and innate immune mechanisms contribute to intestinal inflammation and identified the cytokine IL-23 as a therapeutic target in inflammatory bowel disease. She received the Louis Jeantet Prize for Medicine (2012), is a Fellow of the Royal Society, international member of the US National Academy of Sciences and a Governor of the Wellcome Trust.

Philip Quirke, BM, PhD, FRCPath, FRCSEd (ad hominem), FFPath (Hon), RCPI, FMedSci

Phil is Head of Pathology and Data Analytics at the University of Leeds, UK and a gastrointestinal pathologist by training with a long-standing interest in bowel cancer (BC). He contributed to improving BC surgery and its pathological assessment in the UK and around the world. He has been on the trial management groups of major national and international phase 3 trials on surgery (Clasicc, Rolar), chemotherapy (Quasar, Focus 1-4, Foxtrot) and radiotherapy (CR07, Aristotle) as well as many phase 2 trials. He also chairs the NHS pathology committee since 2006, contributing to EU guidance.
His current research interests are identifying the early steps in the formation of BCs, the role of the microbiome in causation, screening and treatment of BC, the use of molecular pathology in the treatment of BC and improving treatment pathways and clinical outcomes using big data and feed back to multidisciplinary teams to improve performance.

Cynthia Sears, MD

Professor of Medicine, Oncology, and Molecular Microbiology & Immunology

Laura Porter, MD

Laura was 43 years old, in the second year of her pediatric residency, in 2003, when she was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. She had two recurrences and in May 2006 she became cancer free after many medical interventions.
She has worked as a research/patient advocate in a variety of roles, including research advocacy, grant reviews, as a Medical Advisor for advocacy organizations, educational support, support groups, one-on-one support, and writing blogs for advocacy organizations.
As a research advocate, she served on the NCI Rectal-Anal Task Force for over 6 years, and the Patient Advocate Steering Committee. She serves on several committees with ASCO including the Onco-PCP Task Force, to incorporate primary care and oncologists so the survivors have appropriate follow-up, once treatment ends. She is on two panels with the National Quality Forum including being on the Opioid Technical Expert Panel. She reviewed grants as a patient advocate for Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) for 7 years, Conquer Cancer and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. She is a Special Government Employee at the FDA. She is currently a Co-Investigator on an international grant through Cancer Research United Kingdom, team OPTIMISITICC. She is responsible for the recruitment and management of the patient advocates on the project.

Anita Mitchell Isler

Anita was diagnosed with IV colorectal cancer at 41 years old. After learning more about her disease and family history she was determined to try to save others from this mostly preventable disease.
Her advocacy started at her children’s school, when she started a Dress in Blue Day to build awareness about the disease and guidelines. This is now held across the country on the first Friday in March.
She is a tireless advocate for colorectal cancer patients. She is the founder of Washington Colon Cancer Stars, a 501c3 which focuses on education for prevention and patient support. She has received various national awards for her work including Prevent Cancer Laurel of Advocacy Award, Colorectal Cancer Alliance (CCA) Visionary Award, National Colorectal Cancer Round Table (NCCRT) Blue Star award and local Rotary Self above service awards.
She has volunteered for CCA as a buddy for 14 years and is a FCRC research advocate.
You are likely to find her wearing the Polly Polyp costume giving tours through the colon or sitting beside a newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patient. In her spare time, she is helping to raise 3 stepchildren in Woodinville Washington and enjoys spending time with her three grown children.

Candace Henley, CPN

Candace is an accomplished Foundation Executive Director with significant experience in community outreach and patient education. Superior record of successful community service and engagement. Candace is a 14-year colon cancer survivor who works to help other cancer survivors make sense of the disease as well as publicly share her story of a challenging battle with a positive attitude and faith that inspires others to never give up. Her greatest fight was against the tragic turn of events that her life took after her cancer diagnosis, which overwhelmed her, robbed her of hope, tested her faith, and threatened her with defeat. Her story will make you sad, angry, cry and cheer because it's an incredible example of perseverance and strength.
Candace advocates for “Removing Barriers for Colorectal Cancer Screening Act (H.R.1070 — 113th Congress (2013-2014), 114th Congress (2015-2016), and reintroduced H.R.1017 - Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2017 115th Congress (2017-2018). A Lobbyist for Right Scan Right Time, more specifically “Access to Medical Imaging” asking Congress to enact policies to save lives by expanding patient access to existing imaging technology which is a vital part of the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease.
After years of advocating, Candace identified a need for grassroots awareness and education of colorectal cancer in communities of color and medically underserved communities, she started the Blue Hat Foundation in 2015. The organization utilizes community partnerships with healthcare providers, physicians, and hospital systems to deliver the message of the importance of getting screened and created and organized a faith-based colon cancer awareness campaign, Blue Hat Bow Tie Sunday, now in its 8th year. Candace has shared her story with national audiences on The Steve Harvey show, and with Katie Couric. She has contributed to several articles regarding colorectal cancer and has several articles written about her cancer journey and her tireless advocacy.

Barry Stein, B.Com., B.C.L., LL.B.

Barry sits on the Board of Directors of several corporations, not-for-profit organizations and foundations including Colorectal Cancer Canada, From Testing to Targeted Treatments (FT3), Exactis Innovation, Donald Berman Foundation, Tikva Children’s Foundation and Anzie Accessories & Design Inc.

He is a member of the Board of Directors (Observer) of Quebec Clinical Research in Oncology (Q-CROC) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Personalized Healthcare Innovation Network (CPHIN). He is also a patient advisor to Alberta’s O2 Oncology Outcomes Real World Evidence Project, and an advisor to the clinical trial navigator program of Catalis Clinical Trials network (Quebec) .
Barry is the past president and a Director of the Coalition Priorité Cancer au Québec. He is a founding member of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer’s National Colorectal Cancer Screening Network (NCCSN). He is also currently the past chair and a member of the IQVIA Advisory Council for the Advancement of Health in Quebec.

As the president and CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Canada (CCC) he actively represents the interests of cancer patients and speaks regularly to medical professionals, industry, government, and patient groups across Canada and Internationally about colorectal cancer, Patient Values and Preferences in Health Technology Assessment, Clinical Trials and Real World Evidence, Young Adults with Cancer, Personalized Medicine and Companion Diagnostics, Biosimilars, Colorectal Cancer Screening, Foods that Fight Cancer and other CCC programs and research projects.

Carlos Hue, PhD

Carlos has a degree in psychology and pedagogy from the University of Madrid and a doctorate from the University of Barcelona. He has worked as a psychologist in the Department of Social Services of the Regional Government of Aragon from 1976 to 1999. Since that year and until 2015 he worked as an advisor in the Ministry of Education of the same government. Simultaneously for ten years he has taught University professors at the University of Zaragoza and other universities in Spain and Latin America.
Since 2000 he has specialized in emotional intelligence, giving multiple courses, workshops, conferences and talks to officials, doctors, judges, nurses, businessmen and patients. He published two books with the title: ‘Emotional thought: a method for developing self-esteem and leadership’ and ‘Teachers’ wellbeing and emotional thought’.
In 2003 he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and in 2006 with other patients founded the Europa Colon Spain association in which he has held the post of vice president for fifteen years. As a representative of this association, he has attended different meetings and congresses on aspects of cancer, participating actively in them. In recent years he has also been participating as a patient in several international investigations.

Lee Jones, MBA

Lee was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer in March 2004, and since undergoing several rounds of chemotherapy and a liver resection in July 2006 has been cancer free. Lee has a BA in Psychology and an MBA in Finance and had a successful executive career in government, banking, consulting, and not-for-profit organizations.

To help others to survive and thrive after a cancer diagnosis, Lee became active with Fight Colorectal Cancer as a research advocate and became a member of the Georgetown Oncology Institutional Review Board (IRB). Also, he is a patient advocate member of the SWOG Survivorship Committee and the PCORI Clinical Trials Advisory Panel (CTAP), is on the Boards of the Cancer Action Coalition of Virginia (CACV), the Ruesch Center (Georgetown University) and the Cancer Policy and Advocacy Team (CPAT) of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, has been a peer research proposal reviewer for ASCO, PCORI and the DOD, and is a member of ASCO, the Colorectal Cancer Roundtable and the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM). Lee has collaborated on several projects sponsored by The Friends of Cancer Research, including defining tolerability, reporting adverse events, and tightening exclusion criteria, and has been a speaker at Ruesch Center, AAADV, CPAT and NCCN conferences.

John Barnes

I am a bowel cancer survivor. In 2000, I was diagnosed with a Dukes stage 2 bowel cancer in transverse colon following an emergency presentation with a rectal haemorrhage.

I was born in the Cambridgeshire Fens in the East of England, I went to school in the Midlands, and am a Business graduate from Coventry University. I now live near Harrogate in rural North Yorkshire, UK. I had a career in industry and owned my own lighting design and distribution company for 20 years which I sold in 2015.

Since my operation I have acted as a ‘friend’ to others who are going through similar experiences with bowel cancer. A role that I get immense satisfaction from.

I am currently a Patient Advocate for Bowel Cancer Intelligence UK and Yorkshire Cancer Research and I have represented the BCI UK at the GB Colorectal Surgeons Conference, the Public Health England Conference and also the UK Government’s cross party ‘Battle against Cancer’ Conference. I also sit on the NHS Colorectal Expert Group which is charged with producing ‘The Clinical Advice for the Commissioning of the whole Bowel Cancer Pathway’.

I now willingly give my time to try and help with the improvement of the outcome of all bowel cancer patients; I feel that I am one of the lucky ones. My personal aim is to help take the luck element out of the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

I am married with 2 adult daughters and two grandchildren. I love travelling and seeing the world, golf, cycling, art, antiques, photography, and family history research and can trace his family back to the winning side at the Battle of Hastings in 1066!

Marielle Santos McLeod, CPN

Marielle was diagnosed with young onset Stage III colon cancer in June 2017. After completing
numerous rounds of chemotherapy is now cancer free. She holds a BA Spanish and an MHA in
Healthcare Administration and has worked in the healthcare field for 13 years.
At the time of her diagnosis and treatment, she was shocked as to how little information was
available regarding colorectal cancer in young adults. After losing her job while undergoing
chemotherapy, she made it her mission to bring awareness to this disease that almost claimed
her life. She began her career as a Certified Bilingual Patient and Family Support Navigator at
the Colorectal Cancer Alliance in June 2018. While at the Alliance, Marielle has helped

collaborate with the Latino Outreach Program and oversees both the Buddy Program and Blue
Hope Financial Assistance Program.