New Frontiers in Enhancing Uptake and Efficiency of Lung Cancer Early Detection Programs

Phillip Levy, MD, MPH is the Edward S Thomas endowed Professor of Emergency Medicine at Wayne State University where he currently serves as Associate Vice President for Translational Sciences. Dr. Levy is also Director of the Wayne Health Mobile Unit Program, which he founded in April 2020. A fellow of multiple professional societies including the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Levy is a leading health equity researcher with a focus on cardiovascular disease risk reduction who has overseen more than 110 funded studies from various entities since his arrival at Wayne State in 2002 including current grant support from the NIH, CDC, and American Heart Association.

In addition to the delivery of acute and emergent care, Dr. Levy brings extensive expertise in deep community phenotyping using PHOENIX, an integrated, multidimensional virtual data warehouse he developed that includes embedded geospatial visualization and analytics. Leveraging PHOENIX, Dr. Levy has been at the forefront of design and execution of targeted intervention programs, including the Wayne Mobile Health Unit program and the Michigan Mobile Health Corps, both of which bring barrier free access to prevention care to at-risk communities with linkage to remote clinical and social support services using mobile engagement.

Cliffondra Brown is the Vice President of Customer Relations and Training for one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging providers in the United States. As a trained coach and motivator, she specializes in encouraging, inspiring, and challenging others to be their best selves. Her 32-year background in customer relations, service awareness, DEIB, leadership excellence, mentorship, growth and succession, and strategic planning makes her a versatile and experienced professional.

Dr. Claudia Henschke is a professor of Radiology and the Director of the Early Lung Cancer Action Program (ELCAP) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She is a pioneer and leading expert in diagnostic radiology with more than 25 years of clinical and research experience with low-dose CT screening; and she has led the implementation of numerous city, state, national, and international lung screening programs. She is the founder of I-ELCAP. Since the 1992 start of the Early Lung Cancer Action Project (ELCAP) Dr. Henschke has worked on advancing research of early lung and cardiac diseases, with a particular focus on lung cancer screening. Dr. Henschke has authored over 500 peer-reviewed publications, two books, many scientific presentations, and has trained more than 80 physician researchers. Prior to joining the faculty at Mount Sinai in 2010, she was a Professor of Radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City after starting her radiology career at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Neville Irani earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a board-certified radiologist with a Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Pediatric Radiology, following the completion of his fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Irani currently serves as a Research Associate Professor at the University of Kansas. He previously held the position of Vice Chair of Quality and Informatics until 2020, when he transitioned to launch the Healthcare Quality Improvement Platform—a public charity dedicated to enhancing patient experience and clinical outcomes.

He is the Chair of the Non-Interpretive Skills Committee for the American Board of Radiology, where he contributes to the development of certifying exam content. A recognized thought leader in lung cancer screening, Dr. Irani also serves as the physician leader of the National Lung Cancer Screening Collaborative through the American College of Radiology.

Mahreen Chowdhury is a third-year undergraduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, majoring in Biology with a minor in Health and Medical Sciences. As the National Director of the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative and President of the Georgia Tech ALCSI Chapter, Mahreen has led state and campus-wide initiatives to promote awareness of early lung cancer detection. Her work included organizing high-impact collaborations with the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Motor Speedway/NASCAR, and the American Heart Association to engage communities in life-saving screening education and lung cancer prevention. With a background in clinical internships, community outreach, and research at Emory VA on diabetic retinopathy, Mahreen blends advocacy with a mission to improve healthcare through education, driven by a belief in the power of youth-led change. She aspires to pursue medicine and is passionate about expanding access to care and empowering the next generation of leaders in public health.

Cyndi brings nearly 20 years of clinical and leadership experience in health care, with over 12 years focused in Oncology. Most recently, she led the development of a comprehensive lung cancer screening and incidental nodule program at a leading outpatient oncology Center of Excellence. Her passion lies in transforming the landscape of lung cancer care across the full continuum. Cyndi joined the Excellence in Healthcare Delivery team at GO2 In January as the Clinical Director, Lung Cancer Initiatives and is excited to share her expertise and expand her impact on a national level.

After twenty-one years working in the medical field, Nicole Blaine fulfilled a lifelong dream that combines her passions for healthcare advocacy and social justice by creating Storyectomy*. Storyectomy* is a mental health initiative and storymaking program Blaine founded to foster healing through storytelling to anyone affected by cancer. Under Blaine’s 501c3 nonprofit, she is cultivating a community of survivors, thrivers, and caretakers who will find respite and relief in cathartic storytelling while raising awareness and funding for cancer research. 
*get your story out
https://www.comedyreflectsourworld.org/storyectomy

Marissa left a career as a postpartum/newborn nursery nurse to stay home and raise four children. She received the shock of her life when, at the age of 44, she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer despite never having smoked a single cigarette. Fortunately, the tumor carried the ALK+ mutation, making her eligible for a new class of targeted molecular therapy medication. Not wanting to be completely dependent upon a pharmaceutical, Marissa undertook a lot of research into alternative healing modalities to create an overall survival plan, which incorporates mind, body and spirit. As of May 2025, she is ten years out from the initial diagnosis and her health is better than it was before. 2025 has been a year of celebration which has included being a guest on the Radical Remissions podcast, finally having her port removed, lobbying in DC with the American Lung Association, and making a pilgrimage to the Camino de Santiago. Marissa plans to receive her health coaching license through the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, in order to guide others facing a challenging diagnosis. In the meantime, she advocates for early detection, all the while being living proof that anyone can put in the work to be able to thrive with lung cancer.

David Yankelevitz is a world-recognized expert on Fine Needle Aspirations (FNA biopsies) of the lung; performing over 14,000 FNA procedures, to date.

He is the Co-PI of the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) – a lung cancer screening study which has enrolled over 100,000 people worldwide. And, he is the Co-PI of the Initiative for Early Lung Cancer Research on Treatment (IELCART).

As a researcher, Dr. Yankelevitz’s main interest is the diagnosis and treatment of early-diagnosed lung cancer which includes a focus on using CT lung scan results to support the diagnoses of cardiac, liver, breast, thyroid and bone diseases. Additionally, he is actively working to bring screening programs to low-income countries around the world, with a particular focus now on African, Central Asia and Middle Eastern countries. Currently, he is focused on AI CT scanning tools to improve and streamline the diagnosis of lung diseases; but also, in using the results of lung scans to support the diagnoses of cardiac, liver, breast, thyroid and bone diseases.

Dr. Yankelevitz has co-authored over 300 medical journal articles, 300 scientific abstracts; and has been granted 14 patents.

Dr Maurice Smith attended UNC Medical School at Chapel Hill and completed Cardiothoracic fellowship at John Hopkins Hospitals. Recently awarded a 2025 Physician of the Year for Maryland, he is the Chief Thoracic Surgeon at Frederick Health Hospitals in Frederick Maryland. He has served as Chair of Surgery and currently serves as Chief of Staff, Medical Director of Center for Chest and Early Pulmonary Cancer Detection Program. Under his leadership Robotic Lung Surgery and Robotic Bronchoscopy programs have been established and Frederick Health was designated as GO2 Lung Cancer Center of Excellence.

Dr Ante Marusic is the Clinical Lead for the Lung Cancer Screening program at the Telemedicine Clinic in the UK. In parallel, as a member of the Croatian Society of Radiology, he has played a key role in the design, administration and implementation of the Nationwide Screening Program in Croatia. Dr Marušić has received specialist and advanced training in radiology, including oncological radiology, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and at Mount Sinai Hospital. Currently also active as Associated Professor at Faculty of Forensic Sciences, University of Split, Croatia.

He is President of the Croatian Thoracic Imaging Society and a member of the Croatian Medical Chamber, UK General Medical Council, European Radiology Society, European Society of Thoracic Imaging, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group (TBnet) and Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Network European Trials Group (NTM-NET).

Luis Herrera, MD, thoracic surgeon, is the medical director of the Rod Taylor Thoracic Care Center at Orlando Health Cancer Institute. He is a member of the Thoracic/Head and Neck Cancers Specialty Section. He joined Orlando Health Cancer Institute from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where he served as chief resident of thoracic surgery and is currently appointed as an adjunct assistant professor of surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery.

Board-certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery, Dr. Herrera specializes in surgery for tumors of the chest, including cancer of the lung, esophagus, chest wall and mediastinum and also treats benign disorders of the esophagus. Dr. Herrera has expertise in minimally invasive thoracic surgery, advanced pulmonary resections, and esophagectomy. He also specializes in VATS (video assisted thoracic surgery), laparoscopic and robotic surgery. In addition, Dr. Herrera serves as an expert reviewer of other doctors performing robotic surgery through the C-SATS performance review and training program.

Fluent in English and Spanish, Dr. Herrera graduated summa cum laude with his medical degree and magna cum laude with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Puerto Rico. He fulfilled a general surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh and a cardiothoracic surgery residency at MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, focusing on thoracic surgical oncology.

Dr. Herrera is involved in basic and translational research focusing on new treatments for lung and esophageal cancer. He has received several awards for his work, including the Minority Scholar Award in Cancer Research from the American Association for Cancer Research, the National Institutes of Health Minority Supplement Grant from the National Cancer Institute and the United States Surgical Corporation Resident Research Grant.

He has been published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Neoplasia, Clinical Chemistry, Nanomedicine and has given presentations at several national meetings.

Ruth Carlos, MD, MS, FACR, is a professor of radiology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and vice chair of academic affairs and community engagement for the Department of Radiology. A board-certified abdominal imaging radiologist, she directs research in outcomes and care delivery for the Center for Imaging Biomarkers and Innovation in Integrated Diagnostics (CIMBID).

Dr. Carlos is the first woman editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Radiology and has served as president of ARRS, AUR, and the Radiology Alliance for Health Services Research. She chairs the GERRAF fellowship program and co-chairs the NCI Cancer Care Delivery Research Development Committee.

Her work focuses on health services research, policy, health equity, and imaging biomarkers. A funded NIH investigator and recipient of numerous honors, she is a fellow of the ACR and SCBT-MR and has received the AUR Gold Medal and RSNA Distinguished Educator Award.

James Moore is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida, majoring in Biology: Pre-Health. As the President of the Health Awareness & Prevention Society and the founding President of the UCF Chapter of the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative, James has spearheaded efforts to advance student and community health across Orlando. His leadership includes launching ALCSI at UCF in partnership with Orlando Health, as well as leading initiatives that expand education on early detection, prevention, and wellness. Beyond campus, James is dedicated to inclusivity and accessibility in healthcare, studying American Sign Language and actively working with the Deaf community to foster greater communication and understanding. With a strong commitment to breaking stigmas and creating judgment-free spaces, he hopes to pursue a career serving the Deaf community in healthcare. James is passionate about empowering individuals through advocacy, education, and community engagement to improve public health outcomes.

Dr. Nasir Siddiqui is the Chief Medical Officer of Akumin, one of the nation’s largest providers of radiology and oncology services. A board-certified diagnostic radiologist with more than 15 years of experience, he is recognized for advancing imaging, technology, and healthcare operations to improve access, efficiency, and patient outcomes. Dr. Siddiqui previously served as Chairman of Radiology at Duly Health and Care and as a Senior Advisor at Beaconhouse Capital Management. He also serves on the Board of Directors at Learner’s Digest International, a leading provider of continuing medical education. Trained at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Northwestern University, he also holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. At Akumin, Dr. Siddiqui leads clinical strategy with a focus on quality, innovation, and the integration of AI into imaging and cancer care.

Dax Kurbegov, MD, serves as Senior Vice President and leads Sarah Cannon, the oncology service line of HCA Healthcare. Dr. Kurbegov oversees all elements of Sarah Cannon’s market operations, ensuring consistency and quality and fostering collaboration across our global network of cancer programs. Across our 90+ Commission on Cancer and Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy accredited programs, he ensures that our patients receive personalized care through robust multi-disciplinary planning, physician-developed clinical pathways and the support of our more than 180 dedicated oncology nurse navigators.

In addition, Dr. Kurbegov is an investigator in the rapidly evolving field of blood-based early cancer detection technologies which promise a convenient way to screen for many cancers at once, including cancers that have had no screening strategies up until now. Sarah Cannon has enrolled more than 30,000 patients in early detection clinical trials and is actively generating knowledge in real world settings.

Dr. Kurbegov joined Sarah Cannon in 2017 from Catholic Health Initiatives where he led the national oncology service line. Dr. Kurbegov received his bachelor of science from Stanford University and his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and his medical oncology fellowship from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has served as a physician advisor for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO®) CancerLinQ program, and Chair of the ASCO Research Community Forum Steering Group for the 2017-2018 term. He is recognized as a Fellow of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.

Jyric Sims serves as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HCA Healthcare West Florida Division, where he oversees more than 23,000 employees serving at 17 hospitals, two behavioral health campuses, 34 emergency room locations, 30 urgent care sites, 14 ambulatory surgery centers, 84 physician practices, and Division Office staff members, who support these care locations along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Jyric brings more than two decades of healthcare experience to the role, having formerly served as CEO at HCA Healthcare’s Medical City Plano and Medical City Frisco in 2021. Together, both hospitals comprise over 700 acute care beds and 3,000 employees. From 2017 to 2021, Sims served as CEO of HCA Healthcare’s Medical City Fort Worth, a 348-bed, acute care hospital. In that position, he led significant turnaround efforts that resulted in growth in services, recruitment of top talent and improvements in patient experience. He led more than $115 million in expansions, including the addition of a patient tower with a 30-bed ER, a neuroscience/spine center and the opening of Medical City ER White Settlement.

Sims joined Medical City Healthcare’s parent company, HCA Healthcare in 2011. He served as vice president and chief operating officer at Tulane Health System in New Orleans, Louisiana; chief operating officer of St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida; and associate chief operating officer at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in Webster, Texas. He started his career at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, as an administrative fellow and director of domestic and international operations.

Dedicated to community service, Sims is active with Tampa Bay Thrives, Tampa Bay Partnership, Habitat for Humanity and Young President’s Organization (YPO). He currently serves on the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board, the Louisiana State University Foundation Board as the chair of the National Foundation Board committee. He is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (Boule), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and many other organizations. He is also active with the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE).

Yoel Bakas is a seasoned MedTech strategy and international sales executive recognized for driving record-breaking growth and empowering global teams in the commercial expansion of innovative medical technologies. Currently the Oncology Area Leader at GE HealthCare, he oversees oncology solutions for the company’s largest integrated delivery network and healthcare clients, developing breakthrough partnerships and competitive strategies for global market advancement. Prior to this, Yoel served as Vice President of Strategic Operations at ViewRay, Inc., where he led worldwide pipeline management, strategic accounts, and customer success, negotiating milestone contracts and leading programs that captured global corporate accounts.

Earlier, Yoel propelled Mevion Medical Systems’s international expansion as Executive Vice President of Sales, building the first global sales organization and generating world-record growth, and at Varian Medical Systems, held senior commercial and strategic roles over 14 years culminating in his position as Senior Director, Strategic Accounts. Throughout his career, he has delivered transformative results, multimillion-dollar global agreements, and award-winning sales performance—by instilling a “customer-first” philosophy and building high-performing, cross-functional teams. He holds an MBA in Artificial Intelligence, advanced training in AI for Healthcare from Harvard Medical School and is a Certified Strategic Account Manager (CSAM).

Yoel works fluently in English and Spanish and is known for his passion for extraordinary team cultures where people feel empowered and valued every day.

Kara Chapman is Vice President of U.S. ION Sales at Intuitive, where she leads the national commercial organization, supporting 300 team members and more than 800 ION programs. She has been with Intuitive for 16 years, spending her first decade driving the shift from open to minimally invasive surgery before transitioning in 2020 to focus on advancing lung cancer care. With deep experience in healthcare and medical technology, Kara is recognized for building high-performing teams, cultivating strong customer partnerships, and aligning strategic vision with measurable results. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, she is passionate about innovation in minimally invasive diagnostics and improving patient outcomes, particularly in lung health. Known for her collaborative leadership and commitment to excellence, Kara continues to champion cutting-edge technology and inspire teams to achieve ambitious goals that impact the future of healthcare.

Michelle Futrell is the Director of Lung Cancer Screening Programs and Initiatives at LUNGevity Foundation. In this role, she shapes the organization’s blueprint for lung cancer screening, advancing initiatives that support healthcare providers and empower patients.

Previously, Michelle served as Nurse Coordinator for Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center’s Lung Cancer Screening Program in Richmond, VA, where she played a key role in developing the program and expanding access to lifesaving screening services.

A cancer survivor herself, Michelle brings a deeply personal perspective to her work. Her journey fuels her commitment to patient education and drives her passion to increase early detection.

Dr Liberty Foreman is a scientist-turned-entrepreneur with a decade-long mission to transform early disease detection using AI and infrared spectroscopy. She holds a PhD in Medical Physics from UCL and is the inventor behind the core technology at the heart of Sierra Medical.

Liberty co-founded her first company, Beamline Diagnostics, straight out of academia, securing over £2.5 million in funding and leading multiple clinical trials. Despite closing the company due to COVID-era funding disruption, she emerged stronger, launching Sierra Medical in 2021 with a clearer vision, a stronger team, and renewed investor backing.

At Sierra, Liberty is pioneering the world’s first non-invasive, AI-powered cheek-swab test for early lung cancer detection—AIR-DS—built on a scalable, multi-indication platform. She has led the company to secure competitive non-dilutive funding (including a €2.5M EIC Accelerator grant), onboard global advisors, and raise investment from US and UK venture funds. Liberty is deeply involved in product development, regulatory strategy (ISO 13485, IVDR, UKCA, FDA), and global go-to-market execution.

A passionate advocate for accessible diagnostics, Liberty combines deep technical knowledge with commercial pragmatism, and is building Sierra Medical into a platform company set to transform how we detect disease—early, scalably, and globally.

Vickie J. Beckler, MBA, RN, is a registered nurse and lung program implementation expert. She is the US Lung Ambition Director for AstraZeneca. Vickie spent 4 ½ years at Medtronic where she worked with centers across the nation to help develop and grow lung screening and incidental lung nodule programs using best practice, efficient workflow processes, and risk management strategies. She spent 12 years at Wellstar Health System in Atlanta where she built one of the highest lung screening volume programs in the nation. She co-authored the National Framework for Excellence in Lung Cancer Screening and Continuum of Care with the Lung Cancer Alliance in 2012 which won the Celgene Innovation Impact Award and was a nurse researcher for the I-ELCAP Lung Cancer Screening clinical trial. She received her MBA from the University of West Georgia and BSN from Georgia Highlands College. She is certified in Design Thinking through MIT and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. She is a member of the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Control Workgroup, the Georgia Lung Roundtable, and the National Lung Roundtable. Among her awards and honors, she is a Biden Cancer Center Initiative FiERCE Award nominee and past recipient of the American Lung Association’s Resilience in Healthcare Award.

Stephen M. Forthuber has more than two decades of healthcare leadership, with 18 years dedicated to radiology practice management. He joined Radiologix in 2000 as Regional Director of Operations for the Northeast, later advancing to Regional Vice President, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, and ultimately Senior Vice President of Field Operations.

Prior to Radiologix, Steve held leadership roles with PerSe Technologies’ Physician Services Division, where he oversaw outsourced business services and consulting for the Northeast. He also spent over a decade at Medical Management Sciences, Inc. (MMS), where he progressed through multiple roles and ultimately served as President and Chief Operating Officer for Eastern Operations.

Steve holds a B.A. in Business Administration from The College of William and Mary in Virginia.