Staff

Liz Margolies

Founder and Executive Director

Liz Margolies, LCSW, founder and executive director, has served the LGBT community for 25 years as a psychotherapist, political activist and volunteer before becoming the executive director of the National LGBT Cancer Network...Read More

Community Consultants

Harriet E. Mannheim

Harriet E. Mannheim, LCSW, has served the residents of NYC in community-based, governmental and institutional environments for over 30 years as a social worker, community advocate and political activist...Read More

Ben Singer

Ben Singer, PhD(c), is a trans-identified community advocate and academic who has worked for over 10 years as a consultant and trainer specializing in reducing health disparities. He has written educational curricula, developed evaluation tools, conducted health and human service training and performed qualitative research...Read More

Thomas J. Pier

Thomas J. Pier, MSW, LCSW is an oncology social worker at the Simms/Mann-UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA. He facilitates the lung cancer support program and works with people with cancer and their loved ones throughout the continuum of the illness and into survivorship...Read More

Grover Wehman

Grover Wehman, a white working-class butch living in North Carolina, has been a writer, educator and community activist for over 10 years...Read More

Professional Advisory Board

Deborah Bowen, Ph. D.

Dr. Bowen is a Full Professor and Chair in the Department of Health Services of the School of Public Health at Boston University. Dr. Bowen is currently an investigator in the regional Cancer Prevention Network, focused on community- based research on cancer prevention. She has been the principal investigator of several NIH-funded grants involving breast cancer risk communications, including the Breast Cancer Risk Counseling Studies, the RISK study and the WIRES study. She has led the Social and Behavioral Sciences Affinity group at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a group that includes over 20 scientists focused on a wide range of cancer prevention interventions.

Steven Goldstone, MD.

Dr. Goldstone is at the forefront of research in human papillomavirus, the cause of the growing incidence of anal cancer in gay men. He advocates for gay men to be screened regularly with anal pap smears to be sure that they do not have precancerous changes in their anal canal. Dr. Goldstone has pioneered treatments for this disease and published his work in numerous prestigious medical journals and lectured worldwide. Dr. Goldstone is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is on the teaching faculty of The Mount Sinai School of Medicine and has a surgical practice in New York City. He is the medical director of the website Gayhealth.com and his book "The Ins and Outs of Gay Sex: A Medical Handbook for Men" is in its 8th printing.

Jack Drescher, MD.

Jack Drescher, MD., a psychiatrist, is Co-Editor of "A Gay Man's Guide to Prostate Cancer." He is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the William Alanson White Institute, Adjunct Assistant Professor, New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, New York Medical College, and Past President, New York County District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association.

John Resigno, MD.

Dr. Resigno is the Vice Chairman of Radiation Oncology at St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center. His clinical and research interests include the management of breast cancer, lymphoma, gastrointestinal cancers, and lung cancer. He has seen a significant increase in the rate of anal carcinoma in HIV positive MSM, and believes such men are presently overtreated (with excess side effects) from "standard" therapy, so he has initiated a protocol to optimize treatment on an individual basis. Dr. Resigno also has a major interest in breast cancer treatment and outcomes, and works with a multidisciplinary team of professionals who take into account the woman's personal circumstances and the particular biology of disease to tailor treatment.

Paulo Pacheco, MD

Paulo Pacheco is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at NYU Medical School. He is currently in private practice in midtown Manhattan and active in colon cancer prevention. He is the author of "Living with Chronic Heartburn: The Complete Health Guide to Acid Reflux and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease".

Usha Menon, Ph.D., RN

Dr. Usha Menon, Ph.D., RN, is an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Her program of research focuses on the reduction of disparity in cancer mortality among under-served and minority populations, including the LGBT community, by developing tailored interventions to increase breast and colorectal cancer screening. Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Menon is the recipient of the 2006 American Academy of Nursing/ Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science's Investigator with a Brilliant Future Award.

Nygina Lythcott, DrPH

A 19-year breast cancer survivor, Dr. Lythcott serves as the Breast Cancer Liaison for the Black Women's Health Imperative (formerly the National Black Women's Health Project). She has served for eight years on the Integration Panel of the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program and is a Governing Board Member of the Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC). She holds degrees in nursing, social work and public health, currently working as the associate dean for students at the Boston University School of Public Health.

Rebecca Hirsh, MD

Rebecca Hirsh, MD, is a Senior Clinical Fellow at New York Presbyterian Hospital, NYC, in the Department of Hematology and Oncology. She is a past chairperson of the board of directors at the Philadelphia Sexual Minority Youth Center as well as the Montgomery County HIV/AIDS Prevention Task Force.

Jack Burkhalter, Ph.D

Jack Burkhalter, Ph.D., is an Assistant Attending Psychologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where he conducts research in cancer prevention and control, as well as providing clinical services to cancer patients. He is also the Assistant Director of Sloan-Kettering's Smoking Cessation Program. The primary focus of his research is in understanding cancer-related health behaviors in the LGBT community and tobacco use in persons living with HIV disease.

Christopher Barley, MD

Christopher Barley, M.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cornell/Weill School of Medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. He is also President of Citta, Hospitals, a not-for-profit organization with hospitals and schools in rural India, Nepal, and Mexico. He has served as a health care advisor to city, state, and national elected officials and policy-makers. Dr. Barley is also in private practice in Manhattan in Internal Medicine, with a focus on travel medicine and the prevention and early detection of disease states like cancer and heart disease

Dan Bowers, M.D.

Daniel Bowers, M.D., is a senior partner at Pacific Oaks Medical Group in Beverly Hills and a nationally recognized HIV treatment specialist. He has over 25 years of experience with HIV-related opportunistic infections and malignancies.

Community Advisory Board

Ann Fonfa

Ann Fonfa was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 44. She turned to advocacy first at SHARE, later by founding The Annie Appleseed Project, a web-based information and education service focusing on complementary, alternative (CAM), natural and integrative cancer therapies. Ms. Fonfa works with a variety of cancer organizations and gives community-based talks on "Natural Strategies to Reduce Risk" (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, etc.)

Diane Bruessow, RPA-C

Ms. Bruessow is the original founder and director of the Long Island Lesbian Cancer Initiative (LILCI). She is a physician's assistant and a member of the Committee on Diversity of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, as well as the AAPA's Appointed Representative to the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. Ms. Bruessow is also a current member of GLMA's Interdisciplinary Affairs Committee. She co-chaired the cultural competency and education workgroup of the National Coalition for LGBT Health. She has co-authored various LGBT health curricula, and has served as the medical consultant on various LGBT health projects

Bruce Anderson, LCSW

Bruce Anderson is the President of the Board of Directors of The LGBT Community Center of New York. The Center is the largest LGBT multi-service organization on the East Coast and second largest LGBT community center in the world, with 6,000 visitors each week. The Center hosts over 300 groups and provides social services, public policy, educational and cultural/recreational programs.

Yetta Kurland, Esq.

Yetta G. Kurland is the founding partner of Kurland, Bonica & Associates, P.C., a law firm specializing in LGBT issues. Ms. Kurland is also involved in many organizations, including the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Law Association of New York (LeGaL), the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, and the City Bar of New York. Additionally, Ms. Kurland is the creator of Hello World Language Center, an alternative language and culture resource center, and is an adjunct professor at New York University where she teaches in the Steinhardt School of Education.

Bobbi Williams, Ph.D.

Dr. Bobbi Williams is a trainer, teacher, and author who is active in the Transgender community. She has co-chaired the Cultural Competency Committee of the National Coalition for LGBT Health and served as a representative to the New York State LGBT Health and Human Services Network. She is currently the Director of Academic Programs for Rainbow Access Initiative, Inc., a New York State Department of Health-funded program organized to increase the accessibility of health and human services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community and their families, with particular emphasis on underserved populations.

Samuel Lurie, M. Ed

Samuel Lurie is the Founder and Executive Director of Transgender Training and Advocacy, training clinicians and health service providers on the needs of transgender people, especially in the areas of health care, HIV/AIDS services, counseling, case management, education, housing and employment. He also works with LGBT consumers on self-advocacy and empowerment. Mr. Lurie works directly with individuals and groups on smoking cessation and stress reduction. Mr. Lurie lost his mother to cancer as a teenager and served on the board of Healing Legacies: Art and Writing by Women Who Have Faced Breast Cancer. He has 18 years of experience in non-profit capacity building, health education with marginalized communities, HIV/AIDS activism and training of medical providers.

Flo Gelo, D.Min, NCPsyA

Florence Gelo, D.Min, NCPsyA, is an associate professor and director of the Humanities Scholar Program in the Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. She is also a Unitarian Minister and a pastoral psychoanalyst specializing in chronic illness and cancer.

Khadijah Carter

Khadijah Carter is a four-year breast cancer survivor. Her experience as a young woman who has conquered breast cancer has given her the voice to inspire others facing a similar diagnosis or any adversity. In her role as the Diversity & Programs Manager for the Young Survival Coalition, she works to ensure that all young breast cancer survivors, particularly the underserved, have access to the information and support that they need.

Board of Directors

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