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Initiative Updates: CEO Roundtable on Cancer
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.
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.
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
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/
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).
Joya Delgado-Harris joined the CEO Roundtable on Cancer in June as Executive Director for the Gold Standard, inclusive of our Health Equity and Going4Gold initiative.
Joya previously was the Director of Research Integration for the American Cancer Society. In that role, she provided oversight and management of the integration of products and outcomes stemming from the Office of Cancer Research and Implementation into enterprise-wide mission objectives.
“Joya has tremendous experience and accomplishments in non-profit management and will be a great asset delivering on our CEO Cancer Gold Standard as we expand our reach and ambition,” said MaryLisabeth Rich, President of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.
Past areas of work for Joya include program development, curriculum design, grant-writing, engaging board members and volunteers as well as developing business partnerships. In addition to the American Cancer Society, she has worked for Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization, Executive Director for the Association of Village PRIDE, and Director of Product Development for the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross.
As a breast cancer survivor, Joya serves as a Consumer Advocate Peer Reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), administered by the Department of Defense, sitting alongside scientists to review and evaluate innovative breast cancer research grant proposals. She also serves as a reviewer for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
After earning a BA from Wellesley College, Joya received a Master of Public Health degree with concentration in public health policy and management from the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University.
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer welcomes two new members to our Board of Directors: Dr. Belén Garijo, Vice Chair of the Executive Board and Deputy CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Dr. Peter WT Pisters, President of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Garijo, a practicing physician who specialized in clinical pharmacology, has been appointed as new Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, effective May 1. She joined the company in 2011 as Chief Operating Officer of the Biopharma business and rose to President and CEO of Healthcare in 2015.
Dr. Pisters, a renowned cancer surgeon, researcher, professor and administrator, became President of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2017 after serving more than 20 years as a faculty member and medical director for the center’s expansion in metropolitan Houston. Prior to that, he served as President and CEO of the University Health Network in Toronto, Canada’s largest academic medical center.
“Doctors Belén Garijo and Peter Pisters share a passion for fighting cancer and their insights will be invaluable in our ongoing quest to eliminate this terrible disease,” said Robert Bradway, CEO Roundtable on Cancer Chairman and Amgen CEO.
Brian Alexander, MD, MPH
Brian Alexander, M.D., M.P.H., succeeds Cindy Perettie as chief executive officer of Foundation Medicine, Inc., a member of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer and a Gold Standard accredited employer.
Previously Dr. Alexander was Foundation Medicine’s chief medical officer since 2019. He brings years of experience as a radiation oncologist at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center and an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School.
As of April 6, Cindy Perettie has taken on a new role within Roche Diagnostics.
Dr. Alexander has directed Foundation Medicine’s decision insights strategy to help more oncologists, both in community and academic settings, determine the right treatment, at the right time, for each unique patient. He also served as a White House fellow and Special Assistant to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, where he helped prepare the VA for the transition of administrations, worked to develop a public reporting system for quality, and served as a health policy advisor to the Secretary.
Foundation Medicine is a molecular information company dedicated to a transformation in cancer care in which treatment is informed by a deep understanding of the genomic changes that contribute to each patient's unique cancer. The company offers a full suite of comprehensive genomic profiling assays to identify the molecular alterations in a patient’s cancer and match them with relevant targeted therapies, immunotherapies and clinical trials.
The CEO Roundtable welcomes as a new member GRAIL, Inc., a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early, and Chief Executive Officer Hans Bishop, who has more than 30 years of experience in the biotechnology industry.
Bishop founded Juno Therapeutics in 2013 and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer until the company was acquired by Celgene in March of 2018. Prior to this, he served as an Executive in Residence at Warburg Pincus. Earlier in his career, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Dendreon, Inc. He also previously served as President of Specialty Medicine at Bayer Healthcare, Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Operations at Chiron Corporation, and Vice President and General Manager of European Biopharmaceuticals. He currently serves as the Executive Chair of the Sana Board of Directors and as a Director of Agilent Technologies and Lyell Immunopharma. Hans holds a BA in chemistry from Brunel University in London.
GRAIL is focused on saving lives and improving health by pioneering new technologies for early cancer detection. The company is using the power of next-generation sequencing, population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to overcome one of medicine’s greatest challenges with its multi-cancer early detection blood test.
With this proprietary technology, GRAIL is also developing solutions to help accelerate cancer diagnoses, blood-based detection for minimal residual disease, and other post-diagnostic applications.
GRAIL is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. It is supported by leading global investors and pharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare companies.
Did you know that the CEO Roundtable on Cancer now reaches 36 states with a member company or Gold Standard™ accredited company?
That’s one of the updates in our Annual Report that went out by email at the end of January / first of February. It also recounts accomplishments of 2020 and highlights priorities for 2021 and beyond.
If you missed the Annual Report, you can find it here on our website.
2020
Robert Ingram, Founding Chairman of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer
At our Vision 2020 Annual Conference and Meeting, our Founding CEO Bob Ingram shared that the U.S. President’s Cancer Panel on which he is a member is looking closely at “Improving Resilience and Equity in Cancer Screening: Lessons from COVID-19 and Beyond.”
The Panel identifies high-priority topics, convenes meetings with key experts, frames possible recommendations, and submits a report to the President of the United States.
Ingram challenged conference participants to maintain Gold Standard accredited status. “The best thing we can do as the CEO Roundtable on Cancer members is to strive to be Gold Standard in our practices while encouraging others to join in and grow membership,” he said.
Read more or watch the video here.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operating under the name EMD Serono in the US and Canada, has been honored with the 2020 Dr. Charles A. Sanders Award for collaborative scientific research in cancer.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has been part of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer since 2012 and has earned CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation since 2011. In 2017, the company partnered with Project Data Sphere to establish the Global Oncology Big Data Alliance (GOBDA) to fuel collaborations in oncology, data science, and regulatory policy.