Council Bios

Roxanna Bautista, MPH, CHES is the Chronic Diseases Program Director at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), a national advocacy organization promoting policy, program, and research efforts to improve the health and well being of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Ms. Bautista manages APIAHF’s tobacco prevention and cancer survivorship programs within the Chronic Diseases Program. She has experience in cultural competency trainings, technical assistance and training activities, working with both mainstream and AAPI organizations, proposal writing, policy advocacy trainings, and reviewing grants for local, state, and national funding groups to ensure inclusion of AAPI groups and projects. She has seven years experience working with AAPI community based organizations in building their organizational capacity to address cancer survivorship and tobacco control in their specific communities. She has worked with multicultural and priority population partners in the fields of tobacco control and cancer. She holds advisory, steering, and board roles on the California Tobacco Control Alliance, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Asian American and Pacific Islander National Advisory Council, California Department of Health Services Council on Multicultural Health, and the California Dialogue on Cancer (CDOC) Quality of Life Team. Ms. Bautista obtained her Bachelor of Science from University of California, Davis and her Masters in Public Health at Loma Linda University. (9/1/07 - 7/1/10)

Chris Bowden has been working in the pharmaceutical and biotech arena since 1997, predominantly in oncology drug development. He has global devevlopment experience from pre-IND through Phase IV including small molecule kinase inhibitors, cytotoxic agents, antithrombotics and peptides. Dr. Bowden graduated from the Hahnemann University School of Medicine in 1988. He conducted his internal medicine training in the Brown University Hospitals at Roger Williams Medical Center and the Providence, Rhode Island VA hospital from 1988-1991 followed by a fellowship in the Medicine Branch of the National Cancer Institute from 1991-1994. (9/1/07 - 7/1/10)

Ms. Brenner was 41 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She quickly learned how little was known about breast cancer, and how much misinformation was being given to the public about the disease. She joined the board of Breast Cancer Action in September 1994 and became the organization's Executive Director a year later. Breast Cancer Action is a San Francisco-based national grassroots organization that carries the voices of people affected by breast cancer to compel and inspire the changes necessary to end the breast cancer epidemic. As Executive Director, Ms. Brenner is responsible for implementation of the organization's programs designed to dispel the myths about breast cancer, to inform the public about the realities of the disease, and to encourage more people to do something—besides worry—about the breast cancer epidemic. She represents Breast Cancer Action on committees addressing a wide-range of breast cancer issues, writes for Breast Cancer Action's widely-acclaimed bi-monthly newsletter, and is a frequent public spokesperson on issues ranging from detection to treatment to prevention.

Teresa L. Burgess, Ph.D. earned her BA in Biochemistry with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley after receiving a solid educational foundation from CA public schools, including Diablo Valley Community College. Following a move across the SF bay, she received her Ph.D. for original research on peptide hormone secretion from U.C. San Francisco. As a Helen Hay Whitney Fellow, Dr. Burgess continued to investigate the basic cellular mechanisms of membrane trafficking at U.C. Santa Barbara. In 1992 she accepted a position as Research Scientist at Amgen Inc., where she has continued both basic and applied cell biological research. Her investigations have led to numerous peer reviewed research publications relevant to diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease.  In 2001, Dr. Burgess joined Oncology Research at Amgen where she is currently a Director leading and guiding numerous research programs spanning from basic discovery to Phase 2 clinical development. Dr. Burgess brings to the Council not only her scientific expertise, but also the experience of a prior term on the CBCRP Council (1999-2002).

Moon S. Chen, Jr., Ph.D., M.P.H., is professor and Associate Director for Cancer Prevention and Control (Population Sciences) at University of California Davis Cancer Center in Sacramento, which is the scientific headquarters for the NCI-funded Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training (AANCART). AANCART links eight universities and NCI-designated cancer centers from the East Coast (Harvard, Columbia) with those of the South (University of Texas MD Anderson) and the West (University of Washington; University of California, San Francisco; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Hawaii) to reach approximately 50% of Asian Americans residing in the US. He previously served as Chair, Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion, School of Public Health at The Ohio State University’s College of Medicine and Public Health. He is known as a pre-eminent scholar/researcher in public health issues affecting Asian Americans. He has authored or co-authored over 90 refereed articles or abstracts that have appeared in top journals such as the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, Cancer, Ethnicity & Health, Health Education Quarterly, and Preventive Medicine. Dr. Chen’s public health expertise has led to several consultancies, including the Ministry of Public Health of the People’s Republic of China, the US Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, and several universities and state public health departments throughout the country. In 2002 he joined the National Cancer Advisory Board, and in 2003 became one of two non-federal co-chairs of the Trans-HHS (US Health and Human Services) Cancer Health Disparities Progress Review Group, charged with overseeing and leading a national effort to reduce cancer health disparities. Dr. Chen received the 2003 American Cancer Society’s Humanitarian Award for his “unfailing commitment and considerable contributions to the field of public health…,” his “dedication to addressing and improving the health of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders…,” and his “leadership in investigating and securing funds for continued research on the health disparities within minority populations.” (07/01/08 - 06/31/10)

Crystal D. Crawford, Esq., serves as CEO of the California Black Women's Health Project, where she performs legislative, educational and policy advocacy to improve the health status of Black women and girls. Throughout her career, she has combined legal and policy approaches to civil rights and social justice issues.  Crawford was born in Harlem, New York and graduated  from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in history and sociology.  She earned her J.D. from New York University Law School where she served as an editor of the Journal of International Law & Politics, a Hays-Weber Civil Rights Fellow and Chairperson of the Black Law Students Association.  Crystal gained litigation experience as an associate with premier corporate law firms in Los Angeles, Boston and New York. After spending a few years in the private for-profit sector, she turned her attention to the non-profit sector, serving as Legal Director of the Alliance for Children’s Rights.   Crawford serves on a variety of boards and councils including Health Access, VIP Mentors, the California Breast Cancer Research Council and the Women’s Health Council for the state of California.  She is admitted to the bar in California, New York & New Jersey and serves as an officer of her church in Inglewood, California. (9/1/06 - 7/1/09)

Dr. Laura Fenster is a reproductive epidemiologist in the Occupational Health Branch at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) where she has worked since completing her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of California at Berkeley. She has been the principle investigator and co-investigator on a number of epidemiological studies examining the effect of environmental and occupational exposures on a variety of female and male reproductive endpoints. Examples of some of the exposures she has examined in relation to reproductive endpoints include pesticides, disinfection by-products and solvents in drinking water and pesticides. She is currently a co-investigator with the CHAMACOS project in the Center for Children’s Environmental Health Research at UC Berkeley. This longitudinal birth cohort study in a farmworker population in Salinas Valley, California is a community-based participatory research project that involves multidisciplinary collaboration to investigate in utero and postnatal exposure to environmental toxicants and children’s health. (9/1/07 - 7/1/10)

James Ford, M.D., is the Associate Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Genetics, Divisions of Oncology and Medical Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine.; Director of the Stanford Program for Applied Cancer Genetics and the Breast Cancer Genetics Clinic; and Director of Stanford's Oncology Fellowship Training Program. He graduated in 1984 magna cum laude from Yale University where he later received his M.D. from the School of Medicine. He performed a residency in Internal Medicine and clinical fellowships in Medical Oncology at Stanford University Medical Center, and was a research fellow in Biological Sciences at Stanford from 1993-1997. Dr. Ford is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of DNA repair and the genetics of solid tumors. His laboratory and clinical research programs focus on the genetics and genomics of familial breast and GI cancers, and the use of new technologies for cancer diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. He is a member of numerous professional societies, is currently the chairman of the Human Genetics and Tumor Biology section of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and is an associate editor for Cancer Research.(9/1/07 - 7/1/10)

Karren Ganstwig retired from a 30+ year career as an executive in retail management in order to more fully focus on breast cancer research and advocacy. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Karren is the community representative for her hospital’s IRB. She is a member and team leader for advocacy in the National Breast Cancer Coalition, a graduate of Project LEAD, and sits on the advisory board of the Iris Cantor – UCLA Women’s Health Center. She is co-chair of the Los Angeles Breast Cancer Alliance, and a board member of Team Survivor Los Angeles. She also sits on the board of the American Friends of Technion University, where she and her husband, Howard Welinsky, endow a breast cancer research scholarship Her goal is to use her experience as a breast cancer patient and advocate to help under-insured women who lack access to services and treatment. (09/1/07 - 07/1/10)

Lawrence W. Green, DrPH, received his public health degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and an Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Waterloo in Canada. He has served on the public health and medical faculties at Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Texas, the University of British Columbia, Emory, and Maryland. He served the Carter Administration as the Director of the Office of Health Information, Health Promotion, Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine (now the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) with a central role in the first round of the Healthy People objectives for the nation in health promotion and disease prevention. He retired as Distinguished Fellow/Visiting Scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Director of the Office of Science and Extramural Research, and is now Co-Leader of the Society, Diversity and Disparities Program in the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California at San Francisco. He has authored some 300 chapters, monographs and articles. Four of his books have been widely adopted as college texts. He is on the Editorial Boards of 12 journals in the health sciences, past president of the Society for Public Health Education, Fellow and first Research Laureate of the Academy of Health Behavior, and recipient of the Award for Excellence, Distinguished Career, and Mayhew Derryberry awards of the American Public Health Association. He currently serves on several boards, including Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, and the US Task Force on Community Preventive Services. (07/1/08 - 06/31/10)

Shelley Hwang, M.D., is a surgeon at the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, where she focuses on the early detection of breast cancer, especially of ductal carcinoma in situ. An expert in skin-sparing mastectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy, she introduced these less invasive procedures to Singapore General Hospital, where she practiced before joining UCSF Medical Center. Hwang believes in providing the highest quality of care to patients at every stage of breast disease, from diagnosis to treatment to follow-up services. Hwang is the recipient of several awards, including the 2004 Local Hero Award of the Susan G. Komon Breast Cancer Foundation and the 2002-2005 Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health scholar awards of the National Institutes of Health. She is an associate professor of surgery at UCSF. (09/01/07 - 07/01/10)

Angela Lucia Padilla is the co-founder and leader of Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS), the only support and activist group for women under 45 affected by breast cancer in the Bay Area. She is currently forming Mighty Moms, a support group for women with young children who are affected by cancer. Last year Angela was nominated by Lifetime Television as a breast cancer hero. (09/01/05 - 08/30/08)

Jeanne Rizzo serves as Executive Director of the Breast Cancer Fund, a national environmental health organization whose mission is to identify--and advocate for elimination of--the environmental and other preventable causes of the disease. A longtime women's health advocate, Jeanne is committed to legislative, regulatory and corporate accountability initiatives that protect women's health and ultimately prevent breast cancer. Through Jeanne's vision and leadership, the Breast Cancer Fund published the landmark report "State of the Evidence: What Is the Connection between the Environment and Breast Cancer?" and helped found the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

Mary Alice Yund, Ph.D., received her B.A. in biology from Knox College and her Ph.D. in biology (developmental biology) from Harvard University. She moved to the Genetics Department at UC Berkeley where she lead an investigation of the molecular mechanism of steroid hormone action and the role of the hormone in Drosophila development. During her time in academic research Dr. Yund held NIH and NSF research grants, worked in Australia under the U.S.-Australia Cooperative Science Program, and served on the NSF Advisory Panel for Developmental Biology. Since leaving academic research she has done consulting work in technology assessment and market research for pharmaceutical and bioscience companies as well as collaborative writing and editing of scientific grants and papers. She is chair of the Northern California Chapters Committee of the Association for Women in Science and on the Board of BioScience Forum. (9/1/07-7/1/2010)