About the Speakers

 

Panel 1 

Ticiana Leal, MD  
Associate Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology  
Director, Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology  
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University 

Ticiana Leal, MD, is an associate professor and serves as director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Board certified in medical oncology and palliative care, Dr. Leal specializes in caring for patients with lung cancer, mesothelioma, and thymic malignancies at Winship Cancer Institute.  

Dr. Leal is a member of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. She holds professional memberships with American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, European Society of Medical Oncology, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, and International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. She is the NCI LUNG-MAP Chair, ECOG-ACRIN representative.  

Before joining Emory, Dr. Leal was a member of the faculty at UW Carbone Cancer Center in Madison, Wisconsin, where she served as team leader of the Thoracic Malignancies Disease Oriented Team.  

Dr. Leal received her medical degree from Federal University of Ceara in Fortaleza, Brazil. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. She completed a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison.  

Dr. Leal's clinical research focuses on clinical trials of chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy agents to treat cancers of the lung.  

Dr. Leal has authored or coauthored numerous peer-reviewed original research articles, book chapters and posters. She serves as associate editor and as a member of the executive editorial board of The Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. She also serves as Lung Cancer Section Editor of Current Treatment Options in Oncology and on the editorial advisory boards of Cancer and The Brazilian Journal of Oncology.

 

Jennifer W. Carlisle, MD  
Medical Oncologist  
Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology  
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University 

Jennifer W. Carlisle, MD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. A board-certified medical oncologist, Dr. Carlisle specializes in the care of patients with lung cancer, mesothelioma, and thymic malignancies at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Dr. Carlisle also cares for patients and co-leads the Grady Lung, Head and Neck Clinic.

Dr. Carlisle is a member of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics research program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. She holds professional memberships with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research, and International Association for Study of Lung Cancer, among others.  

Dr. Carlisle received her medical degree from University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville. She completed her internship and her residency in internal medicine at Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. She completed a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at Emory University, where she served as chief fellow in her final year.  

Dr. Carlisle's research interests include translational studies that advance the understanding of immunobiology and immunotherapies. In 2018, she was selected to participate in the ASCO/AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop in Vail. By designing and performing thoughtful and innovative clinical trials with immune correlates, she aims to contribute to the development of new regimens and novel combinations that improve outcomes for patients. 

 

Mudit Chowdhary, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Northside Hospital Cancer Institute 

Mudit Chowdhary, MD, is a board-certified radiation oncologist with experience treating a wide variety of disorders. He has a special interest in the treatment of genitourinary, lung, and breast cancers, as well as benign diseases. As a physician, he believes in providing cutting-edge, personalized, and compassionate care for his patients. Dr. Chowdhary is committed to building relationships and trust with his patients by providing his undivided attention and spending as much time as they need during their visits.  

Before joining Northside, Dr. Chowdhary practiced at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was also an assistant professor. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals including JAMA Oncology, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Thoracic Oncology, and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics. Additionally, Dr. Chowdhary has been honored as the recipient of grants and scholarships such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology Conquer Cancer Merit Award at the 2019 annual meeting, the Alpha Omega Honor Medical Society Postgraduate Award, Lynn Sage Breast Cancer Symposium Scholars Award, among others.  

In his spare time, Dr. Chowdhary enjoys spending quality time with his family, playing tennis, and rooting for the Georgia Bulldogs. 

 

Kelli D. Salter, MD
Thoracic Surgeon
Piedmont Heart Thoracic Surgery Atlanta

Kelli Salter, MD, focuses primarily on noncardiac disease of the chest, including mediastinum, lungs, chest wall, diaphragm, esophagus, and thoracic outlet abnormalities. She has a special interest in minimally invasive techniques, robotic surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery critical care medicine (including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO).

Dr. Salter is an avid runner and sports and outdoors enthusiast.

 

Hiren V. Patel, MD  
Pulmonologist
Wellstar Health System

Hiren V. Patel, MD, received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey in New Brunswick, NJ, and his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Portsmouth, Commonwealth of Dominica. He completed his interventional pulmonology fellowship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas, and his pulmonary/critical care medicine fellowship and residency at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark. 

He is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a member of the American College of Chest Physicians, the American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology, and the American Thoracic Society. Dr. Patel is in practice with Wellstar Pulmonary Group, where he joined the practice in 2013 as the third of four members of the interventional pulmonology program.  

He has been the medical director for medical intensive care unit at Wellstar Douglas Hospital (2014-2016, 2021-2022), respiratory therapy department at Wellstar Douglas Hospital (2019-2020, 2022-2023), and is currently the medical director of pulmonary rehabilitation at Wellstar Health Systems.  He has been quite active in the lung cancer program at Wellstar Medical System, participating at the Specialty Team and Treatment Clinic for lung cancer at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Wellstar Cobb Hospital, and Wellstar Douglas Hospital.

 

Upal Basu Roy, MPH, PhD, LUNGevity Panel 1 Moderator
Executive Director of Research
LUNGevity Foundation

Dr. Upal Basu Roy spearheads LUNGevity’s Translational Research Programs and Patient-Focused Research Center (Patient FoRCe).In these roles, Upal oversees LUNGevity’s research awards program, including the monitoring and evaluation of the research projects as well as implementing and managing LUNGevity’s patient-focused research including Project Transform, a multi-year, multi-stakeholder patient preference study that LUNGevity is conducting with Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.

Upal has extensive experience in community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodology in health sciences research, specifically in projects involving immigrants and minority populations. His experience ranges from working with diabetes education for Asian immigrants in New York City to educating minority populations about breast cancer screening in Queens, NY.

Panel 2

Samantha Dyar, LMSW, MBE
Licensed Oncology Social Worker
Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Samantha Dyar, LMSW, MBE, graduated from the University of Georgia’s social work program and began her work in medical social work in 2016. She has two bachelor's degrees from the University of Georgia (in Political Science and International Affairs) and a Masters of Bioethics from Columbia University, New York. She is a member of National Association of Social Workers, Association of Oncology Social Work, Georgia Social Work Oncology Group, and the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities.

In her spare time, Samm is primarily a homebody. She enjoys reading, primarily fantasy at the moment, collects and sells antique and vintage home decor, mostly glass items, and hangs out with her two dogs, Maggie and Rocco. 

 

Audra Boyd, RN, BSN
Lung, Head and Neck Nurse Navigator
Grady Health System Cancer Center

Audra Boyd has been a registered nurse for over 20 years. She is a lung, head and neck nurse navigator at the Grady Health System Cancer Center. She obtained her bachelor of science degree in nursing from Southern Connecticut State University in her hometown. Her career began as a new nurse in medical oncology at Grady Health System and radiation oncology at Emory University. During her career, Audra has worked in a variety of areas within healthcare, including hospitals, community centers, home health, and travel nursing. 

She is passionate about providing quality care while remaining mindful of her patient’s individual needs. Audra believes in focusing on the whole person when caring for her patients. In addition to her career in nursing, Audra enjoys nature walks, movie time, and playing board games with her family.

 

Blair B. Avendano, RDN, CSO, LD
Clinical Nutrition Coordinator
Northside Hospital Cancer Institute 

Blair Avendano graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor's degree in nutrition and food sciences. She completed a postgraduate internship with the Augusta Area Dietetic Internship program. Blair has been a registered dietitian/nutritionist for 17 years. She has been with Northside Hospital for 9 years and is currently the Oncology Clinical Nutrition Coordinator, overseeing 18 dietitians who cover 55 oncology clinics in the state of Georgia. She is a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition.

Blair resided in Colombia, South America, for several years doing mission work and is a bilingual staff member. She is currently working on her MBA in organizational leadership from Eastern University. Blair enjoys time with her husband and 2-year-old daughter, traveling, running, and reading.

 

Shannon M. Wooten, LMSW
Oncology Social Worker
Piedmont Healthcare Oncology Support Services

Shannon Wooten, LMSW, serves patients and their families with a cancer diagnosis at the Piedmont Newnan Cancer Center. Shannon obtained her Master of Social Work degree at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. While obtaining her Master of Social Work degree, Shannon completed social work internships at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (Newnan, GA) and at Grady Health System in the Emergency Department (Atlanta, GA).

In 2018, Shannon began her social work career at Emory Primary Care Center at Grady Hospital, the Diabetes Center, and Liver Clinics. Shannon has been the oncology social worker at Piedmont Newnan Hospital since December 2021 and has implemented both oncology and caregiver support groups at Piedmont Newnan Cancer Center during her time there. She is also in the process of developing an oncology mental health initiative at this location to address the psychosocial needs of patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. Shannon has had the opportunity to provide a plethora of social resources and supports to patients, families, and caregivers in the Greater Atlanta area.

  

Simone Clark, BSN, RN
Oncology Nurse Navigator
Wellstar Health System

Simone is the oncology nurse navigator at Wellstar Health System. She is part of the Wellstar Navigator Program, where she helps patients and families understand their diagnosis and provides resources throughout treatment and beyond. She serves as the patient’s primary contact, offering guidance and support throughout the journey.

Previously, Simone worked at Wellstar Outpatient Infusion Center, where she administered infusion treatments such as chemotherapy, blood, iron, electrolytes, and IV hydration. She earned a BSN from Georgia Highlands College in 2022.

 

Lauren Walch, LCSW, Cancer Support Community Atlanta Support Programs & Resources
Program Director
Cancer Support Community Atlanta

Lauren is the program director at Cancer Support Community Atlanta. She previously worked at Grady Hospital's Cancer Center, Piedmont Atlanta, and the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital, where she provided psychosocial care to patients and families.

She earned an MSW from the University of Georgia and BS in sociology from Georgia Southern University. Lauren has been on the board of The Georgia Social Worker Oncology Group since 2019 and currently serves as president. 

 

Angela James, MBA, LMSW, MEd, LUNGevity Support Programs & Resources and Panel 2 Moderator
Care Navigator
LUNGevity Foundation

With over a decade of oncology experience, Angela is the first point of contact for those seeking support through LUNGevity while offering comprehensive disease information to patients with lung cancer and their families and caregivers.

Before joining LUNGevity, Angela served as a cancer navigator, where she provided resources and support to patients with cancer and their caregivers. She also served as a care coordinator for Wellthy, where she provided resources to address the various lifestyle and financial challenges often caused by illness. Angela also has experience as a hospital case manager, where she partnered with medical staff to ensure patients were given the tools necessary to maintain their well-being on discharge from the hospital.

Angela received a bachelor of science in psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi before earning a master of education from William Carey College. She also earned an MBA from Strayer University and a master of social work from the University of Southern California.