Meet The People Behind AnCan

AnCan would not be able to achieve our mission without the village of people behind the scenes tirelessly working to provide support for patients everywhere. We’re proud of all of our volunteers, moderators, advisory board members and directors and we think you will be too.

All
Advisory Board
Art Classes
Blood Cancers
Cancer Caregiver
Creative Writing Group
Board of Directors
Inherited Mutations
Men Speaking Freely
Men's Breast Cancer
Moderators
Multiple Sclerosis
Pancreatic Cancer
Plenary Sessions
Prostate Cancer
Sarcoidosis
Veterans
Visual Snow Syndrome
Women's Breast Cancer

Dr. Pamela Munster

Advisory Board Member

Pamela Munster, MD is a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

David Muslin

Board Member

Entrepreneur and deal maker David Muslin loves boats, cars ... and helping people!

Lindsey Byrne, MS, LGC

Advisory Board Member

Cancer Genetic Counselor extraordinaire specializing in GU malignanciesat The James The Ohio State CCC

Dr. Stacy Loeb

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Stacy Loeb - nutrition & fitness, prostate cancer urologist

Stephen A. Reid

Advisory Board Member

Stephen A. Reid Retired Executive Administrator at London (UK) University and the BBC/ITV

Dr. Jonathan Epstein

Advisory Board

World Renown Uropathologist

Dr. Steve Wool, MD

Advisory Board Member

The GP we all dream to have, Dr. Steve is one of the best diagnosticians you'll find anywhere!

Andrea Nameth

Moderator

Andrea was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in 2012 after a bout of optic neuritis and a decades long journey to diagnosis.

Carmen Wentland

Moderator

A Dx of PPMS, and the various symptoms that PPMS involves, has led Carmen to modify her guiding motto from “Go hard or go home” to “Go hard, then get home!”

Dr. John Antonucci MD

Advisory Board Member & HiRisk/Rec/Adv Prostate Cancer Moderator

Addiction Medicine Psychiatrist

Lynn Bailey

Blood Cancers Moderator

Lynn married his high school sweetheart, and they have been married for 52 years surviving & clinging to each other during the raising of 5 children.

Jeff Waldron

Advisory Board Member

Jeff Waldron, seasoned healthcare & insurance executive and networker par excellence ...

Nancy Novack

Advisory Board Member

Nancy Novack is the founder of Nancy's List.

Jim Schraidt

Prostate Cancer Moderator - AS & Low/Intermediate

Jim Schraidt is a passionate advocate for better, less harmful prostate cancer treatment!

Ben Nathanson

High Risk/Recurrent/Advanced Prostate Cancer Moderator

"I believe in the remarkable chemistry that is AnCan. Just by speaking together, we change lives."

Dr. Rachel Rubin

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Rachel Rubin is a board-certified urologist and sexual medicine specialist. She is an assistant clinical professor of Urology at Georgetown University and works in a private practice in the Washington DC region.

Jay Sandler

Pancreatic Cancer Survivor

I was lucky. I had my first symptom 12/17/2012 when I noticed my urine was very dark and I started itching.

Laurie Singer

Caregiver & Pancreatic Cancer Moderator

Caregiving is a hard job. You do it with every ounce of love and energy possible and sometimes that’s really hard to sustain, but you find it hiding in the spaces of your heart marked “for emergency use only.”

Rob Weker

Pancreatic Cancer Survivor

Rob is a three-time cancer survivor, including being diagnosed with Stage IIb pancreatic cancer in 2014.

Randall Swan

Pancreatic Cancer Survivor

Pancreatic Cancer (“The Beast”) came knocking at the door. Ask anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis and they will surely be able to tell you the day, date, and quite possibly the time the news was delivered. My Pearl Harbor Day? December 19, 2013.

Amber Cote

Moderator

Being the only person that she knew with VSS was isolating, so it was a relief to know that there was a community providing resources for those with VSS.

Stuart Jordan

Publisher - Berkely Wellness Letter

Board Member

Mike Crosby

Advisory Board Member

Mike"Bing" Crosby is a retired Navy commander, 'Top Gun' and a prostate cancer survivor.

Sydney Ireland

Moderator

BRCA2 Previvor, first female Eagle Scout and former White House staffer

Cody Wilson

Moderator

Cody found he lived with Visual Snow Syndrome one day when he looked at the sky...

David Sharp

Moderator

Low/Intermediate Prostate Cancer David is a medical journalist with an insatiable appetite for research and well informed about treatment options.

Philip Segal

Moderator

Philip has been on AS since he was diagnosed in early 2007.

Michael Williams

Moderator

Michael Williams, is a dedicated Nurse Practitioner with extensive experience in Occupational Clinics, Urgent Care, and Emergency Medicine.

Boykin Jordan

Low/Intermediate Prostate Cancer Moderator/ Veterans Speaking Freely Moderator/ Creative Writing Group

Boykin is an entrepreneur and veteran. His hobbies are writing, Python, photography, and travel.

Captain Jim Marshall

Veterans Support Group Moderator

Captain Jim Marshall is a retired Air Force, retired US Govt civilian & 100%+ Veteran Affairs Disabled, having an interest in what disabilities can be claimed, how the VA rates each, and how to maximize the overall rating.

Marianne Smead

Care Partners Moderator

Following the diagnosis of her partner, Charlton Jahn, with pancreatic cancer in 2022, Marianne Smead became his devoted advocate.

Gary Ireland

Moderator

A family experience.... inherited mutations and active surveillance prostate cancer

Bill Harris

Moderator

BRCA2 Peer... who REALLY has the T-shirt to prove it!!!!

Joel Axler

Moderator

Joel is a germline BRCA peer... with the t-shirt to prove it.

Lou Sears

Moderator

Lou, a retired reading specialist, was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in May 2013.

Al Ruvalcaba

In Memoriam

A painter-decorator by trade, Al was a gifted artisan through and through. He hailed from a family rich in creative talent—woodworkers, photographers, and artists.

Dr. Dan George

Director of GU Oncology, Duke Cancer Institute

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Nizar Tannir

Professor of GU Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Tannir is globallyrecognized for renal cancer research, especially in rare kidney cancers. He is a well loved clinicain.

Dr. Paula Hechinger, ABPC

Moderator

Paula is a psychoanalyst, chef, mom and lives with Visual Snow Syndrome and other sensory deficits

Eric Milsen

Prostate Cancer Peer Moderator

Eric Milsen walks the walk in being your own best advocate.

Alyssa Mazur

MS Moderator

Alyssa Mazur lives with very early onset Multiple Sclerosis. Symptomatic at 13, and she was diagnosed at 16.

Judy Williams

Moderator

Peer experience in many places!

Dan Gifford

Moderator

After being diagnosed with prostate cancer in March of 2025 and leaning toward Active Surveillance against the advice of his urologist, he discovered AnCan with the help of “Captain Jim”, where his decision was supported and reinforced by the group.

Susan Lahaie

Cancer Caregiver

Susan Lahaie was a caregiver to her husband Ron Silverio who was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2012.

Debbie Swiderski

Prostate Cancer Caregiver

Debbie Swiderski was a caregiver to her husband, Ray, diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer in 2014

Len Sierra

Advisory Board Member& HiRisk-Recurrent-Adv Prostate Cancer Moderator

Len Sierra is a research pharmacist by training who found himself in The Reluctant Brotherhood when diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014.

Ken Mason

In Memoriam

Ken Mason has way too much experience with cancer ...... diagnosed with low risk prostate cancer for which he follows active surveillance, he subsequently found low risk bladder cancer during an NIH exam, and then kidney cancer.

Renata Louwers

Metastatic bladder cancer caregiver

Renata Louwers, writer, editor and patient/caregiver advocate, cared for her first husband over an 11 month downward trajectory after his diagnosis of metastatic bladder cancer.

Rich Jackson

Speaking Freely Moderator

Rich Jackson loves his Harley .... and helping other men!

Jake Hannam

In Memoriam

Jake Hannam has battled prostate cancer since 2010. Treated with cryotherapy in 2012, his cancer subsequently metastasized to bone, and has since been managed with advanced hormone therapy.

Rick Davis

Founder/Board Member/HiRisk-Recurrent-Advanced Prostate Cancer Moderator

Rick Davis was diagnosed in 2007 with locally advanced prostate cancer and chose two types of radiation and 28 months of hormone therapy. Rick also lives with Visual Snow Syndrome.

Allen Edel

Advisory Board Member

Allen Edel (@TallAllen) is amongst the best recognized and most knowledgeable patient advocates for men with prostate cancer.

Robert Barniskis

Founder - In Memoriam

Rob Barniskis is a former financial executive/CFO with 30+ years of experience in leading improvements in profitability and operations for various multinationals.

Bill Burhans Ph.D.

Board & Advisory Board Member; Moderator

In Memoriam

Bill Franklin

Board Member; Low/Intermediate Prostate Cancer Moderator

Bill was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 aged 51. Two months after a prostatectomy, he experienced a rapid rise in PSA and was treated with adjuvant radiation and 22 months of androgen deprivation therapy (Lupron).

David Fischer

Advisory Board Member

David Fischer is an advertising and communications professional.

Dr. Eli Van Allen

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Eli Van Allen is a genitourinary medical oncologist and Chief of the Division of Population Sciences at Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Fred Silny MBA CPA

Advisory Board Member

Fred Silny MBA CPA is a highly experienced chief financial officer who has plied his expertise for household names ..... IHOP, Guess Jeans, Charlotte Russe, Restoration Hardware, and Carnation to name a few.

Professor David Rosenwasser JD

Advisory Board Member

Professor David Rosenwasser JD teaches marketing and sports management at Lindenhurst University, St. Charles, Mo

Dr. BJ Miller MD

Advisory Board Member

Bruce (BJ) Miller MD is a palliative care physician with Mettle Health

David Marshak

Advisory Board Member

David Marshak leads patient outreach and advocacy at Intera Oncology

Mr. Mark W Kissin F.R.C.S

Advisory Board Member

Mr. Mark W Kissin F.R.C.S is a leading melanoma & breast cancer surgeon in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Laurence Fong

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Laurence Fong is a genitourinary medical oncologist, Professor and lab leader at UCSF.

Rubin Naiman PhD

Advisory Board Member

Rubin Naiman PhD is a sleep specialist and assistant professor at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine

Richard Wassersug Ph.D.

Advisory Board Member

Richard Wassersug, PhD is an Honorary Professor of Cellular & Physiological Sciences at the University of British Columbia

Jennifer & Dan Digmann

Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Dan and Jennifer share their perspectives on life from a husband and wife who each have Multiple Sclerosis.

Herbert ‘Herb’ Geller PhD

Board & Advisory Board Member; Moderator

In-Memoriam

Pat Washburn

In Memoriam - Moderator

Pat Wasburn - Care Partner and male breast cancer advocate

Dr. Wendy Garvin Mayo DNP, APRN, ANP-BC

Advisory Board Member

Dr. Wendy Garvin Mayo is an Oncology Practitioner, Caregiver Consultant & Advocate, and Stress Management Life Coach.

Hugh Idstein

AS Prostate Cancer Moderator

Hugh’s PCa journey started several years ago when his PSA began to rise in the 4-5 range.

John Novack

Advisory Board Member

John Novack is an independent healthcare communications consultant.

Kevin McDevitt

Sarcoidosis Moderator

He was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 2010 in his lungs and lymph nodes. In January 2020, after a motor vehicle accident, the sarcoidosis spread to his heart.