Swati G. Patel, MD, MS

University of Colorado Anshutz Medical Campus 

Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Hospital 

Steering Committee

Dr. Patel is an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, where she is the Director of the Gastrointestinal Hereditary Cancer Program. Her clinical and research interests are in improving the identification of individuals with hereditary cancer syndromes and early-age onset colorectal cancer.

She is the 2022 President of the Collaborative Group of the Americans on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancers, a premiere professional society dedicated to advancing research and clinical care for patients with hereditary GI cancer syndromes. She sits on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Colorectal Cancer Screening Guideline Committee and is a member of the United States Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, where she recently led the updated screening guidelines supporting expanding colorectal cancer screening to 45-49- year olds.

Pascale M. White, MD

Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Steering Committee

Pascale M. White, MD is a gastroenterologist and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She also serves as the Director of the Gastroenterology Clinic at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Dr. White received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Barnard College of Columbia University, and her medical degree from The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at NYU School of Medicine, where she was appointed Chief Resident. She went on to complete her Gastroenterology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Currently, Dr. White is pursuing a dual degree Masters in Business Administration and Masters in Science in Healthcare Leadership at Cornell University.

Dr. White’s clinical work, research activities, and public service have focused on championing colorectal cancer screening efforts in underserved communities. She has published articles in leading medical journals on barriers to screening and co-authored the latest clinical update for colorectal cancer screening in African Americans for the American College of Gastroenterology. She serves on multiple committees in New York City’s Citywide Colorectal Cancer Control Coalition (C5) and has volunteered her time with numerous community education and outreach programs. Dr. White is a Co-Founder of the Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists (ABGH), a national non-profit organization whose mission is to promote health equity in Black communities with a vision to improve gastrointestinal health outcomes. ABGH was the recipient of the American College of Gastroenterology’s “Best High Impact” Service Award for Colorectal Cancer Outreach, Prevention and Year-Round Excellence (SCOPY) in 2021.

Peter S. Liang, MD, MPH 

NYU Grossman School of Medicine

VA New York Harbor Health Care System Manhattan Medical Center

Steering Committee

Peter S. Liang, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and an attending gastroenterologist at the VA New York Harbor Health Care System Manhattan Medical Center. 

Dr. Liang completed his undergraduate degrees in Biological Sciences and East Asian Studies with honors and distinction at Stanford University and was a Fulbright Fellow in China. He attended Harvard Medical School and earned a master’s in public health in Quantitative Methods at the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and his clinical gastroenterology and T32 research fellowship at the University of Washington.  

Dr. Liang’s primary research interest is colorectal cancer prevention. He studies sociodemographic and geographic disparities in colorectal cancer screening and outcomes, the comparative effectiveness of different screening strategies, novel methods to increase screening adherence, and early-onset colorectal cancer. His research has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, American Gastroenterological Association, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, New York Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, ReMission Foundation, and industry. 

Dr. Liang serves as Chair of the World Endoscopy Organization Coalition to Reduce Inequities in Colorectal Cancer Screening. He also serves on the AGA Clinical Guidelines Committee, ACG International Relations Committee, the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable Membership Committee, and the New York Citywide Colorectal Cancer Control Coalition (C5) Steering Committee and Screening Guidelines Committee. He previously chaired the AGA Trainee and Early Career Committee and has served on the AGA Publications Committee, ASGE Annual Scientific Program Committee, and ACG International Relations Committee. 

Keith Winfrey, MD, MPH

New Orleans East Community Health Center

Steering Committee

Dr. Keith Winfrey is the Chief Medical Officer for the New Orleans East Louisiana Community Health Center (NOELA CHC). He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Preventive Medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine. He also holds a Masters’ Degree in Health System Management from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Winfrey has been with NOELA since 2009 and has served as the Chief Medical Officer since 2011. He has guided NOELA Community Health Center through the practice transformation process to become a Level III “Patient-Centered Medical Home” and to improve the health center’s efficiency and effectiveness in chronic disease management and disease prevention. Dr. Winfrey serves on the steering committee for the Louisiana Colorectal Roundtable, the clinical committee for the Taking Aim at Cancer Louisiana initiative, and is the current Clinical Branch Chairman for the Louisiana Primary Care Association.

Candace Henley, MPH

The Blue Hat Foundation

Steering Committee

Candace Henley, MPH is a tireless advocate for colon cancer prevention and support. Candace was a single
mother who was raising five children who lost her car and home while battling colon cancer. Her
own battle and the devastation it left on her life and that of her children inspired her to create The
Blue Hat Foundation. The organization is founded on unconditional support and compassion for
people fighting colon cancer. Their mission is to provide education, information, and free screenings
for colon cancer in the minority and medically underserved communities. The Blue Hat Foundation
started as a single event – “ Blue Hat Bow Tie Sunday” — at one church in Chicago. The program is
now in 15 churches and promotes education through participation by asking the congregation to
wear blue in honor of someone who is fighting or passed away from colon cancer. In addition to the
Sunday events, The Blue Hat Foundation raises awareness about the disease’s signs and shares
personal experience stories through speeches, podcasts, articles, and community partnerships.

Allison Rosen, M.S.

American Cancer Society

Steering Committee

Allison Rosen has deliberately and consciously chosen to dedicate her life – in and outside of her employment – to use her voice and platform to educate, advocate, and continuously learn how best to represent the collective cancer community. She recently joined the American Cancer Society as the Director of Project ECHO. She serves as an NCCRT Steering Committee member and is a 10-year early age onset colorectal cancer survivor. Prior to joining ACS, Allison had a combined 16 years of experience in the oncology space, 12 years in basic cancer research and four years in public health and cancer health disparities, with much of her work focusing on designing, implementing, and evaluating public health programs and initiatives, to address cancer awareness and care disparities among medically underserved populations. Through her own experience at surviving Stage II colorectal cancer, Allison has experience on both sides of the fence, and works to bridge the gap between the healthcare system and the communities that it serves.

Michael Sapienza

Colorectal Cancer Alliance

Steering Committee

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.

Beverly B. Green, MD, MPH

Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute

Steering Committee

Beverly B. Green, MD, MPH, is a physician scientist whose research has focused on improving systems of care by designing and evaluating programs that make it easier for patients to get the care they need, including colorectal cancer screening. She is currently a Senior Investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and an Associate Clinical Professor at University of Washington’s School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine. In addition to practicing as a family physician, she was a Robert Wood Johnson fellow at University of Washington, where she trained in Preventive Medicine and received a public health master’s degree (MPH) in epidemiology.

Dr. Green’s research focuses public health, targeting conditions that impact large proportions of the population, such as cancer, with an emphasis on leveraging technologies and systems-based care. She has used electronic technologies to implement an EHR-linked mailed fecal testing program for colorectal cancer screening that more than doubled screening uptake, increased adherence to screening long-term (over 9 years), and decreased screening costs compared to usual care. The program was subsequently successfully adapted for use and scaled up in Federally Qualified Health Centers and Medicaid health plans.

Dr. Green is also interested in understanding and changing policies that block the development and improvement of equitable care and prevention of chronic conditions. She is a member of the Colorectal Cancer Screening Workgroup of the Bree Collaborative, an organization appointed by Washington Governor Jay Inslee to decrease health inequities and improve health outcomes in Washington state.

Frank Colangelo, MD, M.S.-HQS, FACP

Premier Medical Associates

Steering Committee

Francis R Colangelo, MD, MS-HQS, FACP practices as an internist and serves as Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for Premier Medical Associates, a large multispecialty group in suburban Pittsburgh, PA that is part of the larger Allegheny Health Network.

Dr. Colangelo is a 1984 graduate of Jefferson Medical College, and trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He obtained a Masters of Health Care Quality and Safety from the Thomas Jefferson College of Population Health in 2017. He is now a lecturer for the college.

Dr. Colangelo is part of the leadership team that has transformed Premier Medical Associates into a nationally recognized leader in providing high performing patient centered medical care. The practice has received recognition from the CDC’s Million Hearts Initiative as a Hypertension Control Champion, received a National Achievement Award from the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable for its work in increasing colorectal cancer screening rates, and have been awarded the prestigious Acclaim Award from the American Medical Group Association, and the Optum/AMGA Award for Innovation in Population Health.

Laura Makaroff, DO

American Cancer Society

Steering Committee Member

Laura Makaroff, DO

Dr. Laura Makaroff is a family physician and Senior Vice President of Prevention and Early Detection at the American Cancer Society. She oversees a broad portfolio of cancer prevention and early detection initiatives including health equity, cancer screening, HPV vaccination, tobacco control, comprehensive cancer control, and other national partnerships. Prior to joining ACS, Dr. Makaroff served as a Senior Clinical Advisor for the Bureau of Primary Health Care at the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA). Dr. Makaroff completed a fellowship in health policy at Georgetown University and The Robert Graham Center in Washington, DC. She completed her residency in family medicine at the University of Colorado Hospital and was previously in solo, private practice outside of Denver, CO.