Robert A. Winn, MD, president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) and director of VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, has appointed two community advocates to the steering committee of his , Inclusive Excellence.
Rudene Haynes, JD, is a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, where her practice is focused on structured finance and securitization. She serves as a firmwide hiring partner and a member of her firm’s executive committee. A self-described "equity advocate," Haynes has served on several nonprofit boards and bar organizations in and around Richmond, VA, including the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Board. She is also a co-founder of Facts and Faith Fridays alongside Dr. Winn and Pastor F. Todd Gray of Fifth Street Baptist Church.
"I am beyond grateful for all of the tables I have been allowed to sit at and will continue to do what I can to uplift the voices of those who may not be sitting at those tables at the moment – but will," said Haynes.
Loriana Hernández-Aldama is an Emmy award-winning journalist, two-time cancer survivor, inspirational speaker, and founder of .
News — Today she leverages over 25 years of experience—both as a member of the media and as a patient with cancer—to amplify patient voices and bridge gaps created by health disparities. Hernández-Aldama has co-authored abstracts on shared decision making and addressed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the urgent need to fast-track breakthrough treatments in cancer, while navigating her own survivorship journey.
"As a Latina, I am proud and excited to be working with Dr. Winn in support of patient advocacy for all," said Hernández-Aldama. "The AACI presidential initiative represents an unprecedented opportunity to bring together DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] changemakers who live the challenges every day. Together we will be a powerful voice for change and action."
Haynes and Hernández-Aldama join the following leaders from AACI cancer centers across the United States on the steering committee:
Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, PhD, FACP, is director of Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University in Providence, RI, where he also serves as an American Cancer Society research professor and associate dean for oncologic sciences at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School.
In addition to serving as director of the University of Oklahoma’s Stephenson Cancer Center, Robert S. Mannel, MD, is the cancer center’s Rainbolt Family Endowed Chair in Cancer and associate vice provost for cancer programs at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Stephen D. Nimer, MD, is the director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health, and the executive dean for research and a professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Ze’ev Ronai, PhD, is director of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. In addition, he serves as the Jeanne and Gary Herberger Leadership Chair in Cancer Research and a professor in the institute’s Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program.
AACI Vice President/President-elect Joann B. Sweasy, PhD, is the new director at Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases in Omaha, Nebraska. Previously she had served as director of the University of Arizona Cancer Center.
Cornelia Ulrich, MS, PhD, is chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute. She is also a Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Presidential Professor in Cancer Research in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Utah.
"With experience in community advocacy, leadership, and cancer research and care, the members of the steering committee bring broad expertise and diverse perspectives that will help AACI forge and sustain partnerships with like-minded organizations, government agencies, and other institutions," said Dr. Winn.
Earlier this month Dr. Winn was invited to the White House by the Office of the First Lady to discuss the Inclusive Excellence platform, which focuses on collaborative efforts to create opportunities for research, training and education, and patient navigation.
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The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) represents over 100 premier academic and freestanding cancer centers in the United States and Canada. AACI is accelerating progress against cancer by enhancing the impact of academic cancer centers and promoting cancer health equity. For more information, please visit .
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