Dr. Laura Porter is a stage IV colon cancer survivor and has worked as a 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 serves on the NCI Rectal-Anal Task Force, 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 reviews grants as a patient advocate for Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), 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.