Dr. John Heymach

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Heymach is the Chair of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He holds the David Bruton Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his MD/PhD from Stanford. He completed his Internship and Residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and his fellowship in Medical Oncology from the Dana Farber/Mass General Brigham program. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Heymach’s research focuses on investigating mechanisms of therapeutic resistance to targeted agents, understanding the regulation of angiogenesis in lung cancer, and the development of biomarkers for targeted agents and immunotherapy. His research has led to new therapeutic approaches for KRAS mutant lung cancer, small cell lung cancer (SCLC), EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), adenoid cystic carcinoma, and oligometastatic NSCLC, many of which are now considered standard of care regimens or undergoing clinical testing. He serves as PI on 4 R01 awards investigating molecular subsets of lung cancer, and on an U01 focused on SCLC. He serves as the MDACC PI for the SU2C-ACS Lung Cancer Dream Team targeting KRAS mutant lung cancers, as the leader of the Lung CCSG Program, and the co-leader of the Lung Cancer Moon Shot. He is also the co-PI and project leader of the Lung SPORE. As a clinical investigator, he leads a number of biomarker-directed clinical trials using targeted and immunotherapy agents in lung cancer. He has directly mentored numerous fellows, including physician-scientists, and serves as chair of the NCI Molecular Cancer Therapeutics-1 study section.

Dr. Steven Artandi

Steven Artandi, MD, PhD is the Laurie Kraus Lacob Director of the Stanford Cancer Institute and the Jerome and Daisy Low Gilbert Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Stanford University. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, and MD and PhD degrees from Columbia University. He trained in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and in Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute before joining the Stanford faculty in 2000. Dr. Artandi is an oncologist and cancer biologist whose research work has focused on the role played by the enzyme telomerase in cancer, aging and stem cell function. His work has produced new insights into the origins of cancer, revealing how telomerase endows cells with immortal growth properties and how aspiring cancers circumvent critical bottlenecks encountered during carcinogenesis. He has received a number of awards including an Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute and is an elected member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He serves on the Editorial Boards of the journals Molecular Cancer Research and Stem Cells.

Dr. Justin Gainor

Justin Gainor is the Director of the Center for Thoracic Cancers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Director of Targeted Immunotherapy in the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies, and Co-Leader of the SU2C Lung Cancer Dream Team. His major research interests have centered around two themes: targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Currently, he is the principal investigator of multiple clinical trials evaluating novel targeted therapies among patients with oncogene-driven lung cancers, with a particular focus on oncogenic fusions involving anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and RET. To complement these efforts, he has also led efforts to define the molecular mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies.

More recently, he has worked to transfer the same clinical-translational research framework pioneered in targeted therapies to the immunotherapy setting. His early efforts in this regard have focused on exploring the activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors among patients with oncogene-driven lung cancers. His current research focus is to elucidate predictors of response and resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. These translational studies are complemented by a robust portfolio of phase I/II trials examining novel immunotherapy combinations.

Dr. Marc Ladanyi

Dr. Marc Ladanyi is the Chief of Molecular Diagnostics Service and William J. Ruane Chair in Molecular Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Ladanyi’s laboratory focuses on the genomics and molecular pathogenesis of sarcomas and thoracic malignancies, with an emphasis on clinical translation of potential diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. Dr. Ladanyi also co-directs (with Chris Sander) the Genome Data Analysis Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering, which is part of the TCGA project network.

Examples of recent contributions include the validation of DUSP4 as a driver gene for 8p losses in EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinomas, the establishment of methods for enhanced detection of the EGFR T790M secondary mutation in the setting of acquired resistance to EGFR inhibitors, the discovery of BAP1 mutations in mesotheliomas with 3p losses, the identification of novel, recurrent HEY1-NCOA2 and KIF5B-RET fusions in mesenchymal chondrosarcoma and lung adenocarcinoma, respectively, both based on mining of exon-level expression data, as well as major involvement in the TCGA Network marker papers on the genomics of glioblastoma, ovarian carcinoma, and squamous lung cancer.

Dr. Marc Ladanyi is the Chief of Molecular Diagnostics Service and William J. Ruane Chair in Molecular Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Ladanyi’s laboratory focuses on the genomics and molecular pathogenesis of sarcomas and thoracic malignancies, with an emphasis on clinical translation of potential diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. Dr. Ladanyi also co-directs (with Chris Sander) the Genome Data Analysis Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering, which is part of the TCGA project network.

Examples of recent contributions include the validation of DUSP4 as a driver gene for 8p losses in EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinomas, the establishment of methods for enhanced detection of the EGFR T790M secondary mutation in the setting of acquired resistance to EGFR inhibitors, the discovery of BAP1 mutations in mesotheliomas with 3p losses, the identification of novel, recurrent HEY1-NCOA2 and KIF5B-RET fusions in mesenchymal chondrosarcoma and lung adenocarcinoma, respectively, both based on mining of exon-level expression data, as well as major involvement in the TCGA Network marker papers on the genomics of glioblastoma, ovarian carcinoma, and squamous lung cancer.

Dr. Jessica Lin

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Jessica Lin is a medical oncologist specializing in the care of patients with thoracic malignancies. Dr. Lin received her MD from Harvard Medical School, Boston. After completing her residency in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare program, she joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. She has an active practice caring for patients in the Thoracic Oncology Program and the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies. 

The primary focus of Dr Lin’s research is to develop novel therapeutic and biomarker strategies for patients with advanced lung cancers. As a clinical investigator, she is deeply involved in the design and conduct of clinical trials evaluating novel therapeutic agents. Her translational research efforts are dedicated to the study of resistance mechanisms and exceptional responses to targeted therapies in molecularly defined subsets of lung cancer, such as those harboring ALK, ROS1, or RET gene fusions. The ultimate goal of her research is to improve outcomes for patients living with lung cancer. 

Dr. Lin is a member of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, American Association for Cancer Research, European Society for Medical Oncology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Mark Strama

Mark Strama is Director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, and a Professor of Practice in the Department of Communication and Media Studies in the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas.

Previously, Mark spent ten years at Google Fiber working to upgrade the speed and quality of internet service in the United States.  Prior to that he served five terms in the Texas House of Representatives, where he focused on renewable energy, public education, and electoral reform. Mark received Honorable Mentions on Texas Monthly’s Ten Best Legislators list in three of his five sessions in the House; Texas Monthly said “Strama cares as much about others’ success as his own.”

Prior to running for public office, Mark founded the first company to enable Americans to fill out a voter registration form on the Internet – 700,000 people used this technology to register to vote in the 2000 election cycle.  During the 1996 election cycle, Mark was Director of Programs at Rock the Vote, a non-partisan organization that works with MTV and the music industry to engage young people in the political process.  He previously worked for former Texas Governor Ann Richards and Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis.

Mark graduated from Brown University with degrees in philosophy and political science. He is married to Crystal Cotti, a former Austin City Hall reporter and a graduate of the Moody College of Communication.  They have three industrious daughters and one very lazy dog.

Ned Stewart

Edward “Ned” Stewart is an experienced controller and accountant in the entertainment industry possessing a thorough knowledge of business processes, analytics and accounting in both private and public entities. He has extensive acquisition experience as a sellers’ representative and integration leader with a longterm vision.

Ned is currently an accountant and controller at Live Nation Entertainment, where he continues to oversee Stubb’s Bar-B-Q’s expanding operations and corporate compliance. Prior to that, he served as Chief Financial Officer for the multi-million dollar Hospitality company, Stubb’s Bar-B-Q. Ned’s years of experience allow him to be well equipped to support operations and drive an organization towards its goal.

Ned holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from James Madison University, School of Communication Studies, in his native Virginia. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, Amanda. They have one incredibly poised daughter and an equally crazy, but much loved dog, Bear Bear.

Ilana Stomberg

Ilana Stromberg is the Co-Founder and Director of The Happy Lungs Project. Ilana was diagnosed with RET positive non small-cell lung cancer in 2019 with no prior risk or known genetic or environmental factors. She is a fierce advocate and supporter of RET research, and a strong communicator, actively raising awareness and assisting patients by spreading information of new treatment and trial options to the RET community.

Previously, Ilana worked as a Certified Academic Language Therapist helping students with reading, writing, and other language related skills. She received multiple certifications and specialized in working with children with dyslexia and reading disabilities. Prior to that, she worked as The Director of Recruiting and Client Relations at the international law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP organizing and facilitating work efforts and recruits and as Community Outreach and Event Planning Coordinator facilitating the communications, marketing and event planning for the Firm.

Ilana received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and her Master’s Degree in Education, School of Education and Human Development from the Southern Methodist University, Dallas.

Ilana is married to Daniel Stromberg, Director of Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care, at UT Austin and has 5 free-spirited children, and one overly-indulged dog named Sushi.