About Us
This decision aid was created by a team from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer. Learn about the developers below.
Sponsor
This project was supported by AstraZeneca and the NIH/NCI under Award Numbers 1K07CA201013 (Meyer), and P30CA016672 (Pisters) and used the Decision Science Core.
Medical content Experts
Larissa A. Meyer, MD, MPH, FACOG, FACS
Associate Professor
Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, Division of Surgery
I am an Associate Professor of Gynecologic Oncology. I care for women with gynecologic malignancies in a compassionate and coordinated fashion by providing surgical care as well as chemotherapy. In addition to open surgery I perform specialized procedures in minimally invasive surgery, including robotic surgery and sentinel lymph node mapping, for appropriate patients with gynecologic cancers. I serve as the co-lead for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery within the department.
My research interests include health services research, patient reported outcomes, shared medical decision making, cancer prevention, and quality improvement. I have authored and co-authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. I’m a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists, the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, the International Society for Quality of Life Research, the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, and the International Gynecologic Cancer Society.
Charlotte C. Sun, Dr.P.H., M.P.H.
Associate Professor
Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, Division of Surgery
I joined the faculty of MD Anderson as a Research Instructor in 2001. My research interests include developing methods to improve and better understand the process of patient-physician decision making for women who have been diagnosed with or at risk for developing gynecologic malignancies, as well as evaluating prognostic factors for survival in women with borderline and low grade serous tumors of the ovary. My research efforts have included the assessment of treatment preferences and quality of life issues for women with ovarian and cervix cancer, as well as preferences for prophylactic surgery for women with inherited cancer syndromes.
I am a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, the Society of Medical Decision Making, and the American Public Health Association.
Content Advisors
ROBERT L. COLEMAN, M.D., FACOG, FACS
Professor, Deputy Chair and Vice Chair of Clinical Research
Ann Rife Cox Chair in Gynecology
Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
I received my doctor of medicine degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and completed my Obstetrics & Gynecology residency at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. I then completed my fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1993. Prior to joining the M.D. Anderson faculty, I served as Vice Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
My research interests include drug discovery and novel therapeutics for ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancer, clinical trial development and statistical design. I serve as the institution’s Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) principal investigator (PI), serve on the NRG’s (formerly the Gynecologic Oncology Group) Ovarian and Developmental Therapeutics Committees, and am PI or co-PI for several GOG prospective clinical trials. I am currently a co-project leader for the MDACC Ovarian SPORE, the MDACC Uterine SPORE, the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and the Marcus Foundation, each of which is sponsoring novel therapeutics trials in gynecologic cancers. I also serves as Physician Champion and PI for a new human therapeutic leveraging nanoparticle delivery of gene silencing non-coding RNA (siRNA). I have developed a mentoring program for junior investigator clinical trialists.
I have authored or coauthored over 400 scientific publications, including over 250 peer-reviewed articles, numerous book chapters, monographs, invited articles and textbooks including, The Handbook of Gynecologic Oncology, Clinical Lymphatic Mapping in Gynecologic Cancers, Prognostic and Predictive Factors in Gynecological Cancers, and Atlas of Gynecologic Oncology. In 2012, Iwas elected to the position of Secretary Treasurer for the International Gynecologic Cancer Society, and was Program Chair for their 2012 biannual meeting. In 2015, I was elected President for the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. I currently serve on the Gynecologic Oncology Group’s Board of Directors.
Shannon N. Westin, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.O.G.
Associate Professor, Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, Division of Surgery
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Department of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, Division of Surgery
I am a clinical investigator with a focus on developmental therapeutics and the use of biomarkers to predict response and recurrence in gynecologic malignancies. My background in public health, with a focus on clinical investigation and epidemiology, has provided me with a clear understanding of the study design and validation techniques which are essential to the study of these topics. I currently serve as the Director of Early Drug Development and Phase I trials in our Department and I am the principal investigator of multiple novel treatment trials for gynecologic cancers. In this position, I am the PI for a multi-arm Phase Ib trial combining PARP inhibition with agents that target the PI3K pathway in endometrial and ovarian cancer. This trial includes pre and post-treatment biopsies to identify markers of response and resistance. Further, I developed the first window of opportunity study of BMN-678, a PARP inhibitor, in untreated advanced ovarian cancer. In addition, I am a project co-PI for our SPORE in uterine cancer. As such, I served as the PI for a national GOG/CTEP trial (GOG229O) to determine the association of molecular aberrations in the PI3K/AKT and RAS/RAF/MEK pathways with clinical activity of targeted agents in the treatment of endometrial cancer.
My success as a clinical investigator has led to my being invited to lecture as an expert on targeted therapy in gynecologic malignancies and survivorship in local, national, and international venues. This includes speaking at an NRG Oncology Educational Symposium and serving as a poster discussant at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting on the topic of targeted therapy in endometrial and ovarian cancer. I have authored 8 textbook chapters on these topics as well. My national reputation as a clinical trialist has been recognized by my appointment to 2 NRG Oncology-GOG committees, Developmental Therapeutics and Phase I as well as to the Uterine Task Force of the NCI Gynecologic Cancer Steering Committee. I am a recent graduate of the ASCO Leadership Development Program and serve on two ASCO committees.
Decision Support Faculty
Robert J. Volk, PhD
Hubert L. and Olive Stringer Distinguished Professor in Cancer Research
Professor and Director, Decision Support Lab
Department of Health Services Research, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences
I am a decision scientist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where I also serve as the Deputy Chair in the Department of Health Services Research. My research focuses on shared decision making, a process wherein patients and their health care providers jointly make difficult clinical decisions when the optimal strategy is uncertain. I lead the Decision Support Lab in the Department of Health Services Research and the Decision Science Core for MD Anderson’s NCI-funded Cancer Center Support Grant. My lab produces, tests and disseminates decision support tools for decision making across the cancer care continuum, such as lung and colorectal cancer screening, treatment options for women with breast cancer, and exercise for cancer survivors.
Lisa M. Lowenstein, PhD, MPH, RD
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Services Research, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences
I am a health services researcher with a focus on implementation science. My work applies both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions into clinical practice, such as interventions to promote shared decision making. I have been involved in research focusing on different implementation strategies (designing-4-dissemination, provider communication, clinical workflow assessment, provider and patient education needs). My research focuses on improving cancer care delivery and shared decision making from cancer prevention to survivorship, including, but not limited to, lung cancer screening, prostate cancer treatment decision making, and implementing frailty assessments to prevent over and under treatment of older adults with cancer.
Decision Support Staff
Viola B. Leal, MPH
Program Director, Decision Support Lab
Department of Health Services Research, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences
I serve as the Program Director for the Decision Support Lab and oversee operations for the Decision Science Core at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. I graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston with a Master of Public Health degree in health promotion and health education and from Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. I have experience in development and evaluation of patient decision aids for colorectal cancer screening, prostate cancer screening, BRCA genetic testing, breast cancer chemoprevention, and clinical trials participation among other topics. My primary research interests are in cancer prevention, health literacy and numeracy, minority health and health disparities, and health promotion intervention development for Spanish-speaking populations.
Laura Covarrubias Crocker, MSPH
Program Manager, Decision Support Lab
Department of Health Services Research, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences
I serve as the Program Manager for Decision Support Lab at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. I have a Master of Science in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where I managed an international research study on the health of adolescents in vulnerable environments. Additionally, I have a Bachelor of Science in radio-television-film and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. I have managed multiple studies with the Decision Support Lab, including the development and/or evaluation of decision support tools for fertility preservation for women with cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy for older women with breast cancer, and chemoprevention for women at high risk of breast cancer.
Doug Alexander
Senior Web Developer, Decision Support Lab
Department of Health Services Research, Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences
I am the graphic designer and web developer for the Decision Support Lab, where I specialize in patient and clinician education products. I have worked for several years with the Decision Support Lab both in my own firm, PixelPrime Design, and during my 18+ years at Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies. I am a graduate of the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. I previously worked with two of Houston’s top design firms — Hill Branding and Savage Design Group — designing print and interactive products for such firms as Hines Interests, Exxon, Disney, Fujitsu Computer and other high-profile clients. I also taught at UH and spent several years working in adult education teaching desktop design technology.
