Advocates in Science Steering Committee
The members of the Advocates In Science (AIS) steering committee are experienced research advocates who’ve demonstrated their dedication and leadership in breast cancer advocacy. The steering committee works closely with Komen staff, locally and nationally, to develop the strategy for the AIS program, expand its community of members and leverage the benefits and outcomes of effective breast cancer research advocacy. They are also active members of either the Komen Scholars or the Scientific Advisory Board and dedicated to making sure the patient voice in heard. Read their stories below.
“It is important to me to advocate for greater participation in clinical trials for all potential patients, but specifically for African American patients because of underrepresentation in these trials. I believe that the patient’s perspective in a trial is an essential key to the successful design and execution of a study. Additionally, I strive to be an educator of breast cancer and clinical trials to my community.”
Komen Scholar Since 2022
Advocates in Science since 2020
Birmingham, AL
Thelma Brown, an Advocate in Science from Birmingham, Alabama. Thelma formerly
worked as a Safety Analysis Engineer in the nuclear power industry and was initially
diagnosed with ER+ breast cancer in 2008. Prompted by her family history of the
disease, Thelma became involved with Susan G. Komen even before her diagnosis,
concentrating her efforts into outreach and education as well as research advocacy.
She has served as an advocate with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the
Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium, and has collaborated with
researchers from various institutions. In addition to being keenly interested in cutting
edge research that will lead to more effective, less toxic treatments, she is passionate
about research and clinical trials being inclusive, ensuring of all that will benefit from
breakthroughs.
“As a triple negative breast cancer thriver, I leverage my experiences with breast cancer to help others navigate this disease.”
Komen Scholar Since 2021
Advocates in Science Since 2018
King of Prussia, PA
Tomika Bryant departed the pharmaceutical industry as a biochemist in 2000 to
pursue life outside of the lab. Becoming a social media influencer and a trained
scientist provided an enormous opportunity to speak on behalf of patients once she
was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in 2013. The experience as a
scientist and communicator created a unique scenario where it was easier to accept
and digest treatment. Refusing to allow cancer to create limitations, Tomika has become a strong advocate for women diagnosed with cancer. She is striving to increase cancer awareness among support groups, organizations, patients, caregivers and the general public. Tomika wants to reduce the stigma and fear of cancer in specific socioeconomic
groups, with a long- term goal of encouraging community volunteers and patient
groups all throughout the state and country. She remains focused on helping reduce
cancer incidences, mortality and improve quality of life through better medication
selections. This in turn enables patients to advocate for themselves. Self-advocacy
being a precursor for some clinical trials is important along with maintaining a good
quality of life. Tomika serves as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Research Program, Pennsylvania Research Grant Peer Review, Komen
Advocacy Advisory Taskforce, AIS Membership Committee Chair, Pennsylvania
Public Policy & Advocacy Committee and is a Project Lead graduate. Continuing to work with clinical trial researchers to secure grant applications focused on the improvement of women’s lives with Breast Cancer, especially in grants related to health disparities and health equity is paramount. Tomika is co-founder of Black Women’s Cancer Collaborative and is currently collaborating as an advocate on several breast cancer research projects. Tomika maintains an active social media presence and is frequently invited to participate in groups across networks to contribute to discussions about treatments and psychosocial needs.
“No other organization has impacted breast cancer advocacy and research more than Susan G. Komen. World renowned researchers and volunteers support Komen because Komen cares about the future and honors the past. Komen is the pink ribbon that binds us together.”
Scientific Advisory Board since 2018
Komen Scholar 2010-2018
Advocates in Science Since 2008
Costa Mesa, CA
Sandra Finestone, Psy.D., is a 30-year breast cancer survivor and research advocate, who has been a volunteer for Susan G. Komen for over 25 years. Dr. Finestone is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She is passionate about educating breast cancer patients about their disease and the importance of breast cancer research. Dr. Finestone opened the Hope Wellness Center to meet the needs of breast cancer survivors. As Executive Director, she facilitates support groups, meets individually with patients and their families and has created a peer support system where breast cancer mentors help newly diagnosed women with their journey. Sandy helped start the Orange County Komen Affiliate and has been president three times, as well as the Race chair. She is a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Ambassador and past-President of the Inland Empire Komen Affiliate. In 2009, she went to Jordan to facilitate a meeting that taught healthcare providers about support groups for women with breast cancer, and later that year, trained women in Kuwait and Egypt about support groups. A Project Lead graduate, Dr. Finestone is an experienced grant reviewer for multiple organizations, including Komen. A member of the Advocates in Science Steering Committee, she currently serves as the patient advocate representative on Komen’s Scientific Advisory Board.
“Only through research can we discover more effective ways to prevent, diagnose, treat and cure breast cancer. As a research advocate, I’m continually learning more about this disease. I can bring a sense of urgency to the process and assure patients’ perspectives are an integral part of research decisions.”
Scientific Advisory Board 2012-2017
Komen Scholar 2010-2012
Advocates in Science Since 2008
Kansas City, MO
Cheryl L. Jernigan, CPA, F.A.C.H.E., is a 25-year breast cancer “thriver” and cancer research advocate. She strives to inform and empower patients to be effective partners, working with researchers and clinicians to enhance and focus research on what matters to patients. Cheryl was previously CEO of the Kansas City Area Hospital Association with over 18 years of experience in health policy, advocacy and community/national leadership on behalf of hospitals. Currently, she is the Lead Advocate for: Patient & Investigator Voices Organizing Together (PIVOT), an unique University of Kansas Cancer Center initiative; the Frontiers Clinical Science Translation Award; the Kansas Institute for Precision Medicine; and the Greater Plains Collaborative (a Clinical Data Research Network in the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Initiative (PCORI) PCORnet grant. Nationally, Cheryl was a founding member and currently serves on the steering committee of Susan G. Komen’s Advocates in Science program. She has been actively involved in Komen’s BD4BC (Big Data for Breast Cancer) initiative, including the development of their advocate training program (BD4P). She served as a member of Komen’s Scientific Advisory Board from 2012-2018. An active research advocate, Ms. Jernigan is a member of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Central Institutional Review Board for Adult Late Phase Clinical Trials; Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey External Advisory Board; the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative’s Steering Committee; and the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center’s Working Groups on Returning Clinical Trial Results to Participants and Returning Individual Results. She serves as an Advocate Member on the Cancer Prevention & Epidemiology Committee and as a member on the Patient Advocate Committee of SWOG for Cancer Research.
“Don’t look at me as just a person with MBC but look at me as a woman with lots of love and motivation to join others as a cohesive group to END breast cancer.”
Komen Scholar Since 2021
Advocates in Science Since 2019
Swansea, IL
Sheila Johnson is a passionate advocate for clinical trials and breast cancer research. She is an 11-year metastatic breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in December 2009. Since her diagnosis, she decided she would speak loudly and openly for not only MBC patients but for black patients. Sheila has participated in many breast cancer review boards as a consumer reviewer which include Komen Missouri, Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI), DOD Breast Cancer Research Program and METAvivor. As a consumer reviewer, having a seat at the table with researchers allows her to share her story and also be a part of the grant approval/disapproval process. Her platform and the reason why she became an advocate is to raise awareness about the racial disparities black women face. It’s very important for researchers to include black women in the recruitment of clinical trials because black women will use these therapies if approved. Black women have a higher mortality rate than any other race and this has contributed to many different factors (racial disparities, misconceptions about black women and socio-economics). We as abreast community need to understand why these disparities exist and continue to push to help reduce these devastating statistics.
“I am passionate about helping others and believe research is the way to give breast cancer patients hope, answers, and long, full lives”
Komen Scholar Since 2022
Advocates in Science Since 2019
Helena, MT
Michelle McGree is a 11-year, two-time breast cancer survivor and advocate,
diagnosed at age 28. She lives in Helena Montana and is a fish habitat biologist with a
M.S. degree in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. She is passionate about
research advocacy and helping to make scientific studies impactful to breast cancer
patients. She also enjoys helping others through breast cancer diagnoses, treatments,
and the new normal. Michelle has been a consumer reviewer and mentor for the
Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program since 2014. She is also an
alumnus of the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Young Advocate Program and has been
a member of Komen’s Advocates in Science Program since 2019. She enjoys
participating in scientific breast cancer meetings and has shared her experiences and
perspective through blogs and podcasting. Michelle is also passionate about the role of fitness in the risk of breast cancer and recurrence and has fundraised for cancer research and support of young breast cancer survivors by biking many miles in the Fred Hutch Obliteride and the Young Survival Coalition Tour de Pink. Michelle started working with Susan G. Komen as a Race for the Cure volunteer, organizer, and honorary survivor. She participates in various efforts as an Advocates in Science.
“I thank Susan G Komen for making me a better person, for inspiring me to continue to support the research science to find cures for every type of breast cancer, and to empower me to educate the public of the necessity to pursue these efforts.”
Komen Scholar Since 2017
Advocates in Science Since 2010
Houston, TX
Anne M. Meyn, M.Ed., was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in 1989 and throughout 1990. While in treatment, the Komen Houston Affiliate was founded, offering knowledge, support and long-lasting friendships. Ms. Meyn was compelled to be involved in an organization whose goal it was to eradicate breast cancer. She has served on the Komen Houston Affiliate Board of Directors since 2011, and she co-chairs the Komen Houston Medical Advisory Council Adjunct committee. Selected as M.D. Anderson Cancer Center’s patient advocate on the Komen-funded Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC), she became the TBCRC Patient Advocate Working Group Co-Chair in 2016. As an AIS member, Ms. Meyn received scholarships to Komen-funded advocate programs at ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium. She was also introduced to the Komen Tissue Bank while she participated in Komen Promise Grant-funded advocate workshop at Indiana University, and she was instrumental in having Komen Houston host a tissue collection event in the most diverse city in the country. An experienced research grants reviewer, she is passionate about research, as she knows new treatments and cures will be the ultimate result.
“After a life changing experience of a breast cancer diagnosis in 2003, and having to go through a year of treatments, I knew I had to be a voice for many patients suffering from this disease.”
Komen Scholar Since 2017
Advocates in Science Since 2016
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bárbara Segarra-Vázquez, D.H.Sc., has been a faculty at the University of Puerto
Rico for 34 years, and is one of the Principal Investigators of the Hispanic Clinical and
Translational Research Education and Career Development (HCTRECD) program
(R25MD007607) funded by NIH. Dr. Segarra-Vázquez was diagnosed with breast cancer Stage IIB on December 2003 and was in remission for 13 years. On January 2017, she had a recurrence of metastatic breast cancer to the skin. A volunteer for Komen Puerto Rico since 2006, she was Board President for four years, during which they received the “Promise Award 2013” for her commitment to innovation and forward thinking in reducing overall breast cancer mortality. She has served several times as a consumer reviewer for the Breast Cancer Research Program of the Department of Defense
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs and traveled to Komen Global
Initiative to meet with different groups that provided services to breast cancer patients
and participate in a public activity of breast. She is the Chair of Steering Committee for
Komen Advocates in Science, and is a member of SWOG Patient Advocates Committee and Cancer care Delivery Committee. She is also a member of ASCO CancerLinQ Patient Advisory Committee and the External Advisory Panel of the Participant Engagement-Cancer Genome Sequencing (PE-CGS) Network. She is the founder and co-investigator of HIDEAS (Hispanics Increasing Diversity to Enhance Advocacy in Science) cancer awareness. Dr. Segarra-Vázquez is a medical technologist and she received her D.H.Sc. from Nova Southeastern University.
I am a three-time breast cancer survivor who has experienced the advances in treatment (many due to the efforts of Komen) over the last 30 years. The AIS program has done so much to prepare me to be a strong voice for patients and provided an important role in determining how limited research funding can be best deployed to fulfill Komen’s mission – a world without breast cancer.”
Komen Scholar Since 2018
Advocates in Science Since 2013
Landenburg, PA
Meryl Weinreb, M.A. is a retired pharmaceutical marketing executive with extensive experience in oncology – both from an industry and personal perspective. As a 3-time breast cancer survivor, she was uniquely equipped to successfully lead consumer marketing strategy and execution for AstraZeneca’s US oncology portfolio. She was responsible for a number of awarding-winning patient education and support programs for breast, prostate and lung cancer therapies. She led innovative adherence programs and worked with company researchers to create patient-friendly PI’s and clinical protocols. Ms. Weinreb served on the Executive Board of the Philadelphia affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for 7 years. She then continued to serve as the affiliate’s Education and Public Policy Chair. She is currently a Komen Advocacy Ambassador, working to increase government funding for breast cancer research and enacting legislation that will remove barriers to care. In 2013, she was invited to join Komen’s Advocates in Science Program, and in 2018 became a member of its steering committee and a Komen Scholar. She currently chairs the AIS Committee on Peer Review and is Vice Chair of the AIS Education and Training Committee. She has served as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Research Program, Komen’s Postdoctoral Fellowship and Career Catalyst awards, and The Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas. She assists researchers – locally, across the country and sometimes abroad – with their grant applications and currently is collaborating as an advocate on several breast cancer research projects.
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