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Initiative Updates
2022
Five new companies have joined the CEO Roundtable on Cancer and its campaign to do something more about cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for their employees, their families, and their communities.
The companies include Elligo Health Research®, an accelerator for clinical trials important to cancer care; Black Diamond Therapeutics, a precision oncology medicine company pioneering the discovery and development of therapies for genetically defined cancers with limited treatment options; Change Healthcare, a leading healthcare technology company focused on insights, innovation, and accelerating the transformation of the U.S. healthcare system; Jasper Health, developer of a digital guide for cancer patients; and B&C International, a global business management and consulting firm.
“The diverse areas of focus and expertise of these companies brings great energy and strength to our mutual interest in diminishing the toll of cancer and eventually eliminating this disease that affects so many families,” said William Louv, CEO of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer (www.ceoroundtableoncancer.org) was founded in 2001, when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives to "do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families." The CEOs responded by creating and encouraging the widespread adoption of the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ which calls for organizations to evaluate their health benefits and workplace culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to address cancer in the workplace. In 2018, the CEO Roundtable established Project Data Sphere® to accelerate cancer research through its online data platform and data-focused research programs.
“The work of the CEO Roundtable and Elligo Health Research align closely when it comes to facilitating access to the best available cancer treatments and advancing the discovery of new and more effective anti-cancer therapies through clinical trials,” said John Potthoff, Ph.D., CEO of Elligo. “We look forward to partnering to do more to support cancer patients, encourage prevention and improve the chances of eliminating this disease by offering research as care to patients.”
Elligo Health Research® (https://www.elligohealthresearch.com/) accelerates clinical trials through healthcare with access to over 150 million known patients and their HIPAA-compliant healthcare data, their IntElligo® Research Stack technology, and their PatientSelect identification and engagement model. Coupled with the largest Known Patient Access Network, Elligo’s Site Solutions enable healthcare practices and research sites to participate in clinical trials. By adaptive engagement of known patients and physicians, they accelerate the development of new pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device and diagnostic products.
“I am very pleased to be joining the CEO Roundtable on Cancer and to collaborate with such a renowned group of professionals who all share common goals of reducing the risk of cancer and facilitating access to best-in-class treatments,” said David M. Epstein, Co-founder, President and CEO of Black Diamond Therapeutics. “I live this mission daily, but there is still much to be done in addition to discovering and developing novel cancer therapeutics. It is inspiring to see the CEO Roundtable’s commitment to driving significant change in the way we as a society think about the impact of cancer and I look forward to contributing my insights to further these initiatives in the years to come.”
Black Diamond Therapeutics (www.blackdiamondtherapeutics.com) is a precision oncology medicine company pioneering the development of novel MasterKey therapies. They are addressing the significant unmet need for novel precision oncology therapies for patients with genetically defined cancers who have limited treatment options. Black Diamond is built upon a deep understanding of cancer genetics, onco-protein function, and drug discovery. The Company’s proprietary Mutation-Allostery-Pharmacology, or MAP drug discovery engine, is designed to allow Black Diamond to analyze population-level genetic sequencing tumor data to predict and validate oncogenic mutations that promote cancer across tumor types as MasterKey mutations. Black Diamond discovers and develops selective MasterKey therapies against these families of oncogenic mutations.
“I am delighted to be joining the CEO Roundtable on Cancer to work alongside our country’s leading cancer researchers as they drive invaluable improvements for one of healthcare’s most prominent diseases,” said Tim Suther, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Data Solutions, of Change Healthcare.
Change Healthcare is a leading healthcare technology company focused on insights, innovation, and accelerating the transformation of the U.S. healthcare system. They provide data and analytics-driven solutions to improve clinical, financial, administrative, and patient-engagement outcomes in the U.S. healthcare system.
The CEO Roundtable’s Cancer Gold Standard attracted the interest of Jasper Health. The Gold Standard is a workplace wellness accreditation program that offers an evidence-based framework for organizations to provide a healthier workplace by focusing on cancer risk reduction, early detection, and high-quality care.
“Jasper Health strongly believes our partnership with the CEO Roundtable on Cancer can rapidly accelerate the Gold Standard requirements for employers helping to provide a holistic approach to cancer support and best practice navigation for employees,” said Adam Pellegrini, co-founder and CEO of Jasper Health. “Jasper Health will work with CEO Roundtable members to deliver upon the mission of the organization and drive true health outcomes for employers.”
Jasper Health (www.hellojasper.com) is a digital guiding, navigation, and engagement experience that improves the lives of people living with cancer, those at high risk for cancer, and their caregivers. Its all-in-one oncology platform provides psychosocial support interventions while enabling connected care with the broader healthcare system. Their team includes seasoned leaders with decades of experience in digital health, clinical care, data science, and consumer engagement. Founded at Redesign Health, a company that powers innovation in healthcare, they believe that powerful technology and passionate people can relieve some of the stress of organizing care.
The CEO Roundtable mission of eliminating cancer is also a passion of Robert J. Brown, Chief Executive Officer of B&C International.
“We need a lot more vigorous things going on in our communities across the country to deal with cancer,” said Brown, who also serves as an ambassador for the Cancer Gold Standard. “Cancer is a mega problem. It deals with people at every level. I don’t care how poor you are, how rich you are, cancer is there and it’s waiting for you.”
B&C International (BCI) is a Global Strategy and Business Management Consulting firm headquartered in High Point, N.C. During its more than 50 years of existence, the methodologies and tools used by BCI have evolved, but their core principles remain the same. They are trusted advisors. Their systematic approach to aligning culture, communication, and execution, allows clients to gain confidence, clarity and consistency for strategic decision-making.
Customer service and patient experience expert Alphanumeric Systems, digital patient guide Jasper Health, and Shaw University, the oldest Historically Black College and University in the South, all have earned CEO Cancer Gold StandardTM accreditation by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer for their commitment to the health of employees, students and community.
“Adopting the Gold Standard is a tribute to the extraordinary leadership at Alphanumeric Systems, Jasper Health and Shaw University,” said MaryLis Rich, President, CEO Roundtable on Cancer Gold Standard. “Their commitment to employee and community health demonstrates that all organizations, large and small, can play an active role in winning the battle against cancer.”
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a nonprofit organization of CEOs and their companies, founded by former President George H.W. Bush, created the CEO Cancer Gold Standard to provide an evidence-based framework for employers to build a healthier workplace by focusing on cancer risk reduction, early detection, access to clinical trials, and high-quality care.
More than 7.4 million people are directly affected by the Gold Standard implemented at over 200 private, non-profit and government organizations, large and small, from diverse industries. Those organizations include the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training, and many NCI- designated cancer centers.
In 2022, the CEO Roundtable launched the Going for Gold initiative to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to implement the Cancer Gold Standard. Shaw University is the first HBCU to achieve this recognition.
“We are pleased to be a partner in this initiative and dedicated to leading a national movement to improve positive health outcomes within our communities,” said Dr. Paulette Dillard, President of Shaw. “This recognition is a very high honor, and we hope to inspire other organizations and educational institutions to follow suit.”
Organizations must demonstrate that their health benefits and workplace culture include extensive, concrete actions in five key areas: Health Education & Navigation, Prevention & Early Detection, Advancing Treatment, Survivorship, and Well-Being.
The Gold Standard is based on the latest scientific evidence and evolves to ensure the framework promotes the adoption of the best benefits and policies to maximize positive health outcomes for employees, families, and communities.
Alphanumeric (ASI) is a proven leader driven to make its mark by improving interpersonal and patient experiences. They go beyond call centers and contact centers - they provide top-tier customer service and patient experiences that exceed expectations. To learn more visit: https://www.alphanumeric.com/.
“It's great to be able to say that we are among the leaders in our industry when it comes down not only to execution but also to policy and procedure -- two things that set us apart,” said Randy Trice, CEO of Alphanumeric. “The accreditation is an honorable nod towards the caliber of people we work with in the pharma and life sciences spaces in North Carolina and globally.”
Jasper Health is a digital guiding, navigation, and engagement experience that improves the lives of people living with cancer, those at high risk for cancer, and their caregivers. Its all-in-one oncology platform provides psychosocial support interventions while enabling connected care with the broader healthcare system. Jasper’s team includes seasoned leaders with decades of experience in digital health, clinical care, data science, and consumer engagement. Founded at Redesign Health, a company that powers innovation in healthcare, they believe that powerful technology and passionate people can relieve some of the stress of organizing care. To learn more, visit www.hellojasper.com.
“We look forward to introducing the Gold Standard to new employers we are working with and helping them make the Gold Standard Pillars actionable and turnkey with new digital prevention and care capabilities,” said Adam Pellegrini, co-founder and CEO of Jasper Health.
Shaw University was founded in 1865. It is the oldest HBCU in the South, the first to admit women, and the first to earn the Cancer Gold Standard. Shaw is known for its great private liberal arts education. Affiliated with the Baptist Church, Shaw is home to the oldest historically black theological institution in America. Undergraduate studies at the university focus and connect with community outreach through the justice, social work, and health tracks. When the COVID vaccine was being rolled out, they opened a vaccine clinic to serve the community greatly affected by the virus. Dr. Paulette R. Dillard, President of Shaw, is a marine biologist and a Co-Director of the academic enrichment programs for the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) funded Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI) project. Read more at https://shawu.edu/.
Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) in Ponce, Puerto Rico, has committed to Going for Gold, becoming the first Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the partnership.
“At Ponce Health Sciences University, we are honored to be part of this prestigious partnership that will allow us to continue contributing to improving the health of our communities. With this alliance, we confirm our commitment to continue our efforts to prevent and reduce cancer health disparities in the communities we serve,” said Dr. José A. Torres Ruiz, Chancellor of Ponce Health Sciences University.
Ponce Health Sciences University is the largest private medical school in Puerto Rico that provides a world-class education. Recognized in Puerto Rico and St. Louis, MO, for educational service and research achievements, the university continues its focus on the disciplines of Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Biomedical Sciences, Public Health, and Nursing.
By combining expanded academic and professional educational offerings in a cooperative and intimate learning environment, Ponce Health Sciences University graduates highly competent healthcare professionals dedicated to their community and the expanding future needs of their profession.
Learn more at https://www.psm.edu.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reaffirmed a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Project Data Sphere (PDS). Scientific engagement with the FDA has been foundational to PDS and the PPP dates back at least 5 years.
Through our seven-year FDA-PDS symposium series, we have identified a number of areas at the frontier of analytics and regulatory science that PDS has developed into multi-institutional research programs.
In addition to our data sharing platform and collaborative analytics workspace, hosted by SAS, PDS has run five different research programs as a result of member engagement following these FDA-PDS workshops.
- The Prostate DREAM challenge – a crowd-sourced challenge to use emerging analytics approaches to identify biomarkers to aid in the management of patients with castrate-resistant metastatic prostate cancer.
- The External Control Arm program – a series of methods to construct and use existing patient performance data on standard-of-care therapy to supplement the control arm of a clinical trial, streamline evidence generation, and honor patient contributions to science.
- The Rare Tumor Registries program – a focused effort in Merkel Cell Carcinoma to demonstrate how high quality, longitudinal clinical data can transform patient care and inform the development of the next generation of medicines.
- The Immune-Related Adverse Events (irAE) program – a crowd-sourced challenge to establish clinical definitions of dozens of tissue-/organ-specific adverse events that occur in a small fraction of patients receiving immuno-oncology treatments. With these definitions in hand for a number of tissues and organs, we are now embarking on several additional projects (biomarkers, genomics, and digital health) that can improve patient management practices to keep patients on life-saving therapies.
- The autoRECIST program – a consortium-supported radiomics project where state-of-the-art machine learning techniques are being applied to medical images to ascertain whether a patient with advanced cancer has responded to therapy. This program has reported substantial progress on quantifying liver metastases and has pilot work demonstrating that these approaches can quantify metastatic lesions in lung and lymph nodes as well.
In the new iteration of the PPP, the FDA and PDS will be focusing on our data sharing platform, the irAE program, and autoRECIST. This focus highlights the necessity for continued work in these areas to establish widely adopted best practices. Our other research programs are undergoing lifecycle review with the Life Sciences Council (PDS’ scientific advisory board) and will continue in some fashion, though without the formal engagement with FDA.
Program lifecycle management also allows us to more thoroughly evaluate new research proposals and bring them before our membership. Our current portfolio of research proposals includes: digital pathology, pediatric oncology, cellular therapy, and developing tools to support the community of scholars across our partner HBCUs. This research portfolio is in review by the Life Sciences Council and potential funders.
We’re excited to introduce some new additions to our team as well as new roles for at least one veteran.
Project Data Sphere® President Bill Louv, PhD, is stepping up to lead the organization as chief executive officer effective immediately. Louv had been serving as interim CEO since January, succeeding Ken Lee, who retired. He has led PDS since the CEO Roundtable formed the research organization in March 2018. Louv also has held key leadership positions in the pharmaceutical industry for nearly 30 years.
David M. Reese, MD, Executive Vice President of R&D at Amgen, has been elected to the Roundtable’s Board of Directors. Reese also will serve on the Board for PDS.
At Amgen, Reese oversees Discovery Research, Global Development, Global Regulatory Affairs and Safety, as well as Global Medical. Previously he served as Senior Vice President of Translational Sciences and Oncology, where he oversaw the translation of Amgen’s medicines from the lab into the clinic and the overall oncology strategy.
Major General Elder Granger, MD, President and CEO of THE 5Ps, LLC, also has been elected to the Roundtable Board of Directors. Granger consults in the areas of health care, education and leadership and recently became an ambassador for our Going for Gold program.
Prior to his retirement from the US Army in 2009, Granger served as the Deputy Director and Program Executive Officer of the TRICARE Management Activity, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) in Washington, DC.
Aubrey Van Kirk Villalobos, DrPH, MEd, from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), will serve on the Health & Well-Being Council as a liaison with this important agency. She is a Health Scientist with the Implementation Science (IS) Team in the Office of the Director in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS). In this role she leads efforts to advance the involvement of practitioners to help integrate evidence-based guidelines, programs, and policies for cancer control in public health and clinical practice. Her expertise will be critical as we continually seek to ensure the Cancer Gold Standard reflects the latest scientific evidence.
Jean-Charles Soria, Amgen’s senior vice president of Oncology within Global Development, joins our Life Sciences Council (LSC). The LSC brings together representatives of oncology pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to advise the CEO Roundtable on Cancer about ways to enable research and development to deliver more effective oncology therapies to patients faster. Soria is a medical oncologist and holds a doctorate in molecular biology. Additionally, he has authored or co-authored more than 670 articles in leading international journals and has appeared on lists of the most influential research scientists in the world.
Welcome to three new Going for Gold Ambassadors! In addition to Granger, we’ve also added:
Roberto A. Gonzalez, founder and principle of RA Gonzalez & Associates, a Veteran Service-Disabled, Veteran-, Minority-Owned small business, and Co - Founder of Cornerstone & Associates LLC. He retired in 1995 from the United States Army in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel in the Medical Services Corp after 20 plus years of services. While in the Army, he served at various levels of management and responsibility including a position as the Military Assistant and Senior Advisor to two Assistant Secretaries of Defense for Health Affairs, which included the management of the Nations' second largest integrated health care system.
Fields Jackson, Jr., CEO and Chief Cheerleader of Racing Toward Diversity Magazine, Cary, NC. Racing Toward Diversity is a quarterly magazine that showcases the best diversity efforts and initiatives being made today. Jackson also is President of the College Diversity Network; Adjunct professor at Shaw University in Raleigh, NC; Distinguished Visiting Professor at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC; and former Executive Director of the HBCU Business Dean Roundtable.
Representatives from seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities met on April 5-6 with CEO Roundtable on Cancer staff and partners SAS Analytics, Amgen, Merck, and Jasper Health to identify opportunities and areas of collaboration for our Going for Gold initiative to expand access to cancer detection, prevention, and treatment and to improve health in underserved communities.
“The collective think that came from this initial in person meeting was outstanding,” said Joya Delgado-Harris, Executive Director for the Gold Standard, including the Going4Gold initiative. “It was conveyed and understood that Going4Gold is a partnership and as such, we will work together to explore assets, capacity, influences on and around each campus so that strategies and initiatives can be built or enhanced, if already existing. We want to work smarter and learn from one another. Achieving Gold Standard accreditation will be a valuable tool to help each campus understand the best ways to implement G4G activities.”
The universities already have ramped up community health offerings during the pandemic with vaccine clinics and information sessions so there is an opportunity to build on that infrastructure. Other existing activities with potential for expansion included health fairs, walking clubs, mental health workshops, community gardens, smoke free environments, healthy food demonstrations and more.
Dr. Donald Alcendor, Associate Professor Microbiology and Immunology at Meharry Medical College, said the “Social determinants of health have changed since COVID. They have not gotten better, they have gotten worse. … We have to uproot misinformation in communities. … We have to think about new ways to attack a long-lasting problem.”
Corporate partners identified existing programs to consider expanding to support Going4Gold including SAS Analytics existing work with universities to equip them with data analytics software. There also are internships and fellowships offered by Amgen, Merck, and SAS.
Jasper Health is making available its Cancer Care Companion App to the universities to allow students and their families to connect with caregivers, providers, and health plan care teams.
There was consensus around the need for collaboration and innovation, not competition and duplication, to improve health and access to care for all communities.
Xavior Robinson, Director of Health Equity Partnerships and Operations at Merck, summed up that spirit. He said it’s not only important what the partners do together but how they do it. “A value of ours is co-creation,” he said emphasizing that does not mean extracting something to commercialize.
Schools attending the meeting were Dillard University, Livingstone College, Meharry Medical College, Southern University Law Center, Stillman College, North Carolina A&T State University, and Shaw University. Three schools -- Norfolk State University, Winston-Salem State University, and South Carolina State University -- were unable to attend.
For anyone interested in joining the partnership or learning more about it, reach out to Joya at joya.delgado.harris@ceoroundtableoncancer.org.
The Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) Patient Registry initiative organized by Project Data Sphere is off to a fast start in 2022 with four manuscripts accepted for publication and a key contributor to the program, Dr. David Miller from Mass General Brigham and his team, has submitted two new manuscripts. Miller is co-chair of PDS' Merkel Cell Carcinoma Task Force.
The MCC Patient Registry is a national multi-institutional collaborative effort to record outcomes and events in MCC patients. MCC is a rare skin cancer, and this registry will trailblaze new methodologies that continue to enable investigators to derive insights about patient care from the real-world outcome data.
Dr. Sophia Shalhout, a data scientist from Mass General Brigham, presented her work on “Real world assessment of ipi-nivo in anti-PD-(L)1 refractory Merkel cell carcinoma” at the MCC Multi-center Interest Group meeting on March 25. Multiple members of the MCC taskforce -- Miller, Shalhout, and Dr. Kenneth Tsai, Pathology Research Vice Chair at Moffitt Cancer Center – have been invited to present on important aspects of Merkel Cell Carcinoma (including the registry work) at 2nd International Symposium on Merkel Cell Carcinoma (April 25 and 26).
We have learned that patient populations and clinical management decisions are more varied across sites than initially expected. This finding suggests that more patients will be required for certain subgroup analyses. We are evaluating options to increase patient accrual.
For more information, or to get involved, please contact Ravi Komandur, PhD, MCC Patient Registry Program Director, at ravikumar.komandur@projectdatasphere.org
Project Data Sphere’s Images & Algorithms (I&A) Program presented preliminary results from its autoRECIST project at the FDA Research Grand Rounds on Feb. 25. Nearly 200 attendees participated in this webinar which generated a great discussion.
The goal of the autoRECIST project is to develop deep-learning algorithms to reduce the time and cost and improve the performance of imaging in clinical trials, shortening the time from discovery to implementation, improving the accuracy of the reviews, and, ultimately, improving patient lives.
In oncology clinical trials, the overall assessment of tumor burden and response to therapy is estimated by a set of complex quantitative and qualitative criteria called Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). To perform a RECIST assessment, a radiologist reads Computed Tomography Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine format (CT DICOM) images, identifies measurable lesions, picks two target lesions per organ (in up to five organs per patient), and records the largest diameter in target lesions. The same tumor images and measurements are then evaluated by an independent radiologist. An average of 30% discordance in radiological interpretation has been reported between readers.
Dr. Asba (AT) Tasneem, PDS Executive Director of the program, provided an overview of the work and discussed a four-year roadmap for the program. The two Principal Investigators at Columbia University Medical Center -- Dr. Binsheng Zhao, Director, Computational Image Analysis Lab, Department of Radiology; and Dr. Larry Schwartz, Chairman, Department of Radiology -- presented results from developing Liver Artificial Intelligence (AI) – the foundational AI which detects and segments liver lesions.
In the next four years, the autoRECIST project will develop deep learning algorithms to 1) calculate RECIST assessment based on volumetrics measurements of all lesions (autoVOL); and 2) automate the current RECIST 1.1 (autoRECIST).
For more information on the autoRECIST project please contact Asba (AT) Tasneem, PhD, Executive Director, Images and Algorithms Program (asba.tasneem@projectdatasphere.org).
We're excited to announce that November 1 and 2 will mark the return of an in-person CEO Roundtable on Cancer Annual Meeting and Conference to be held on the campus of SAS Institute in Cary, NC.
This event is designed for CEOs and leaders on their teams steering research, policy and advocacy, recruitment and retention, benefits, and wellness. It is an important time for us to exchange information on priorities, successes, and challenges and together chart the future of our organization.
Details about hotels, registration, and specific sessions will be shared later.
For now, please mark your calendar and reserve time to participate.
This will be a critical time together to renew friendships and reignite collaborative work after two years of virtual meetings due to the pandemic. We hope to see you in person in November!
We are excited to announce the addition of two more Historically Black Colleges and Universities in our Going4Gold Program: Meharry Medical College and South Carolina State.
Meharry Medical College, founded in 1876, is the nation’s largest private, independent historically Black academic health sciences center dedicated to educating minority and other health professionals. True to its heritage, it is a United Methodist Church related institution. The college is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; emerging preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation’s health professions workforce. Meharry is a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences.
Since 1896, South Carolina State University has maintained a legacy of excellence in education. They have been home to generations of scholars and leaders in business, military service, government, athletics, education, medicine, science, engineering technology and more. Located in Orangeburg, SC, SC State was founded as a land grant college with a mission of providing education and service to the
Stillman Health Fair
Shaw University partnered with the CEO Roundtable on Cancer to host a 5k University Cancer Awareness Walk on Wednesday, March 30. Prior to the start of the event, Shaw President Dr. Paulette Dillard was presented a “Cancer Gold Standard Health Champion” flag by Roundtable CEO, Dr. Bill Louv, and CEO Roundtable on Cancer President, MaryLisabeth Rich.
Shaw and Stillman are among the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities to join the CEORT’s “Going for Gold” partnership with HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions as well as company members of the CEORT to bring awareness to cancer and expand access to prevention, detection, and treatment.
It was an exciting kickoff to Shaw University’s Go4Gold initiative with the marching band on hand, more than 200 people in attendance, special t-shirts for the occasion and participation from as far away as Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Los Angeles.
Stillman College held the Denzel Davis Memorial Health fair on campus March 29. The health fair remembers a former student who died after a bout of viral bronchitis in 2018. He did not seek a doctor’s care after becoming ill.
The objective and mission of the health fair is to encourage Stillman students and the wider community to get a variety of health screenings and to see a doctor regularly, even if they are not sick.
“The disparity between African Americans and how health issues affect other populations is significant,” said Tomalisa Washington, director of Student Development at Stillman College and organizer of the health fair. “And, in addition to issues of access, we have a population that is very suspicious of health care professionals. So, the more we can expose our students and community to healthcare specialists is important, especially for early detection and preventive medicine.”
Adam Pellegrini, Jasper Health CEO and Co-founder
Jasper Health, a first-of-its-kind cancer care navigation and experience platform, has joined the Roundtable. Jasper Health’s platform aligns directly with the core pillars of the Gold Standard and provides a digital framework to help employers realize the vision of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.
“We are excited to work with a patient-centered enterprise like Jasper Health to deliver on our mission,” said MaryLisabeth Rich, President, CEO Roundtable on Cancer. “There is much we can do together as we work to deliver through greater access the best possible outcomes for all patients with cancer, their families, friends and communities.”
“Jasper Health strongly believes our partnership with the CEO Roundtable on Cancer can rapidly accelerate the Gold Standard requirements for employers helping to provide a holistic approach to cancer support and best practice navigation for employees,” said Adam Pellegrini, co-founder and CEO of Jasper Health. “Jasper Health will work with CEO Roundtable members to deliver upon the mission of the organization and drive true health outcomes for employers.”
Jasper Health is a digital guiding, navigation, and engagement experience that improves the lives of people living with cancer, those at high risk for cancer, and their caregivers. Its all-in-one oncology platform provides psychosocial support interventions while enabling connected care with the broader healthcare system. Our team includes seasoned leaders with decades of experience in digital health, clinical care, data science, and consumer engagement. Founded at Redesign Health, a company that powers innovation in healthcare, we believe that powerful technology and passionate people can relieve some of the stress of organizing care. To learn more, visit https://www.hellojasper.com/
Researchers who have not logged on to the Project Data Sphere data platform recently are invited to check out all the improvements we’ve been making to respond to user feedback. Data accessed via the platform has contributed to at least 138 peer-reviewed publications and 15 associated with research programs.
There are new resources on the platform including an instructional video published by Cytel, statistical software developer and contract research organization, about synthetic controls planning and best practices (leveraging data from platform).
Navigation has been improved on the data access page. A new search feature includes keyword highlighting and expanded search fields. There also is improved organization of data within cancer areas and tumor types and improved visibility to National Cancer Institute studies thanks to the addition of study sponsors to navigation bar.
The data repository has been expanded to accommodate real world data with the first open access RWD contribution by Asociación Colaboración Cochrane Iberoamericana (ACCIb). Also SAS Life Science Analytics Framework (LSAF) has published and shared survival analysis across a set of pancreatic cancer trials (Clovis, Celgene, Sanofi, EMD Serono).
More information on the data platform is available from Holly Smith, MBA, PMP, Director, Data Sharing Products & Platform, at holly.smith@projectdatasphere.org.
The Roundtable has been hosting a series of webinars since January to offer content on health and wellbeing as well as oncology research, prevention, and treatment with a variety of audiences in mind.
Turnout for the webinars has been strong and replays of each event are posted on the links shared below. Topics addressed so far are:
- Addressing Workplace Health Burdens Post Pandemic -- Held February 4, 2022
- Glioblastoma: Innovative Data Re-Use to Accelerate Evidence Generation for New Medicines -- Held February 7, 2022
- Putting Data to Work: Dissecting Health Disparities -- Held February 22, 2022
- Elevating the Importance of Healthy Workplaces -- Held March 24, 2022
Planning continues for a webinar on venture capital and pediatric oncology research. All the topics surfaced at our Annual Conference in November 2021 as areas of interest for follow-up.
2021
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer has elected Scott White, Company Group Chairman for North America at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to its Board of Directors.
A member of the Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee, Mr. White is responsible for leading Janssen’s efforts to transform the health of people in the United States and Canada facing cancer, autoimmune disease, heart disease and diabetes, infectious diseases, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and serious mental illness.
“The scientific community has made remarkable progress in cancer prevention and treatment over the past 20 years that has made a difference in treatment, and the CEO Roundtable on Cancer’s work to support workplace wellness as well as innovative research, is playing an instrumental role in advancing us toward the objective of ultimately eliminating cancer,” said Mr. White. “I am honored to join this exceptional team of industry leaders at this time where the focus on health and healthcare is so important to our society’s future.”
President George H.W. Bush founded the non-profit CEO Roundtable on Cancer in 2001 to bring bold and imaginative solutions to cancer treatment and prevention. The organization continues to develop and implement initiatives that reduce the risk of cancer, enable early diagnosis, facilitate access to the best available treatments, and hasten the discovery of novel and more effective anti-cancer therapies to help eliminate cancer as a personal disease and public health problem.
“Scott White brings a depth and breadth of experience in oncology and immunology that are vital to our search for ways to eliminate cancer by accelerating research, and thereby improving treatment,” said Ken Lee, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Board Chairman, CEO Roundtable on Cancer. “We are grateful that he will be joining the Board and continuing a tradition of close collaboration from Johnson & Johnson.”
Mr. White has a wealth of knowledge in oncology and immunology. He served as President of the Janssen U.S. Immunology business, making a significant difference for people with debilitating autoimmune diseases through highly impactful medicines and innovative patient support and access programs. Prior to his Immunology role, White was President of Janssen U.S. Oncology.
He succeeds long-time Board member Joaquin Duato, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of Johnson & Johnson.
“Special recognition and thanks go to Joaquin Duato for five years of service to the CEO Roundtable Board,” Mr. Lee said. “He has led his company to meaningfully contribute to the CEO Roundtable’s work and those substantial contributions have helped set our direction for many years to come.”
Johnson & Johnson has been a member of the CEO Roundtable since 2004, achieving Gold Standard accreditation in the U.S. in 2006, and it became one of the first companies to earn Global Gold Standard (2013) and Gold Standard accreditation in China (2020).