8th Annual Rhode Island Research Breakfast Speaker Biographies

8^th Annual Rhode Island Research Breakfast Speakers

Bernard A. Jackvony, JD
Bernard A. Jackvony is of counsel to Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O'Gara LLC. From 1997 to 1999, Bernie served as Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island. He earned his undergraduate from Bryant University, his master's degree from Boston University, and his J.D. from Suffolk University.

Bernie has been a volunteer with the American Cancer Society for over 30 years, including previous service on the Florida Division Board of Directors. In November 2011, he was elected to serve on the National Board of Directors for ACS CAN. Serving as the Research Breakfast Committee Chair for the past seven years, Bernie is not only responsible for the inception of the event, he has also been instrumental to its success.

Vic Vetters, JD

Vic Vetters has been the General Manager of WJAR/NBC 10 since 2011. Prior to that, he has held several positions in the broadcast TV industry throughout upstate New York and New England. Vic is a graduate of Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, received a graduate degree from Syracuse University, and a J.D. degree from Albany Law School. He is a practicing attorney and a member of the New York State Bar. This is the sixth year Vic has emceed the ACS CAN Rhode Island Research Breakfast.
 

U.S. Senator Jack Reed
Jack Reed's life was influenced early on by his father, Joe, a custodian, and his mother Mary, a homemaker. Raised in Cranston, just outside of Providence, Jack learned the values of family, hard work, and education.
Upon graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1971, Reed earned a degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. After 8 years of active duty service, Reed attended Harvard Law School. Reed was elected to the Rhode Island State Senate in 1984. He went on to represent Rhode Island's Second District in the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming the 46th Senator from Rhode Island.
He has authored a trio of laws to improve children’s health care and ensure our youngest patients get the help they need when they need it, including the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act to advance pediatric cancer research and child-focused cancer treatments, improve childhood cancer surveillance, and provide resources for survivors and those impacted by childhood cancer. In 2015, Senator Reed was awarded the ACS CAN National Distinguished Advocacy Award, ACS CAN’s most prestigious advocacy honor for leadership in the fight against cancer.
Jack Reed and his wife, Julia Hart Reed, have a daughter, Emily.

Governor Daniel McKee
Dan McKee is a lifelong Rhode Islander who proudly serves as the Ocean State’s 76th Governor. Dan graduated from Cumberland High School, where he played basketball and met his wife Susan. Dan and Susan have two children, Matthew and Kara. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science and education from Assumption College. He earned a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He has owned and operated successful small businesses in the Blackstone Valley for three decades.
After serving 12 years as Mayor of Cumberland, McKee was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2014. McKee used the office to stand up for working Rhode Islanders and support small businesses. Together with 26 mayors, Dan sued Big Pharma to hold them accountable for their role in the opiate crisis. He took on the giant electric companies and lowered costs for ratepayers. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Dan organized a grassroots small business movement ensuring millions of dollars in federal C.A.R.E.S. Act funds were allocated to support the small business community.
As Governor, Dan’s top priority is the COVID-19 pandemic and getting shots in arms. He also continues to focus on the same issues he has cared about his whole career — accessible government, effective fiscal management, a high quality public education for all students, equity and justice, and economic development centered on small businesses.

Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi
K. Joseph Shekarchi was elected Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives in January 2021.
From November 2016 through 2020, he served as House Majority Leader; previously, he was Chairman of the House Labor Committee. He has served the residents of District 23 in Warwick since first being elected in November 2012.
Upon his election as Speaker, he pledged to make housing issues the cornerstone of his administration, putting forth a seven-bill package of legislation designed to tackle the state's housing crisis from multiple angles. Speaker Shekarchi has been a tireless advocate for many other issues as well, including economic development, pay equity and healthcare.
He is a graduate of Mount St. Charles Academy, Class of 1980, and graduated from Suffolk University in 1984. He returned to Suffolk to earn his law degree in 1990. In addition to his duties as a legislator, Speaker Shekarchi is a successful attorney in private practice for over 25 years. He has been the legal counsel to the Warwick Housing Authority for over 25 years and is a former Warwick solicitor. Speaker Shekarchi is a lifelong Warwick resident.

Senator Maryellen Goodwin
Maryellen Goodwin (D-Dist. 1, Providence) was born on September 27, 1964 and is employed by the City of Providence. A graduate of St. Patrick High School and Rhode Island college, she was first elected to the Senate in 1986. She currently serves as the Senate Majority Whip.
She has served on the Water Resources Board; Internship Commission; Permanent Advisory Commission on Women; R.I. Veterans Home Commission; Board of Directors, Smith Hill Center; Smith Hill Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission; Providence 12th Ward Democratic Committee; Providence Democratic City Committee (1984-86); and was a delegate of the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention (1986).

Representative Mia Ackerman
Mia A. Ackerman (D) has served the residents of Cumberland and Lincoln in District 45 since winning her first election in November 2012. She was named the first-ever female Deputy Majority Whip in January 2021, making her a member of the House Leadership Team. She is a member of House Conduct Committee, the House Health and Human Services Committee, the House State Government and Elections Committee, and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in political economics from the State University of New York at Binghamton. In addition to her duties as a legislator, Representative Ackerman is a self-employed Real Estate Title Examiner. With a lifetime commitment to public service, she was a member of the Cumberland Town Council from 2006 to 2012, and served on the Cumberland Juvenile Hearing Board from 2003 to 2006.
She also is involved with several community organizations, serving as a member of both the Cumberland Land Trust and the Cumberland School Volunteers, as well as the Board of Directors for the historic Franklin Farm in Cumberland. She was a Liaison to the Cumberland Youth Commission and was a former member of the J.J. McLaughlin Elementary School Executive PTO Board.
Representative Ackerman resides in Cumberland with her husband, Barry. They have two children, Sam, a student at Columbia Law School, and Ellie, a recent graduate of the University of Rhode Island.

Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, PhD, FACP
Wafik El-Deiry, MD, PhD, FACP is the Associate Dean for Oncologic Sciences at the Warren Alpert Medical School, Director of the Cancer Center at Brown University, and Director of the Joint Program in Cancer Biology at Brown University and affiliated hospitals. He is an American Cancer Society Research Professor, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Professor of Medical Science, and Mencoff Family University Professor at Brown University. He is also a licensed practicing physician-scientist and Medical Oncologist with clinical privileges at The Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.
In 2009, El-Deiry became one of 40 active American Cancer Society Research Professors.  He earned MD/PhD degrees from University of Miami School of Medicine and completed internal medicine residency and medical oncology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center. Dr. El-Deiry has made important contributions to research including elucidating the genomic DNA-binding consensus sequence for the p53 tumor suppressor protein, and significant advancements in cell death signaling and our understanding of the sensitivity of tumors to chemotherapy.
His recent activities include service as Chair of an NIH Study Section (MCT2; 2018-2019), and as a Member of the Conquer Cancer Foundation Review Board (ASCO; 2015-present). He recently served as a member of ASCO’s Annual Program Committee and as a member of the American Cancer Society (ACS) Council for Extramural Grants (2015-2018; Ad Hoc in 2020). Dr. El-Deiry serves as Associate Editor for Molecular Oncology for the Oncology Newspaper HemOnc Today, as the Frontiers in Oncology’s Specialty Chief Editor for the Cancer Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Section and as the Editor-in-Chief of the peer reviewed journal Cancer Biology and Therapy. Dr. El-Deiry has over 400 peer-reviewed publications and 5 edited books.

Stephanie Graff, MD, FACP
As director of breast oncology at the Lifespan Cancer Institute, Stephanie Graff, MD, shares her commitment to breast cancer research and advocacy with her patients and colleagues. Before joining Lifespan, Dr. Graff held multiple positions at several locations of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute Network. She was national breast lead of clinical programs and associate director of the breast cancer research program in Nashville, and director of the clinical research program in Kansas City, Missouri.
Dr. Graff is board certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology, and Internal Medicine; and completed a breast oncology sub-fellowship at the University of Kansas. Dr. Graff has broad experience as a Principal Investigator on numerous clinical trials across all phases of drug development, in addition to work in translational research, genomics, and gender bias. In addition to scientific publications, she is an award-winning writer, social media influencer, and sought-after public speaker. Dr. Graff has received the Frist Humanitarian Award for her work in the community and currently serves on the American Cancer Society Rhode Island Leadership Council. Actively volunteering in the American Society of Clinical Oncology, she is a 2020 graduate of the prestigious ASCO Leadership Development Program, now serving on the Joint Certifications Committee and Women In Oncology Work Group. Ultimately, Dr. Graff is passionate about connecting with her patients to provide personalized, comprehensive oncology care, advancing breast cancer research, and breast cancer prevention.

Rishi R. Lulla, MD, MS
Rishi R. Lulla, MD, MS, is the chief of pediatric hematology/oncology at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and an international expert in the care of children and young adult with brain and spinal cord tumors. After completing his residency and fellowship at Northwestern University in Chicago, Dr. Lulla spent several years as an attending physician on the pediatric neuro-oncology team at Northwestern. He has recently been given the Hero Award for outstanding dedication to pediatric neuro-oncology by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, and was named one of Chicago’s Top Cancer Doctors by Chicago magazine.
Dr. Lulla’s scientific work has been published in more than 20 peer-reviewed journals and two books. He has presented his findings on pediatric central nervous system tumors at the local, national, and international levels, and he has served as principal investigator to multiple grant-sponsored research investigations. His current research activities are focused on translating laboratory findings into novel treatment for children with brain and spinal cord tumors. He served as the executive chair of the Children’s Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium and is an active member of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, the Children’s Oncology Group, and the Society of Neuro-Oncology.

Sheldon Holder, MD, PhD
Sheldon L. Holder, MD, PhD recently joined the Cancer Center at Brown University in the Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Albert Medical School and the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Lifespan Hospitals. He is an accomplished physician-scientist with expertise in cancer therapeutics and he is board-certified in Medical Oncology.

Dr. Holder received his MD and PhD from Loma Linda University where his dissertation research involved the identification of selective inhibitors of PIM1 kinase. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and his hematology/oncology fellowship training at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Comprehensive Cancer Center at Vanderbilt University. From 2013 to early 2021 he was an attending physician at the Penn State Cancer Institute and conducted research evaluating PIM1 kinase activity in renal cell carcinoma. This research has culminated in the initiation of a clinical trial targeting PIM1 and CDK4/6 kinases in renal cell carcinoma.

Dr. Holder currently heads a research lab in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department and maintains clinical activity within the Oncology service at Lifespan where he specializes in treating patients with kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer. He is also a member of the Cancer Therapeutics Program within the Cancer Center at Brown University. He is focused on continuing to identify, investigate, and implement new cancer therapies.

Cara Mathews, MD
Cara Mathews, MD, MS is an associate professor at the Alpert School of Medicine in the Department of OB/GYN and Division of Gynecologic Oncology. She is a board certified, practicing gynecologic oncologist at Women and Infants Hospital in the Program in Women’s Oncology.

Dr. Mathews received her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School and completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Brown/Women and Infants. She then completed her fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of Oklahoma, where she also received her Master’s in Clinical Translational Science. She returned to Providence in 2012 where she became the Director of Phase I Oncology at Women and Infants. She is a member of NRG oncology Developmental Therapeutics Committee and the Uterine Corpus Committee as well the GOG Foundation Investigators Council. Her research interests include access to clinical trials for all women with gynecologic cancers with a special emphasis on novel, experimental therapies.

N. Joseph Espat, MS, MD, FSSO, FACS
N. Joseph Espat, MD, MS, FACS, is Chairman of the Department of Surgery, Chief of Surgical Oncology, and Director of the Cancer Center at Roger Williams. A Professor of Surgery and Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs at Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. Espat focuses his practice on Hepatobiliary and Surgical Oncology. Dr. Espat received his fellowship training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He completed residency and medical School at University of Florida College of Medicine.

His clinical expertise is in the areas of liver surgery, pancreas surgery, abdominal wall reconstruction, HIPEC, radiofrequency and microwave ablation. Dr. Espat is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and has research interests in a number of areas including the effect of fatty acids on pancreas cancer growth and response to chemotherapy, chemo-sensitizing of pancreatic cancer, cancer-induced weight loss/metabolism, thermal means of tumor ablation, and biomaterials for tissue regeneration. He speaks English, Spanish, and French.

Christopher Azzoli, MD, FASCO
Christopher Gerard Azzoli, MD is the director of thoracic oncology at the Lifespan Cancer Institute.  A native Rhode Islander, Dr. Azzoli received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, followed by residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed his fellowship in Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York then served there as faculty from 2002 - 2012.  He served as faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston from 2012 - 2018.

Dr. Azzoli is a former Chairman of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Clinical Practice Guideline Committee, and was recently named a Fellow of ASCO.  He specializes in the care of patients with lung cancer, thymoma, and mesothelioma.

Paul Adam
Paul Adam is a resident of Woonsocket, Rhode Island and works for CVS Health in the MinuteClinic payer enrollment department. Paul has volunteered with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) since 2018, and currently serves as the State Lead Volunteer in Rhode Island. Prior to his time with ACS CAN, he served a leadership role in his local American Cancer Society Relay for Life for 4 years. Paul also serves his community as a part-time youth minister at the CYO center in Woonsocket, with the Faith Formation and Youth ministry programs, and is a member of the choir.  Paul finds the most joy and sense of accomplishment in his advocacy work with ACS CAN and his work with youth in his faith community.