Advisory Committee, Phase I

Michelle Bigg, RN, BSN, is a women's oncology coordinator at Sunrise Cancer Center. She began her medical career in 2003 as a medical research intern at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College (NYP-WMC) in New York City. During this period, she gained a passion for medicine and decided to pursue a career in medicine. While obtaining her bachelor’s in health sciences and subsequent associate degree in nursing, Michelle worked at both NYP-WMC and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a research coordinator. During this time, she helped to run several National Cancer Institute clinical and investigator initiated trials for women’s oncology and gastroenterology. She was responsible for institutional review board submissions, patient recruitment/eligibility, ensuring proper safety and compliance with protocols, documentation of all pertinent research patient information, and working closely with patients as she went through their research protocols.

Michelle obtained her nursing license in July 2010 and continued to work at NYP/WMC as a clinical practice nurse to a multidisciplinary cancer center at the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health.  She worked with a care team consisting of physicians, specialists, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nutritionists, genetic counselors, and social workers to help specialize care plans for patients undergoing various cancer treatments and surveillance. Additionally, she saw patients with a woman’s health/genetic gastroenterologist and helped to device recommendations for gastrointestinal screening and surveillance for women in conjunction with the NYP/WMC Iris Cantor Breast Center.

 In November 2016, she transferred to the Breast Center at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas as a nurse navigator to breast and gynecological cancer patients. She assists patients during their cancer journey by providing patient-centered care with education of their disease and treatments, coordination of appointments, identifying and decreasing barriers to care with providing support and community resources, and being a support to both the patient and family members. She started her master’s in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in September 2018 and looks forward to continuing to help cancer patients throughout their journey and survivorship.

Jennifer Bires, LCSW, OSW-C, CST, is an innovative leader in the field of psychosocial oncology with over 15 years of experience building patient centered, supportive care programs for patients and families impacted by cancer. In her current role at Inova Schar Cancer Institute, Jennifer leads a team of oncology behavioral health therapists, social workers, nurse navigators and oncology dieticians, ensuring that patients and those who support them have access to psychosocial care and education, at no cost to them, to help cope with cancer and its impact on their well-being. Additionally, she oversees the Arts and Healing program which utilizes the arts as a modality of healing.

Her clinical specialties include sexual health, young adults with cancer and end of life care. Jennifer is a current PhD candidate in Palliative Care at the University of Maryland, Baltimore exploring the use of psychedelics as a behavioral health treatment modality for people impacted by cancer.

She earned her master’s degree in Social Work from Washington University in Saint Louis, and her bachelor’s degree at Clemson University. She was awarded the Oncology Social Worker of the year in 2017 from the Association of Oncology Social Workers, sits on the Leadership Council for the Association of Oncology Nurse Navigators +, and Board of Trustees for the Association of Cancer Care Centers, is a member of the American Cancer Society National Navigation Round Table and is a past chair for the Board of Oncology Social Work.

Dr. Cliby is a gynecologic oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, and the Virgil S. Counseller Professor of Surgery. Dr. Cliby’s expertise is in surgical gynecologic oncology, outcomes, and translational research, and he has focused much of his clinical research on improving techniques and surgical outcomes and quality in ovarian cancer. His laboratory research is focused on the interaction between cancer and stroma in ovarian cancer. Dr. Cliby has a strong interest in education and has been the fellowship program director for 13 years, having developed the fellowship program directors’ training course for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. He currently serves as a member of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, and as a member of the ACGME Review Committee. Dr. Cliby completed his residency training at Duke University and fellowship training at Mayo Clinic.

Charles Drescher, MD, is a gynecologic oncologist at Swedish Cancer Institute, and has been named Seattle Magazine’s and Seattle Metro Magazine’s “Top Doctor,” Seattle Top Doctor Hall of Fame, “Best Doctors in America,” and is a recipient of numerous awards including the Patient Choice Award. Dr. Drescher participates in a number of cancer research organizations and holds positions that include—but are not limited to—joint full member of the Molecular Diagnostics Program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; key investigator with the Pacific Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium; Canary Foundation Ovary Science team leader; and board member of the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.

As a gynecologic cancer specialist, Dr. Drescher aims to provide the best possible care to all women with or at risk for gynecologic cancers, as well as women with complex benign gynecological conditions. He works with a team of skilled providers to ensure his patients have access to the full range of treatment options and supportive care.

Anthony Magliocco, MD, BSc, FRCPC, FCAP, is former chair of anatomical pathology, director of esoteric laboratory services, and served as medical director of the Morsani Advanced Diagnostic Laboratories at the Moffitt Cancer Center. As a molecular and anatomical pathologist, his main research focuses on development of novel clinical predictive assays for cancer patients. Dr. Magliocco has special expertise in women's cancers and conducts scientific research into the molecular basis of metastasis. Most recently he has founded and serves as the president and CEO of Protean BioDiagnostics, a new biotechnology company focused on accelerating the deployment of precision oncology with a focus on community cancer centers and advanced diagnostics including molecular and genetic analysis, liquid biopsy, and incorporating advanced artificial intelligence to improve the quality and efficiency of cancer diagnostic services.

Nicholas Robert, MD,  is currently the Medical Director, Data, Evidence & Insights, McKesson Life Sciences. In this role Dr. Robert oversees health economic outcomes research.

After being the clinical director of medical oncology at New England Medical Center (Tufts University), Dr. Robert joined Virginia Cancer Specialists in Fairfax,Virginia, where he served as Medical Director of the Research Program of the practice. He has also held positions as Chief, Hematology/Oncology Section, and Chair, Cancer Committee, at Inova Fairfax Hospital, as well as Chair of the ECOG Breast Committee. In addition, he has served as a faculty member of ASCO University.

The author of over 100 publications, Dr. Robert is a reviewer for several medical publications and the recipient of numerous research grants. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and a former member of the Cancer Research Committee and past chair of the ASCO Research Community Forum. He was a member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project.

A graduate of the McGill Medical School, Dr. Robert completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. Following a residency in Anatomic Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital where he was Chief Resident, he continued his training in Hematology in Boston at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and in Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He was a Fellow at Harvard Medical School.

He is board certified in Internal Medicine, anatomic pathology, medical oncology, and hematology. 

Leigha Senter, MS, LGC, FACCC, is a licensed genetic counselor and clinical professor at The Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute where she specializes in cancer genetics risk assessment in women with gynecologic cancers. She is the Associate Director of the Division of Human Genetics.

Senter has more than 20 years of research experience in hereditary cancers with a primary focus in BRCA gene-related projects with more than 100 peer reviewed publications. She is currently a board member for the Association of Community Cancer Centers.

Senter earned a bachelor's degree in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and a master's degree in genetic counseling from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Premal H. Thaker, MD, MSc, is an Associate Professor in Gynecologic Oncology and Director of Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. Thaker is a member of the NRG Oncology’s Phase I committee and is the Chair of the Early Business Development Committee of the GOG Partners Investigator Council. She has been national PI of three GOG clinical trials as well as other national clinical trials. She served as a member of the grants and awards committee for the Foundation for Women’s Cancer. Additionally, she has served on the NRG Ovarian Cancer Committee, NCI Ovarian Task Force, NCI Gynecologic Task Force, and on the NCCN Task Force for genetics. She also serves on several Data Safety Monitoring Boards and is on the NCCN committee for Ovarian Cancer. She has published over 180 peer-reviewed publications as an author or co-author as well as 12 book chapters.

Dr. Thaker graduated from a six-year combined baccalaureate and medical degree program through Villanova University and Medical College of Pennsylvania. Subsequently she joined the obstetrics and gynecology residency program at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She then went to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, to complete a master’s degree in Cancer Biology as well as her gynecologic oncology fellowship in 2006.