Leadership Council

Cheryl Bellomo is a multi–disease-site oncology nurse navigator for the Intermountain Healthcare system. She is a solo navigator serving in community-based care of oncology patients connected to Cedar City Hospital, radiation and medical oncology services, local surgical and primary care physician offices, and a variety of community resources in Cedar City and southwestern Utah. She received her degree in nursing at St. Vincent Charity School of Nursing in Cleveland, Ohio, and undergraduate bachelor of science degree in nursing and master’s degree in nursing education from Western Governors University.

Jennifer Bires, LICSW, OSW-C, is Executive Director of Life with Cancer and Patient Experience for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute. She previously served as the Executive Director at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC, after almost a decade of experience as an oncology social worker in the DC area. Jennifer has a passion for improving access to psychosocial services for those impacted by cancer. She specializes in working with young adults who have been diagnosed with cancer, communication around end-of-life concerns, and sexual health. She currently serves at the Chair of the Board of Oncology Social Workers, and she was awarded the 2017 Oncology Social Worker of the Year award from the Association of Oncology Social Workers.

Linda Burhansstipanov has worked in public health since 1971. She taught at universities for 18 years (CSULB and UCLA). She developed and implemented the Native American Cancer Research Program at the National Cancer Institute from 1989-1993. She is the founder of Native American Cancer Research Corporation (non-profit) and President of Native American Cancer Initiatives, Incorporated (for-profit). She currently is the principal investigator and subcontractor for >4 NIH grants. She serves on multiple federal advisory boards. She has over 125 peer-reviewed publications, of which most address Native American cancer, community-based participatory research (CBPR), patient navigation, evaluation, public health and data issues.

Elizabeth Franklin is Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy at the Cancer Support Community (CSC), where she is responsible for the development and implementation of CSC’s regulatory and legislative agenda, securing and growing relationships with policymakers and stakeholders across multiple sectors, and engaging national partners to identify areas of common work and consensus to collectively advocate for positive change for people affected by cancer.

Sharon Gentry is Program Director, Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators (AONN+), The Lynx Group, Cranbury, NJ. She obtained her nursing bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Greensboro, respectively. She serves as a leader for the AONN+ organization, guiding and directing the organization based on agreed-upon strategic plans, goals and objectives that the organization, with administrative support from The Lynx Group, intends to achieve both short-term as well as long-term. She oversees the AONN+ Leadership Council and Local Navigation Networks.

Rani Khetarpal is Vice President of Provider Partnerships at New Century Health, a leader in value-based oncology pathways and risk relationships with payers and providers. Rani has an MBA degree from St. Joseph’s University. With a rich background in oncology, value-based care initiatives and navigation/care coordination and pharmaceuticals, her work also has her heavily involved in advocacy and policy development with various oncology stakeholders, as well as public and private payers. Rani is also the founder of Global Transitional Care (GTC), the first Medicare-approved provider organization centered on clinical transitional care.

Jennifer Klemp is Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Clinical Oncology, Director of Cancer Survivorship, and Co-Program Leader for Cancer Prevention and Survivorship at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Her clinical practice is focused on cancer genetics. She is the founder and CEO of Cancer Survivorship Training, Inc., an eLearning company supporting healthcare professionals, and is Principal of Cancer Resource Partners, LLC.

Vikas Mehta, MD, MPH, FACS, is a Head and Neck Surgical Oncologist and an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY. He also is the Quality Improvement Coordinator for the Montefiore Einstein Cancer Committee. As part of this role, he has been working on developing a robust navigation program utilizing EHR and other database tools to help address cancer-care disparities at Montefiore Health System; a system that consists of 10 hospitals and hundreds of various care sites serving one of the most socioeconomically disadvantaged and racially diverse populations in the United States. He is also the Coordinator for Research and Quality for the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery where he helps direct various quality care initiatives that leverage national registry data.

Zarek Mena has 13 years of experience in the field of patient navigation and is a caregiver at heart. She obtained certifications from the Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute and the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators. She was instrumental in the creation of the Smilow Family Breast Health Center and MSKCC Physicians affiliation at Whittingham Cancer Center at Nuvance Health, including its numerous support programs. She was recently promoted to Women's Health Program Manager bringing COC & NAPBC accreditation standards to the next level. She also facilitates Fairfield County Patient Navigation Network, comprised of nurse and non-clinical navigators, as well as participates in community advocacy efforts showing her passion to serve the cancer community.

As director of VCU Massey Cancer Center, Robert Winn, M.D., oversees a cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute that provides advanced cancer care, conducts groundbreaking research to discover new therapies for cancer, offers high-quality education and training, and engages with the community to make advancements in cancer treatment and prevention equally available to all. He is leading the nation in establishing a 21st-century model of equity for cancer science and care, in which the community is informing and partnering with Massey on its research to best address the cancer burden and disparities of those the cancer center serves, with a local focus but global impact.