Michael Sapienza
Michael Sapienza is the Chief Executive Officer of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the largest colon
cancer advocacy group in the country. He lost his mother to colorectal cancer in May 2009. He turned his
profound grief into action, inspiring and challenging the colorectal cancer community, family, friends, and
professional associates to follow his lead and dedicate themselves to ending colorectal cancer within our
lifetime—the mission of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Michael founded The Chris4Life Colon Cancer
Foundation and served as its President from 2010-2015. In 2016, he led the team that merged the
Foundation and the Colon Cancer Alliance, creating the nation’s largest colon cancer specific nonprofit,
which changed its name to Colorectal Cancer Alliance in 2017 to embrace both the colon and rectal cancer
communities.
Over the last decade, Michael has become an expert and trusted voice on the topics of colorectal
cancer prevention, patient care, and medical research. Michael regularly appears on TV and radio
programs throughout the United States, including NBC’s TODAY show. He is frequently quoted in national
publications such as USA Today, Newsweek, and The New York Times, promoting awareness and the
importance of increased funding for colorectal cancer research and early detection. In 2022, Michael
spearheaded a partnership with Maximum Effort, Ryan Reynolds’ marketing agency to build a new
initiative called Lead From Behind. This new Alliance initiative has garnered over 3.5 billion media
impressions.
Michael is a member of The Ruesch Center for the Cure of GI Cancer’s Advisory Board at
Georgetown University, and in 2020 he was appointed to the President’s Cancer Panel and NCCRT’s 2021
Steering Committee. In 2014, Michael received three prestigious industry awards: David Jagelman, MD
Award for advocacy in Colorectal Cancer Awareness by the American Society of Colon and Rectal
Surgeons; the Public Service Award from the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract; and the
Champion Award from Preventing Colorectal Cancer. In 2018, Michael was honored with a Luminary
Award from OncLive and The Ruesch Center for his lifetime commitment to improving the lives of patients
affected by gastrointestinal cancer.
Michael holds degrees from both Northwestern University and Rice University and currently resides
in the District of Columbia.