Our Leaders
To fulfill its mission, PAF is supported day-to-day by its leadership team and patient services are carried out by a stable force of full time professionals with a variety of degrees and specialties. Professional staff who assist patients every day are primarily located in our headquarters location in Hampton, VA, with virtual and satellite offices in various locations around the United States.
The Patient Advocate Foundation Board of Directors and Scientific Board is comprised of a network of research and community oncologists, attorneys, legislators, healthcare industry representatives, and case managers committed to the goal of offering support to patients, and who provide necessary guidance and direction to be fiscally and structurally sound.
Daniel Press, PhD
Dean of Arts and Sciences, Santa Clara University, California
Former Professor of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz
Veena Shankaran, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Medical Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Assistant Member Clinical Research – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Anaeze C. Offodile II, M.D., MPH
Executive Director for Clinical Transformation, Assistant Professor-Department of Plastic Surgery, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Maureen Culbertson
Managing Director, Deloitte’ Government and Public Services
Rolf Benirschke
CEO, Legacy Health Strategies, Former NFL Football Player, Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, NFL Comeback Player of the Year, San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame
Larri Alexis Short
Former Partner, Arent Fox LLP
Aaron J. Lyss, MBA
Director of Strategic Payer Relations, OneOncology
David Jackman, MD
Medical Director of Clinical Pathways, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Senior Physician, Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology
Norm Hubbard, MBA
Chief Business Officer at the Office of Health Sciences, Michigan State University, Former Executive Vice President, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Deborah Parham Hopson, PhD, RN, FAAN
Senior Vice President for Public Health Systems Innovation
and Senior Public Health Scientist – Maya Tech Corporation
Rear Admiral (Ret.) U.S. Public Health Service
Alan J. Balch, PhD
Chief Executive Officer
Patient Advocate Foundation
Non-Voting Member
Nancy Davenport-Ennis
Non-Voting Member
John L. Murphy
Retired Partner & Head of Research, Saguenay Strathmore Capital
Al Benson III, MD, FACP
Professor of Medicine, Associate Director for Clinical Investigations, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
John H. “Jack” Ennis
Non-Voting Member
Otis Maynard, Esq.
Associate General Counsel, United Healthcare
Edith Mitchell, MD, FACP
Clinical Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology Program Leader, Gastrointestinal Oncology Department of Medical Oncology Director, Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities, Associate Director Diversity Affairs
Pearl Moore, RN, MN, FAAN
CEO (Retired) Oncology Nursing Society