Advisory Committee

Samuel Bowdoin, DMD, is a board-certified general dentistry practitioner with 20 plus years of experience and has additional board certifications in Sleep Medicine and Head and Neck Pain. Dr. Bowdoin is passionate about bettering patient care, and is eager to share his knowledge and experience with others. Dr. Bowdoin graduated from The University of Florida in 2002.

Jacqueline Dibble, FNP-BC, APRN, RN, is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner (ANCC). Dibble works in the Otolaryngology/Head and Neck surgery service where she sees a variety of Head and Neck surgery patients in clinic, assists in the operating room, and helps care for patients post operatively on the inpatient floor.

Dibble is a member of the Society of Head and Neck Nurses, Connecticut Advance Practice Registered Nurse Society, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She received the Ruth McCorkle Oncology Advanced Practice Provider Award in 2020 and she presented at the International AHNS conference in July 2023. Dibble received her Master of Science in nursing and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Fairfield University.

Hilda Haynes-Lewis, PhD, ANP-BC, AOCNP, currently works as a nurse practitioner in radiation oncology and is the primary provider in the Prostate Survivorship program in the Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center. She is an assistant professor of radiation oncology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She has worked as an oncology nurse for over 30 years.

Dr. Haynes-Lewis’ research focuses on the impact supportive care needs and distress on older adults with advanced cancer. Dr. Haynes-Lewis has presented nationally on the topics of palliative care, radiation oncology, prostate cancer, symptom management and survivorship. She has published numerous articles on varies topics related to cancer care. 

Dr. Haynes-Lewis received her bachelor’s degree from Alfred University, a graduate degree from Columbia University with a concentration in oncology nursing, and her PhD from University of Utah with a graduate certificate in gerontology. 

Linda Hutkin-Slade, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C is a licensed clinical social worker and certified oncology social worker at Sharp Grossmont Cancer Center, part of Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, California.  As a thirteen-year cancer survivor, she brings personal and professional experience to her work with patients and families as they move through their cancer journey.  Linda has worked in outpatient oncology for ten years and facilitates many support groups, offers multiple monthly educational workshops, and serves as the psychosocial coordinator for INCP. She works one on one with patients, survivors, and their caregivers.

Hutkin-Slade spearheaded efforts to develop and implement an innovative continuum of care across Sharp HealthCare to address cancer-related cognitive impairment. She has worked extensively in health care, both in direct service and in management. As an oncology social worker, she is active in AOSW (Association of Oncology Social Work) most recently as the 2023 AOSW Conference Co-Chair, and currently as the co-chair of the Radiation Therapy Special Interest Group. During her stint in heart transplantation, she was active in the Society for Heart and Lung Transplant Social Work (now Society for Transplant Social Workers) in a variety of leadership roles, including President. 

Hutkin-Slade received a master in social work from San Diego State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego, both in San Diego, California.

Jessi Maxwell, MD, MPH, has been a faculty member in the Georgetown Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery since 2015. Dr. Maxwell oversees the Head and Neck Surgical Oncology Program at the VA Medical Center in Washington, District of Columbia. She is an integral member of the VA Medical Center’s multidisciplinary head and neck tumor conference.

Dr. Maxwell’s clinical interests include transoral robotic surgery, endocrine surgery, salivary gland abnormalities, and obstructive sleep apnea. Her research interests include Human papillomavirus (HPV) in head and neck cancer and salivary gland disorders.

Dr. Maxwell is a graduate of University of Michigan Medical School and the University of Pittsburgh residency program.  She completed her fellowship in head and neck cancer surgery with advanced training in the management of all types of head and neck cancer, including transoral robotic and laser surgery.

Steven Powell, MD, is an Associate Scientist in Medical Oncology at Sanford Cancer Center and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dr. Powell is the Head of Enterprise Oncology Research at Sanford and leads the advanced cancer therapeutics and precision oncology research programs.

Dr. Powell’s expertise is in phase I and II clinical trials, with a focus on cancer immunotherapy and genomic-matched treatments. Clinically he focuses on the management of head and neck malignancies, melanoma, and lung cancer. Through these efforts, he has led over 30 clinical trials leading to more than 50 co-authored publications and published abstracts in highly respected journals including The New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Nationally he has served on the National Cancer Institute Head and Neck Cancer Steering Committee, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) TAPUR Molecular Tumor Board, and Alliance Immuno-Oncology Committee.   

Dr. Powell earned his medical degree from The University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine, and a Bachelor of Science degree in bioengineering and biomedical engineering from Arizona State University. He completed a residency in internal medicine from the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, a residency at the University of Minnesota, and a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology from the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

Angie Rush is a survivor of Stage 4, non-HPV, head and neck cancer. Advocating for anyone affected with Head and Neck Cancer has become Rush’s goal in life. We keep the motto of “everything happens for a reason”, no matter how big or small in our family. Our paths are always changing, and we are just along for the ride, Tomorrow is another day, but never promised and no matter what, KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Eileen Sexton serves as the Vice President of programs for the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance in Charleston, South Carolina. Sexton has spent the majority of her three-decade career working in non-profit management, guiding communications and marketing teams. She served as the Vice President of Communications for many national/international organizations, including Mental Health America, Special Olympics International and Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, to name a few.

Tammara Watts, MD, PhD, serves as an Associate Professor of Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences at the Duke Cancer Network in Durham, North Carolina. In July 2022, Dr. Watts was appointed the Associate Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) for the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI). In this inaugural position for the DCI, Dr. Watts oversees creation of the plan to enhance diversity which includes development and implementation of an EDI strategic plan in the DCI that is in alignment with the Duke School of Medicine and the Duke University Health System’s larger EDI/DEI vision.

Dr. Watts’ research focuses on understanding the role tumor microenvironment mesenchymal stromal cells play in mediating treatment resistance and cancer recurrence. She has received numerous grants in this space and recently  has begun studies related to racial disparities in head and neck cancer, including pilot funding from the DCI and NRG Oncology examining gene expression changes between Black and White patients with human papilloma virus positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Nationally, Dr. Watts has served as member of the Women in Surgery Committee for the American College of Surgeons for seven years and has been the Chair of the Mentorship subcommittee for the last 2 years.

Dr. Watts earned a medical degree from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.