November 2021 Eyes on a Cure Patient Symposium

Richard D. Carvajal, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center where he serves as both Director of Experimental Therapeutics and Director of the Melanoma Service within the Division of Hematology/Oncology. He serves as Co-Leader of the Precision Oncology and Systems Biology Program within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Carvajal’s research is focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with melanoma and other cancers, with the overall objective of controlling and curing these diseases. To achieve this goal, he has used our increasing knowledge of the underlying biology of cancer to rapidly integrate this knowledge, novel targeted and immunotherapeutic agents, and efficient trial design in order to improve the outcomes of cancer patients everywhere. Dr. Carvajal's melanoma research has included the study and treatment of uncommon clinical and molecular subsets of melanoma such as melanomas arising from the eye (uveal melanomas), from the mucosal surfaces of the body (mucosal melanomas), and from the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, or under the fingernails (acral melanomas). He has been the principal investigator or co-investigator of over 500 clinical trials, including several investigator-initiated, multi-center, Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) sponsored, and industry supported clinical trials. His research has been supported by the National Cancer Institute, the Food and Drug Administration, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, the Melanoma Research Alliance, the Melanoma Research Foundation, and the Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts, books, and book chapters. In addition to Dr. Carvajal's work at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, he serves as the co-chair of the International Rare Cancer Initiative Uveal Melanoma working group, a joint initiative between the National Cancer Institute, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, and the Cancer Research UK to enhance international collaboration in the conduct of clinical trials for uveal melanoma.

Dr. Marlana Orloff is an assistant professor of medicine and medical oncologist at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital – Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Her clinical and research focus is on primary and advanced melanomas. Her main interest is in rare melanomas including uveal , conjunctival, and mucosal melanoma. Her research is centered on investigating the epidemiology of uveal melanoma and discovery of novel therapies for primary and advanced uveal, conjunctival, mucosal and cutaneous melanoma. She works very closely with the team at Wills Eye Hospital to manage hundreds of patients with primary and metastatic ocular melanoma. She is a member of a multidisciplinary team of medical oncologists, interventional radiologists, radiation oncologist and numerous other essential personnel that treats patients with metastatic uveal melanoma from all over the country. She is principal and co-investigator on a number of clinical trials enrolling patients with primary and advanced melanomas of all types. Her current research is funded by Melanoma Research Alliance, industry support, and the generous philanthropic support of patients and their families.

Dr. Patel is an Associate Professor, Fellowship Program Director, and Director of the Uveal Melanoma Program in the Department of Melanoma Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center.  She is also Chair of the SWOG Melanoma Committee.

In these roles, she serves as lead physician for the uveal melanoma trials at MD Anderson including numerous investigator-initiated and sponsored clinical trials as well as Project 3 Co-Leader for the Melanoma SPORE.  She is also national Study Chair of SWOG S1801 and S1404 trials, the largest melanoma trials investigating neoadjuvant and adjuvant checkpoint blockade for cutaneous melanoma.

She has authored over 88 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters, more than 28 as first or senior author.  Her grant work focuses on translational research, for which she has received at least 8 independent intramural and extramural funding awards as PI from the NIH/NCI, DOD, Melanoma SPORE, and MD Anderson Institutional Research Grants and Multidisciplinary Research Program award.  The goals of Dr. Patel’s work are to translate the findings into effective monitoring and therapeutic strategies for patients with melanoma. 

Dr. Flaherty is Director of Clinical Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.  Dr. Flaherty and colleagues made several seminal observations that have defined the treatment of melanoma when they established the efficacy of BRAF, MEK and combined BRAF/MEK inhibition in patients with metastatic melanoma.  He serves ECOG as chair of the Developmental Therapeutics Committee and in 2013 was appointed as ECOG Deputy Chair for Biomarker Science. Dr. Flaherty joined the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors in 2018 and AACR Board of Directors in 2019.  He serves as editor-in-chief of Clinical Cancer Research. 

Nigel Deacon is the co-founder of Ocumel Canada, an initiative of Save Your Skin Foundation in Canada. He retired from a career in public education in 2012 when he was diagnosed with metastatic ocular melanoma. He now devotes his time to improving outcomes for Canadian OM patients. Ocumel Canada was founded in January 2019 and you can find out more at ocumelcanada.ca. Nigel also is a member of the CURE OM Steering Committee.

Anne Marie Montijo has 30 years of professional experience in the field of social work inclusive of both clinical and administrative positions.  Currently she is the Deputy Director of a mental health not- for-profit organization in New York. Anne Marie also sits on the Board of Directors of the Eye Cancer Foundation. A member of the CURE OM Steering Committee since its inception in 2011, Anne Marie has provided support to other patients as well as led support groups and conducted presentations at the Patient and Caregiver symposiums.  She is a 15 year survivor of ocular melanoma and has dedicated much of her spare time to raising funds for CURE OM.

Dr. Sara Selig is the Co-Founder and Director of the MRF’s CURE OM initiative. Sara initially became involved with the OM community when her husband, Gregg, was diagnosed with the disease in 2006, at the age of 34, when Sara was a fourth year medical student. At the time of Gregg’s diagnosis, Gregg and Sara became fierce advocates for Gregg’s care and the entire OM community as well. Sara continues to be a passionate advocate for the ocular melanoma field—working to accelerate research, promote collaboration, and support patients and caregivers through her leadership of the CURE OM initiative. She is currently Associate Physician in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.