ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Clinical research nurse Kathleen Shannon Dorcy, RN, PhD, is a 17-year veteran of the Clinical Research Division.

In addition to her research responsibilities, Ms. Dorcy serves on Fred Hutchinson’s Institutional Review Board and other center oversight and ethics committees. She teaches nursing classes at UW Tacoma.

Shannon Dorcy is past president of the Alpha Sigma Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau (a nursing honor society) and an active member of the Oncology Nursing Society, the American Public Health Association and Puget Sound Oncology Nurses’ Society.

Becky Fahrenbruch, PharmD, BCOP, is the oncology pharmacy manager at Fairview Maple Grove Medical Center and the residency program director for the PGY2 Oncology Residency at Fairview. She is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. Dr. Fahrenbruch has been involved in many local and national organizations including the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA), and for the last 14 years has co-coordinated an Oncology Journal Club for oncology pharmacists.

Becky Fahrenbruch received her PharmD degree from University of Nebraska Medical Center. She then completed a Pharmacy Practice residency at Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington, and an Oncology Specialty Residency at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Ms. Niesha Griffith is currently an oncology consultant. Previously, she served as Vice President, Cancer Services, for the West Virginia University Health System, where she was responsible for providing overall direction with regard to the strategic, operational, clinical, financial, and administrative functions associated with cancer services. Prior to coming to WVU, she spent 19 years of her career at The Ohio State University Medical Center, with 15 years specifically working in cancer. In her role as Administrator for Pharmacy and Infusion Services at The James Cancer Hospital, she had responsibility for all inpatient and outpatient pharmacy services, as well as infusion services at all six locations, including the hospitals’ Phase I unit.

Ms. Griffith earned her Bachelor of Science Pharmacy degree from West Virginia University. She earned her Master of Science degree at the OSU College of Pharmacy after completing the combined two-year Masters/Residency Program in Hospital Pharmacy Administration.

She is Past President of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA), where she previously served as Health Policy Chair and Board Member at Large. She is Past President of the Central Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Past Chair of the Leadership Advisory Group of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Section of Pharmacy Practice Managers.

Ms. Griffith has been successful in the development of clinical programs and services aimed at improving supportive care management of patients, ensuring appropriate and safe use of medications, maximizing medication reimbursement, and improving patient throughput. She lectures regularly and is published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, Pharmacotherapy, Formulary, Hospital Pharmacy, and the Journal of Oncology Practice.

Dr. Hari is the Armand J. Quick/William F. Stapp Professor of Hematology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he is also a chief in the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine. After attending medical school in India, Dr. Hari completed his training in internal medicine and hematology in the United Kingdom and then in the Medical Oncology and Transplantation Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Hari’s primary clinical interests are in cellular therapies and plasma cell disorders, including multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, and other monoclonal gammopathies.

Kristine LeFebvre, MSN, RN, AOCN joined the Education Team at the Oncology Nursing Society in 2004. In the role of Oncology Clinical Specialist, she works on a variety of educational and collaborative projects, including the ASCO/ONS Chemotherapy Administration Safety Standards, ONS Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Guidelines, and many ONS leadership initiatives. Ms. Lefebvre has more than 25 years of oncology nursing experience, including the roles of staff nurse, nurse manager, and clinical nurse specialist in oncology and bone marrow transplant.

Ray D. Page, DO, PhD, FACOI, FASCO, has practiced medical oncology for 23 years. He is President of The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and has been at the forefront of community oncology practice transformation participating in a variety of payment reform models and development of pathway systems. As Director of Research for The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Dr. Page has been the Principal Investigator of over 200 clinical trials. He serves on the board, executive committee, and chairs the membership committee of a national oncology “Supergroup”, Quality Cancer Care Alliance. He is the Chief-of-Staff and serves on several committees, including the Graduate Medical Education Committee for the Internal Medicine residency program, and serves on the Board of the Careity Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dr. Page received his BS in chemistry and biology from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and his MS in physiology at Baylor University Graduate School-Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas. He received his Ph.D. in pharmacology and his doctorate in osteopathic medicine. Dr. Page completed his residency in internal medicine at The University of North Texas Health Science Center Osteopathic Medical Center of Texas and completed a combined oncology/hematology fellowship at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Jody Pelusi, PhD, FNP, AOCNP, is an oncology nurse practitioner at Honor Health Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she cares for oncology patients undergoing phase 1 clinical trials and standard of care therapies.

Dr. Pelusi is recognized as an Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner by the National Oncology Nursing Society. She has 47+ years of experience in oncology care in a multitude of settings. Her research focuses on long-term cancer survivorship issues, educational needs of cancer caregivers, cancer genetics, and implementation of oral chemotherapy medication programs into private practice.

Dr. Pelusi has had a 4-year appointment to the FDA’s Oncological Drug Advisory Committee where she was the first nurse and first non physician to serve on this Committee. She also served on the FDA‘s ODAC Pediatric and Quality of Life subcommittees. She has previously served on the National Oncology Nursing Society’s Board of Directors and is currently on the Governing Board of the Intercultural Cancer Council.

Virginia Vaitones, MSW, OSW-C Emeritus, recently retired after more than 39 years as an oncology social worker, and continues to work (per diem) in the Cancer Care Program at Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Maine. She is a past president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Throughout her career, she has had a special interest in multiple myeloma and the impact the disease has on patients and their loved ones. She has worked on previous multiple myeloma education projects with ACCC.

She is a past president of the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) and represented this association at the Commission on Cancer (CoC) for 11 years. She was involved in the writing and updating the CoC Cancer Program Standards 2012: Ensuring Patient Centered Care. Her areas of interest and expertise include patient navigation, financial advocacy, and psychosocial distress screening.

Ms. Vaitones earned her MSW degree from Simmons College School of Social Work.