Advisory Committee

For the past seven years, Rudy Garcia III, MPH, has worked at the Dell Children's Blood and Cancer Center of Central Texas in various roles. This is where he developed an interest in patient financial advocacy. Currently, Garcia is the administrative supervisor for the clinic and leads a team of passionate individuals who help with financial navigation initiatives to ensure patients do not face financial toxicity.

Garcia has a Bachelor of Science in human biology from the University of Texas, a Master of Public Health from Southern New Hampshire University, and is currently working toward a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in healthcare management at Capella University.

Aimee Hoch, LSW, OSW-C, is a master’s-level social worker with 20 plus years of experience in both healthcare and behavioral health. A financial navigator for the oncology program at Grand View Health and consultant for Cancer Support Community, Hoch advocates for individuals diagnosed with cancer by meeting them with empathy and connecting them to resources during their most vulnerable times.

Hoch has been a guest on CANCER BUZZ TV, Patient Power, The Can Survivor with Kelsey Smith podcast, and WDVR 88.7 FM. She has been featured in publications, including Breastcancer.org, Patient Power, and Association for Community Cancer Center’s (ACCC’s) financial advocate spotlight. Hoch speaks about financial toxicity and the role of financial navigation in cancer care. She is an active member of the ACCC Financial Advocacy Network, including memberships among this network’s Advisory Committee and Voice Task Force. Hoch is also a member of Cancer Support Community’s Biosimilar Advisory Board. She has contributed to the ACCC Patient Assistance & Reimbursement Guide and OncoLink News. Hoch earned her Master of Social Work from Fordham University at Lincoln Center.

Sarah Hudson-DiSalle, PharmD, RPh,​ is the pharmacy manager at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – The James. She oversees and manages the medication assistance program and reimbursement services for infusion services. Dr. Hudson-DiSalle has a demonstrated history of working in the hospital and healthcare industry. She is skilled in healthcare information technology, hospitals, managed care, healthcare, revenue cycle management for pharmaceuticals, patient access to pharmaceuticals, and healthcare management. 

Dr. Hudson-DiSalle earned a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from the University of Toledo in 1995 and, after practicing pharmacy for seven years, earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from the The Ohio State University in 2005. She is passionate about her role in pharmacy, with a focus on patient access and reimbursement services for infusion medication at The James Cancer Hospital.  

Jordan Karwedsky is one of seven financial counselors at Green Bay Oncology and has worked in oncology for 14 years. She first joined Green Bay Oncology’s billing department and later transferred to the clinical setting as a financial counselor. Karwedsky is part of a team that is responsible for obtaining authorizations for all medications, labs, diagnostic imaging, and radiation treatments. This team also supports patients by enrolling them into local and national foundations, as well as pharmaceutical company co-pay card and patient assistance programs to assist patients with their out-of-pocket costs. Her most important role at Green Bay Oncology is being an advocate for patients.

Karwedsky participates in several committees within her organization, including its Clinical Practice Committee, and she works with providers to update clinical pathways. She has presented on financial advocacy at numerous meetings for the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), including the 2016 ACCC National Oncology Conference, and serves on multiple task forces and committees for the association. Karwedsky has also consulted with other cancer programs to help them develop financial counseling programs and worked with outside donors to obtain funding for an internal patient assistance program.

Since 2007, Jared Kast, RT(T), MHA, has served oncology patients and staff in multiple roles. Currently, Kast is the executive director of the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He began his career as a radiation therapist at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisc. Since, Kast has grown into multiple leadership roles over the years, learning about all areas of cancer care.

Clinically, cancer care is very complex and sometimes more so behind the scenes. Kast has been working over the years to help build and transform oncology care delivery to view patients as a whole person, including the financial aspects of cancer that can create barriers to access or place a severe burden on patients and their families.

Margaret "Maggie" Liang, MD, MSHPM, is a gynecologic oncologist and health services researcher at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Her passion for research is to develop interventions to address patient and caregiver financial toxicity, and she has several years of experience helping with developing a financial navigation program at the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). 

Dr. Liang serves as the network relations lead for the Emotional Well-Being and Economic Burden (EMOT-ECON) Research Network, which aims to establish a national network of stakeholder members to advance for science on the economic consequences of disease, as well as its impact on patients’ emotional well-being. She completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at The Ohio State University and a gynecologic oncology fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Liang also earned a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management from UCLA.

Lori Schneider is an oncology operations manager at Green Bay Oncology and has worked in healthcare for over 25 years. As an operations manager, Schneider oversees the organization’s financial counseling, social work, medical records, reception, and dietitian teams, as well as provider scheduling and credentialing. She joined Green Bay Oncology as a receptionist and later transferred to revenue cycle, where she worked in accounts receivable. In 2006, Schneider developed the financial counseling role at Green Bay Oncology before transitioning to business office manager and, more recently, operations manager roles. 

She is a past chairperson for the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) Financial Advocacy Network and is currently an ACCC Board Member. Schneider has presented at several conferences on the importance of financial counseling in oncology, including what is needed to have a centralized team that cares for patients' financial and insurance needs (e.g., prior authorizations and financial assistance for medical, radiation, surgical, gynecological, and pediatric oncology). Additional conference topics include the importance of utilizing pharmaceutical and specialty pharmacy representatives to help your cancer program and how to enhance your financial counseling program. Schneider and her team have also assisted cancer programs and practices nationally and locally, including helping them establish and enhance their own financial counseling programs.

Francinna Scott-Jones, ROCC, CPAR, is a knowledgeable professional specializing in healthcare revenue cycle. She is the financial coordinator for the Radiation Oncology Department at Northside Hospital’s Cancer Institute in Atlanta, Ga. For the past 25 years, Scott-Jones has focused her talents on radiation oncology. She has been responsible for the revenue cycle process for freestanding radiation oncology centers as well as outpatient hospital-based facilities. In a previous role, Scott-Jones served as the billing and reimbursement director of a central business office for a large radiation oncology practice management company. This office was responsible for billing and collections for 24 practices located all over the United States.

Scott-Jones is passionate about working to mitigate disparities to accessing to healthcare. She believes that quality healthcare is a right that should be afforded to all people regardless of their race and/or socio-economic background. Working with ACCC’s Financial Advocacy Network aligns Scott-Jones with her goal to make a difference in oncology patients’ lives.

Ramy Sedhom, MD, is a medical oncologist and palliative care specialist, with an interest in symptom management, communication, and improving access to high-quality, affordable cancer care. Dr. Sedhom leads a growing program in geriatric oncology, focused on personalizing care for older adults with cancer. He believes in the value of keeping patients close to their homes, families, and support networks.

Dr. Sedhom trained at Johns Hopkins Medicine in medical oncology and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in palliative medicine. As a faculty member of Penn Oncology, with a physical presence in New Jersey, Dr. Sedhom offers patients access to state-of-the-art care in their own neighborhood.

Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, CTR, is Administrative Director of Cancer Services & Community Health and Wellness at Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth, Ohio. She brings more than 30 years of experience in healthcare to this role. She began her career in medical imaging but has spent the last 28 years in oncology. Her passion for community health and community development led her to assume a larger leadership role at Southern Ohio Medical Center in 2013, when she assumed leadership of the Community Health and Wellness teams.

A 13-year survivor of breast cancer, Wendi special interests include community development, public speaking, leadership, dance, fitness, hiking, and biking, and spending time with her family.

She is a graduate of the Radiologic Technology Program at Shawnee State University and received her training for radiation therapy at Weber State University. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Administration and Health Informatics from Kennedy Western Reserve. Wendi is also a Certified Cancer Registrar and Certified Medical Dosimetrist.