Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Coffman is a physician scientist actively conducting laboratory based and translational research and maintaining a specialized clinical practice focused on the medical treatment of ovarian cancer. Dr. Coffman's research focuses on understanding and targeting the cancer supporting stromal tissues which are critical to the survival, growth and spread of ovarian cancer. Specifically, Dr, Coffman's lab studies a critical non-malignant component of the ovarian cancer microenvironment, the carcinoma-associated mesenchymal stem cell (CA-MSC). CA-MSCs are stromal progenitor cells which significantly increase cancer growth, enrich the cancer stem cell pool and increase chemotherapy resistance.

Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD, is the Director of the Ovarian Cancer Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania where he also serves as the Director of Gynecologic Cancer Research at The Basser Center for BRCA and the Director of the Translational Center of Excellence for Ovarian Cancer at the PennMedicine Abramson Cancer Center.

Dr. Drapkin received his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University, his PhD from the Rutgers University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and his MD from the Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He completed his residency in Anatomic Pathology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and his postdoctoral fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The Drapkin laboratory focuses on understanding the genetic, molecular, and physiological factors that drive the development of ovarian cancer. Dr. Drapkin’s work led to the appreciation that the fallopian tube is likely the site of origin for a majority of high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas. This finding was a paradigm shift in the field and motivated his lab to develop novel experimental model systems to study the fallopian tube and determine what makes it susceptible to becoming a cancer.

Dr. Drapkin is currently a Tina’s Wish Individual Investigator and Consortium Grant Recipient for 2019-2021. Read more about his work to discover genetic and protein biomarkers indicative of ovarian cancer here, and his work to develop early-detection methods here.

Analisa DiFeo, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Michigan Medical School. She is also the Director of the Cancer Biology Graduate Program at the Medical School. Dr. DiFeo graduated with a Bachelor of Science from SUNY Binghamton and a PhD from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Her research career started with her work at Case Western Reserve University that focused on identifying novel biomarkers and targets for ovarian cancer treatment and therapy response. While at Case Western she formed a Gynecologic Oncology Translational Research Working Group that generated a gynecologic tumor biobank. Dr. DiFeo currently serves as Director of the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Science and Innovation Consortium (MOSAIC), which brings together physicians, scientists, and patient advocates from leading Michigan institutions to advance research in developing novel diagnostic tools for ovarian and advanced-stage uterine cancers. With over 17 years of experience and passion for translational oncology, she has led ovarian cancer focused translational research programs and is an expert on the role of microRNAs as markers for pathogenesis, progression, and therapy of ovarian cancer.

With over 80 peer-reviewed publications and leading foundation- and federally- funded research programs, she brings her scientific expertise from her work on unraveling genetic drivers for early detection to Tina’s Wish SAB. Her experience and commitment to connecting students with biomedical scientists to inspire future careers in science, emphasizes her motto, “Pass your Passion” and she co-founded The Young Scientist Foundation, to further the cause.

Charles Drescher, M.D., Director of Gynecologic Cancer Research at the Swedish Cancer Institute is a nationally recognized gynecologic oncologist and clinician-scientist who has dedicated his career to the prevention and early detection of cancers of the female reproductive system, particularly ovarian cancer. He leads the Initiative for Cancer Prevention and Early Detection at the Paul G. Allen Research Center, with the goal of developing early detection strategies for cancers that have none, with a focus on ovarian cancer.  He also serves as an affiliate professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and a clinical professor at the University of Washington and is a principal investigator of the Pacific Cancer Research Consortium, a National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) site.

Dr. Drescher received his M.D. from the University of Michigan and has spent over 40 years advancing research and patient care aimed at improving outcomes for women facing gynecologic cancers. Dr. Drescher has over one hundred peer-reviewed publications and has been a part of numerous clinical trials. His current research focuses on responses of immune system to cancers with the hope of finding early detection targets. Dr. Drescher is also part of the Vanguard Study that is working towards validating a Multi-Cancer Detection (MCD) test, which could help find cancer early, before symptoms appear. The results from this study will inform a larger national trial for early detection of cancers.

He brings translational expertise to our Scientific Advisory Board as a researcher who combines the traditional serological biomarker perspective with next-generation precision diagnostics. As a physician-scientist who understands the challenges and importance of early detection of cancers, he is committed to advancing innovative research and accelerating progress towards earlier detection and better outcomes for women.

Charles "Chip" Landen, MD is a gynecologic oncologist and an Associate Professor in the Gynecologic Oncology Division at the University of Virginia and the Associate Leader of the Women's Oncology Program at the UVA Cancer Center.

Dr. Landen received his MD from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. He completed his residency at the Medical University of South Carolina and his fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

As a Tina’s Wish 2017/18 funded researcher, Dr. Landen has shown that DNA from ovarian cancer cells within the peritoneal cavity (the area that contains the abdominal organs) can be detected in the discharge collected on a tampon specimen after being placed overnight in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Dr. Landen’s lab is performing experiments to see if this noninvasive method can be used for detection of early-stage, or even premalignant, ovarian cancer.

Usha Menon, MD, is Professor of Gynecological Oncology and Lead, Training and Capacity Strengthening at the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at UCL (University College London) and honorary Consultant Gynecologist at UCLH NHS Foundation Trust in London. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UK.

Dr. Menon’s research focuses on the early detection and prevention of gynecologic malignancies, in particular ovarian cancer.

She was one of the principal investigators on the UK ovarian cancer screening trials and studies exploring symptoms of ovarian cancer. The latter includes the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening - a randomized control trial of over 202,000 women.

Additional research interests include genetic and environmental risk factors and novel biomarkers for ovarian cancers and early detection of other cancers.

Dr. Menon began her training at Christian Medical College, Vellore, India and received her MBBS and MD in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the University of Madras, India. She continued her specialist training in UK and received her Certificate for Completion of Training (CCT) in Obstetrics and Gynecology from the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UK and her research degree - MD(Res) – from UCL.

Sandra Orsulic, PhD, is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA, with a secondary appointment in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her postdoctoral training was conducted under the mentorship of Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Harold Varmus. Prior to joining UCLA, Dr. Orsulic served as an Assistant Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Orsulic’s research focuses on elucidating how the microenvironment contributes to cancer initiation and metastatic progression, identifying molecular markers for early cancer detection, and developing effective pre-clinical models to test targeted therapies. Her pioneering work has significantly advanced our understanding of ovarian cancer biology. Notable achievements include developing the first genetically defined mouse model of ovarian cancer and establishing syngeneic BRCA1-deficient and proficient ovarian cancer cell lines. These models have been instrumental in the pharmaceutical testing of PARP inhibitors for ovarian cancer treatment.

Dr. Oza has been PI and co-investigator in >150 phase I, II and III trials for gynecological cancer and advanced colorectal malignancies. Dr. Oza is Head of the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Co-chair of the UHN Clinical Research Collaborative Center, Past-Chair of the International Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG), Chair of the GCIG Scientific Committee, Co-Chair of the Clinical Research Executive at UHN, and past co-chair of the National Cancer Institute Gynecologic Caner Steering Committee. Under his direction, the gynecology group is one of the largest ovarian cancer (OC) clinical trials groups consistently accruing >30% of all patients seen onto clinical trials (>200/yr) at PM. The group has participated or led seminal studies in gynecologic cancers that have led to the approval or use of targeted agents such as PARP inhibitors (olaparib, niraparib) and anti-angiogenic agents (bevacizumab) internationally.

Over the last decade, he has been PI/co-PI of 19 grants from agencies such as the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, Canadian Institutes for Health Research, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and the US Department of Defense. Over his career he has published >315 articles (all types) including Clinical Cancer Research (IF=10), JAMA Oncology (IF=20), New England Journal of Medicine (IF=79), Lancet Oncology (IF=36) and an invited seminar to CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians (IF=24).

Dr. Kathryn Lynne Terry brings her expertise as a renowned reproductive epidemiologist with over 20 years of experience in studying etiology, early detection, and prevention of gynecological cancers. Kathryn Lynne Terry, ScD, is an Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She also serves as Associate Scientific Director of the Boston Center for Endometriosis exploring the proteomic and metabolic signatures of pelvic pain to improve diagnostic timelines and treatment strategies. During her doctoral training in cancer epidemiology. at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, she focused on the correlation of genetic variation of hormonal receptors to ovarian cancer risk Dr. Terry brings more than two decades of research experience in cancer and gynecologic diseases, with a particular focus on the role of genetic and environmental variations in risk for ovarian cancer .

Dr. Terry's research leverages large population-based studies and international consortia to identify modifiable risk factors, uncover disease etiology, and advance early detection strategies. Her most recent work as part of the Prospective Early Detection Consortium for Ovarian Cancer" ("PREDICT") is exploring the early detection potential of tumor-associated autoantibodies and miRNAs to complement CA 125 and imaging screening. Her work has also provided key insights into topics such as role of breastfeeding on a potentially favorable tumor-immune environment in ovarian cancer, proteomic analysis to identify the role of immune dysregulation in endometriosis to name a few. Her current NIH funded research grants examine changing contraception patterns and choices on ovarian risk and biomarker identification to advance the understanding of the underlying mechanisms that contribute to endometriosis-associated pelvic pain.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Terry has taught for over a decade, co-authored over two hundred peer-reviewed publications, and maintains a longstanding record of continuous federal and foundation funding to evaluate risk factors, genetic variants, and tissue markers in relation to ovarian cancer risk and prognosis. Through her collaborative and translational approach, she aims to bridge epidemiologic discovery with clinical application to improve outcomes for women impacted by gynecologic disease.