2021 Advisory Committee

Dr. Munoz specializes in treating lymphomas, and he is the director of the Lymphoma Program at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. He is triple-board-certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. Dr. Munoz studied medicine at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru. Subsequently, he completed his residency and fellowship in hematology-oncology at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan. Dr. Munoz also earned a master’s degree in patient-based research and had an investigational cancer therapeutics fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston before he relocated to Arizona to spearhead the development of chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T cells. He has been the principal investigator in multiple cutting-edge lymphoma trials, including immunotherapy and CAR T-cells. Dr. Munoz has published in major medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Reviews, Blood, and JAMA. Dr. Munoz's personal goal is the development of non-chemotherapy agents, via novel clinical trials, to serve patients suffering from lymphoma.

Dr. Koffman is a well-known doctor, educator, and clinical professor-turned-patient who has dedicated himself to teaching and helping the CLL community since his own CLL diagnosis in 2005. Dr. Koffman believes that his dual roles as a retired physician and patient give him a unique understanding that allows him to provide clear explanations of complex issues, advocate for his fellow patients, and inform his fellow healthcare providers. Besides his medical degree, Dr. Koffman has a master’ degree in medical education. He is a retired family doctor and clinical professor at the Keck School of Medicine.

Dr. Koffman co-founded and serves as the chief medical officer and executive vice president of the nonprofit, CLL Society Inc., and he writes a widely followed blog. Dr. Koffman has shared online and across the world his battle with his leukemia, including a failed bone marrow transplant and successes with two Phase 1 trials, including CAR T-cell therapy.

Robyn Brumble has held a variety of roles as a registered nurse for more than twenty years in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. She helps ensure all patients receive the very best care possible, and she incorporates her passion for excellence in patient care into her role with the CLL Society. Brumble has held positions in nursing leadership, patient advocacy, patient education, and nursing academics. She has developed continuing medical education programs (for both physicians and nurses), led non-profit organizations, and she is a published author and editor of medical textbooks. Brumble has also spent time as a legal nurse consultant and expert legal nurse witness.

Brumble enjoys giving speaking engagements at medical conferences, particularly when she is presenting on topics about quality improvement and patient safety initiatives. She holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in nursing.

Andrea Conners is the executive director of the Patient Empowerment Network (PEN). Prior to joining PEN, she was the head of U.S. consulting for pharmaphorum connect and head of external R&D communications at AstraZeneca. That role marked the culmination of nearly 10 years in global communications at AstraZeneca in the U.S. and U.K. Before that, Conners held corporate communication roles of increasing responsibility at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. 

Conners’ experience spans patient engagement, advocacy, public relations, media relations, developing and delivering communication skills training, social and digital media, and writing for print, web, and multi-media platforms. Throughout her career, Conners has been responsible for creating, implementing, and measuring successful engagement strategies and programs that are at the forefront of communication trends. She has garnered this experience working in patient advocacy, global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, non-profit, and academic organizations in the U.S., U.K., and around the world.