Advocates in Science Steering Committee
The members of the Advocates In Science (AIS) steering committee are experienced research advocates who’ve demonstrated their dedication and leadership in breast cancer advocacy. The steering committee works closely with Komen staff to develop the strategy for the AIS program, expand its community of members and leverage the benefits and outcomes of effective breast cancer research advocacy. They are also active members of either the Komen Scholars or the Scientific Advisory Board and dedicated to making sure the patient voice in heard. Read their stories below.
“It is important to me to advocate for greater participation in clinical trials for all potential patients, but specifically for African American patients because of underrepresentation in these trials. I believe that the patient’s perspective in a trial is an essential key to the successful design and execution of a study. Additionally, I strive to be an educator of breast cancer and clinical trials to my community.”
Scientific Advisory Board Since 2026
Komen Scholar Since 2022-2026
Advocates in Science since 2020
Birmingham, AL
Thelma Brown, is an Advocates in Science (AIS) member from Birmingham, Alabama and currently serves as the Chair of the AIS Steering Committee. Thelma formerly worked as a Safety Analysis Engineer in the nuclear power industry and was initially diagnosed with ER+ breast cancer in 2008. Prompted by her family history of the disease, Thelma became involved with Susan G. Komen even before her diagnosis, concentrating her efforts into outreach and education as well as research advocacy. She has served as an advocate with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance, the National Cancer Institute, and has collaborated with researchers from various institutions. In addition to being keenly interested in cutting edge research that will lead to more effective, less toxic treatments, she is passionate about research and clinical trials being inclusive, ensuring of all that will benefit from breakthroughs.
“Only through research can we discover more effective ways to prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure breast cancer. As a patient research advocate, I bring a sense of urgency to research and the expertise gained only from living 24/7 with breast cancer.”
National Board of Directors 2007-2009
Advocates in Science 2008-2018 and 2019-
Komen Scholar 2010
Scientific Advisory Board 2012-2018
Kansas City, MO
Cheryl L. Jernigan, CPA, F.A.C.H.E., is a 29-year breast cancer “thriver” and cancer research advocate. She strives to inform and empower patients to be effective partners, working with researchers and clinicians to enhance and focus research on what matters to patients. Cheryl was previously CEO of the Kansas City Area Hospital Association with over 18 years of experience in health policy, advocacy, community and national leadership on behalf of hospitals. Currently, she is the Lead Advocate for: Patient & Investigator Voices Organizing Together (PIVOT), a unique University of Kansas Cancer Center initiative; the Kansas Institute for Precision Medicine; and the Greater Plains Collaborative (a Clinical Data Research Network in the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Initiative (PCORI) PCORnet grant. Nationally, Cheryl was a founding member of the Advocates in Science (AIS) program. She currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Engagement and Communications Committee of the Susan G. Komen’s AIS program and Vice-Chair of the AIS Steering Committee. She served as a Komen Scholar from 2010 to 2018, and April 2019 started a new term. She has been actively involved in Komen’s BD4BC (Big Data for Breast Cancer) initiative, including the development of their advocate training program (BD4P), inaugural breast cancer Hackathon, and the ShareForCures breast cancer registry. She also served as a member of Komen’s Scientific Advisory Board from 2012-2018. An active research advocate, Ms. Jernigan is a member of Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center External Advisory Board; Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (Clinical Research Data) Network (PCORnet) Engagement Core Leadership Team, Engagement Committee, and Front Door Workstream Team; and the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative’s Steering Committee. She serves as an Advocate Member on the Cancer Prevention & Epidemiology Committee and as a member on the Patient Advocate Committee of SWOG for Cancer Research, which is part of the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network. Cheryl is a past member of NCI’s Central Institutional Review Board for Late Phase Adult Clinical Trials and Director’s Consumer Liaison Group (DCLG) and has served as an advocate reviewer for Komen’s Research Program, the V Foundation, the U.S. Congressionally-Directed Breast Cancer Research Program, and the LiveStrong Foundation.
“I strive to raise awareness of the importance of research and clinical trials and share my experience, with the hope that all eligible patients are asked about trials. Susan G. Komen plays a vital role in advancing research, awarding grants to researchers and providing funding for projects in which the best minds in breast cancer research collaborate and share ideas. Throughout this work, Komen mandates the involvement of advocates, to partner with researchers to represent the patient voice, while providing training and mentorship, opportunities that have enabled me to grow in my advocacy.”
Komen Scholar Since 2026
Advocates in Science Since 2019
Wilmington, DE
Jamie LaScala was diagnosed with Stage III inflammatory breast cancer in 2015, which started her on the path of becoming a patient advocate partner supporting breast cancer research and clinical trials. Jamie serves as a patient advocate on the breast committee for Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Cancer Network and the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium (TBCRC), representing The University of Pennsylvania, where she is also a board member for the Translational Center of Excellence in Breast Cancer at Penn Medicine. Jamie served as an advocate reviewer for Susan G. Komen, a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) and was part of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative. She has contributed to articles, including for Today.com, provided a patient perspective at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and served as a patient advocate panelist at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Jamie was also recognized with the 2024 Donna Noce Colaco Going Beyond Award from Living Beyond Breast Cancer. In her professional career, Jamie is an analyst at Nemours Children’s Health and a former executive in investment management. She has a BS from Thomas Jefferson University, and spent a semester at the University of Salamanca in Spain.
“Research advocacy has been a deeply meaningful second career, allowing me to share my lived experience and patient voice with scientists as they find ways to save people’s lives such as mine.”
Komen Scholar Since 2026
Advocates in Science Since 2026
Sandy, UT
Carla Lloyd became involved in research advocacy as a way to give back to the medical team that supported her through Stage III HER2-positive breast cancer. She is a professor emerita from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University where she served for 32 years. Two-thirds of her career was spent as an administrator, including a director, department chair and inaugural associate dean of creative & scholarly activity, developing innovative programs. She earned many teaching awards and served as chair of the national Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism & Mass Communication. Carla is co-founder and chair of the Breast & Gynecologic Cancers Research Advocate (BGCRA) Committee at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). It is the first and currently only research-advocate group to serve one of HCI’s disease centers, but has inspired an institute-wide model. She leads the BGCRA Committee, a volunteer group of 18 patients and survivors of breast, ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancers, who serve as research-specific advocates to support HCI’s Breast and Gynecologic Cancers Center. The committee works with researchers in a variety of ways to help advance the care, treatment, and outcomes of breast and gynecologic cancers patients. The committee also hosts the annual Project Next Symposium, leads a “Thank You, Researcher” campaign during cancer awareness months, and has completed its own “Best Practices in Clinical Trial Patient Recruitment” research study. Dr. Lloyd is a National Breast Cancer Coalition Project LEAD-trained research advocate. She is also the patient-advocate member on the Utah Cancer Registry Oversight Committee. She is an external advisory board member of the Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence ALIVE WELL initiative. Carla is also a member of the HCI’s external advisory board. As a Komen Advocates in Science member, she has participated in the Big Data for Breast Cancer (BD4BC) initiative by participating in the BD4BC pilot training program, reviewing BD4BC online curriculum modules, reviewing Hackathon grant applications, editing/reviewing content for the Risk Factor section on Komen.org, and serving as a patient advocate mentor on a Komen Career Catalyst Research (CCR) grant and patient advocate on a Komen A Supplement to Promote Inclusion for Research Excellence (ASPIRE) grant. Carla received her BA degree in Communications from the University of Utah, MS from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and her PhD in sociology from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
“I am passionate about helping others and believe research is the way to give breast cancer patients hope, answers, and long, full lives.”
Komen Scholar Since 2022
Advocates in Science Since 2019
Helena, MT
Michelle McGree is a 14-year, two-time breast cancer survivor and advocate, diagnosed at age 28. She lives in Helena, Montana and is a fish habitat biologist with a M.S. degree in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. She is passionate about research advocacy and helping to make scientific studies impactful to breast cancer patients. She also enjoys helping others through breast cancer diagnoses, treatments, and the new normal. Michelle has been a consumer reviewer and mentor for the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program since 2014. She is also an alumnus of the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Young Advocate, a member of Komen’s Advocates in Science (AIS) Program since 2019, and is the Chair for Komen’s Advocates in Science Steering Committee. She enjoys participating in scientific breast cancer meetings and has shared her experiences and perspective through blogs and podcasting. Michelle is also passionate about the role of fitness in the risk of breast cancer and recurrence and has fundraised for cancer research and support of young breast cancer survivors by biking many miles in the Fred Hutch Obliteride and the Young Survival Coalition Tour de Pink. Michelle started working with Susan G. Komen as a race for the cure volunteer, organizer, honorary survivor and continues to participate in various Komen initiatives.
“I enjoy making connections between cancer patients, researchers and clinicians. I love building bridges and helping people speak together in a common language.”
Komen Scholar Since 2025
Advocates in Science Since 2025
Ithaca, NY
Bob Riter became active as an advocate shortly after his initial diagnosis with breast cancer in 1996. For many years, he served as the executive director of the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, a cancer support organization in Ithaca, NY. He especially enjoys working with researchers-in-training at Cornell University, getting them out of their labs to connect them with cancer survivors and patients. Bob has been involved with a variety of cancer advocacy organizations including the NCI Council of Research Advocates, the Alamo Advocate Program, Advocates for Collaborative Education, and Komen Advocates in Science. He’s served as an advocate reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Breast Cancer Research Program and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. In addition to breast cancer, Bob had also been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was found to have a CHEK2 mutation. He has a special interest in hereditary cancers and in fostering connections between advocates across all types of cancer. He’s a native of Huntington, WV and attended Oberlin College and the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan.
“I am a three-time breast cancer survivor who has benefited from advances in treatment over the last 35 years. Komen’s AIS program has equipped me to serve as a strong voice for patients and help determine how limited research dollars are best deployed to fulfill Komen’s mission.”
Komen Scholar Since 2018
Advocates in Science Since 2013
Landenburg, PA
Meryl R. Weinreb, M.A. is a retired pharmaceutical marketing executive with extensive experience in oncology – both from an industry and personal perspective. As a 3-time breast cancer survivor, she was uniquely equipped to successfully lead consumer marketing strategy and execution for AstraZeneca’s US oncology portfolio. She was responsible for a number of awarding-winning patient education and support programs for breast, prostate and lung cancer therapies. She led innovative adherence programs and worked with company researchers to create patient-friendly PI’s and clinical protocols. Ms. Weinreb served on the Executive Board of the Philadelphia affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for 7 years. She then continued to serve as the affiliate’s Education and Public Policy Chair. She is currently a Komen Advocacy Ambassador, working to increase government funding for breast cancer research and enacting legislation that will remove barriers to care. In 2013, she was invited to join Komen’s Advocates in Science Program, and in 2018 became a member of its Steering Committee and a Komen Scholar. She is the previous Chair of the AIS Steering Committee and Chair of the Advocate Peer Review Committee. She has served as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense’s Breast Cancer Research Program, Komen’s Postdoctoral Fellowship and Career Catalyst awards, and The Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas. She assists researchers – locally, across the country and sometimes abroad – with their grant applications and currently is collaborating as an advocate on several breast cancer research projects.
Learn more about AIS, join the program, and find valuable AIS Resources.
Updated April 7, 2026
