Media Advisory

CDC announces new members for the Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today seven new members who will serve on the Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women (ACBCYW).  The Committee was chartered in 2010 and consists of external experts and stakeholders.  The committee members serve two- to four-year terms. 

These newly-appointed experts will advise CDC in developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based approaches to advance the understanding and awareness of breast cancer among young women. The individuals invited to serve on the Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women represent researchers, clinicians, advocates, and breast cancer survivors from across the country.  They include:

Raquel D. Arias, M.D., University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Dr. Arias is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Keck School of Medicine and Clinical Associate Professor of Gerontology at the University of Southern California (USC).  She also serves as Associate Dean for Educational Affairs and for Admissions at the Keck School of Medicine.  Dr. Arias earned her B.A., from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and completed course work for her M.P.H. at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Arias served in the National Health Service Corps in Merced, California.  She has been both Associate Director and Director of the Breast Diagnostic Center at LAC/USC Medical Center. 

Otis Webb Brawley, M.D., F.A.C.P., American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Brawley is the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President for Research and Cancer Control Science for the American Cancer Society.  Dr. Brawley is also a practicing oncologist.  He previously served as Professor of Hematology and Oncology and Epidemiology at Emory University, Medical Director of the Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, and Deputy Director for Cancer Control at the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University. Dr. Brawley has been reappointed to serve on the ACBCYW.

Elyse Spatz Caplan, M.A., Haverford, Pennsylvania
Ms. Caplan, a 20-year breast cancer survivor, joined the non-profit Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) in 2000.  Currently Director of Programs and Partnerships, she oversees LBBC’s programming including national conferences, teleconferences, Helpline, and presentations for healthcare professionals.  She works with organizations to form partnerships that extend LBBC’s reach. Previously, she served as coordinator for cancer clinical trials at Albert Einstein Medical Center, as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, and grant reviewer for the Avon Foundation.  She received LBBC’s Founders Award in recognition of her dedication to educating women affected by breast cancer.  Ms. Caplan holds an M.A. degree in Speech Pathology from Montclair State University and is a graduate of the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s Project LEAD scientific training course. 

Sue Friedman, D.V.M., Tampa, Florida
After being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 33, and subsequently learning that she carried a breast cancer (BRCA) gene mutation, Dr. Friedman founded and became executive director of the national organization, Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE).  FORCE addresses the need for credible information, support, resources, and advocacy for people and families affected by hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.  Dr. Friedman developed and directs all FORCE educational, support, and advocacy programs.  Because hereditary breast cancer often occurs at a younger age than sporadic breast cancer, many of FORCE’s programs focus on young women with, or at high-risk for breast cancer.  Dr. Friedman has more than a decade of experience addressing the unique needs of these women.  She serves on many research advisory boards and participates at the national level in panels and workshops focused on policy, research, and regulatory issues in cancer and genetics.

Susan E. Kutner, M.D., Kaiser Permanente, San Jose, California
Dr. Kutner has been a general surgeon with a subspecialty practice in breast surgery at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center since 1984.  From 1996 to 2001, she was Chief of the Department of Surgery.  Since 1995, Dr. Kutner has served as chair of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Breast Care Task Force.  She is also chair of the Kaiser Permanente Interregional Breast Care Leaders Group.  Dr. Kutner works as a Clinical Consultant with the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research on a number of breast cancer related projects, including Pathways:  A Study of Breast Cancer Survivorship.  She has been a member of several national organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Breast Cancer Fund.  Dr. Kutner has also been a climber and team doctor for the Breast Cancer Fund’s Climb Against the Odds with expeditions to Mt. Fuji, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Shasta.

Karen (Dow) Meneses, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
M. Meneses is Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the School of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Co‐Leader of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program at UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.  Her research focus is cancer survivorship and interventions to improve quality of life in cancer survivors and their families.  Dr. Meneses has conducted research specifically with young women with breast cancer.  She was director of the Fertility and Cancer Project, a web‐based support and education program aimed at young breast cancer survivors having fertility concerns after treatment.  Dr. Meneses was an invited participant to the 1993 National Cancer Institute meeting that reviewed the scientific evidence on breast cancer in young women.  She also served as a reviewer for the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia’s Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management and Support of Younger Women with Breast Cancer.

Rochelle Lee Shoretz, J.D., Sharsheret, Teaneck, New Jersey
Ms. Shoretz is Founder and Executive Director of Sharsheret, a national organization of cancer survivors dedicated to addressing the unique concerns of young Jewish women facing breast cancer.  In 1999, she served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ms. Shoretz, a two-time breast cancer survivor, founded Sharsheret in 2001, to connect young Jewish women fighting breast cancer following her own diagnosis at age 28.  Ms. Shoretz has been reappointed to serve on the ACBCYW.

A list of all the committee members can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/what_cdc_is_doing/members.htm.
For information about breast cancer prevention, visit www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES