To view an archived Ask The Expert Page click on the heading.

Complementary and Integrative Medicine

Meet Dr. Mitchell Gaynor

Mitchell Gaynor, M.D. is founder and president of Gaynor Integrative Oncology and Asst. Clinical Professor of Medicine at Weill College, affiliated with Cornell University and New York Hospital. He has served on the Executive Review Panel at the Department of Defense – Alternative Medicine for Breast Cancer Sector and the Smithsonian Institute's Symposium on New Frontier in Breast Cancer and the Environment. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer at hospitals, conferences, and universities throughout America and abroad.

Dr. Gaynor has been listed consecutively in The Best Doctors in New York since 1997 and serves on the Board of Advisors for The Sass Foundation for Medical Research, The Center for Environmental Oncology at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Healthy Living Magazine as well as the Editorial board at the Journal of Cancer Integrative Medicine. He is also the senior health advocate for the Carriage House Foundation. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas, he was a clinical fellow in hematology-oncology at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical of Oncology and the American College of Physicians.

Fertility Treatments

Kutluk Oktay, MD, FACOG, is Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Associate Attending Physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Presbyterian New York Hospital. Following his graduation from Hacettepe University School of Medicine in Istanbul, Turkey, Dr. Oktay completed his subspecialty training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and at the University of Leeds in England. He is a diplomate of the Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology with a subspecialization in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Dr. Oktay's main expertise is on fertility preservation. He is one of the pioneers in ovarian cryopreservation and transplantation research, and was the first to perform an ovarian transplant procedure. Dr. Oktay has also developed special ovarian stimulation protocols for breast cancer patients to preserve fertility as well as treating infertility following cancer treatments. In addition, he is known for his contributions to basic research on ovarian follicle development. Among his many achievements, Dr. Oktay has published over 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals and text books, continues to lecture regularly in many international meetings, and has received numerous grant support. He has received many awards, including being recognized among the best doctors in New York by New York Magazine, and by Castle and Connolly as one of the top doctors in America on numerous occasions. He is also the President of the Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and holds a National Institutes of Health research grant to study the impact of cancer treatments on fertility.

Breast Cancer Treatments and Fertility

Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, is a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School specializing in Breast Oncology. She received her M.D. from Cornell University Medical College and subsequently completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Partridge then went on to complete fellowships in Medical Oncology and Hematology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She also received a Masters in Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Partridge's research focuses on psychosocial, behavioral and communication issues in breast cancer care and treatment. She has several ongoing projects including evaluating adherence with hormonal therapies in women with early stage breast cancer, fertility issues in very young women undergoing breast cancer treatment, and communication with patients following participation in a clinical trial. In 2003, Dr. Partridge received an American Society of Clinical Oncology Career Development Award for her work on cancer communication issues. Also in 2003, she was the primary investigator on a web-based survey of fertility issues in young women with breast cancer in collaboration with the Young Survival Coalition. Dr. Partridge is currently running a large cohort study of young women with breast cancer to evaluate short and long-term medical and psychosocial outcomes, as well as to more fully understand the biology of breast cancer in young women.

Sexuality and Intimacy - Your Questions Answered

Mindy R. Schiffman, PhD, is a senior staff psychologist at the NYU Fertility Center, a clinical instructor in NYU's obstetrics and gynecology department, and has a private practice in individual, couple and group counseling. Her specialty is helping people cope with the emotional stress of medical illness, including infertility, sexual dysfunction, and grief and bereavement issues. After being awarded her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University's Teachers College, she completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Psycho-oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Concurrently, Dr. Schiffman held a joint appointment in the Human Sexuality Program at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, where she studied under Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan, with the expressed purpose of helping cancer patients resolve sexual problems secondary to their cancer. Dr. Schiffman is certified in sex therapy by the American Board of Sexology. She has been a guest speaker at Gilda's Club, the Young Survival Coalition sponsored by SHARE, and at the LGBT Center's Lesbian Cancer Initiative. She was the editor of a special issue of the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy on Cancer and Sexuality.

Clinical Trials - Your Questions Answered

George W. Sledge, Jr., MD, is Professor, Departments of Medicine and Pathology, the Ballve-Lantero Professor of Oncology at Indiana University School of Medicine, and the Co-Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Indiana University Hospital. He received his medical degree from Tulane University and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at St. Louis University. Dr. Sledge then completed a fellowship in Medical Oncology at the University of Texas in San Antonio. He is currently the Chair of the ECOG Breast Cancer Committee and the ECOG Study Chair for several major studies. Dr. Sledge is also Editor-in-Chief of "Clinical Breast Cancer" and sits on the editorial boards of "The Breast Journal" and "Clinical Cancer Research". He is the author of more than 125 peer-reviewed articles and has been the recipient of many grants, fellowships and awards. He is also on the Young Survival Coalition Medical Advisory Board.

Dr. Helen Coons is the President and Clinical Director of Women's Mental Health Associates, Philadelphia. She is a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in women's health and mental health. Dr. Coons is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, and is Adjunct Faculty, Department of Psychiatry, Pennsylvania Hospital, University of Pennsylvania Health System. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Temple University after interning in Medical Psychology at the Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Coons' private practice specializes in improving the well-being of women facing the diagnosis and treatment of breast, gynecological, colon and other cancer diagnoses. She works with women and couples of all ages before, during and after cancer treatment(s); women with early and advanced cancer; women who are at "high risk" for cancer as well as individuals who are caring for ill family members with cancer. Dr. Coons presented at the 2002 Institute of Medicine meeting on Psychosocial Service Needs Among Women with Breast Cancer, and was the keynote speaker for the 2006 Living Beyond Breast Cancer Annual Conference for Young Women with Breast Cancer. She received the 2001 American Psychological Association Committee on Women in Psychology Emerging Leader Award, and the 2005 American Psychological Foundation Timothy B. Jeffrey Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Clinical Health Psychology.

Treatment for Early Stage Breast Cancer

Minetta C. Liu, MD, received her B.A. in molecular biology from Princeton University and her M.D. from Jefferson Medical College before completing her training in Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at Georgetown University Hospital. She joined the faculty of the Breast Cancer Program at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in July 2001. An Assistant Professor of Medicine and Oncology and the Biomarker Section Chief for the Clinical Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, she serves as the principal investigator for several institutional, industry-sponsored, and cooperative group clinical trials in breast cancer. She is also involved in translational research with a particular focus on the development of new methods by which to increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying drug responsiveness. This research is currently supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and industry sponsors. In recognition of her work, Dr. Liu has been appointed Chair of the MedStar Health Network's Breast Cancer Clinical Research Group, a Cadre Member of the CALGB's Breast Committee and Audit Committee, and a Member of the Medical Advisory Board for the Young Survival Coalition.

Treatment for Metastatic (Advanced) Breast Cancer

Eric Winer, MD, received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University. He trained in internal medicine and served as chief resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Dr. Winer was a hematology-oncology fellow at Duke University Medical Center from 1987-89 and then remained on the faculty at Duke until 1997.

In 1997, he moved to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Currently, Dr. Winer is Director of the Breast Oncology Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Winer is also the co-chair of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B Breast Committee. Dr. Winer has participated in numerous practice guidelines panels and is the chair of the ASCO Technology Assessment Panel on the use of aromatase inhibitors in the adjuvant setting.

Dr. Winer serves as an editorial board member of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Breast Cancer Research, Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, and Clinical Breast Cancer. He is a prolific contributor to the oncology scientific and clinical literature, contributing original research articles, editorials and textbook chapters.

____________________________________________________________________________

How to Help Your Children Through Breast Cancer (September 2006)

Cynthia Moore, PhD, is a child psychologist in the department of child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, and clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Her clinical work focuses on providing parent guidance to adults treated in the MGH Cancer, through the Parenting at a Challenging Time (PACT) program. This program provides consultation to parents with questions about how best to support children dealing with parental cancer. Her research interests include investigating how having parenting responsibilities changes the experience of facing cancer, and documenting the particular concerns about children's reactions to parental cancer that cause parents distress. She is a member of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society and the American Psychological Association.

____________________________________________________________________________

Detection and Diagnosis (August 2006)

Lillie Shockney, RN., BS., MAS is the Administrative Director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center in Baltimore, MD. Her career has been focused on clinical nursing care with a special focus on cancer patients. Mrs. Shockney was the Director of Performance Improvement and Utilization Management from 1987-1997. After being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38 in 1992, she began to contribute additional time to the Johns Hopkins Hospital as a volunteer for the Breast Center. In this role, Mrs. Shockney conducted patient satisfaction surveys, developed quality of care measurement methods, and worked with the clinical team to develop ways to improve patient care and services for women diagnosed with breast cancer. In 1997, she formally joined the Breast Center staff as the Education and Outreach Director, responsible for the quality of care programs, patient education programs, survivor volunteer team, community outreach at a local, regional and national level, webmaster, and patient advocacy. Mrs. Shockney is a registered nurse with a BS degree in Health Care Administration from Saint Joseph's College and a Masters in Administrative Science from the Johns Hopkins University. She is an Advisory Board and Board of Trustee member of the National Consortium of Breast Centers, a member of the National Consumer Advisory Council and was appointed to the Board of the National Women's Health Research Center. Mrs. Shockney is also on the Medical Advisory Boards of several breast cancer organizations, including the YSC Medical Advisory Board, and a recipient of numerous community service awards. She is a published author on the subject of breast cancer with two books and many articles to her name. Mrs. Shockney is also the co-founder and vice-president of the national nonprofit organization "Mothers Supporting Daughters with Breast Cancer."

__________________________________________________________________________

Fitness and Excercise (July 2006)

Sami Papacek is a personal trainer, cancer exercise specialist and fitness educator. She has been in the fitness industry for almost 10 years. Sami works with all types of clients, but specializes in women with breast cancer. Using her experience with weight loss programs, Pilates, core conditioning, as well as general strength training, she incorporates all types of exercise in her exercise design. Sami created the Pink T's Exercise Program, a free class for breast cancer survivors in the Kansas City area. She works with women of all levels of treatment and recovery to incorporate exercise back into their life. Her certifications include: Certified Personal Trainer, American Council on Exercise and National Strength and Conditioning Association, BOSU Master Trainer, Cancer Exercise Specialist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute and Leading Edge Fitness, Pilates Instructor, Fitour, and CPR, First Aid and AED.

_________________________________________________________________