Cancer Programs News: September 17

Cancer Programs Recognize Departing Committee Members and Leaders

ACS Cancer Programs extends its sincere gratitude to the outgoing committee members and leaders for their dedication, leadership, and invaluable contributions to Cancer Programs. Their time, expertise, and commitment have played an important role in advancing our work and supporting the continued success of the programs.

Commission on Cancer (CoC)

Committee Leaders

• Laurie J. Kirstein, MD, FACS— CoC Chair
• Daniel J. Boffa, MD, FACS— CoC Vice Chair
• Erica Fischer-Cartlidge, DNP, RN, AOCNS, EBP-C— CoC Member Organization Steering Committee Chair
• Elizabeth C. Wick, MD, FACS—Cancer Programs Quality Improvement Committee Chair
• Anthony D. Eun Yang, MD, MS, FACS— Cancer Programs Quality Improvement Committee Vice Chair
• Ko Un ‘Clara’ Park, MD, FACS— CoC Quality Assurance & Data Committee Chair
• David D. Odell, MD, FACS— CoC Quality Assurance & Data Committee Vice Chair
• Maria T. Castaldi, MD, FACS— CoC Committee on Cancer Liaison Chair
• Quan P. Ly, MD, FACS— CoC Committee on Cancer Liaison Vice Chair
• James McLoughlin, MD, FACS— CoC Advocacy Committee Chair

Committee Members

• Maria T. Castaldi, MD, FACS— ACS
• Sabha Ganai, MD, PhD, MPH, FACS— ACS
• Carlo Contreras, MD, FACS— ACS
• Christopher Fundakowski, MD, FACS— ACS
• Jane Mendez, MD, FACS— ACS
• Mohummad M. Siddiqui, MD, FACS— ACS
• Sally Werner, RN, BSN, MHA— Cancer Support Community
• Sandra A. Fryhofer, MD— American Medical Association
• Rahul A. Sheth, MD— Society of Interventional Radiology
• Reese W. Randle, MD, FACS— American Association of Endocrine Surgeons
• Karen E. Hoffman, MD, MHSc, MPH— American Society for Radiation Oncology
• Phillip J. Koo, MD— Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
• Randi Rycroft, MSPH, CTR— North American Association of Central Cancer Registries
• Chad R. Ritch, MBA, MD, FACS— Society of Urologic Oncology
• Sharad Goyal, MD, MS
• Leila J. Mady, MD, PhD, MPH

National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) 

Committee Leaders

• Katharine Yao, MD, FACS— NAPBC Chair
• Richard J. Bleicher, MD, FACS— NAPBC Vice-Chair
• Paul L. Baron, MD, FACS— NAPBC Accreditation Committee Chair
• Kathryn H. Schmitz PhD, FACSM, FTOS, FNAK— NAPBC Accreditation Committee Vice-Chair
• Elizabeth A. Shaughnessy, MD, PhD, FACS— NAPBC Advocacy & Outreach Committee Chair

Committee Members

• Steven C. Bonawitz, MD, FACS— American Society of Plastic Surgeons
• Sue Friedman, DVM— Facing Hereditary Cancer Empowered
• Kathryn H. Schmitz PhD, FACSM, FTOS, FNAK— American College of Sports Medicine
• Daneen Sekoni, MHSA— Cancer Support Community
• Mary Ajango, MPA— Young Survival Coalition
• Stefanie Washburn, MSW, LSW— Living Beyond Breast Cancer
• Neil Tanna, MD, FACS
• Suzanne Hoekstra, MD, FACS
• Elizabeth Varichak, MPA, BS, RHIT
• Deborah L. Toppmeyer, MD 

National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC)

Committee Leaders

• Patricia Sylla, MD, FACS, FASCRS— NAPRC Accreditation Vice-Chair

Committee Members

• Andreas Kaiser, MD, FACS, FASCRS— ACS

Cancer Surgery Standards Program (CSSP)

Committee Leaders

• Tina J. Hieken, MD, FACS— CSSP Chair
• Mediget Teshome, MD, FACS— CSSP Vice-Chair
• Timothy J. Vreeland, MD, FACS— CSSP Education Committee Chair

Committee Members

• Alexandra Adams, MD
• Hop S. Tran Cao, MD, FACS
• Lyndsey Kilgore, MD, FACS
• Michael A. Archer, DO, FACS
• Sandra Wong, MD, MS, FACS
• Timothy J. Vreeland, MD, FACS
• Abigail Caudle, MD, FACS
• Akhil Chawla, MD, FACS
• Diana Dickson-Witmer, MD, FACS
• Michael D. Kluger, MD, FACS
• Mohummad M. Siddiqui, MD, FACS
• Nader Hanna, MD, FACS
• Sarah L. Blair, MD, FACS
• Vitally Y. Poylin, MD, FACS
• Lisa A. Newman, MD, MPH, FACS
• Matthew C. Hernandez, MD

American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)

Committee Leaders

• Jennifer Rosen, MD, FACS— AJCC Education Committee Chair
• Candice A. Sauder, MD, FACS— AJCC Education Committee Vice-Chair

Committee Members

• Ira S. Winer, MD, PhD, FACOG— Society of Gynecologic Oncology
• Carolyn C. Compton, MD, PhD, FCAP
• Frederick L. Greene, MD, FACS
• Stephen Edge, MD, FACS
• William M. Lydiatt, MD, FACS
• Mary K. Washington, MD, PhD
• Ashley Holder, MD, FACS
• Kelsey E. Larson, MD, FACS
• Frank Schneider, MD
• Mahul B. Amin, MD, FCAP

Promote Breast Cancer Awareness in October

To help your site promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the Commission on Cancer (CoC) and National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) offer customizable posters that can be downloaded from the Marketing Resources section in QPort. The posters feature a CoC and NAPBC Surgical Quality Partners diamond and space for institutions to add their logos, allowing programs to promote their CoC and/or NAPBC accreditation and commitment to educating the community about ways to reduce breast cancer risk. 

Contact CoC@facs.org or napbc@facs.org with any questions.

Operative Standards Study Seeks CLP Feedback

The Assessing the Effectiveness and Significance of the Operative Standards Program (AESOP) study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, is evaluating the implementation and impact of the Commission on Cancer (CoC) Operative Standards.

Cancer Liaison Physicians (CLPs) at programs with October CoC accreditation site visits will receive a 10–15-minute survey from REDCap@facs.org and are asked to complete it within 2 weeks. Participants will receive a $50 gift card upon completion.

Learn more about the AESOP study in the January issue of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, which discusses the aims and progress of the program.

Contact AESOP@facs.org with any questions.

Register for Genetic Testing Quality Improvement Project Webinar

An informational webinar on Monday, November 9, will introduce the 2027–2028 National Quality Improvement Collaborative Genetic Testing Quality Improvement Project (GeneQIP). GeneQIP is a 2-year quality improvement collaborative designed to increase genetic testing rates for patients with breast and rectal cancer while promoting high-quality genetic care. The project is open to all National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer, and Commission on Cancer programs. Programs interested in participating are encouraged to attend the webinar to learn more about the project and upcoming collaborative. Register for the webinar.

FAST-LUNG Webinar Focuses on Timely Lung Cancer Surgery

FAST-LUNG, a new national quality improvement initiative focused on measuring time to surgery for patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer undergoing pulmonary resection, will be featured in an informational webinar on Monday, October 26, at 1:00 pm CT. This project is open to all CoC-accredited programs. The webinar will include details on participation expectations, project overview and timeline, and an opportunity to ask questions. Register for the webinar.

On-Demand Webinars Review Lung Cancer Staging and CoC Rural Accreditation

Learn more about Commission on Cancer (CoC) rural accreditation and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Version 9 staging system through Cancer Programs on-demand webinars. Recent topics include:

“AJCC Protocol Webinar on Version 9 Staging System for Lung Cancer”: Presenters review the key changes to the Version 9 staging system for lung cancer and discuss strategies for implementation. Continuing education credits are offered for physicians, registered nurses, and oncology data specialists.

“CoC Accreditation: What Rural Hospitals Need to Know”:  This webinar explores the value and impact of CoC accreditation for rural hospitals and provides an overview of the new accreditation requirements tailored to the unique challenges of caring for cancer patients in rural communities.

Contact CancerProgramsEvents@facs.org with any questions.

CoC Recognizes Accredited Sites

The ACS CoC recognizes the following cancer sites for demonstrating their commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered cancer care to patients and the community by recently earning CoC reaccreditation:

Ascension Saint Agnes Cancer Institute
Baltimore, MD

Shaw Cancer Center
Edwards, CO

St. Luke's Regional Medical Center
Boise, ID

University Health
San Antonio, TX

NAPBC Recognizes Accredited Sites

The ACS NAPBC recognizes the following breast sites for demonstrating their commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered cancer care to patients and the community by recently earning NAPBC reaccreditation: 

The Saint Agnes Breast Center
Baltimore, MD

Advocate Lutheran General Caldwell Breast Center
Park Ridge, IL

The Vanderbilt Breast Center
Nashville, TN

Exeter Hospital Center for Breast Health
Exeter, NH

Breast Care Center of WellSpan-York
York, PA

Lawrence Memorial Hospital
Lawrence, KS

Metropolitan Methodist Hospital Breast Center
San Antonio, TX

Invision Sally Jobe/Swedish Comprehensive Breast Care Program
Englewood, CO

McLeod Breast Health Center
Florence, SC

NAPRC Recognizes Accredited Sites

The ACS National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) recognizes the following cancer sites for demonstrating their commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered cancer care to patients and the community by recently earning NAPRC accreditation:

Long Island Jewish Medical Center
New Hyde Park, NY

Mobile Infirmary
Mobile, AL

Mark Your Calendars

September 26–29: ACS Clinical Congress 2026

October 26: FAST-LUNG Webinar

November 9: GeneQIP Informational Webinar

July 29-August 1, 2027: ACS 2027 Quality, Safety & Cancer Conference