Advisory Panel
Below is a partial listing of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel. The members of the NCCC Medical Advisory Panel are dedicated to furthering research and treatment efforts in the area of gynecological cancer, with a special concern in improving the cervical cancer screening programs both nationally and internationally. The Medical Advisory Panel will play a vital role in overseeing the direction and content of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC). Juan Carlos Felix, MD is the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Panel.
Mr. Alan M. Kaye
Chairman, NCCC Board of Directors
National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC)
The members of the Medical Advisory Panel have hundreds of publications between them. Contact NCCC offices for additional information on individual members.
Chairman
Juan Carlos Felix, MD, a cytopathologist, is the Chairman of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel.
Dr. Felix's academic appointments include being an associate professor of pathology and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Medicine. He is also the Chief of Ob-Gyn Pathology and Director of Surgical Pathology at Los Angeles County Women's and Children's Hospital. Dr. Felix lectures both Pathology students and postgraduate courses on female genitourinary tract, GYN/reproductive system, gynecological and obstetrical pathology, immunohistochemistry and molecular biology/PCR.
He has been an invited speaker both nationally and internationally on human papillomavirus in the female genital tract and on Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedures (LEEP). Dr. Felix's major areas of research are investigation in human papillomavirus, pathogenesis and pathology, diagnosis and treatment of preinvasive lesions of the uterine tract, pathology of endometrial adenocarcinoma and its precursors and the effect of estrogen replacement therapy on the endometrium of postmenopausal women.
In Alphabetical Order:
Raquel D. Arias, MD is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel.
Dr. Arias is the Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology for the University of Southern California School of Medicine and Women's and Children's Hospital. Her specific teaching responsibilities include lectures on topics such as Vaginitis and Breast Disease. She is a past advisory board member of the National Mammography QA Advisory Board, Rockville, Maryland and was appointed to the California Medical Board in 1997. She has been an Expert Consultant for the Medical Board of California, Division of Medical Quality. As an invited teaching lecturer, Dr. Arias has presented talks on Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding, Contraception, Management of Menopause, Evaluation and Treatment of Breast Disease, Estrogen Replacement and the Latina Patient Barriers to Care, Chronic Pelvic Pain and PMS, Pap smears and Mammograms and Intrauterine Contraception.
Raheela Ashfaq, MD is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC).
Dr. Ashfaq is the Assistant Professor of Pathology and Director of both cytopathology and the Image Analysis Laboratory at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She is the Program Director for the Cytopathology Fellowship program at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Ashfaq's teaching experience includes being in-charge of the Gyn Pathology/Gyn Interdisciplinary Conference and Resident and Fellowship Training/Cytopathology. She was also an Instructor in Pathology at the Rawaipindi Medical College in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Dr. Ashfaq has been a speaker both nationally and internationally on Advances in Cervical Cancer Screening. Raheela Ashfaq, MD received cytopathology training at both Baylor College of medicine and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She has been the President of the Texas Society of Cytology.
Ivor Benjamin, MD is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel.
Dr. Benjamin is the Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Associate Director of Clinical Information Systems in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center. Following completion of a three-year fellowship on the Gynecology Service in the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, he joined the faculty at Penn.
Dr. Benjamin is Board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology. Dr. Benjamin authored the SGO database that serves as the official data management system and tumor registry of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. This system is currently used at over 120 centers in six countries. Dr. Benjamin serves on several standing committees for national organizations including: He is co-Chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee of the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP). He is also a member of the Committee on Educational Information Systems and the Special Committee for the Computerized Patient Record of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dr. Benjamin is also a consultant and member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the National Women's Health Information Center for the U.S. Public Health Service's Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, Dr. Benjamin holds several editorial positions. He is a co-Editor-in-Chief on the editorial board of OncoLink, the award-winning multimedia cancer information resource on the Internet's World-Wide-Web. He is also on the editorial board of Physician Data Query (PDQ) that is a comprehensive cancer information database service of the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Benjamin's current research interest is in gene therapy of ovarian and cervical cancers. Dr. Benjamin is a 1995 recipient of the Berlex Foundation Scholar Award for his efforts in the field of gene therapy research. In addition, he has active ongoing research in the field of medical informatics.
George Garland Birdsong, M.D. is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel.
Dr. Birdsong holds an academic appointment as Associate Professor of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine. His Clinical Appointments include Director of Cytology, Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA and medical Director of Comprehensive Breast Center, Grady Health System.
Dr. Birdsong was Chairman of the Ethics Committee for the American Society of Cytology (ASC) in 1991. He is the current Chairman of the ASC committee to Follow Legislative and Regulatory Proceedings and since 1992 he has been the Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee at Emory University School of Medicine, Dept. of Pathology. Dr. Birdsong was a member of the Hematology and Pathology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 1994-1998.
Dr. Birdsongs research focus is on improving the accuracy and reliability of cervical cancer screening with the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear through automation, ancillary testing and improved quality assurance. He has studied the use of liquid-based monolayer preparations of cervical cytology specimens and testing for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) as one possible modality to achieve these goals. Dr. Birdsong is an invited lecturer on advances in cervical cancer screening, new cervical cancer technology and Pathology and the Internet. He has numerous published research articles. Dr. Birdsong received his Medical Degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed his residency and cytopathology fellowship at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia.
Mr. Gary Gill is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel.
Mr. Gill is the Senior Science Advisor at a leading Indianapolis cytopathology laboratory. He has devoted more than 30 years to cytological research, education, and patient care at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the DuPont Company, Cell Systems International, and SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories. The effect of his work has been to "rewrite the book on cytopreparation." Characterized as a "household name" in cytology, he is the formulator of Gill's Hematoxylins No. 1 and 2, as well as Gill's Modified OG and EA for Papanicolaou staining. He authored the Millipore Corporation's Cytopreparation of Millipore Filters in Diagnostic Cytology and Shandon's, The Shandon Cytospin 2 in Diagnostic Cytology -- Tips, Techniques, and Troubleshooting. He has been an invited speaker at more than 150 state, regional, national, and international professional meetings, has authored more than 170 scientific publications, and has served on numerous professional committees and as consultant to many educational, business, and government organizations. In 1999, he will have been an invited speaker at The Johns Hopkins Medical lnstitutions 40th Annual Postgraduate Institute for Pathologists in Clinical Cytology, one of five invited cytotechnologist panelists at a CDC-sponsored working group on the impact of new technologies on Pap smear workload, an invited regular contributor to the National Association of Cytologists semi-annual publication SCAN, an invited editorial contributor to Cytopathnet, a frequent contributor to Microscopy Today, a cytopreparatory technique troubleshooting consultant to Dr. Richard DeMay, a featured lecturer at the October meeting of the Cytology Society of Indiana, an Awards Committee judge for eligible posters and platform presentations of this November's 47th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Cytology, and a member of the IAC Awards Committee. Stressing quality processes for quality outcomes, Mr. Gill has been developing a concept of the Cytotect triangle. This construct attempts to define the real limitations of the cytologic method to show that false negatives are the consequences of the nature of the process, not the negligence of the practitioner. His work has been recognized with the ASC 1983 Cytotechnologist-of-the -Year Award, the IAC 1989 Cytotechnology Award, a SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories 1994 Quest Challenge Award, and from his current employer a Certificate of Recognition for the character quality of Creativity.
Anna R. Giuliano, Ph.D. is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) Medical Advisory Board.
Research Interests
Dr. Giuliano's research focus is on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) related carcinogenesis. Currently, her research has three funded components. One is the study of the natural history of HPV infections in men. This NCI funded prospective cohort study is actively recruiting men internationally and examining the molecular virological and immunological response to HPV infection over a four year follow-up period in 3,000 men. The second NCI funded study is examining whether a summary measure of oxidant load (anti-HmdU auto-antibodies) is associated with the natural history of HPV infections. If associated, this compound may serve as a novel biomarker to use in addition to HPV testing to predict wom en at the greatest risk of lesion development and subsequent need for costly repeat screening and diagnostic follow-up procedures. The third study supported by Merck & Co., a Phase IIII randomized controlled clinical trial, is assessing the efficacy of the quadravalent HPV (types 6, 11, 16, 18) vaccine trial among men.
David Hoak, MD is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel.
David Hoak, MD is a board-certified cytopathologist. He is a graduate of Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago Illinois and completed his residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of Washington. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, College of American Pathologists(CAP), a CAP laboratory inspector and is the past president of the Pacific Northwest Society of Pathologists. Dr. Hoak is an active advocate of Quality Improvement and adequate reimbursement for the Pap smear.
Christine H. Holschneider, MD is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition's (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel.
Dr. Holschneider attended the University of Southern California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine and is on staff at the UCLA School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Holschneider is also a graduate of the Freie Universsitat Berlin, School of Medicine. Her Honors and Awards include her Medical Doctoral Thesis - magna cum laude- Freie Universitat, Berlin. Dr. Holschneider has received research support as the Co-Principal Investigator, American Cancer Society Special Pilot Research Grant on: One Stop Visit for High Risk Patients for Prevention of Cervical Cancer. Her publications include work in the area of Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone (LLETZ): Effect on the pathologic interpretation of resection margins.
Karen A. Iseminger, Ph.D. is a member of the Medical Advisory Panel for the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC). Dr. Iseminger is the Medical Ethicist for the Gynecological Oncology Group (GOG), an Assistant Professor of Nursing and Philosophy at the University of Indianapolois and a primary care provider in a small town.
She has been involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and clinical research of cervical cancer patients since 1981. One of her primary concerns is access to health care for all women; thereby heightening the early diagnosis of pre-cancerous lesions. Additionally, she is an advocate for patient rights and quality of life issues.
Richard A. Levinson, MD is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) Medical Advisory Board.
Dr. Levinson is the current Associate Executive Director for Programs and Policy for the American Public Health Association (APHA). Prior to Dr. Levinson's current appointment, he served as the Administrator, Preventative Health for the DC Department of Health. He has also served as the Director of the Detroit (MI) Health Department, Director of McKinley Health Center, University of Illinois, Director of the Pinellas County Health Department, Assistant Director of the Duval County Health Department and Deputy Assistant Chief Medical Director of the Veteran's Administration. Dr. Levinson's Faculty appointments have included, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Utah, adjunct associate professor of medicine at the University of Florida, adjunct professor of Public Health at the University of South Florida and currently adjunct Professor of Health Sciences at George Washington University.
His Medical postgraduate Training includes his residency in Internal Medicine at the Iowa Medical Center and a Fellowship in Gastroenterology from the University of Iowa Medical Center. Dr. Levinson's education includes his MD from the University of Illinois and a DPA (Health Care Administration) from George Washington University.
Alexander Meisels, MD, FRCPC, FIAC
Born in Berlin, Germany, he received his early schooling in Paris, France, and later attended the National University of Mexico, where he obtained his B.Sc. and M.D. He specialised first in diagnostic cytology at the National Cancer Institute of Mexico and later in pathology at Laval University, Quebec, Canada. He became Assistant Professor of Pathology and Head of the Cytodiagnostic Laboratory at Laval University in 1960, where he also founded the School of Cytotechnology. Named Associate Professor in 1965, he became a Full Professor in 1968.
In 1970 he was named Head of Cytopathology at the Saint-Sacrement Hospital in Quebec City (a teaching institution affiliated with Laval University) with an annual volume of about 160,000 cytology specimens. From 1978 to 1995 he was Head of the Department of Anatomic Pathology and Cytology at the same institution. The School of Cytotechnology “Alexander Meisels” now functions within that Department at Saint-Sacrement Hospital and is part of the course in Medical Technology of the Sainte-Foy College.
He is certified in Anatomic Pathology by the Quebec Corporation of Physicians and Surgeons, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Board of Pathology.
Treasurer and Past-President of the International Academy of Cytology, previously Secretary-Treasurer of the IAC (1971-1986), twice President of the Canadian Society of Cytology, Past-President of the Canadian Association of Pathologists (1988-1989), and Past-President of the American Society of Cytopathology (1991-1992). Secretary or President of six International Congresses of Cytology (Miami 1974, Tokyo 1977, Munich 1980, Montreal 1983, Brussels 1986, Buenos Aires 1989). He is Editor of ACTA CYTOLOGICA and member of many national and international scientific societies. He is the author of over 130 publications in the field of cytopathology and cancer, including books: Cytopathology of the Uterine Cervix (ASCP Press, Chicago, 1991) and Cytopathology of the Uterus (ASCP Press, 1997).
His main interest has been the viral etiology of cervical cancer. His publications on the Human Papillomavirus (1976) were the first to relate this virus to genital cancer and stimulated the interest in this field, which has not abated since then. He has also worked extensively on detection of carcinoma of the endometrium, the breast, and the lung, amongst others.
He is a recipient of the following awards and distinctions: The Maurice Goldblatt Cytology Award of the International Academy of Cytology (1975); The Silver Medal of the City of Paris (1977); the George N. Papanicolaou Award of the American Society of Cytopathology (1982), Doctor honoris causa, the University of the Basque Country, Spain (1997) and Emeritus Professor, Laval University, Quebec, Canada (1998).
Bradley J. Monk MD, FACS, FACOG is a member of the NCCC Medical Advisory Panel.
Dr. Monk received his medical degree from the University of Arizona in 1988 where he graduated at the top of his class. He then underwent training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California, Los Angeles between 1988 and 1992, and Gynecologic Oncology at the University of California Irvine (UCI) between 1992 and 1995. In 1995, he was appointed the Director of Gynecology Oncology at Texas Tech University and Associate Director of the Southwest Cancer Center where he served until 1998. Since 1998, he has been a member of the faculty at UCI where he currently is Associate Professor (with Tenure). He is board certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He is also an active full member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Association of Cancer Research.
Dr. Monk has been an Investigator for the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) since 1995 and serves on the Cervical, Tissue Utilization, Publications, and Vaccine Committees. He is the Co-Principal Investigator for the GOG at UCI and Study Chair for both group wide phase III trials in cervical carcinoma and also serves as the study chair or co-chair for four other trials investigating new therapies in cervical and ovarian cancer. Dr. Monk has received career development funding (K-23) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to investigate new strategies against HPV related illnesses and, in addition, is funded by the NCI to study therapeutic HPV vaccines. Dr. Monk has over 75 peer-review publications predominantly dealing with the areas of cervical and ovarian cancer prevention, therapeutics as well as issues related to quality of life. He has also published nine book chapters and is on the Editorial Board for Gynecologic Oncology and is currently President of the Orange County OB-GYN Society.
Cheryl L. Rock, PhD, RD, FADA is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel.
Dr. Cheryl Rock is an Associate professor in the Department of Family and preventive Medicine and the Cancer prevention and Control program, at the University of California, San Diego. She received her doctoral degree in nutritional sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Public Health.
Dr. Rock's primary NIH-funded research efforts are focused on the role of nutritional and dietary factors in the development and progression of cancer, particularly breast and cervical cancer, in humans. She is mainly involved in diet intervention trials, in which individuals are taught to make dietary and behavioral changes, and various biological markers and biochemical indicators of diet are used to examine progress and outcome. Her previous research efforts have also addressed eating pathology and weight concerns in women. Dr. Rock is a recognized nutritional scientist with a particular expertise in carotenoids, vitamins, clinical nutrition, and weight control. To date, Dr. Rock has authored or co-authored 50 peer-reviewed papers, 12 reviews and invited commentaries in professional and scientific publications, and 17 book chapters. She currently serves on editorial boards for several peer-reviewed journals and has been an invited participant in several NIH review committees, workshops, and meetings.
Thomas Carr Wright, Jr., MD. is a member of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) Medical Advisory Panel.
Dr. Wright's current Academic Appointments are as Associate Attending in Pathology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and Associate Professor of Pathology. He is the Associate Director, Division of Obstetrical and Gynecological Pathology at Presbyterian Hospital. Past Academic Appointments have included being Assistant professor in Pathology at Harvard university. Dr. Wright graduated Harvard Medical School (cum laude) in 1977. His postdoctoral training included being a resident, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Boston, Massachusetts and Fellow, Division of Ob/Gyn Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University; New York, New York.
Dr. Wright is a member of national committees and panels such as: Centers for Disease Control, member of Expert panel on Cervical Disease and HIV infection (1992), International Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology-Chairman of Cytology Committee (1995 - current) and a member of their Educational Committee, National Institute of Health- AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) Member of HPV Task Force (1995 - current), and National Institutes of Health-Center for Disease Control and Prevention USPHS-Guidelines for Prophylaxis of Opportunistic Infections in patients with HIV infection Committee (1996- current). He has also been a participant on panel discussions with the World Health Organization and the American Public Health Association. Dr. Wright has received several Awards and Honors in his field, is a member of related national medical societies, has numerous original publications and has a major research interest in the Pathogenesis and treatment of cervical intaepithelial neoplasia.
