Community Oncology Alliance Elects Officers and New Board Members for 2020

Dedicated Advocates for Community Cancer Care from Across Country Serve on Volunteer Board Leading COA

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Dec 18, 2019, 06:47 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) is pleased to announce the election of new and re-appointed members to the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

COA is a non-profit controlled by independent, community oncologists and is singularly dedicated to advocating for community oncology practices and, most importantly, the patients they serve.

"This is a time of progress and change in community oncology. With such an impressive group of forward-thinking leaders with diverse backgrounds on the COA Board helps to position our continued success into the new decade," said COA President Michael Diaz, MD of Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute. "COA, our patients, and our practices are fortunate and privileged to have them aboard as we advocate for the future of community oncology."

The majority of Americans battling cancer receive treatment in the independent, community setting. Ensuring the vitality of the community cancer care system is critical to ensuring patients can continue to access affordable, accessible, and local cancer care, close to where they live and work. The officers, committees, and board members of COA further its mission to protect and foster the community oncology delivery system in the United States through public policy, advocacy, and education.

A list of COA Officers and Board members can be viewed online at http://www.communityoncology.org/home/about-us/officers-and-board/. The website will be updated with the new members in 2020.

COA Board of Directors Elections:
The following individuals were re-elected to serve another term on the COA Board of Directors:

Miriam Atkins, MD, FACP (GA)
Steven D'Amato R.Ph., BSPharm (ME)
Stuart Genschaw (MI)
Lucio Gordan, MD (FL)
Edward Licitra, MD, PhD (NJ)
Todd O'Connell, MS (NY)
Marissa Rivera, MBA (OR)

The following individuals were elected to serve a first-time term on the COA Board of Directors:

Richard Ingram, MD (VA)
Gary Kay, MD (IL)
James Perry, MD (PA)
Jennifer Pichoske, MS, AOCNP, FNP-BC (NY)
Alti Rahman, MHA, MBA, CSSBB (TX)
Ravi Rao, MD (CA)

Four current COA Board members will be leaving the at the end of 2019. COA would like to express its sincere thanks to Bruce Gould, MD, Robert Baird, RN, Marsha DeVita, RN, NP, and Edwin Graham, MHCDS, for their contributions and service to community oncology. In particular, COA would like to thank past president, longtime board member, and committed advocate Dr. Gould for his strong support over the years.

COA has an Executive Committee of Officers that reports to a Board of Directors. The Board and Committee are comprised of volunteer representatives from community oncology, who direct the management of COA by its Executive Director. The nominations were completed during a regularly scheduled board meeting on Monday, December 16, 2019. As per the COA bylaws, all Board of Director positions are 3-year terms. These new elections will be effective January 1, 2020 and terminate on December 31, 2022.

COA Executive Committee Officer Elections:
The following individuals were elected to serve as officers of COA and on the Executive Committee for 2020. The Executive Committee reports to the COA Board of Directors:

Michael Diaz, MD (President)
Kashyap Patel, MD (Vice President)
Miriam Atkins, MD, FACP (Secretary)
Jeff Vacirca, MD, FACP (Immediate Past President)
David Eagle, MD (Past President)
Debra Patt, MD, MPH, MBA (Officer-at-Large)
Jeffrey Patton, MD (Officer-at-Large)
Seaborn M. Wade, III, MD (Officer-at-Large)
Ted Okon, MBA (Executive Director; ex officio)
Ricky Newton, CPA (Treasurer; ex officio)

As per the COA bylaws, all COA officer positions are one-year terms beginning on January 1, 2020 and terminating on December 31, 2020. As full-time employees of COA, Messrs. Okon and Newton serve as ex officio, non-voting members on the Executive Committee.

About the Community Oncology Alliance:
The majority of Americans battling cancer receive treatment in the community oncology setting. Keeping patients close to their homes, families, and support networks lessens the impact of this devastating disease. Community oncology practices do this while delivering high-quality, cutting-edge cancer care at a fraction of the cost of the hospital setting.

The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) advocates for community oncology and smart public policy that ensures the community cancer care system remains healthy and able to provide all Americans with access to local, quality, affordable cancer care. Learn more at www.CommunityOncology.org.

Connect with COA on social media! On Twitter at www.twitter.com/oncologyCOA, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CommunityOncologyAlliance, and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/community-oncology-alliance-washington-dc.

SOURCE Community Oncology Alliance