Steering Committee

David R. Spigel, MD, joined Sarah Cannon in 2003 and as chief scientific officer, he oversees all scientific aspects of Sarah Cannon's clinical trial program, working with the research physician leaders to ensure the best new agents and studies are available to our patients. He serves as a primary contact for the Pharma and biotech partners as well as the strategic site physicians with whom Sarah Cannon conducts cancer research.

Dr. Spigel received his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1992, and medical degree from The University of Tennessee in Memphis in 1996. After completing an internal medicine and chief residency at Indiana University Medical Center, he completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. He is board certified in medical oncology. Additionally, he is a partner with Tennessee Oncology, PLLC.

Nicholas Robert, MD,  is currently the Medical Director, Data, Evidence & Insights, McKesson Life Sciences. In this role Dr. Robert oversees health economic outcomes research.

After being the clinical director of medical oncology at New England Medical Center (Tufts University), Dr. Robert joined Virginia Cancer Specialists in Fairfax,Virginia, where he served as Medical Director of the Research Program of the practice. He has also held positions as Chief, Hematology/Oncology Section, and Chair, Cancer Committee, at Inova Fairfax Hospital, as well as Chair of the ECOG Breast Committee. In addition, he has served as a faculty member of ASCO University.

The author of over 100 publications, Dr. Robert is a reviewer for several medical publications and the recipient of numerous research grants. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and a former member of the Cancer Research Committee and past chair of the ASCO Research Community Forum. He was a member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project.

A graduate of the McGill Medical School, Dr. Robert completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. Following a residency in Anatomic Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital where he was Chief Resident, he continued his training in Hematology in Boston at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He was a Fellow at Harvard Medical School.

He is board certified in Internal Medicine, anatomic pathology, medical oncology, and hematology. 

Andrea Ferris is President and CEO of LUNGevity and a member of the Board of Directors. In this capacity, she is responsible for setting and executing the strategic direction of the organization and its science programs. Ms. Ferris was the Vice President of Strategy and Growth of Decision Lens, Inc. a company she helped launch in January 2005. Prior to joining Decision Lens, Andrea held a variety of management positions at Johnson & Johnson, including Director of Investor Relations, Manager Corporate Mergers & Acquisitions, and Plant Controller. She also spent several years at McNeil Consumer Products, a J&J subsidiary, in marketing and mergers & acquisitions. Prior to her time at J&J, Andrea worked for Lehman Brothers and Coopers & Lybrand in New York City in both Mergers and Acquisitions and as a CPA.

Ms. Ferris served on Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center National Committee of Performing Arts and on the Board of ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) of Metro DC. She has also served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for DC Metro Boys and Girls Club and has worked with the Ronald McDonald House and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Ms. Ferris received her BS in Economics from Wharton with concentrations in Accounting, Decision Sciences, and Finance. She received her MBA from Wharton with concentrations in Finance and Latin American Studies.

Nikki Martin is Senior Director of Precision Medicine Initiatives where she focuses on accelerating access to precision medicine, especially biomarker testing, for lung cancer patients. Nikki came into patient advocacy from multiple roles in public affairs and communications at diagnostic and biotech companies including Genentech, Novartis Diagnostics, and Grifols where she collaborated with patient advocacy groups and other stakeholders on a variety of global health issues. She believes that patient advocacy organizations play an essential role in convening influential entities from government to providers, payers, and industry, which can lead to critical work with long-lasting impact on patient care. Nikki started her career in healthcare communications in Japan where she advised healthcare clients on public relations activities in the Japanese market.