Advisory Committee

Crystal Enstad, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN, is an oncology nurse navigator genomics and a nurse leader at Sanford Health’s Sanford Cancer Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. With 19 years of experience in nursing and 10 years in oncology care, she has participated in and lead several projects and initiatives to expand oncology care, including the development of the oncology nurse navigator genomics role at Sanford Health to better support patients with cancer through their genomic and precision oncology journey. She has a passion for bringing high quality, patient-centered care to her patients and their support system and works to ensure a comprehensive and holistic approach to treating patients as unique individuals. 

Enstad earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of South Dakota and her MBA at the University of Sioux Falls. She holds several nursing specialty certifications, including Acute and Critical Care (CCRN), Nursing Case Management (BC), and Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN).

Karen Huelsman, MS, LGC, is a licensed and board-certified genetic counselor at the TriHealth Cancer and Blood Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio. With over 20 years of experience in oncology genomics, she has been an active partner on multiple tumor site leadership groups and helped to build the Precision Oncology program at TriHealth. With the rise of biomarker-driven treatment and clinical trials, her role has evolved into Precision Oncology Lead for TriHealth Precision Medicine Institute, where she specializes in hereditary cancer predisposition testing, risk-based surveillance, cancer prevention, and genomic-informed personalized management.   

In addition to consulting for germline and somatic test results with patients and their families, Huelsman works as part of a large and dynamic oncology team, as a catalyst and connector for clinical, research and program development. She is an active part of the Epic EMR integration team to conceive and support customized optimizations and was part of TriHealth’s first Epic integration for tumor profiling.  She is an accomplished speaker for professional and lay groups, has presented at many national conferences, and has authored more than 20 original publications.  

Sandra Kurtin, PhD, ANP-C, AOCN, is a hematology/oncology nurse practitioner at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and an assistant professor of clinical medicine and adjunct clinical assistant professor of nursing at the Univrsity of Arizona’s College of Medicine. With over 30 years of experience in advanced practice, her oncology practice focuses on benign and malignant hematological disorders. Her research focuses on health technology engagement, communicative health literacy, and health self-management among older adult cancer survivors, as well as practice transformation to achieve best practice.  

Dr Kurtin is a founding board member and the immediate past president of the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO), as well as a member of American Society of Hematology (ASH), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and Oncology Nursing Society (ONS). In addition, she is a member of the executive committee, board of directors and co-chair of the Nursing Leadership Board for the MDS Foundation. She also serves on the Hematology Board for the American Board of Internal Medicine. In addition to these accolades, she has been an associate editor for The Journal of the Advanced Practitioner in Oncology since its inception and an editorial board member for JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics, ASH News, The Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, and the ASCO People Living with Cancer website. She has presented numerous regional, national, and international lectures on oncology-related topics and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. 

Dr Kurtin earned her BSN and MS in oncology nursing, her post-graduate certification in geriatric and adult practice, and her PhD in nursing at the University of Arizona. She is also an inaugural Fellow of Advanced Practice in Oncology (FAPO).

Nikki Martin is Senior Director of Precision Medicine Initiatives where she focuses on accelerating access to precision medicine, especially biomarker testing, for lung cancer patients. Nikki came into patient advocacy from multiple roles in public affairs and communications at diagnostic and biotech companies including Genentech, Novartis Diagnostics, and Grifols where she collaborated with patient advocacy groups and other stakeholders on a variety of global health issues. She believes that patient advocacy organizations play an essential role in convening influential entities from government to providers, payers, and industry, which can lead to critical work with long-lasting impact on patient care. Nikki started her career in healthcare communications in Japan where she advised healthcare clients on public relations activities in the Japanese market. 

Christopher McNair, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Oncology and currently serves as the director of Cancer Informatics and associate director for Data Science at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) at the Thomas Jefferson University Health System. In his current role, he provides informatics leadership and oversees the maintenance and development of technologies and applications for use by the SKCC research population. This includes data capture software, bio-specimen collection tools, research data warehouse and associated applications, and genomic research data portal, which acts as a source of aggregate genomic data for the institution.  

Dr McNair serves as the co-director for the SKCC’s precision medicine program which aims to standardize molecular testing across the center, decrease disparities in testing, and increase genomic-driven research studies and state of the art clinical trials at SKCC. His early research was performed in the lab of Karen Knudsen, MBA, PhD, EVP of Oncology Services for Jefferson Health and was focused on the identification of the molecular alterations underlying prostate cancer development and progression through utilizing genome-wide approaches. 

Dr McNair earned his PhD in cell and developmental biology at Thomas Jefferson University and his bachelor’s degree in biotechnology at James Madison University.     

Gregg Shepard, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist at Tennessee Oncology, PLLC in Nashville, Tennessee. He specializes in care for patients with a variety of adult cancers and hematologic disorders. He also participates in Ascension Hospital System’s UNITY program for patients with brain and spine tumors. His interests include lymphoma, thoracic cancers, myeloproliferative disorders, pain management, and improving patient doctor communication. 

Dr Shepard is a member of the Neuro-oncology and Thoracic Oncology Specialist Boards of St. Thomas Health Systems and a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He has served as president and chair of the Board of Directors of both the Tennessee Oncology Practice Society and the Nashville Academy of Medicine.  

Dr Shepard is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology. He graduated from Sewanee, the University of the South and earned his medical degree at the University of Tennessee in Memphis.  He completed his residency and fellowship training at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina.   

Wendi Waugh, BS, RT(R)(T), CMD, ODS, FACCC, is the administrative director of cancer services and ambulatory infusion at Southern Ohio Medical Center in Portsmouth, Ohio. She brings more than 30 years of experience in healthcare to this role. Waugh began her career in medical imaging but has spent the last 28 years in oncology. Her passion for community health and development led her to assume a larger leadership role at Southern Ohio Medical Center in 2013, when she assumed leadership of the community health and wellness teams.

A survivor of breast cancer, Waugh’s interests include community development, public speaking, leadership, dance, fitness, hiking and biking, and spending time with her family. She is a graduate of the Radiologic Technology Program at Shawnee State University and received her training for radiation therapy at Weber State University. Waugh received a Bachelor of Science in health administration and health informatics from Kennedy-Western Reserve, and she is also a certified cancer registrar and certified medical dosimetrist.