Key Staff

The Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund is the largest program of the National Center for Health Research, a nonprofit research and education center that conducts, analyzes, and scrutinizes research.  The Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund is a charity that gathers and uses the most up-to-date information about the causes and treatments of different cancers, so that we can help adults and children prevent cancer and get the best possible treatments.  We do not accept funding from companies that make products that are the subject of our work. The key staff of the National Center for Health Research also work for the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund.

Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D., President

Diana Zuckerman received her Ph.D. in psychology from Ohio State University and was a post-doctoral fellow in epidemiology and public health at Yale Medical School. She started her career on the faculty of Vassar College and Yale University.

After a post-doctoral training at Yale Medical School, she took a position at Harvard directing a groundbreaking research study of college students. Dr. Zuckerman left her academic career to come to Washington, D.C. as a Congressional Science Fellow in a program run by the American Association of the Advancement of Science. After spending the year as a staff member in the House of Representatives, she spent the next ten years working as a Congressional staffer in the House and Senate and at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, working to improve federal health programs and policies for adults and children. She initiated highly influential Congressional hearings on a wide range of health issues, including cancer prevention and treatment and the safety of medical products.

Dr. Zuckerman served as a senior policy advisor in the Clinton White House, working for First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. She subsequently served in leadership positions at numerous nonprofit organizations and has been in her current position at NCHR since 1999.  She has testified before Congress, the Canadian Parliament, and numerous U.S. federal agencies, and been an invited speaker at national medical, public health, and legal conferences.

While in her current position, Dr. Zuckerman was a fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics for several years. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA. She was previously on the Board of the Congressionally mandated Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA, and the chair of the Maryland Women’s Health Promotion Council, appointed by the Governor of Maryland.  She was the first non-physician to be elected to the Women in Medicine International Hall of Fame.

Dr. Zuckerman is the author of five books, several book chapters, dozens of articles in medical and academic journals, and in newspapers across the country. Her policy work has resulted in news coverage on all the major TV networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News, public television, “60 Minutes,” “20/20,” “Voice of America,” National Public Radio, and in major U.S. print media such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, USA Today, Detroit Free Press, New York Daily News, Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, Forbes, Family Circle, New Yorker, Glamour, Self, as well as many other newspapers, magazines, and radio programs.  She has also been interviewed on numerous documentaries in the U.S. and abroad, and two U.S. movies were based on her investigations.

Dr. Diana Zuckerman can be reached at dz@center4research.org

Thomas Eagen, PhD, Health Policy Director

Thomas Eagen is our Health Policy Director, focusing on the impact of federal health policy to improve quality of care for all patient populations. He is responsible for tracking active legislation and engaging with Members of Congress and Congressional staff to serve as a resource and ensure policies are supported by research.

Prior to joining the NCHR, he served as a Congressional Fellow on the Senate Special Committee on Aging through the American Political Science Association, where he focused on disability policy. Following his post-doctoral fellowship, he worked as the health legislative assistant for Senator Cantwell (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and Chair of the Commerce Committee, with a portfolio covering a broad range of issues including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the Affordable Care Act, mental and behavioral health, drug pricing and tribal health. He was actively engaged in the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, monitoring in-state trends and ensuring equitable distribution of testing, treatments and vaccines to underserved communities.

Dr. Eagen received his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science and Master’s in Public Health, with a concentration in health systems and policy, from the University of Washington. His research focused on the reach and effectiveness of evidence-based programs designed for community-dwelling older adults supported by federal funding. Specifically, he explored the participation of people with disabilities in evidence-based falls prevention programs. He earned his B.S. in Exercise Science from the University of Central Florida. He can be reached at te@center4research.org.

Jessica Copeland, MD, MPH, Senior Fellow

Jessica Copeland, MD, MPH is a Senior Fellow working on a broad range of health issues, with particular expertise in cardiovascular and lung health.  Trained as a cardiothoracic surgeon, she received her MD from University of Washington and MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Dr. Copeland has a key role scrutinizing research that has important implications for health policy and public health, working with NCHR research and policy staff.  Prior to her current position, Dr. Copeland conducted studies on lung cancer screening, health disparities in lung cancer, and the application of novel technology in surgical treatment. She received competitive funding for her research and has been a key speaker at several national conferences. Dr. Copeland also helped to establish several community public health programs in an effort to increase access to healthcare and reduce healthcare disparities. In addition, she has worked with the Red Cross in conjunction with the Global Health Department at the University of Washington to establish a practical and sustainable trauma response initiative appropriate for a resource limited setting in Pitágoras, Peru. She can be contacted at jc@center4research.org.

Tehan Dukaye, MPH, Health Insurance Program Manager

Tehan Dukaye is our Health Insurance Program Manager at NCHR. She is responsible for helping patients facing health complications from their implants better navigate the current health insurance system so that they can get the medical care that they need. Prior to joining NCHR, Tehan had more than four years of experience in the public health field, serving as a college peer health educator, and  reaching out to and forming working relationships with local and state health departments as well as state cancer coalitions regarding their work with cancer survivorship.  In her work with National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, she coordinated more than 100 meetings for cancer patients to share their experiences with Members of Congress and their staff and advocate for legislation to help cancer survivors. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a Master’s in Public Health from George Washington University with a focus on Health Policy.

Sophia Phillips, MS, Health Policy Associate

Sophia Phillips is our Health Policy Fellow. She is focused on supporting our health policy work by serving as a resource to Members of Congress and Congressional staff on a range of policy issues. Sophia is responsible for monitoring, tracking, and analyzing active legislation and regulatory changes within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including public health agencies such as the FDA, NIH, and CMS.

Sophia previously interned at Public Citizen in their Access to Medicines Program, where she was actively engaged in policy work on drug pricing and COVID-19 vaccine recipe sharing. She was also a research assistant with PharmedOut, a Georgetown University Medical Center project that works to educate healthcare professionals and the public on pharmaceutical marketing practices and their impact on public health. She received her Master’s of Science in Health and the Public Interest from Georgetown University, where she was trained in health advocacy. Sophia earned her B.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York at Geneseo. She can be contacted at sp@center4research.org.

Avery Nork, Janice Bilden Cancer Prevention Intern

Avery Nork is our 2023 Janice Bilden Cancer Prevention Intern. He is focused on supporting NCHR’s efforts in cancer prevention and treatment by reviewing the latest research to write and update articles for our websites. He will also work with NCHR staff to develop written and oral public comments to federal agencies regarding the safety and effectiveness of medical products and treatment and prevention strategies.

Avery graduated from the University of Southern California in 2020 with a degree in Neuroscience and a minor is Statistics. He is furthering his training in statistics at Georgetown University where he is currently enrolled to obtain a Masters in Biostatistics. His current research at Georgetown is focused on mapping cancer tumor growth. Avery can be contacted at an@center4research.org.

Andrea Sun, Omega Logan Silva Intern

Andrea Sun is the Summer 2023 Omega Logan Silva Intern. Her work focuses on health policies related to older adults and drug pricing. Andrea assists in writing and updating web articles based on the latest research-based findings and policy issues. She also works with NCHR staff to develop written and oral public comments to federal agencies regarding the safety and effectiveness of medical products and treatment and prevention strategies.

Andrea is completing her master’s program in Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, and she holds a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Economics from UC San Diego. Before joining NCHR, Andrea worked for think tanks and nonprofits that focus on international relations, charities, and cybersecurity. She can be contacted at mqs@center4research.org.

Jenny Niwa, Jack Mitchell Health Policy Intern

Jenny Niwa is the Summer 2023 Jack Mitchell Health Policy Intern. Her work focuses on a range of health policy issues that pertain to the safety and effectiveness of medical and consumer products. She assists with drafting written and oral public comments and updating web articles to include the latest research-based information and health policy issues, with a particular focus on the impact of environmental exposures and policies on human health. She will have a key role in using social media to share essential health information widely and will assist the rest of our research and policy teams wherever needed.

Jenny recently graduated from the University of Rochester with a B.S. in Environmental Health and a B.A. in International Relations. She is part of an accelerated Master’s degree program at the University of Rochester School of Public Health where she will complete an M.S. in Epidemiology. She can be contacted at rn@center4research.org.

Fall 2022 Interns

  • Belinda Gorsuch (Claremont McKenna College)
  • Kobi Khong (Johns Hopkins University)

Summer 2022 Interns

  • Shahmir Ali (Johns Hopkins University, Janice Bilden Cancer Prevention Intern)
  • James S. Castro Argueta (George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Jack Mitchell Policy Intern)
  • Angelica Estrada (UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Marcy Gross Intern)

Spring 2022 Interns

  • Avni Patel (Cornell University, MPH, Omega Logan Silva Intern)
  • Jackie Liu (University of Maryland, Research Communications, and Policy Intern)

Fall 2021 Interns

  • Anna Adler (The George Washington University, Class of ’23, Majoring in Public Health)
  • Annika Schmid (The George Washington University, Class of ’22, Majoring in Biophysics)

Summer 2021 Interns

  • Edyth Dwyer (Brown University, MPA/MPH student concentrating in Global Health)
  • Sophia Lee (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center ’24, MD Candidate)
  • Alea Sabry (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Class of ’22, Majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and Political Science)

Spring 2021 Interns

  • Mariah Baker (The George Washington University, MPH student with a focus on Health Policy)
  • Reagan Beyer (University of Wisconsin- Madison, Class of ’21, Majoring in Biochemistry and Political Science, with a certificate in Global Health)
  • Katerina Kerska (University of Michigan, MPH student with a focus on Health Behavior and Health Education)
  • Sasha Milbeck (University of Miami, Class of ’22, Majoring in Global Health, minors in Chemistry and Psychology)

Fall 2020 Interns

  • Amanda Chu (Georgetown University ‘22, Science, Technology, and International Affairs, minors in Spanish and Creative Writing)
  • Carly West (The George Washington University ‘20, Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Disease Control)
  • Cindy Min (University of Florida 21′, Masters of Public Health, minor in Epidemiology)
  • Sasha Milbeck (University of Miami ’22, Neuroscience, minors in Chemistry and Public Health)

Summer 2020 Interns

  • Amanda Bisnath (University of Virginia ’21, Public Policy and Leadership, minor in Bioethics)
  • Megan Peterson (Cornell University ‘21, Biology and Society, minoring in Health Policy and Law & Society)
  • Elizabeth Sack (Duke University ’21, Global Health and International Comparative Studies, minor in Chemistry)

Spring 2020 Interns

  • Nana Addo (George Washington University ’19, International Affairs, concentration in Global Public Health)
  • Shaina Desai (University of California, Berkeley ’20, Public Health, concentration in Epidemiology)
  • Seungyeon Lee (Konyang University ’19, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology)
  • Ellen Pil (University of Notre Dame, ’21, Political Science, Pre-Health track)

Summer 2019 Interns

  • Mackenzie Flynn (George Washington University ’21, Political Science, minors in Public Health and Sustainability)
  • Emily Hong (University of California Irvine ’20, Public Health Policy, minor in Medical Anthropology)

Fall 2019 Interns

  • Anupama Dinesh (Brown University ’20, Health & Human Biology and Anthropology)
  • Reena Jasani (UT Southwestern Medical School ’22, MD/MPH)
  • Claire Viscione (George Washington University ’20, Public Health, minor in Business Administration)

Spring 2019 Interns

  • Silvana Barbosa  (Providence College ’19, Health Policy & Managements)
  • Kaitlyn Freels (University of Maryland College Park ’19, Neurobiology & Physiology)