Advisory Committee, Phase II

Michelle Bigg, RN, BSN, is a women's oncology coordinator at Sunrise Cancer Center. She began her medical career in 2003 as a medical research intern at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College (NYP-WMC) in New York City. During this period, she gained a passion for medicine and decided to pursue a career in medicine. While obtaining her bachelor’s in health sciences and subsequent associate degree in nursing, Michelle worked at both NYP-WMC and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a research coordinator. During this time, she helped to run several National Cancer Institute clinical and investigator initiated trials for women’s oncology and gastroenterology. She was responsible for institutional review board submissions, patient recruitment/eligibility, ensuring proper safety and compliance with protocols, documentation of all pertinent research patient information, and working closely with patients as she went through their research protocols.

Michelle obtained her nursing license in July 2010 and continued to work at NYP/WMC as a clinical practice nurse to a multidisciplinary cancer center at the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health.  She worked with a care team consisting of physicians, specialists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nutritionists, genetic counselors, and social workers to help specialize care plans for patients undergoing various cancer treatments and surveillance. Additionally, she saw patients with a woman’s health/genetic gastroenterologist and helped to device recommendations for gastrointestinal screening and surveillance for women in conjunction with the NYP/WMC Iris Cantor Breast Center.

 In November 2016, she transferred to the Breast Center at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas as a nurse navigator to breast and gynecological cancer patients. She assists patients during their cancer journey by providing patient-centered care with education of their disease and treatments, coordination of appointments, identifying and decreasing barriers to care with providing support and community resources, and being a support to both the patient and family members. She started her master’s in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in September 2018 and looks forward to continuing to help cancer patients throughout their journey and survivorship.

Before becoming the executive director of Life with Cancer and Patient Experience for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Jennifer Bires served as the executive director at Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, D.C., after almost a decade of experience as an oncology social worker in the D.C. area. Bires 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, end-of-life issues for patients and families, and sexual health. Jennifer is the 2017 recipient of the Oncology Social Worker of the Year Award from the Association of Oncology Social Workers.

Dr. Black directs a busy practice, caring for women facing complex health issues. She joined Willis-Knighton’s Cancer Center team following her fellowship training at the prestigious Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where, upon graduation, she was recognized as the top surgical fellow. At Willis-Knighton, Dr. Black serves as director of gynecologic oncology at the LSU School of Medicine Shreveport. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed research papers and book chapters, and she served on the program committee for the 2008 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting. Dr. Black is also a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Medical Association, and local and state medical societies.

Dr. Blank specializes in treating patients with gynecologic cancers, including ovarian, fallopian tube, primary peritoneal, uterine and cervical cancers, and in caring for women at increased risk of cancer. She has conducted extensive research on women’s cancers on topics including genetic predisposition to cancer (BRCA 1 and 2, Lynch Syndrome and others), novel treatment approaches, fertility preservation, survivorship, and quality of life.  By serving on the Ovarian Committee of the NRG, Dr. Blank is involved in the development of NCI- sponsored practice-changing clinical trials, and she has been a principal investigator for multiple trials. She also collaborates with other researchers at the Tisch Cancer Institute on translational research in fields such as immunotherapy and DNA repair. Dr. Blank is broadly published in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks, and she frequently presents at national and international conferences on women’s gynecologic oncology issues.

Dr. Blank is the recipient of many honors and awards, including Castle Connolly Top Doctors, Super Doctors, and the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology Teaching Award, among others. She serves on numerous boards and committees and is actively involved with many professional organizations, including the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, NRG Oncology, Foundation for Women’s Cancer, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Blank earned her medical degree from the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the New York Hospital – Cornell Medical Center and a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center.

Dr. Bupathi is a board-certified medical oncologist, and he joined Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers in 2017. He specializes in solid tumors with an advanced subspecialty expertise in breast cancers and genitourinary cancers (adrenal, bladder, kidney, penile, prostate, and testicular). Dr. Bupathi is deeply committed to personalized care, always taking the time to listen and understand what matters to his patients. He is valued by his patients, peers, and colleagues for his excellent clinical judgment. He makes it a point to be well-prepared for patient visits by reviewing charts and consulting with colleagues and team members prior to appointments. His patients have his full attention and he is devoted to their best interests.

Dr. Bupathi participates in many tumor boards, where he collaborates with other cancer specialists including surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, and radiation oncologists. This allows him to provide a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to cancer treatment recommendations such as chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapies. Dr. Bupathi has a strong interest in the field of personalized medicine and how genomics and molecular pathways impact cancer treatment options. He serves as principal investigator for many Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III studies, and he emphasizes the importance of participating in clinical research trials whenever possible to ensure patients are receiving the most timely, cutting-edge treatment for their disease. In addition to Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, Dr. Bupathi also sees patients for Phase I clinical research trials at Sarah Canon Research Institute in Denver.

Dr. Cliby is a gynecologic oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and the Virgil S. Counseller Professor of Surgery. Dr. Cliby’s expertise is in surgical gynecologic oncology, outcomes, and translational research, and he has focused much of his clinical research on improving techniques and surgical outcomes and quality in ovarian cancer. His laboratory research is focused on the interaction between cancer and stroma in ovarian cancer. Dr. Cliby has a strong interest in education and has been the fellowship program director for 13 years, having developed the fellowship program directors’ training course for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. He currently serves as a member of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, and as a member of the ACGME Review Committee. Dr. Cliby completed his residency training at Duke University and fellowship training at Mayo Clinic.

Charles Drescher, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist at Swedish Cancer Institute, and has been named Seattle Magazine’s and Seattle Metro Magazine’s “Top Doctor,” Seattle Top Doctor Hall of Fame, “Best Doctors in America,” and is a recipient of numerous awards including the Patient Choice Award. Dr. Drescher participates in a number of cancer research organizations and holds positions that include—but are not limited to—joint full member of the Molecular Diagnostics Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; key investigator with the Pacific Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium; Canary Foundation Ovary Science team leader; and board member of the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.

As a gynecologic cancer specialist, Dr. Drescher aims to provide the best possible care to all women with or at risk for gynecologic cancers, as well as women with complex benign gynecological conditions. He works with a team of skilled providers to ensure his patients have access to the full range of treatment options and supportive care.

Dr. Prescott is a gynecologic oncologist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Her research interests include measuring and evaluating surgical and oncologic outcomes and improving the quality of healthcare delivery through the implementation of evidence-based medicine. Dr. Prescott leads the Vanderbilt Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Program for patients undergoing gynecologic surgery.

Leigha Senter, MS, LGC, FACCC, is a licensed genetic counselor and clinical professor at The Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute where she specializes in cancer genetics risk assessment in women with gynecologic cancers. She is the Associate Director of the Division of Human Genetics.

Senter has more than 20 years of research experience in hereditary cancers with a primary focus in BRCA gene-related projects with more than 100 peer reviewed publications. She is currently a board member for the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Senter earned a bachelor's degree in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and a master's degree in genetic counseling from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Premal H. Thaker, MD, MSc, is an Associate Professor in Gynecologic Oncology and Director of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. Thaker is a member of the NRG Oncology’s Phase I committee and is the Chair of the Early Business Development Committee of the GOG Partners Investigator Council. She has been national PI of three GOG clinical trials as well as other national clinical trials. She served as a member of the grants and awards committee for the Foundation for Women’s Cancer. Additionally, she has served on the NRG Ovarian Cancer Committee, NCI Ovarian Task Force, NCI Gynecologic Task Force, and on the NCCN Task Force for genetics. She also serves on several Data Safety Monitoring Boards and is on the NCCN committee for Ovarian Cancer. She has published over 180 peer-reviewed publications as an author or co-author as well as 12 book chapters.

Dr. Thaker graduated from a six-year combined baccalaureate and medical degree program through Villanova University and Medical College of Pennsylvania. Subsequently she joined the obstetrics and gynecology residency program at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She then went to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, to complete a master’s degree in Cancer Biology as well as her gynecologic oncology fellowship in 2006.