Cancer center announces new community outreach leaders

The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center Office of Community Outreach and Engagement is announcing that several individuals have assumed new leadership roles within the office.

“We want people to recognize that COE is taking a lead in developing and implementing cancer education and screening events in collaboration with other entities within Nebraska Medicine and UNMC,” said Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, PhD, associate director of the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement.

Keyonna King, DrPH, associate professor in the department of health promotion in the UNMC College of Public Health and the director for community engagement and outreach for the Great Plains IDeA-CTR Network, has joined the team as the assistant director of community-engaged research. Her role within the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement will be dedicated to promoting and facilitating community-engaged research initiatives within the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, with a focus on enhancing collaboration, communication and mutual benefits between researchers and community stakeholders.

Patrick Maloney, PhD, holds a joint appointment as an assistant professor in the UNMC College of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and as a senior epidemiologist at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. He has been appointed the assistant director of data analytics. As the lead of the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement Data Analytic Unit, he will play a pivotal role in advancing the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center’s mission to combat cancer through data-driven insights and strategies.

Juan Santamaria, MD, is a surgical oncologist and assistant professor in the UNMC Division of Surgical Oncology. He also is the director and co-founder of the Nebraska Breast Health Navigation Program. He has joined the team as the assistant director of clinical integration. Dr. Santamaria will play a crucial role in working with the clinical trial program to increase the overall accrual and diversity of clinical trial patients.

Rachael Schmidt, DNP, is the survivorship and cancer risk and prevention program director with Nebraska Medicine. She has become the assistant director of health promotion and screening. As the leader of the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement Health Promotion Unit, she will play a critical role in leading efforts to promote cancer prevention, early detection and screening initiatives within the communities served by the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.

Joann Sweasy, PhD, director of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, said, “All of these individuals have a passion for community. They are all key players in implementing educational programs, cancer screenings and building and fostering community partnerships. I am grateful to them for their willingness to step into these roles and look forward to working with all of them.”