Advisory Committee

Beth Beadle, MD, PhD is a professor and director of Head and Neck Radiation Oncology in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Stanford University’s School of Medicine.  She has been on faculty at Stanford since January 2017, where she holds several academic appointments with Stanford Bio-X, Maternal and Child Health Research Institute, Stanford Cancer Institute, and Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute.  Prior to Stanford, she served as a member of the Radiation Oncology Department at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center since 2009.

Dr. Beadle’s clinical interest focuses on improving outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer in different communities throughout the world through practical technology and education.  She has served on numerous committees, including her current role as vice chair of the Annual Meeting Education Committee for the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), and has led the head and neck scientific and educational tracks for ASTRO annual meetings. She has received several awards and recognition for her work in radiation oncology and has co-authored a book on radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. She has also been awarded grants to monitor patients during head and neck cancer treatment at home, to minimize ER visits and hospitalization as well as to improve access to care in underserved areas using Radiation Planning Assistant (RPA), a fully automated radiation treatment planning system.

Dr. Beadle earned her medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, where she also earned her PhD in biophysics and structural biology and her bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She completed her residency at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and is board certified in Radiation Oncology.

Samuel Bowdoin, DMD, is a board-certified general dentistry practitioner with 20 plus years of experience and has additional board certifications in Sleep Medicine and Head and Neck Pain. Dr. Bowdoin is passionate about bettering patient care, and is eager to share his knowledge and experience with others. Dr. Bowdoin graduated from The University of Florida in 2002.

Jacqueline Dibble, FNP-BC, APRN, RN, is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner (ANCC). Dibble works in the Otolaryngology/Head and Neck surgery service where she sees a variety of Head and Neck surgery patients in clinic, assists in the operating room, and helps care for patients post operatively on the inpatient floor.

Dibble is a member of the Society of Head and Neck Nurses, Connecticut Advance Practice Registered Nurse Society, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She received the Ruth McCorkle Oncology Advanced Practice Provider Award in 2020 and she presented at the International AHNS conference in July 2023. Dibble received her Master of Science in nursing and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Fairfield University.

Hilda Haynes-Lewis, PhD, ANP-BC, AOCNP, currently works as a nurse practitioner in radiation oncology and is the primary provider in the Prostate Survivorship program in the Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center. She is an assistant professor of radiation oncology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She has worked as an oncology nurse for over 30 years.

Dr. Haynes-Lewis’ research focuses on the impact supportive care needs and distress on older adults with advanced cancer. Dr. Haynes-Lewis has presented nationally on the topics of palliative care, radiation oncology, prostate cancer, symptom management and survivorship. She has published numerous articles on varies topics related to cancer care. 

Dr. Haynes-Lewis received her bachelor’s degree from Alfred University, a graduate degree from Columbia University with a concentration in oncology nursing, and her PhD from University of Utah with a graduate certificate in gerontology. 

Linda Hutkin-Slade, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C is a licensed clinical social worker and certified oncology social worker at Sharp Grossmont Cancer Center, part of Sharp HealthCare in San Diego, California.  As a thirteen-year cancer survivor, she brings personal and professional experience to her work with patients and families as they move through their cancer journey.  Linda has worked in outpatient oncology for ten years and facilitates many support groups, offers multiple monthly educational workshops, and serves as the psychosocial coordinator for INCP. She works one on one with patients, survivors, and their caregivers.

Hutkin-Slade spearheaded efforts to develop and implement an innovative continuum of care across Sharp HealthCare to address cancer-related cognitive impairment. She has worked extensively in health care, both in direct service and in management. As an oncology social worker, she is active in AOSW (Association of Oncology Social Work) most recently as the 2023 AOSW Conference Co-Chair, and currently as the co-chair of the Radiation Therapy Special Interest Group. During her stint in heart transplantation, she was active in the Society for Heart and Lung Transplant Social Work (now Society for Transplant Social Workers) in a variety of leadership roles, including President. 

Hutkin-Slade received a master in social work from San Diego State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego, both in San Diego, California.

Dr. Jessica Maxwell, MD, MPH, FACS is an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Associate Program Director for the Department of Otolaryngology at UPMC. She also serves as the Chief of Otolaryngology at the Pittsburgh Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center. She specializes in head and neck cancer surgery and endocrine surgery.

Dr. Maxwell is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School and subsequently completed her residency training and fellowship in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh. Following fellowship training, she joined the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Georgetown University where she served as the Chief of Otolaryngology at the Washington DC VA and Research Director for the Georgetown Otolaryngology Department. She was subsequently recruited back to UPMC where she serves in her current role.

Dr. Maxwell is a diplomate of the American Board of Otolaryngology and a member of the American Head and Neck Society. She is a nationally recognized leader in head and neck oncology and HPV-related tonsil and tongue cancer. She was recently named Teacher of the Year at Georgetown and was also voted by her peers as a Top Doctor for Washingtonian Magazine in 2021 and 2022.

Dr. Maxwell’s clinical interests include the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, parathyroid and thyroid disorders, salivary gland abnormalities, and transoral robotic surgery for HPV+ tonsil and tongue cancer. She works closely with the multidisciplinary cancer team at the Pittsburgh VA and UPMC to provide comprehensive and state of the art care to her patients. Her research interests include outcomes research in veteran populations as well as research on residency education and training.

Steven Powell, MD, is an Associate Scientist in Medical Oncology at Sanford Cancer Center and Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Dr. Powell is the Head of Enterprise Oncology Research at Sanford and leads the advanced cancer therapeutics and precision oncology research programs.

Dr. Powell’s expertise is in phase I and II clinical trials, with a focus on cancer immunotherapy and genomic-matched treatments. Clinically he focuses on the management of head and neck malignancies, melanoma, and lung cancer. Through these efforts, he has led over 30 clinical trials leading to more than 50 co-authored publications and published abstracts in highly respected journals including The New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Nationally he has served on the National Cancer Institute Head and Neck Cancer Steering Committee, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) TAPUR Molecular Tumor Board, and Alliance Immuno-Oncology Committee.   

Dr. Powell earned his medical degree from The University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine, and a Bachelor of Science degree in bioengineering and biomedical engineering from Arizona State University. He completed a residency in internal medicine from the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, a residency at the University of Minnesota, and a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology from the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

Angie Rush is a survivor of Stage 4, non-HPV, head and neck cancer. Advocating for anyone affected with Head and Neck Cancer has become Rush’s goal in life. We keep the motto of “everything happens for a reason”, no matter how big or small in our family. Our paths are always changing, and we are just along for the ride, Tomorrow is another day, but never promised and no matter what, KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

Eileen Sexton serves as the Vice President of programs for the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance in Charleston, South Carolina. Sexton has spent the majority of her three-decade career working in non-profit management, guiding communications and marketing teams. She served as the Vice President of Communications for many national/international organizations, including Mental Health America, Special Olympics International and Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, to name a few.

Tammara Watts, MD, PhD, serves as an Associate Professor of Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences at the Duke Cancer Network in Durham, North Carolina. In July 2022, Dr. Watts was appointed the Associate Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) for the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI). In this inaugural position for the DCI, Dr. Watts oversees creation of the plan to enhance diversity which includes development and implementation of an EDI strategic plan in the DCI that is in alignment with the Duke School of Medicine and the Duke University Health System’s larger EDI/DEI vision.

Dr. Watts’ research focuses on understanding the role tumor microenvironment mesenchymal stromal cells play in mediating treatment resistance and cancer recurrence. She has received numerous grants in this space and recently  has begun studies related to racial disparities in head and neck cancer, including pilot funding from the DCI and NRG Oncology examining gene expression changes between Black and White patients with human papilloma virus positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Nationally, Dr. Watts has served as member of the Women in Surgery Committee for the American College of Surgeons for seven years and has been the Chair of the Mentorship subcommittee for the last 2 years.

Dr. Watts earned a medical degree from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.