Medical Advisory Board
Marc Lippman, MD, Scientific Advisor
Marc Lippman, MD, has attended every Expedition Inspiration Symposium and he has been the scientific advisor since 2000.
Lippman is currently Kathleen & Stanley Glaser Professor, Chairman, Department of Medicine, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. He is also Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, MI.
Dr. Lippman was previously the John G. Searle Professor and Chair, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System. He was also the Director of the Lombardi Cancer Research Center, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oncology, and Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical School. In addition, he was Chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology. Prior to his appointment at Georgetown, he was Head of the Medical Breast Cancer Section of the Medicine Branch of the National Cancer Institute.
Marc Lippman, MD, has attended every Expedition Inspiration Symposium and he has been the scientific advisor since 2000.
Lippman is currently Kathleen & Stanley Glaser Professor, Chairman, Department of Medicine, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. He is also Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, MI.
Dr. Lippman was previously the John G. Searle Professor and Chair, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System. He was also the Director of the Lombardi Cancer Research Center, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Oncology, and Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University Medical School. In addition, he was Chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology. Prior to his appointment at Georgetown, he was Head of the Medical Breast Cancer Section of the Medicine Branch of the National Cancer Institute.
Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE
Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE, has been our Expedition Inspiration Medical Advisory Committee chair since 2009 and became involved with Expedition Inspiration in 2003.
Dr. DeMichele is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and Senior Scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She co-leads the Breast Cancer Research Program of the Abramson Cancer Center and directs the Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. DeMichele earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from Brown University, an M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine (as a Four Schools Physician/Scientist Scholar) and a Masters Degree in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania.
She received her clinical training in Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, and joined the faculty in 2000 as a breast cancer oncologist and molecular epidemiologist whose research focuses on identifying markers of outcome, response to therapy and development of targeted therapeutics.
She is currently the PI of numerous clinical trials and epidemiologic studies, including Chair of Trial Operations for the I-SPY2 Trial, a multicenter clinical trial in which targeted therapeutics are tested in the context of molecular and MRI imaging response profiles in patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy for locally-advanced breast cancer, and her work has been funded through the NCI and other charitable foundations.
In addition, she directs Penn’s Breast Cancer Survivorship Program, a multidisciplinary clinical research program at the Abramson Cancer Center, where she and her colleagues are performing studies of bone loss, ovarian dysfunction, hot flashes, lymphedema, depression/distress and physical activity in breast cancer survivors.
She is a past recipient of a Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a Clinical Research Training Grant from the American Cancer Society and a Patient-Oriented Career Development Award from the NIH. Dr. DeMichele has served on the American Board of Internal Medicine Oncology Subspecialty Board, the Editorial Board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and is currently Chair of the Medical Advisory Board of the Expedition Inspiration Fund for Breast Cancer Research.
Ronald V. Dorn III, MD
Ronald Dorn, MD, FASTRO, FACR, has been involved with Expedition Inspiration since the original Aconcagua summit in 1995 and has served as a member of the Medical Advisory Committee since 1996 years.
Dr. Dorn was a founding member and served on the board of directors for 10 years as well as a founding chairman of the medical advisory committee. He was chair of the medical advisory board until 2004.
Dr. Dorn attended University of New Mexico in Albuquerque for undergraduate, medical school and residency. He studied astrophysics and mathematics, medicine and radiation oncology, respectively. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1971 and his medical degree in 1974.
Dr. Dorn has served 30 years as a radiation oncologist within the radiation oncology department at Mountain State Tumor Institute in Boise, Idaho.
Dr. Dorn had a close relationship with founder Laura Evans and believes in Expedition Inspiration’s mission to carry on our original goals of active lifestyle and the empowerment of women in the battle against breast cancer. He also feels that Expedition Inspiration has provided a fertile environment for the advancement of breast cancer research.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dr. Dorn has lives in Boise, Idaho for 30 years with his spouse Terry. He has two grown children, Evan and Jessy. He loves Boise for the same reasons he thinks make Expedition Inspiration unique: Boise is friendly, supportive, and provides a perfect opportunity for a healthy, outdoor lifestyle.
Beyond his passion for the fight against breast cancer, Dr. Dorn has been a triathlon athlete for 35 years, considers himself an audiophile, and enjoys skiing, snowshoeing, scuba diving and traveling.
Julie R. Gralow, MD
Julie Gralow, MD, has been involved with Expedition Inspiration since its inception. She served as chair of the medical advisory committee from 2004 to 2009.
Dr. Gralow is Professor of Medical Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine, and Member, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She is Director of Breast Medical Oncology at UWSOM and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, serves as Associate Program Head for the UW/FHCRC Consortium Womens' Cancer Program, and is a member of the FHCRC Scientific Steering Committee.
She is actively involved in clinical care, education, and research, and is the Principle Investigator on numerous local and national clinical trials related to breast cancer treatment, prevention, and survivorship. Her area of research specialization is the relationship between breast cancer and the bone, and she is currently leading a 6,000 patient Phase III North American Breast Intergroup group trial investigating the role of bisphosphonates in preventing bone metastases.
Dr. Gralow is Vice-Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group’s (SWOG) Breast Cancer Committee and is Co-Chair of the Breast Scientific Leadership Council of the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups. She is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Nominating Committee, was Chair for ASCO’s Cancer Communications Committee in 2008-09, and received an ASCO Statesman Award in 2008. Additionally, she served as Co-Chair of an NCI State of the Science Conference on Preoperative Therapy in Breast Cancer in 2007. She has served as a Board Member of the American Society of Breast Disease, and directs the American Cancer Society/UW Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship Program. She is currently a member of the Komen Scientific Advisory Council.
A prolific author, Dr. Gralow has had more than 160 abstracts and articles published in such journals as Cancer, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of the American Medical Association, Clinical Breast Cancer, and British Medical Journal, and is a member of the editorial boards of several national publications.
She is committed to improving the quality of life for breast cancer patients through education, exercise and diet, and to promoting breast cancer awareness in the community. She is co-author of the book Breast Fitness: An Optimal Exercise and Health Plan for Reducing Your Risk of Breast Cancer and is Medical Director, Team Physician, and co-founder of Team Survivor Northwest, an exercise and fitness program for women cancer survivors. Additionally, she is increasingly active internationally in Breast Cancer Advocacy, presenting bi-annual programs in Eastern Europe and Asia since 2005, most recently in Lithuania (Aug. 2011), and through her work with the Harvard Global Equity Initiative, among other activities.
Dr. Gralow has been honored many times for service to her community and her dedication to helping patients overcome breast cancer. In 2005, she was named the C.J. Taylor Outstanding Community Volunteer by the Puget Sound affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. In the same year, the Breast Care Site recognized her efforts in fighting breast cancer with its "Above and Beyond” award, and in 2006, she received the Helen H. Jackson "Women of Valor” award for her activism in medicine and health care in Washington State.
Kathleen Grant, MD
Kathleen Grant, M.D. is a Medical Oncologist-Hematologist Chief, Division of Medical Oncology-Hematology Private Practice of Medical Oncology-Hematology at the California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California. Dr. Grant was also the primary physician for our founder, Laura Evans during her battle with breast cancer.
Her quote says it all with respect to Expedition Inspiration:
"Excellent science and humanism are the core of oncology care. I believe care can be taken to a greater level by identifying that individual spark, with open dialogue and use of research protocols that can offer hopeful alternatives. We climb mountains by going for the summit, one step at a time"
Peter Kaufman, MD
Dr. Peter A. Kaufman obtained his MD degree from the New York University School of Medicine. He then completed an internship, residency, and a hematology/oncology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center, and after this joined the faculty in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Duke. In 1992 Dr. Kaufman joined the Section of Hematology/Oncology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center as the director of the Comprehensive Breast Care Program, and he served as the director of the breast cancer program there until 1996.
He specializes in the care and treatment of patients with breast cancer, and is one of the oncologists specializing in breast cancer in the Section of Hematology/Oncology at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at DHMC. He is currently an active clinician, and active in both clinical and translational research. He is a member of the Molecular Therapeutics Program of NCCC, and involved in or overseeing a number of research activities and projects in breast cancer. He has several primary area’s of research interest, including HER-2 (+) breast cancer, particularly testing for and targeting HER-2/neu therapeutically. His interests also include the development of new chemotherapeutic agents and approaches for patients with breast cancer, and the development of novel targeted agents for breast cancer. His interests include HER-2/neu targeted therapies for patients with both advanced and early stage breast cancer, and the biologic and molecular basis of therapies for breast cancer. He has authored and co-authored numerous peer reviewed publications, and is currently the study chair of a number of both national and regional clinical trials in breast cancer. He additionally currently serves on the CALGB Breast Cor Committee.
Paul Montgomery, MD
Paul Montgomery, MD, has been a valuable member of the Expedition Inspiration Medical Advisory Committee since 2009.
Dr. Paul Montgomery has been a Medical Oncologist/Hematologist at Mountain States Tumor Institute since 1991. He graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed his residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, and Hematology.
Montgomery is a fellow in the American College of Physicians within the American Society of Internal Medicine, and a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Idaho Medical Association and the Ada County Medical Association.
He currently serves on the NCCCP Disparities Physician Lead and is an active affiliate of the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, and the St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise/Meridian, Idaho.
Montgomery’s most recent publication was "Premedication to reduce discomfort during screening mammography” with CK Lambertz, CJ Johnson and JR Maxwell in PubMed in 2008. He has co-authored 15 other published articles and given lectures at more than 30 conferences and events.
Michael Press, MD, PhD
Michael F. Press, MD, PhD, joined Expedition Inspiration’s Medical Advisory Committee in 2009 after receiving grant funds for 10 years from Expedition Inspiration. Dr. Press has been a professor in the Department of Pathology at University of Southern California since 1994 and a Harold E. Lee professor of cancer research at University of Southern California since 1998.
After receiving his B.A. in Biology from Washington University in St, Louis, Missouri, in 1970, Dr. Press continued to University of Chicago to earn his Ph.D in cell biology in 1975 and his M.D. in 1977. From 1977-1981, Dr. Press was a resident in pathology at University of Chicago and chief resident from 1979-1981.
In the 80s, Dr. Press was an instructor and assistant professor in the Department of Pathology, an assistant professor in the department of OB-GYN, and an associate professor in the department of pathology and OB-GYN, all at University of Chicago. In 1988, Dr. Press moved to Los Angeles and started as the associate professor in the department of pathology at the University of Southern California.
Dr. Press thinks that Expedition Inspiration’s Symposium is "scientifically outstanding” and boasts a "perfect format.”
Dr. Press lives in LA with his wife Ivonne and their young daughter Michaela and also spends time with his children Oliver, Lara, Eric and David. He loves LA for the excellent professional opportunities and proximity to family and friends. His hobbies include swimming and fishing.
