Steering Committee

Jennifer Aversano, MSN, RN, OCN, ONN-CG is a double certified oncology nurse navigator with a specialty in lung cancer at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Illinois. She navigates all lung cancer patients from lung cancer screening throughout the continuum of care into survivorship.   Ms. Aversano is also one of the leads on the Precision Medicine Committee at Northwest Community and oversees the lung nodule clinic.

She is the co-chair of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigator (AONN) Genetics and Genomics Committee and is on the steering committee of the navigator collaboration the Lung Screening Network (LSN). She presented in December 2023 at the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) National Lung Cancer Roundtable session on the Critical Role of Oncology Navigation in Patient Care across the Lung Cancer Continuum.

Ms. Aversano received her Master’s Degree in Nursing in Healthcare System Leadership in 2019 and is currently pursuing her Nurse Practitioner Certification both at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.

Dr. Feller-Kopman serves as the Director of Bronchoscopy and Interventional Pulmonology at Johns Hopkins.  He is an expert in the minimally invasive diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. His areas of clinical expertise include all aspects of interventional pulmonology, including minimal invasive diagnostic procedures to evaluate suspicious lung nodules and enlarged lymph nodes in the chest as well as the evaluation and management of malignant and non-malignant central airway obstruction.  In addition, he specializes in the evaluation and management of pleural diseases with minimally invasive procedures such as ultrasound guided thoracentesis, indwelling pleural catheters and thoracoscopy with pleurodesis.  He is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Thoracic Society, as member of the Miller-Coulson academy of Clinical Excellence at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Feller-Kopman’s research focuses on the minimally invasive treatment of patients with malignant pleural effusion. Dr. Feller-Kopman co-founded the Interventional Pulmonary Outcomes Group (IPOG) whose mission is to provide and support multicenter prospective trials in the Interventional Pulmonary space.  He is also involved with several projects investigating minimally invasive ways to diagnose and treat lung cancer.  His goal is to advance the science of Interventional Pulmonology in order to improve the quality of life of patients with malignant pleural effusions and central airway obstruction as well as to develop new strategies to diagnosis and treat lung cancer.

He completed his internship and residency at Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard University; a Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care, Combined Harvard Program (Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; and a Fellowship: Interventional Pulmonary, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care Medicine, and Interventional Pulmonary.

Dr. Percy Lee is professor and vice-chair of Clinical Research and medical director for Orange County and Coastal Regions in the Department of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope National Medical Center. Dr. Lee has an international reputation in the treatment of thoracic and gastrointestinal malignancies. His research interests include applying novel technologies, such as MRI-guided radiation therapy, in the clinic and he led the clinical implementation of MRI-guided radiation therapy program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), only the third site in the world with this innovation. In addition, he is a clinical trialist who is interested in combining novel radiation therapy approaches with new drugs to achieve improved outcomes in thoracic malignancies.

Dr. Lee began his career at UCLA, where he rose to the rank of professor and vice chair of Education for the Department of Radiation. There, he also served as chief of Thoracic Radiation Oncology, Residency Training Program director, and director of the Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Program. Subsequently, Dr. Lee served as section chief of Thoracic Radiation Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center from 2019-2022. In addition to these posts, Dr. Lee has served on various leadership roles within national organizations such as the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Board of Radiology, American Radium Society, and the Radiosurgery Society.

Dr. Lee earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. He completed his clinical internship in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, his residency in radiation oncology at Stanford University in California, and is board certified in Radiology. Dr. Lee was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan until the age of 9, and still has family throughout the island.

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. 

Ravi Salgia, MD, PhD, is the Arthur and Rosalie Kaplan Chair in Medical Oncology and the Associate Director for Clinical Sciences Research in the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California.

Prior to joining City of Hope, Dr. Salgia served as tenured professor of Medicine, Pathology, and Dermatology; Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program and Aerodigestive Tract Program Translational Research Lab, Section of Hematology/Oncology; Vice Chair for Translational Research, Department of Medicine; and Associate Director for Translational Science at the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Salgia earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude in mathematics, biology, and chemistry, and then his MD, and PhD, from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, where he also completed fellowships in neurochemistry and physiology. He continued his postgraduate training with an internship and residency in internal medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by a fellowship in medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, during which time he also served as a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Dr. Salgia is frequently invited to present his work at national and international conferences and symposia and is the recipient of several honors and awards. He is serving as a chartered member of NIH/NCI’s Tumor Progression and Metastasis Study Section, and he was also elected as the Translational Science Representative on NCI's Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee.

Board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology, Dr. Salgia is the current chief editor for Cancer Commons, and the co-chief editor for the Journal of Carcinogenesis. He also serves on the editorial advisory boards of four additional journals. Dr. Salgia has authored 286 peer-reviewed articles, reviews and editorials, one book, and 34 book chapters.

Michelle Shiller, DO, AP/CP, MGP, became board certified in Anatomic, Clinical, and Molecular Genetic Pathology following the completion of her residency at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and her fellowship at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Upon completion of her training, Dr. Shiller established a practice with Pathologists Biomedical Laboratories in Dallas, Texas, which services the majority of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex Baylor Scott and White Hospitals. Dr. Shiller sits on the Quality Committee for the Baylor Sammons Cancer Center; serves as the Assistant Medical Director for Cancer Genetics, primarily focusing on germline cancer predisposition; and is the Co-Assistant Medical Director for the Division of Molecular Medicine and Pathology. Dr. Shiller has also served on the Baylor Medical Board. Dr. Shiller has served on steering committees and advisory boards for multiple entities. She is an active member of the Association for Molecular Pathology, where she has developed a consistent dialogue between molecular pathology and oncology, and she assists with developing the ASCO-sponsored Molecular Tumor Board..

Dr. Mark Socinski is the Executive Medical Director of the AdventHealth Cancer Institute in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Socinski was most recently the Director of the Lung Cancer Section at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Clinical Associate Director of the University of Pittsburgh Lung Cancer SPORE, Co-Director of UPMC Lung Cancer Center of Excellence, and Co-Leader of the Lung Cancer Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

Dr. Socinski holds membership in numerous professional societies such as the American College of Physicians, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Cancer and Leukemia Group B (Alliance), International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, American College of Chest Physicians. He is also co-Chair Emeritus of the Thoracic Malignancies Steering Committee for the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Socinski is well published in peer-reviewed literature including journals such as the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, Cancer, and Lancet Oncology  Dr. Socinski’s primary research interests reside in all aspects of clinical trials related to the thoracic oncology patient population. He also has been instrumental in the development of many cooperative group and investigator-initiated clinical trials.

Dr. Socinski received his medical degree from the University of Vermont, College of Medicine. His postdoctoral training included an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School and a medical oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Alex Spira is director of the Virginia Cancer Specialists (VCS) Research Institute and the Phase I Trial Program, where he is actively involved in advancing medicine and offering targeted treatment options for patients. He also is co-chair of the US Oncology Thoracic Oncology Committee, chair of the US Oncology Research Executive Committee, and a member of the US Oncology National Policy Board Executive Committee. Dr. Spira is a faculty member at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he is assistant professor of oncology. His research interests include immunotherapy, personalized medicine, gastrointestinal, thoracic, and lung cancer and sarcomas.

Throughout his career, Dr. Spira has been recognized as a Top Doctor in Northern Virginia Magazine and Washingtonian magazine for multiple years. In 2014, he received the prestigious Castle Connolly America’s Top Doctor award.

Dr. Spira earned his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and his medical oncology fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.  He has been honored with the National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Program Fellowship (1990-1997), Merck Corporation Scholarship (1995-1995), Pediatric AIDS Foundation Fellowship (1993- 1995), and Harvard University Scholarship (1987-1990). He received his PhD from the New York School of Arts and Sciences.

 

Dr. Stiles is an Associate Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine. 

Dr. Stiles is a busy clinician, with expertise in the surgical management of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Dr. Stiles is also an active basic science researcher focused on lung cancer. He is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF); Dr. Stiles is a grant reviewer for LCRF, the Thoracic Surgery Foundation, and the CDMRP Lung Cancer Research Program.

He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the National Lung Cancer Roundtable, and an active advocate for lung cancer research and for patients.

As Executive Director, Cancer, Sanford Health, 
Ms. Van De Steeg is responsible for strategy, business development, and clinical and financial operations of medical specialties and hospital operations including Cancer (Medical Hematology/Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Gynecology Oncology), Palliative Care, Genetic Counseling, Dermatology, Breast Health, Internal Medicine and Imaging.

Previously, she served as Executive Director, Health Inc., joint venture management organization for Mercy Medical Center – Sioux City and UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s. In that capacity, she was responsible for financial performance; employee, employed-physician, and patient satisfaction for June E. Nylen Cancer Center, Sioux City, Iowa; Hospice of Siouxland; and Siouxland Paramedics, Inc.

Ms. Van De Steeg served on the Sioux Falls City Council member of YMCA in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (2002-2006), as Mayor Pro Tem (2004), and Mayor (2005). She is a board member for State of Iowa Cancer Consortium, and serves on the Policy Committee of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

She received an MA in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, and is certified in healthcare compliance by the Health Care Compliance Association. 

H. Jack West, MD, is Associate Clinical Professor and Executive Director of Employer Services at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California.

Prior to this, he was a medical oncologist and Medical Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at Seattle Cancer Institute, in Seattle, Washington. He founded and serves as President of the Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education (GRACE), a nonprofit that provides free information for patients and caregivers dealing with cancer.

Dr. West serves as Web Editor of JAMA Oncology. He leads a wide range of continuing medical education programs and other educational programs, including hosting the podcast, West Wind. Dr. West trained at Princeton University, University of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.