Task Force

A native of Louisiana, J. Renea Austin-Duffin is an accomplished and proven leader in the private sector and government. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business/Public Administration from Louisiana State University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Southern University.

Upon completing her Master’s degree, Renea served her state for 13 years in both the legislative and executive branches. From 1996 through 2001, Renea served in Governor Mike Foster’s administration as first, the undersecretary of the Department of Social Services, then Deputy Commissioner of Administration for Policy, and ultimately Secretary of the Department of Social Services during his second term. Renea joined the state’s largest private health insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, in November 2001 as Senior Vice President for Member and Community Relations. She also served as the Corporate Diversity Officer and President of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation.

In summer 2006 Renea put her professional career on pause and became full-time caregiver to her sister who was living with cancer. This life changing experience inspired her to seek “success with significance”. Since February 2007 she has served as the Vice-President of Cancer Support and Outreach at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. She is responsible for the oversight and strategic development for mission-based programs and services within a 30-parish service area to lessen the burden of cancer in the community. These programs include education, research and early detection, including the management of three mobile medical clinics. She also responsible for the Cancer Centers grants management program which has a portfolio of grants in excess of $5 million. Renea also serves as the governmental affairs liaison for the Cancer Center at local, state and federal level.

While her professional career and community service are important, she views her most challenging and rewarding role as those of wife to her husband, Morise L. Duffin, Jr., and mother to her son, Morise L. Duffin, III (Trey) who is a junior at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Amy Ellis is the chief quality officer at Northwest Medical Specialties (NWMS), who oversees its quality improvement, strategic practice initiatives, and value-based care programs, including the Oncology Care Model, Oncology Medical Home, and various commercial payment models. Amy works to continually transform the way care is provided to patients by utilizing innovative tools, such as artificial intelligence, care management technology, electronic patient-reported outcomes, population health technology, continual process improvement, and data analysis.

Amy brings 15 years of healthcare experience to the NWMS team, which includes clinical oncology research and alternative payment model implementation. Amy has been recognized for her work on the Payment Reform Committee with the Community Oncology Alliance, her active involvement in the Association of Community Cancer Centers’ committees and practice initiatives, as well as her value-based care leadership with the Quality Cancer Care Alliance Network and Washington state oncology initiatives. Amy is passionate about the quality of care provided to patients and strives to improve outcomes and the patient experience.

In 2019, Amy received a HemOnc Today’s Next Gen Innovator award for her forward-thinking approach in cancer care.

Jorge J. García, PharmD, MS, MHA, MBA, FACHE, FACCC,  serves as an assistant vice president at Baptist Health South Florida with responsibility for system-wide oncology pharmacy services primarily at the Miami Cancer Institute, the Lynn Cancer Institute, and inpatient oncology pharmacy services at several acute hospitals.

Dr. García has pioneered pharmacy charge integrity and revenue management in the health-system setting and is a thought leader and national speaker in this area, as well as in the areas of alternative payment models, biosimilars, and value-based oncology care. Dr. García leads advocacy efforts at the national level to promote evaluation of safe and effective use of biosimilars, along with stakeholder engagement to support a more just and sustainable biosimilar pharmacoeconomics model.

Dr. García obtained his Doctor of Pharmacy and MBA from Nova Southeastern University in 2010. He then transitioned to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to pursue an ASHP-accredited PGY-1 & PGY-2 Health-System Pharmacy Administration Residency and a Master of Science in Pharmacy Administration. He also completed an MHA from Florida Atlantic University. Dr. García is a board member at the Florida Society of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO), a recipient of the FLASCO 2018 Above and Beyond Award, and a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Dr. Hallmeyer was born and raised in East Berlin, Germany.  Due to limited opportunities, a few weeks after her eighteenth birthday, she risked her life to escape to West Germany, where she completed her high school education in the West German system. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, she returned to her family in Berlin and was accepted to the medical faculty of the Humboldt University of Berlin.

During her medical studies, she visited the United States for several clinical clerkships and was impressed with the high level of academic education as well as the administration of medical care. These rotations laid the foundation for her desire to pursue a career in America.

Dr. Hallmeyer completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Pinnacle Health Hospitals, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and completed her fellowship in hematology and oncology in Pennsylvania, and came to Chicago in 2002 to train at the University of Illinois at Chicago campus as a fellow in hematology/oncology at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

She joined Oncology Specialists, a private practice, in 2005 and is proud to be a member of a team of physicians and nurses who offer the highest quality of patient care. The atmosphere in the practice is very team oriented; everybody is focused on one common goal: provision of state-of-the-art, compassionate and complete care for patients and their family members.  Dr. Hallmeyer has specialized in the care of patients with breast cancer and melanoma. She has an avid interest in immuno-oncology, as well as a deep interest in cancer survivorship. In 2017, Oncology Specialists joined the Advocate Health Care system, the largest integrated healthcare system in Illinois, and was re-named the Advocate Medical Group.

Most recently, Dr. Hallmeyer served on the American Society of Clinical Oncology expert panels for management of immunotherapy-related toxicities and for sexual dysfunction in cancer survivors.

In 2017, Oncology Specialists joined the Advocate Health Care system, the largest integrated healthcare system in Illinois, and was re-named the Advocate Medical Group.

Dr. Hallmeyer adds, “I feel that I have the privilege of treating a very special group of patients, and I am honored to be able to provide help and support at a very difficult juncture in a patient’s life. By working here at Advocate Medical Group, I feel that my childhood dream from East Germany has come true.”

Krista Nelson, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, FAOS, serves as manager of oncology social work and program manager for quality and research of Cancer Support Services at Providence Cancer Institute in Portland, Oregon. Over the years, she has specialized in many cancers and is interested in the effect of cancer on the family. Krista defines her role as providing support for people and their families throughout the cancer continuum, and sharing the expertise that she has learned from other patients with cancer. What she loves about working with those affected with cancer is being able to witness the grace, courage and life lessons of individuals dealing with cancer and the opportunity to be a part of their journey.

Nelson served as president of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) from 2021-2022.  Nelson is also a Past President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) and past Invited Director of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS). She also served as Director on the board of directors of the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), and as Director of the American Clinical Social Work Association (ACSWA). In 2019, the Association of Oncology Social Work presented Nelson its Leadership in Oncology Social Work Award.

Nelson received a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and a Master of Social Work degree from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon

Alti Rahman, MHA, MBA, CSSBB, is the practice administrator for Oncology Consultants in Houston, Texas. He holds additional supplementary roles including Six Sigma course instructor for Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), Board Member of COA (Community Oncology Alliance)-Administrator Network, Treasurer for the National Cancer Care Alliance (NCCA), Steering Committee Member for McKesson Specialty Health, Board Member of the Oncology Circle Advisory, and Vice President and Treasurer of the Coalition of Hematology and Oncology Practices (CHOP).

He holds a dual master’s degree in healthcare and business administration from the University of Houston.

Susan Sabo-Wagner, RN, BSN, OCN, is the clinical director of Oncology Consultants, a community-based oncology and hematology practice in Houston, Texas. She has over 23 years in nursing, half of which has been dedicated to oncology and patient advocacy.

She has a BS in nursing and is a certified oncology nurse (OCN).

Amy Smith, FNP-BC, has been a registered nurse for 15 years. She believes in developing staff to provide the very best care for patients as well as providing high-quality care close to home in rural areas. Amy is recognized as one of the top "Women of Influence" in Wyoming healthcare, and has dedicated the past 10 years to growing the local oncology program through her role as the director of oncology services. In her free time, Amy manages her organization—Amy's Kids—which provides education, healthcare, and food for 300 children in Kenya.