Following his passion for leadership, Greg started leadershipForward in 2002 to provide clients with leadership development solutions at the senior and operational leadership levels in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Greg has coached over 650 executives and developed and facilitated over 350 leadership programs over the last 18 years. Greg started his leadership journey at the United States Military Academy, and after graduation served in several elite Army units. After receiving his MBA from the Harvard Business School, Greg taught leadership and organizational change at the United States Military Academy and earned the highest educator ratings for teaching excellence. Greg was recruited to McKinsey & Company and focused on issues of leadership and organizational change. Greg then served in several senior executive leadership roles at BellSouth Telecommunications and several high technology firms. He was recruited to an executive search firm, Egon Zehnder International, serving clients in executive search and assessment, succession planning, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness. Greg has been married for 39 years to Claudia, a retired pediatric nurse. They have 4 adult children and three grandchildren and live in Atlanta, Georgia.

I have worked for Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF) for 15 years. In 2005, I began my career at BHSF as a Clinical Partner (care tech) at Baptist Hospital’s Critical Care Unit. In 2006, I began working as a Critical Care nurse after completing an associate’s degree in Nursing. I was able to continue my education and complete a bachelor's degree in Nursing (BSN) and master's degree in Nursing (MSN) with a specialization as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. In 2011, I began working as the Manager of Safety and Process Improvement for Critical Care, Progressive Care, and the Dialysis Unit. During that time, I completed a Doctorate Degree in Nursing Practice (DNP) in 2016. The Doctoral Capstone was a Clinical Protocol Change: Initiatives to Reduce Cather-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) in the Adult Critical Care Unit which decreased the CAUTI rate by 83% using an evidence-based practice prevention bundle. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) recognized this exemplary work, and I was awarded the 2017 Certified Nurse Award, which was a true honor. I began working at the Miami Cancer Institute (MCI) in 2017 as the Director of Performance Improvement. Currently, I am working as the Director of Professional Nursing Practice Standards and Performance Improvement. This exciting role includes: all educational processes throughout the organization; oversight and development of the Transitional Academy for experienced nurses new to oncology; development of policies, procedures, and workflow processes; and all patient safety and accreditation activities.

Marguerite Rowell is the Assistant Vice President of Nursing at Miami Cancer Institute in Miami Florida. She over twenty years of experience in nursing, specifically, 10 years in neuroscience and over 6 years in oncology. She has presented on multiple occasions on a local and national level. Marguerite has a BSN from Florida International University, MSN from Nova Southeastern University and, MBA and master's in health management from St. Thomas University

Ms. Ryder’s extensive professional background encompasses over 37 years in both patient care and executive positions. She is a clinical expert in hospital operations and has been responsible for the growth of the renowned neuroscience and surgical programs at Baptist Hospital of Miami, where she began her career 29 years ago in surgery and the post-anesthesia care unit.

A member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and South Florida Organization of Healthcare Executives, Ms. Ryder also sits on the board of Living Hope Haiti. In this capacity, she has organized more than 24 Baptist Health surgical trips to the country, which provide life-changing surgery for Haitian residents in need.

Ms. Ryder holds two master's degrees in nursing and healthcare administration from the University of St. Francis.

Larry Bilbrey is the Care Data Systems Manager for Tennessee Oncology, where he is responsible for value-based care reporting to multiple government and commercial payers.

Larry began his career at Tennessee Oncology almost 15 years ago. He has spent the majority of his time with Tennessee Oncology in operations. Prior to becoming the Care Data Systems Manager, Larry was a Regional Operations Manager for 7 years, and, prior to that, an Operations Manager. 

There have been multiple projects that Larry has been involved in with Tennessee Oncology over the years. He has been a part of the Value Based Care project(s) at Tennessee Oncology since its origination in 2014. He has developed many aspects of Tennessee Oncology’s Value Based Care initiatives including navigation/care coordination and central triage. Larry has played an integral part in the original Medical Home pilot. This comprises of being the designer and product owner/administrator of Tennessee Oncology’s original proprietary telephone triage management tool.

Johnetta Blakely holds the position of Executive Director of Health Economics and Outcomes Research for Tennessee Oncology, PLLC, one of the nation's largest community-based oncology practices. In her role she provides oversight for all outcomes research projects within Tennessee Oncology. She is responsible for direct oversight of protocol development, budgeting, data analysis, abstracting and presentation of data. She collaborates closely with technology vendors, pharma and other organizations to collaborate in these projects. She also provides suggestions and guides improvement based on the data from health outcomes projects. She also serves as the chair of the Performance Improvement committee for Tennessee Oncology which allows implementation of process improvement guided from outcomes.  She has maintained an active Hematology-Oncology practice for the past 15 years with an interest in breast cancer and lung cancer. 

A diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, she holds certification for Medical Oncology. She participates in clinical research and is published in leading medical journals. She maintains associations with professional organizations including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American College of Physicians, Community Oncology Alliance, and Tennessee Medical Association.

She earned her medical degree at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Texas, Houston, and her Medical Oncology fellowship at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She earned a master’s degree in Clinical Research from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and a Masters in Management in Health Care from Vanderbilt University.

I graduated from the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy in 2002.  I went on to complete the Oncology Pharmacy Residency Program at St. Luke’s Cancer Institute in Boise, Idaho, the following year. Upon completion, I accepted an oncology pharmacy position at St. Luke’s where I worked for many years in the outpatient infusion pharmacy. For the past several years, I have transitioned to working exclusively with the Oral Oncology Pharmacy Program at St. Luke’s.  And in recent years, I have been the Pharmacy Program Coordinator for this department. I have had the pleasure of precepting many oncology pharmacy residents over the years and have enjoyed the opportunity to work with them on valuable projects, such as the one being presented at ACCC. I am also an active member with the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association (NCODA), where I currently serve as a Regional Leader.

Amanda Wright, PharmD, has been a clinical oncology pharmacist since 2019. She received a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Idaho in 2013 and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Washington State University in 2017. Dr. Wright completed a generalized hospital pharmacy residency at St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center, and a specialized oncology pharmacy residency at St. Luke’s Cancer Institute, formerly Mountain States Tumor Institute. She currently works in the medically integrated pharmacy at St. Luke’s Cancer Institute and on the adult oncology floor in the St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center. Dr. Wright has been involved in the creation and implementation of the oral oncolytic collaborative practice agreement over the last two years. She enjoys spending her free time with her family and two Golden Retrievers and helps on the family cattle ranch when able.

As the Director of Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Oncology and Medical Director for the Lung Screening Program at Maine Medical Center, I specialize in minimally invasive procedures in the treatment of thoracic diseases, including both benign and malignant diseases of the lung, esophagus, and pleura, along with the surgical treatment of lung and esophageal cancer as well as lung-sparing cancer surgery. As a past instructor of minimally thoracic procedures, I also have an interest in both benign and malignant diseases of the esophagus including reflux, hiatal hernia and esophageal motility disorders.

Theresa Roelke, GNP Theresa is a Geriatric Nurse Practitioner for Maine Medical Center (MMC) where she manages a comprehensive, patient-centered Lung Screening Program which focuses on lung health. Theresa is part of the Northern New England Clinical and Translational Research Network where she supports research and protocol review for Maine Medical Center Research Institute. She also supports the Maine Lung Cancer Coalition which serves to increase lung screening and lung screening awareness across Maine. Additionally, Theresa serves on the Maine Cancer Foundation/ CDC 2021-2025 Maine Cancer Plan, the American Cancer Society Tobacco Treatment Roundtable, is part of the MaineHealth 2020 Innovator Cohort and the 2020 MaineHealth Provider Leadership Fellowship. In addition to her clinical duties, Theresa is involved in several Maine Health initiatives such as bringing lung screening across MaineHealth in an effort to bring lung screening to rural Mainers and projects that involve the use of 3D modeling and virtual reality to help engage and educate patients on disease and disease prevention while encouraging health stewardship. She is also leading a project to build portable units to deactivate viral particles on filtered face mask using UV light called, UV LAVE™. Two prototypes will be introduced Fall 2020 for use in clinical settings.

Principal Investigator

Cancer Research for the Ozarks (Ozarks Regional CCOP)Springfield

Mercy Clinic – Women’s OncologySpringfield

During his 24 years of military service, Dr. Carlson earned a position as OB/GYN consultant to the office of the Surgeon General and received the prestigious Surgeon General’s Physician Award for 2000. He served at Walter Reed Medical Center as Chief of the OB/GYN Department and as Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology.  Dr. Carlson is a two-time recipient of the National Faculty Award for Excellence in Resident Education and has published more than 70 works related to his field.

Michelle Smith currently serves as Director of Oncology Services for Mercy Hospital St. Louis and has been with Mercy since 2001 in various roles.  Ms. Smith is the administrative lead for the Mercy Health Ministry Oncology Specialty Counsel. This specialty counsel is the driver behind the many changes Mercy oncology programs are working to incorporate across their ministry to both better patient experience and the outcomes for patients. Smith has a passion for oncology and specifically improving the quality of life for this patient population in seamless and innovative ways. The OP35 measure is one of many improved outcomes projects she has worked towards.  Other projects have included nurse navigation and standardization of infusion practices.  

Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCOP, is the Clinical Coordinator of Hematology/Oncology at The University of Arizona Cancer Center. Currently serving on the Board of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC), Dr. McBride also chairs the Awards Selection Committee as well as the Corporate Development Committee. In addition to being a long-time ACCC member, Dr. McBride has been actively involved with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA).

Dr. McBride has been working on oncology drug shortages and has testified on behalf of HOPA at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Drug Shortage Workshop; presented on behalf of ACCC at the Washington, D.C., Congressional Session; and was an invited member of the ASHP Drug Shortage Stakeholders Meeting. Dr. McBride is also actively involved with biosimilar regulation and the pharmacoeconomic impact of biosimilars into the U.S. marketplace. He currently serves as a working group member for HOPA on its biosimilar committee. In addition, he serves on the National Quality Forum Cancer Standing Committee. He has published numerous articles on drug shortages, oral chemotherapy adherence, stem cell transplant, and biosimilar implementation into the U.S. healthcare market.

Dr. Persky serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.  He is currently the Associate Director of the Clinical Investigations and Therapeutic Development Program.  He specializes in Hematology/Oncology, particularly in lymphoid malignancies, such as lymphoma, CLL, and others.

Dr. Persky received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.  He completed his internship and residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, then returned to New York to complete a three-year fellowship in Medical Oncology and Hematology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Dr. Persky is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, sub-specialty of Medical Oncology.

Reyna Colombo, MA, PT, is the director of physical and occupational therapy services at Beaumont Health, Troy Hospital. She is also the Past-President of the Michigan Physical Therapy Association’s Oncology Special Interest Group, a board member of the Oakland University School of Health Sciences Advisory Board and is an active member at the Michigan Cancer Consortium.

She has spoken nationally and internationally on the administrative structure of development and sustainability of cancer rehabilitation programs, has numerous publications in cancer rehabilitation and care of those with chronic diseases, and is a recipient of the MPTA’s Marjorie Stamm Award for Outstanding Professional Service. Her leadership and management expertise led to the development of multiple rehabilitation clinics and a variety of specialty programs designed variety of clinics to improve health and wellness in the community. 

Colombo is actively engaged in collaborative research projects with Oakland University. Her PRISM philosophy challenges therapist to embrace prevention, intervention, and sustainable wellness across the continuum of care. Her efforts and passion helped develop and implement Beaumont’s Cancer Survivorship and Rehabilitation Program, designed to provide comprehensive wellness education to patients diagnosed with cancer at the earliest point in their care to preserve function and quality of life. She spearheaded the development of one of the first Comprehensive Rehab Programs in the state of Michigan and was a lead in the creation of the first Oncology Residence Program in the United State through the American Physical Therapy Association.

Jannifer Stromberg, MD, received her bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School. She completed her radiation oncology residency at Beaumont and is certified by the American Board of Radiology. She is an assistant professor at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and serves as the medical director of the Wilson Cancer Resource Center at Beaumont Hospital, Troy. She co-leads the thoracic multidisciplinary lung clinics at Beaumont and has been instrumental in developing supportive care services for cancer patients, including psychosocial oncology services, oncology rehabilitation and survivorship care programs. She maintains a diverse clinical practice and participates in the multidisciplinary care of breast, lung, head and neck, lymphoma and colorectal cancer patients. She also has an interest in cancer care for the elderly. She has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and continues to participate in Beaumont-initiated research as well national cooperative group trials.

Dr. Wilson is an Assistant Professor at Oakland University and the residency program director for the Beaumont Health Oncology Residency. He is board certified in geriatric physical therapy. His clinical practice is in cancer physical therapy and acute care. Dr. Wilson’s research agenda focuses on palliative care physical therapy and the management of late-stage chronic illnesses. He teaches geriatrics, pharmacology, biophysical agents, and acute care in Oakland University’s Physical Therapy Program.  He is co-principal and co-founder of HOP-UP-PT, LLC.

Chris received his Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy from Oakland University in 2015.  He received his transitional Doctor in Physical Therapy from University of St. Augustine with a Primary Care Certification and his master's in physical therapy from Oakland University in 2001.