About the Panel Members
The President’s Cancer Panel was established in 1971 by the National Cancer Act (P.L. 92-218). Members are appointed by the President of the United States and charged with monitoring the progress of the National Cancer Program. The following members of the President’s Cancer Panel planned and executed a series of meetings in 2023 on leveraging technology to enhance patient navigation in order to reduce disparities in cancer care. A November 2024 report to the White House includes findings and recommendations for responsible use of technology to support navigation and achieve equity in cancer care.
For information on current members and activities, visit the President’s Cancer Panel’s website.
Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, FACP, FAAAS, FAIO
Elizabeth M. Jaffee, MD, FAACR, FACP, FAAAS, FAIO
Dana and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli Professor of Oncology
Deputy Director, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center
Co-Director, Gastrointestinal Cancers Program
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
Dr. Elizabeth M. Jaffee is an internationally recognized expert in cancer immunology and pancreatic cancer. She is deputy director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, codirector of the Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, and associate director of the Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. Dr. Jaffee is a past president of the American Association for Cancer Research. She has served on a number of committees at the National Cancer Institute, including as cochair of the Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel and as past chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board. Her research is focused on understanding the inflammatory responses that are associated with cancer development and progression in preclinical and clinical models, and development of immunotherapies to treat specific inflammatory signals. She is the inaugural director of the new Convergence Institute at Johns Hopkins and was recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Jaffee is a fellow of the Academy of Immuno-Oncology, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association of Cancer Research, and the American College of Physicians. She received her undergraduate degree from Brandeis University and her medical degree from New York Medical College and completed her residency at Presbyterian-University Hospital.
Mitchel S. Berger, MD, FACS, FAANS
Mitchel S. Berger, MD, FACS, FAANS
Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery
Director, Brain Tumor Center
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Dr. Mitchel S. Berger is a neurosurgeon, director of the Brain Tumor Center, and principal investigator for the SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) Brain Tumor Program at the University of California, San Francisco (USCF). He chaired the department of neurological surgery at USCF for 23 years and served on the Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel in 2016. He has been funded by the National Cancer Institute to conduct basic science research in brain tumor biology, including the molecular markers that determine the growth and treatment patterns of these tumors. Dr. Berger’s research and clinical work focuses on surgical treatments of brain tumors and tumor-associated epilepsy. He was instrumental in developing brain mapping techniques to identify sites of motor, sensory, and language function to minimize the morbidity associated with tumor surgery. He served as president of two leading national organizations, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Society of Neuro-Oncology. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine, and completed his residency at UCSF’s neurosurgical residency program.
Carol L. Brown, MD, FACOG, FACS
Carol L. Brown, MD, FACOG, FACS
Chief Health Equity Officer and Senior Vice President
Attending Surgeon, Gynecology Service
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY
Dr. Carol L. Brown is a gynecologic cancer surgeon and chief health equity officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she holds the Nicholls-Biondi chair for health equity and is vice chair of health equity in the department of surgery. She received her undergraduate degree from Harvard and her medical degree from Columbia and completed her clinical and research fellowships in gynecologic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Dr. Brown’s research, clinical, and advocacy work is focused on reducing and eliminating disparities experienced by medically underserved people affected by cancer. She developed and leads the Cancer Health Equities Research Program, a unique partnership between an NCI-designated Cancer Center and community oncologists that brings clinical trials and cancer genomic profiling to underserved patients at their local institutions. In recognition of her contributions, she was awarded the 2017 Minorities in Cancer Research American Association for Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Memorial Lectureship. Dr. Brown served as the 50th president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and is currently a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons.