Newswise — FORT WASHINGTON, PA — The NCCN Foundation® has appointed three new representatives to its Board of Directors: Heather Kopecky, PhD, MBA; Marc Samuels, JD, MPH; and Susan Stein, MPH. There are currently 15 members of the Board of Directors, responsible for the strategic direction for the NCCN Foundation, which obtains funding to publish the library of NCCN Guidelines for Patients® and the NCCN Quick Guide™ Series, as well as research grants for young investigators at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Member Institutions.

“We are honored to welcome Dr. Kopecky, Mr. Samuels, and Ms. Stein to the NCCN Foundation Board of Directors,” said the Honorable Ellen O. Tauscher, Chair of the NCCN Foundation Board of Directors. “These newest members join an esteemed assembly of expert colleagues dedicated to serving people with cancer throughout the United States and the world. Dr. Kopecky, Mr. Samuels, and Ms. Stein indeed will contribute greatly to the leadership of the Foundation.”

Dr. Kopecky is a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry International where she serves as an industry expert in executive search and coaching, as well as a consultant for prominent academic medical centers, multi-hospital nonprofit health systems, higher education, and professional health care associations. Previously, Dr. Kopecky enjoyed a 20-year career in the Texas Medical Center having had appointments at Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas, and Texas Women’s University. Dr. Kopecky is currently a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, and the National Association of Corporate Directors. She also serves as a volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Services Human Resources System. Dr. Kopecky received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in nursing from Texas Women’s University and her Master of Business Administration degree from Rice University. She also holds Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing from The University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, Texas.

Mr. Samuels is the Chief Executive Officer of ADVI, an advisory services firm to the lifescience and health care services sectors with end-to-end strategic offerings and a focus on accelerating growth and increasing value. Previously, Mr. Samuels founded HillCo HEALTH and was a partner in HillCo Partners, which merged with Accelus Health Partners to form ADVI in 2013. He has represented the Texas Society of Clinical Oncology, as well as several oncology physician practices and NCCN Member Institutions in Texas and other states; he has co-written many pieces of legislation related to compendia, oral parity, accelerated coverage of biologics, and the Houston Biotechnology Park. Prior to his work at ADVI and HillCo, Mr. Samuels served both former President George Herbert Walker Bush and then-Texas Governor George W. Bush on health care issues in the White House Office of Policy Development and Texas Governor’s Office respectively. Mr. Samuels is a graduate of The University of Texas School of Law, Yale School of Medicine, and the University of Michigan.

Ms. Stein is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Connexion Healthcare, a communications company focused on translating complex science into clear and concise scientific communication to educate health care providers, support clinical decision-making, and improve patient outcomes. Connexion Healthcare serves the world’s leading biotech and pharmaceutical companies through its two Centers of Excellence – Oncology and Rare Disease. Ms. Stein began her career within the pharmaceutical industry, continuing to the agency side before founding Connexion Healthcare. Ms. Stein also formed Connexion Cares as a vehicle to support health care research and foster patient advocacy. She is a member of the Drexel School of Public Health Dean’s Advisory Council, Member of the Global Genes Board of Directors, and Co-Chair for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Lemon Ball. Ms. Stein holds a Master of Public Health degree from Drexel University and a Bachelor of Science degree from University of South Carolina.

The NCCN Foundation empowers people through knowledge and advances the mission of NCCN to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives. For more information about the NCCN Foundation, visit NCCNFoundation.org.

About the NCCN FoundationThrough philanthropy, the NCCN Foundation® empowers people through knowledge and advances the mission of NCCN to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care, so that patients can live better lives.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer NetworkThe National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 26 of the world’s leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Omaha, NE; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, OH; City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, and Rochester, MN; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, CT.

Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients.

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