Regent Dr. Carol Brown Appointed to Prestigious US Cancer Panel
Carol L. Brown, MD, FACS, FACOG, a renowned gynecologic oncologist, leader in health and cancer equity, and ACS Regent, has officially started her role on President Biden’s Cancer Panel. This influential three-person panel monitors the activities of the National Cancer Program and reports directly to the President on barriers to progress in reducing the cancer burden in the US.
Dr. Brown is a professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, NY. In addition, she is the senior vice-president and chief health equity officer, Nicholls-Biondi Chair for Health Equity, and vice-chair of health equity in the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK), also in New York City. Dr. Brown is a former member of Cancer Moonshot, which President Biden initiated in 2016 when he was Vice President.
Throughout her career, Dr. Brown has provided high-quality cancer care to women, addressed disparities in cancer care and outcomes, and advocated for improved public policy for gynecologic and other cancers. Her health equity roles at MSK allow Dr. Brown to address the social determinants of health that affect cancer health outcomes. She has been integral to managing the Cancer Health Equity research program, which allows underserved patients to participate in MSK clinical trials.
Dr. John Maa Serves on Tobacco Oversight Committee
John Maa, MD, FACS, a general and trauma surgeon at MarinHealth Medical Center in Greenbrae, CA, has been reappointed to the California Department of Public Health Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee. Dr. Maa was first appointed to the committee in 2022.
The committee is a legislatively mandated advisory committee charged with overseeing the use of California’s Proposition 99 and Proposition 56 tobacco tax revenues for tobacco control and prevention education and tobacco-related research.
Dr. Maa formerly was chair of the University of California Office of the President Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program. Dr. Maa also is a Past-President of the ACS Northern California Chapter and a past member of the ACS Health Policy Advisory Council.
Drs. Callisia Clarke and Tom Varghese Named Presidents-Elect of Academic Surgery Organizations
Callisia N. Clarke, MD, MS, FACS, FSSO, and Thomas K. Varghese Jr., MD, MS, MBA, FACS, were named presidents-elect of the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS) and the Society of University Surgeons (SUS), respectively. Dr. Clark currently serves as the recorder for the AAS, and Dr. Varghese currently is chair of the SUS Committee on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Their 1-year terms will begin in 2024.
Both organizations are dedicated to advancing excellence and leadership in academic surgery, with a focus on surgical research. The AAS promotes the development of young academic surgeons, while the SUS supports and advances leaders in academic surgery.
Dr. Clarke is an associate professor and surgical oncologist at the Froedtert Hospital Cancer Center, Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. At the ACS, she serves on the Committee to Advance Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity, as well as the Cancer Research Program Education Committee.
Dr. Varghese is the associate chief medical quality officer and chief value officer at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, chief of the Section of General Thoracic Surgery at the University of Utah, and professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine, all in Salt Lake City. At the ACS, Dr. Varghese has been a Governor since 2018, where he has served on the Best Practices Workgroup, the Quality, Research and Optimal Patient Care Pillar, and on the Nominating Committee.
Timothy Donahue, MD, FACS, chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and professor of surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, currently is SUS president. Fabian Johnston, MD, MHS, FACS, division chief of gastrointestinal oncology and associate professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, MD, is the current AAS president.
