Gena Cook
The NCCN Foundation® has named Gena Cook, Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of Navigating Cancer, as Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Foundation Board of Directors. Ms. Cook, who was elected to the Board in 2010, succeeds
Ellen O. Tauscher, former U.S. Representative for California’s 10th congressional district and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, who served as Chair of the NCCN Foundation Board of Directors since 2013. The NCCN Foundation also named Heather Kopecky, PhD, MBA, as Vice-Chair of the NCCN Foundation Board of Directors, succeeding Michael Parisi, MBA, MA, who served in the position since the NCCN Foundation’s inception in 2010. Ms. Tauscher and Mr. Parisi will remain members of the NCCN Foundation Board of Directors.
Chair: Ms. Cook
“Since its inception, the NCCN Foundation has been providing one-of-a-kind guidelines to patients and their loved ones to partner in their care, as well as supporting young investors in research to improve patient care,” stated Ms. Cook. “I’ve been proud to serve in supporting [the Foundation’s] efforts and am honored to take on additional responsibility to advance the Foundation’s mission.”
Ms. Cook has more than 19 years of experience in health care, with 17 years in oncology. Through a variety of innovative and patient-centered endeavors, including the creation of the first patient-centered platform for oncology, Ms. Cook and her team at Navigating Cancer support more than 1 million patients and thousands of cancer care providers nationwide. Prior to her time at Navigating Cancer, Ms. Cook held various leadership positions with McKesson Specialty Health and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Heather Kopecky, PhD, MBA
Vice-Chair: Dr. Kopecky
“The NCCN and the NCCN Foundation are ground-breaking organizations. The hours spent by our Member Institutions to set standards for cancer care are given selflessly and by the best minds in oncology,” declared Dr. Kopecky. “It is our hope that patients and families, served by providers within medical centers around the world, recognize the NCCN Guidelines as the primary source for their care. Moreover, we hope that the patient resources provided by the NCCN Foundation will empower patients throughout the world.”
Dr. Kopecky is Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry International, where she serves as an industry expert in executive search and coaching as well as a consultant for prominent academic medical centers, multihospital nonprofit health systems, higher education, and professional health-care associations. Previously, Dr. Kopecky enjoyed a 20-year career in the Texas Medical Center, with appointments at Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas, and Texas Women’s University.
About the NCCN Foundation
The NCCN Foundation was founded by the NCCN to empower people with cancer and advance oncology innovation. The NCCN Foundation supports people with cancer and their caregivers at every step of their treatment journey by delivering unbiased expert guidance from leading cancer experts through the library of NCCN Guidelines for Patients® and other patient education resources.
The NCCN Foundation is also committed to advancing cancer treatment by funding young investigators at the forefront of cancer research, initiating momentum in their careers, and furthering the betterment of patients through their groundbreaking innovations. ■
