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Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits

Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

Become a Member
Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits

Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.

Membership Benefits
ACS
Cancer Programs

Commission on Cancer State Chair Contact List

The CoC State Chair in your state is your point of contact for information about the CoC. As a resource, CoC State Chairs are available to:

  • Serve as faculty to present information on what's new at the CoC
  • Share information on how to become a Cancer Liaison Physician and speak about the role of the Cancer Liaison Physician
  • Assist with the selection of an appropriate individual for appointment as a Cancer Liaison Physician
  • Organize a meeting of state and local cancer control agencies to coordinate activities
  • Provide assistance to programs who need help meeting certain standards for program accreditation
  • Describe the benefits of Commission on Cancer accreditation to interested institutions
  • Provide tips on how to start a cancer program
  • Assist with interpretation and use of National Cancer Database data for quality improvement

To locate the CoC State Chair in your area, choose the appropriate state abbreviation listed below. Please note that the following states have more than one CoC State Chair based on the geographic distribution of Cancer Liaison Physicians within the state: CA, FL, IL, NY, PA, and TX.

Alabama
Sushanth Reddy MD, FACS
Birmingham, AL
sreddy@uabmc.edu

Alaska
Sherry Johnson, DO, FACS
Anchorage, AK
sherryjohnson1344@gmail.com

Arkansas
Daniela Alessandra Ochoa, MD FACS
Little Rock, AR
daochoa88@hotmail.com

Arizona
Nitin Mishra, MBBS, FACS
Phoenix, AZ
mishra.nitin@mayo.edu

California (Northern)
Richard Bold, MD FACS
Sacramento, CA
rjbold@ucdavis.edu

California (Southern)
Howard Scott Kaufman, MD FACS
Pasadena, CA
hkaufman62@gmail.com

California (D)
Steven Li-Wen Chen, MD FACS
San Diego, CA
schen@oasismd.com

Colorado
Parth Kishore Shah, MD FACS
Broomfield, CO
parth.shah@imail2.org

Connecticut
Jeanne Capasse, MD, FACS
Norwalk, CT
JCapassemd@optonline.net

Delaware
Diana Dickson-Witmer, MD, FACS
Greenville, DE
dwitmer@beebehealthcare.org

District of Columbia
Michele Gage, MD, FACS
Rockville, MD
michele.m.gage@gmail.com

Florida (Zone A)
Jason Wilson, MD, MBA, FACS
Palm Harbor, FL
Jason.wilson@baycare.org

Florida (Jacksonville)
Ziad T. Awad, MD, FACS
Atlantic Beach, FL
ziad.awad@jax.ufl.edu

Florida (South)
Juan Paramo, MD, FACS
Miami Beach, FL
jparamo@msmc.com

Georgia
Maria Russell, MD, FACS
Atlanta, GA
maria.c.russell@emory.edu

Hawaii
Christina Wai, MD, FACS
Honolulu, HI
cjwai@hawaii.edu 

Idaho
Katie Fritz MD, FACS
Pocatello, ID
Katie.fritz@portmed.org

Illinois
Emily Sturm, MD, FACS
Springfield, IL
esturm28@siumed.edu

Illinois (Metropolitan)
Urjeet Patel, MD, FACS
Chicago, IL
upatel3@cookcountyhhs.org

Indiana
Andrea Jester, MD, FACS
Evansville, IN
lhenry@goshenhealth.com

Iowa
Ingrid Lizarraga, MD, FACS
Iowa City, IA
ingrid-lizarraga@uiowa.edu

Kansas
Jennifer McAllaster, MD, FACS
Topeka, KS
jenmcallaster@gmail.com

Kentucky
Alan Mullins, MD, FACS
Owensboro, KY
alan.mullins@owensborohealth.org

Louisiana
John Lyons III, MD, FACS
Baton Rouge, LA
John.Lyons@fmolhs.org

Maine
Richard Royal MD, FACS
Portland, ME
RRoyal@mmc.org

Maryland
Sara Fogarty DO, FACS
Towson, MD
sfogarty@gbmc.org

Massachusetts
Rocco Ricciardi MD, FACS
Boston, MA
RRICCIARDI1@mgh.harvard.edu

Michigan
David Kwon, MD, FACS
Detroit, MI
dkwon1@hfhs.org

Minnesota
Cornelius Thiels, DO, MBA
Rochester, MN
Thiels.Cornelius@mayo.edu

Mississippi
Wayne Orr III MD, FACS
Ridgeland, MS
worr@umc.edu

Missouri
Eric Kimchi, MD FACS
Columbia, MO
kimchie@health.missouri.edu

Montana

Nicholas Sich, MD
Kalispell, MT
nsich@logan.org 

Nebraska
Quan Ly, MD, FACS
Omaha, NE
qly@unmc.edu

Nevada
James Harris, MD, FACS
Reno, NV
jharris@westernsurgical.com

New Hampshire
Jessica Ryan, MD, FACS
Londonderry, NH
jessica.ryan@cmc-nh.org

New Jersey
Ravi Chokshi, MD, FACS
Jersey City, NJ
chokshrj@njms.rutgers.edu

New Mexico
Alissa Greenbaum, MD
Albuquerque, NM
AGreenbaum@salud.unm.edu

New York
Jamal Rahaman MBBS, FACS
Long Island City, NY
jamal.rahaman@mssm.edu

New York (Brooklyn-Long Island)
Danielle DePeralta, MD, FACS
New York, NY
ddeperalta@northwell.edu

New York (Eastern-Long Island)
Paula Denoya, MD FACS
Stony Brook, NY
paula.denoya@stonybrookmedicine.edu

New York (Manhattan Council)
Maria Castaldi, MD, FACS
Bronx, NY
maria.castaldi@nbhn.net

North Carolina
Richard White, MD FACS
Charlotte, NC
richard.white@atriumhealth.org

North Dakota
Daniel Tuvin, MD FACS
Fargo, ND
dtuvin@gmail.com

Ohio
James Ouellette, DO, FACS
Centerville, OH
jrouellette1@gmail.com

Michael Sarap, MD FACS
Cambridge, OH
msarap@msn.com

Oklahoma
Ajay Jain, MD, FACS
Oklahoma City, OK
Ajay-Jain@ouhsc.edu

Oregon
Vassiliki Tsikitis, MD, FACS
Portland, OR
tsikitis@ohsu.edu

Pennsylvania (Keystone)
Joseph Blansfield, MD, FACS
Danville, PA
jblansfield1@geisinger.edu

Pennsylvania (Metro Philly)
Jeffrey Farma, MD, FACS
Philadelphia, PA
Jeffrey.Farma@fccc.edu

Pennsylvania (Southwestern)
James McCormick, MD, FACS
Pittsburgh, PA
james.mccormick@ahn.org

Puerto Rico
Ignacio Echenique, MD, FACS
Guaynabo, PR
liegio@yahoo.com

Rhode Island
Thomas Miner, MD, FACS
Providence, RI
thomas.miner@brownphysicians.org

South Carolina
Andrea M. Abbott, MD, FACS
Mount Pleasant, SC
abbottan@musc.edu 

South Dakota
Emily E.K. Murphy, MD FACS
Sioux Falls, SD
emilyekmurphymd@gmail.com

Tennessee
James McLoughlin, MD FACS
Knoxville, TN
jmcloughlin@utmck.edu

Texas (North)
Rakhshanda Rahman, MBBS FACS
Lubbock, TX
rakhshanda.rahman@ttuhsc.edu

Texas (South)
Alberto Pena, MD, FACS
Edinburg, TX
albertopenamdpa@yahoo.com

Utah
John Hyngstrom, MD FACS
Salt Lake City, UT
jhyngstrom@gmail.com

Vermont
Jessica Cintolo-Gonzalez
Burlington, VT
jessica.cintolo-gonzalez@uvmhealth.org

Virginia
David Luyimbazi, MD, FACS
Roanoke, VA
luyidavid75@vt.edu

Washington
Jonathan Sham, MD, FACS
Mercer Island, WA
jsham@uw.edu

West Virginia
Carl Schmidt, MD, FACS
Morgantown, WV
carl.schmidt@hsc.wvu.edu

Wisconsin
Amanda Kong, MD, FACS
Milwaukee, WI
akong@mcw.edu 

Wyoming
Nicholas Sich, MD
Kalispell, MT
nsich@logan.org