Manish Aghi, MD, PhD
   Assistant Professor in Residence of Neurological Surgery
   Principal Investigator, Brain Tumor Research Center
   University of California, San Francisco

Dr. Aghi specializes in adult brain tumors. He is experienced in the surgical treatment of glioneuronal neoplasms, pituitary tumors, and intraoperative mapping of brain function to optimize tumor resection. Dr. Aghi has extensive basic science research interests, including glioma angiogenesis and the use of oncolytic herpes simplex-derived viruses to treat glioblastoma.

        

  Sylvia Asa, MD, PhD
   Pathologist-in Chief University of Toronto
   Toronto Medical Laboratories

        Sylvia Asa, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director of Toronto Medical Laboratories and Pathologist-in-Chief at the University Health Network, is a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto. She received her medical and post-doctorate degrees from the University of Toronto and completed her internship in internal medicine at Toronto General Hospital and the University of Toronto. She received her residency training in pathology at Mount Sinai Hospital, St. Michael’s Hospital and the Toronto General Hospital, all affiliated with the University of Toronto. She subsequently was a research fellow in the Department of Pathology at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto.

 

  Mitchel S. Berger, MD
   Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery
   University of California, San Francisco

Dr. Berger's main clinical interests are the treatment of brain and spinal cord tumors in adults and children and of epilepsy related to brain tumors. He has extensive expertise in intraoperative mapping of the brain to identify the sites of motor, sensory, and language function and thereby avoid their involvement or injury during surgery. Dr. Berger is Director of the Adult Hydrocephalus and Shunt Program, and he also practices in the Neuro-Oncology Program and the Radiosurgery Program.

His current research interests involve identifying molecular markers in gliomas as correlates of tumor progression and prognosis. This is done in conjunction with the Molecular Marker Core of the BTRC. He also works in conjunction with Dr. Krys Bankiewicz to test small molecule inhibitors in brain tumors using the drug delivery technique of convection enhanced delivery. He is a co-investigator with Dr. John Park in UCSF's Comprehensive Cancer Center to develop immunoliposome-directed targeted therapy for treating gliomas that express EGF receptors. Other collaborations include functional mapping localization of language pathways in the brain in conjunction with Dr. Robert Knight and the Cognitive Neuroscience Graduate Program at UC Berkeley. Dr. Berger is currently the Principal Investigator of UCSF's SPORE Brain Tumor Program and the BTRC's Program Project Grant in Neuro-Oncology, both of which are funded by the National Cancer Institute and NINDS.

 

  Lewis S. Blevins, Jr. MD
   Professor of Clinical Medicine and Clinical Neurological Surgery
   Medical Director, California Center for Pituitary Disorders at UCSF    

Dr. Blevins' main clinical interests are in the evaluation and management of patients with various disorders of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus. He has particular expertise with regards to Cushing's syndrome and has edited a book on the subject. He also has extensive experience in treating patients with acromegaly, prolactinoma's, other pituitary tumors, diabetes insipidus, and hypopituitarism. He has extensive experience in the management of patients with growth hormone deficiency. Dr. Blevins is medical director of the California Center for Pituitary Disorders at UCSF.

His current research interests involve diagnostic testing in patients with hypercortisolism. He is currently evaluating new ways to test for the presence of Cushing's syndrome. He is also interested in clinical predictors of surgical and medical success with regards to the management of patients with different types of pituitary tumors. Some of this work involves collaboration with neuropathologists at UCSF. Dr. Blevins is also involved with industry sponsored trials to evaluate new pharmacologic therapies for patients with pituitary tumors.

 

  Christina O'Neil Bourne
   Former Miss Nevada
   Pituitary Patient

Christina O'Neil Bourne holds both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Music Education and currently teaches music and band in Carson City, NV. She was Miss Nevada 2003 and competed in the Miss America Pageant. Christina is also an accomplished vocalist and flutist despite the fact that she was born with a cleft palate.

Christina spends her free time volunteering for organizations aimed at bettering the lives of women and children through education. She was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award by President George W. Bush in 2003 for her efforts.

In 2005, Christina was diagnosed with a pituitary adenoma. For nearly two years she struggled to find a doctor to help her. Christina found the Pituitary Network Association website and within months was able to get the medical attention she needed. Today, Christina is happily married and is the proud new mother of a baby boy.

        

  Olegario "Ollie" D. Cantos VII, Esq.
   U.S. Department of Justice
   Member, Attorney General’s Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities
   Department Representative, Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals
   with Disabilities

Blinded as the result of medical complications relating to premature birth, Olegario “Ollie” D. Cantos VII defied conventional wisdom by becoming a presidential appointee by the age of 37. He is Co-Chairman of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and serves as Special Counsel to the Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, originally commissioned by the Attorney General in March 2006. Mr. Cantos recently returned to this post after having dedicated two consecutive terms of service as Associate Director for Domestic Policy at the White House, where he led the implementation of the President’s New Freedom Initiative, the agenda for advancing equality of opportunity for people with all types of disabilities in information and assistive technology, education, employment, and every aspect of community living. One of the youngest presidential appointees in the Administration of President George W. Bush and one of the highest-placed persons with a disability in the Federal Government today, Mr. Cantos began his work at the Justice Department in August 2004 when he was originally commissioned by the Attorney General as Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Working on a number of fronts to advance disability rights enforcement, Mr. Cantos is Member of the Attorney General’s Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities, Department representative to the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities headed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Department representative to the Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Member of the Subcommittee on the New Freedom Initiative of the Interagency Coordinating Council on Disability Research, spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Education. In these and other prominent roles, responsibilities include fostering closer ties between the Justice Department and disability rights leaders at all levels, facilitating greater compliance by businesses with applicable federal disability rights laws, and establishing and strengthening new cross-agency partnerships to promote full participation by people with disabilities in every facet of societal life.

        

  Shereen Ezzat, MD, FRCPC, FACP
   Professor of Medicine & Oncology
   Head, Endocrine Oncology Site Group
   Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network
   Toronto, Canada

Dr. Ezzat obtained his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, completed his residency training at the University of British Columbia, and his post-doctoral research training in molecular oncology at Cedars-Sinai-UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

Dr. Ezzat has authored or co-authored more than 180 original research articles and 30 invited review articles, and he has delivered more than 100 invited lectures. He supervises undergraduate, medical, and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows. He teaches a number of courses, including physiology, biochemistry, developmental biology, and endocrinology.

Dr. Ezzat serves as an Editorial Board member for a number of journals including Endocrinology, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Journal of Endocrinology, Endocrine Practice, and BMJ-Endocrine. He is a regular reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine and the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Ezzat has been honored with numerous awards. Most recently, he received the 2008 Senior Scientist award from the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada, the 2006 International Endocrine Society Research Mentor Award, the 2005 Gentle Giant Award, the Pharmacia & Upjohn International Award for Excellence in Published Endocrine Research. He is also the recipient of the Premier’s Research Excellence Award, the Novartis Canada Senior Investigator Award, and the Allan Bruce Robertson Young Investigator Award. His work, focusing mainly on the molecular genetics of endocrine cancer, has been funded by the CIHR, the Cancer Research Society, and the Sackler Foundation. He belongs to a number of professional societies, including the Endocrine Society, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), the Pituitary Society, the American College of Physicians, and the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada.

Dr. Ezzat is equally committed to patient care and education. In 1990, he co-founded the Pituitary Network Association and has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Pituitary Tumor Patient Resource Guide, a reference book designed for patients that has received world-wide recognition and is now in its fourth edition. He has filled a similar role with the Thyroid Cancer Survivor (Thyrvor) and the North American Carcinoid Group.

        

  Scott Hamilton
   Olympic Gold Medal Figure Skater
   Honorary Chairman of the PNA Board of Governors
   Pituitary Patient

One of the most popular male figure skating stars in the world, Scott Hamilton is also a network TV skating commentator, an actor, performer, producer, Emmy Award nominee, best-selling author, role model, humanitarian, philanthropist, and a cancer and brain tumor survivor. As a humanitarian and philanthropist he avails himself to any plight that will improve mankind. As a cancer and brain tumor survivor, he is constantly reminding others that, with fortitude and determination, anything is possible.

When he is not performing or participating in a wide variety of charitable events, or acting as an official spokesperson for Target House at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as his own *Scott Hamilton C.A.R.E.S. Initiative (Cancer Alliance for Research, Education and Survivorship) at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Center in Cleveland, Ohio, or promoting his web site Chemocare.com (in conjunction with the Cleveland Clinic and CARES), the Honorary Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Pituitary Network Association, or serving on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics, Scott can be found on the golf-course and enjoys spending time with his wife Tracie and their sons Maxx and Aidan at their home in Tennessee.

        

  Guillermo Huesca
   Actor and Television Host
   Pituitary Patient

Guillermo Huesca, is one of the most recognized celebrities in the Hispanic market, recently hosting the most popular television show Trato Hecho (Hispanic version of "Let's Make a Deal").

In recent years, Huesca’s philanthropic work has taken him around the globe. His devotion to mission fields has allowed Huesca to serve in third world countries such as the Philippines, Africa and Guatemala. Huesca’s volunteer efforts have benefited non-profit organizations, such as HOPE Worldwide and World Vision Latin America, for several years in their Los Angeles and Mexico City outreach programs and fundraising events. As a member of the International Churches of Christ, Huesca was the leading Spanish-speaking news anchor for their internationally viewed news video, Kingdom News Network (KNN). Huesca participated in the organization of the 1st Latino Christian based Music Awards, Primios a la Conquista which he hosted in March of 2004 in Los Angeles. He also participated in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Arts & Entertainment Task Force in Washington, D.C.

"People are my passion"

        

  Daniel Kelly, MD
   Director, Neuro-Endocrine Tumor Center
   John Wayne Cancer Institute
   Santa Monica, California

Dr. Kelly completed neurosurgical residency training at George Washington University Medical Center in 1993. He joined UCLA and Harbor-UCLA Medical Centers that same year and in 1998 became director of the UCLA Pituitary Tumor and Neuroendocrine Program. Before leaving UCLA in June 2007, he was Professor of Neurosurgery and Vice-Chief of Clinical Affairs for the Division of Neurosurgery and Co-Director of the UCLA Clinical Brain Injury Program. As Director of the newly formed Neuro-Endocrine Tumor Center at the John Wayne Cancer Institute and Saint John’s Health Center, Dr. Kelly will continue to focus his efforts on developing innovative treatments for patients with brain and pituitary tumors and providing fellowship training in minimally invasive intracranial surgery. Dr. Kelly is the author or co-author of over 50 peer-reviewed publications and a dozen book chapters. He is a member of the editorial board of the journal Neurosurgery. He is an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and the Pituitary Society. He is also a member of the recently appointed Pituitary Adenoma Treatment Guidelines Committee of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

 

  Robert Knutzen, MBA
   CEO & Co-Founder of the Pituitary Network Association
   Thousand Oaks, California

For 15 years Robert Knutzen didn't know what was wrong with him. He developed bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, excessive sweating, a Neanderthal brow, and hands that grew so large his rings had to be cut off twice in ten years. Knutzen bounced from doctor to doctor, until he was finally diagnosed with a pituitary tumor. "It broke my heart when my six-year-old daughter looked up at me with her big eyes and said, 'Daddy please don't leave me,'" says Knutzen, fighting back tears. "I made a promise then and there that I would stick around, and I did."

It took 28 weeks of experimental medication at Cedar-Sinai in Los Angeles and neurosurgery to remove the tumor, and it was worth it. Immediately after the operation, Knutzen felt better than he had in more than a decade. He stopped sweating, the pain in his joints disappeared and the swelling in his forehead began to recede. But as his physical symptoms began improving, his anger mounted. After many years of misdiagnoses he had lost his business, estranged his family, and almost lost his life.

A former sailor, soldier, journalist, banker and real-estate broker, Knutzen co-founded the Pituitary Network Association 17 years ago out of sheer frustration over the lack of awareness of pituitary disorders. The international nonprofit organization survives through patient, family, physician and institutional memberships and donations, as well as educational grants. It dedicates itself to providing support and information to pituitary patients, their families and healthcare providers, and pursues, promotes, and funds research on pituitary tumors and related disorders in a sustained and full-time effort to find cures. Sadly, Bob notes that one thing hasn't changed since the PNA was founded; many patients still call the organization with the same complaint. They were diagnosed too late and suffering from irreparable problems and disorders.

"It's often the symptoms that get treated, not the disease. As a result, most pituitary pa¬tients spend years being misdiagnosed as their tumors grow or cause terrible damage," says Knutzen. "Death by pituitary tumor/disease is more common than most realize and knowledge is the best prevention."

In an attempt to raise awareness about pituitary disorders, Knutzen commissioned a meta-analy¬sis of existing research on the prevalence of pituitary disorders and asked scientists at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, and the University of Utah Medical Center to conduct it. Their findings conservatively indicate that one in five people-men, women and children-develop pituitary tumors, an estimated 60 million people in the U.S. and Canada alone.

"There can be little doubt that millions of people would be alive today if there had been more public awareness and education on pituitary disorders," says Knutzen. "Millions more wouldn't have suffered if they'd been diagnosed and treated expediently." Knutzen has been more than able to keep his promise to himself and his daughter. Through the PNA, he has not only saved his own life, but has also provided lifesaving information on treat¬ment facilities and physicians, as well as a place for patients to commiserate with others in similar situations.

"We are trying to save lives," says Knutzen, who has had 52 polyps from his colon removed since his diagnosis and suffers from an enlarged heart and hypogonadism. "We need to reach people before their pituitary tumors become clinically significant, disabling, or deadly."

 

  Sandeep Kunwar, MD
   Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery
   Co-Director UCSF Pituitary Treatment Center
   University of California San Francisco School of Medicine
   San Francisco, California

Dr. Kunwar's clinical interests include adult brain and spinal cord tumors, Gamma Knife® radiosurgery for metastatic and primary brain tumors, and the treatment of pituitary adenomas by minimally invasive endonasal approaches. He has one of the largest pituitary surgical series in the world.

Dr. Kunwar's research includes the development and institution of novel surgical-based therapies for the treatment of malignant gliomas. These strategies utilize tumor-targeted cytocidal proteins delivered through direct intracerebral microinfusion (convection-enhanced delivery), which bypasses the blood-brain barrier. Initial results indicate this to be a safe and effective method for drug delivery with some initial promising results. In the laboratory, in conjunction with Krys Bankiweicz PhD, he is exploring the delivery of other antitumor agents including immunoliposomes (with Dr. John Park) and viral particles into the brain. Studies in rodents and nonhuman primate models are underway in the hope of expanding the ability to selectively target tumor cells and deliver antitumor agents to regions of normal brain infiltrated with tumor.

        

  Melinda Manos
   President / Founder
   Manos Public Relations
   Calabasas, California

Melinda Manos began her career in Hollywood as Administrative Assistant to Hollywood legend Bob Hope. After gaining a broad range of experience at Paramount Pictures, MCA Universal, New World Entertainment and various celebrity offices, she launched her own company. In 1997, Melinda decided to establish her own one-stop marketing company where she could effectively help advance the careers of her clientele, utilizing her widespread Hollywood contacts.

Melinda is entering her 11th year as president of Manos Public Relations. Her clients include a variety of high-profile companies, products and personalities. Manos Public Relations continues to expand its scope in all forms of media, advertising, product launches and event planning while providing the hands-on attention of a boutique agency. Recently described by a client as a "powerhouse in a velvet glove", Melinda is passionate about building relationships with her clients and the media.

 

  Daniel Prevedello, MD
   University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
   Department of Neurological Surgery

Daniel M. Prevedello, MD, is an assistant professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the training program director of the center for skull base surgery. He is also the associate director of exovascular surgery and the director of the neuroanatomy laboratory. Dr. Prevedello’s specialty is minimally invasive endoscopic surgery for vascular, skull base, and pituitary disorders. He received his medical degree and completed his residency in neurological surgery in Brazil. Dr. Prevedello completed a clinical fellowship in neuroendocrine and pituitary surgery at the University of Virginia and also completed a clinical fellowship in minimally invasive skull base surgery at UPMC. Dr. Prevedello is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Brazilian Society of Neurosurgery, the Latin American Federation of Societies of Neurological Surgery, and the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies. He has published numerous academic articles on endoscopic skull base surgeries.

 

  Linda M. Rio, MA, MFT
   Private Practice, New Beginnings Counseling Center
   Camarillo, California
   Graduate-level Instructor, California Lutheran University
   Thousand Oaks, California

Linda Rio is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in practice at New Beginnings Counseling Center in Ventura County, CA. Linda specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents in addition to working with adults and families. She teaches and lectures on a variety of subjects including the effect of hormonal disturbances on emotions, personal and family relationships.

Linda currently serves as president-elect of the California Division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT-CA). Linda co-authored with her daughter, Tara, The Anorexia Diaries: "A Mother and Daughter’s Triumph over Teenage Eating Disorders" which has been distributed throughout the U.S., the United Kingdom, and translated into Portuguese for distribution in Brazil. Linda’s publishing history includes numerous articles for professionals as well as magazine and newsletter articles for the general public.

 

  Alan D. Rogol, M.D., Ph.D.
   Secretary, Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society
   Professor of Pediatrics
   Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology/Diabetes
   University of Virginia Health System
   Charlottesville, VA

Alan D Rogol, MD, PhD, is Secretary of the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society. Since 2002 he has also been a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Virginia and President of ODR Consulting, working with major pharmaceutical companies for rug safety issues and the design of studies involving children and adolescents. Beginning in January, 2008 he has in addition taken a part time position teaching pediatric endocrinology at Riley Children's Hospital, Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He began his academic career at the University of Virginia and over the next 25 years rose to the rank of Professor and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology. He has given lectures at any venues around the world and has published more than 250 peerreviewed articles and more than 150 book chapters and review articles. He has edited books related to growth and to the endocrinology of athletic endeavors. Dr Rogol is a fellow of the American cademy of Pediatrics and the American College of Sports Medicine and has served as a member of many committees. In addition, he is a member of the Endocrine Society and the American Pediatric Society. He obtained both his MD and PhD (physiology) degrees at Duke University. He completed a pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins and a fellowship in endocrinology at the Clinical Endocrinology Branch of National Institutes of Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH-NIDDKD).

 

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