National Conference Speaker Listing

Below, learn more about the speakers presenting at the 2026 National Conference on Work & Cancer.

Alan Astrow, MD, FACP

Alan Astrow is Chief of the Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology at New York–Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he focuses on the care and medical treatment of breast and gynecological cancers. He is also Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Dr. Astrow has a long-standing interest in improving communication between doctor and patient. At NY–PBMH he is working with the medical center leadership to develop a clinical cancer center in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine and to make available the full range of Weill Cornell cancer program clinical trials.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Yale University, Dr. Astrow obtained his MD from the Yale School of Medicine. He did his internal residency at Boston City Hospital and his fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at NYU Medical Center.

Dr. Astrow has received several awards and is included in New York Magazine’s list of Best Doctors in New York and the Castle Connolly Guide to Top Doctors New York Metro Region. He serves the editorial advisory board for the Art of Oncology section of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and on the advisory board for the annual Conference on Medicine and Religion.

Rachel Becker, LMSW

Rachel has spent the last decade with Cancer and Careers. As Deputy Director, her responsibilities include oversight of Cancer and Careers’ 12 accredited webinars. She also provides direct support and referrals to CAC’s diverse audiences; oversees CAC's program team; and works to ensure all programs meet the continuing education accreditation standards of various state and national accrediting bodies. Additionally, Rachel regularly presents on topics related to cancer and work at community-based events and cancer conferences around the country.

Before joining Cancer and Careers, Rachel was Head of Client Services at CarePlanners (cofounded by Dr. Nancy Snyderman), where she designed and implemented a technology-based infrastructure for delivering and monitoring support services. Prior to that, she completed a fellowship in psycho oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and worked in a clinical capacity at the Jewish Child Care Association and New York Methodist Hospital.

Rachel holds a BA from Rutgers University and graduated summa cum laude with an MSW from NYU’s Silver School of Social Work. She is a member of the Association of Oncology Social Workers and a proud recipient of the Zelda Foster Fellowship in Palliative and End-of-Life Care.

Victoria Blinder, MD, MSc

Victoria Blinder, MD, MSc, is a board-certified medical oncologist, dedicated to the treatment of patients with breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Her research focuses on employment disparities during and after treatment for breast cancer, as well as the financial and quality-of-life sequelae of these disparities. Dr. Blinder has conducted qualitative and quantitative research on barriers to return to work among ethnically and socioeconomically diverse breast cancer survivors in NYC and California. She is the principal investigator of Breast Cancer and the Workforce, a large multi-center, prospective, longitudinal study of disparities in employment outcomes among African-American, Chinese, Korean, Latina, and non-Latina white NYC breast cancer survivors, funded by the American Cancer Society. Preliminary data from the nearly completed study led to the development of an NCI-funded intervention, currently in pilot testing, to improve job retention.

Dr. Blinder also serves the larger oncology community through committee work with the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. In addition, she has partnered with other nonprofit and business groups to develop a free, publicly available, employer-targeted intervention to help supervisors in corporations accommodate employees who are cancer survivors (http://workplacetransitions.org/).

Jenny B. Fine

Jenny B. Fine has been Executive Editor, Beauty, for WWD since November 2017. She joined the company in November 2001 as Editor-in-Chief of Beauty Inc. Prior to joining Beauty Inc, Jenny was Editor of Luckymag.com, where she was responsible for overseeing its launch and editorial content. She was previously Director of iVillage.com’s Beauty Channel and Beauty Director at SELF. She began her career in magazine publishing at Fairchild, where she served as Senior Associate Editor of Salon News and Beauty News Editor of Women’s Wear. A native of Louisville, KY, Jenny received a BA in art history and an MA in journalism from New York University.

Gina Jacobson

As one of the founding forces behind Publicis Groupe’s Working with Cancer initiative, Gina creates and oversees the programs associated with delivering against the WWC Pledge. She’s committed to creating a multi-faceted, best-in-class example of supporting employees impacted by cancer—whether directly or as caregivers—through individual and group coaching, training, and community engagement and uses this foundation to encourage other companies to take and activate the pledge.

Gwen Gathers

As Vice President of Benefits at Publicis Groupe, Gwen Gathers brings more than 15 years of experience leading employee benefits strategies for large, complex organizations. She has a deep understanding of how to balance cost management, compliance, and employee well-being, having successfully designed and optimized benefits programs that enhance the employee experience while supporting organizational goals across companies including Publicis Groupe, PIMCO, Kantar, and BNP Paribas.

Gwen is passionate about creating benefits solutions that meet the evolving needs of today's workforce. Her expertise spans benefits strategy and plan design, vendor partnerships, employee communications, wellness initiatives, mergers and acquisitions, and employee relations. Throughout her career, she has focused on building programs that help employees access the resources, flexibility, and support they need to navigate both their work and personal lives.

Known for driving innovation and fostering strong stakeholder collaboration, Gwen is committed to developing benefits programs that support employee well-being while delivering meaningful value for organizations.

Rebecca V. Nellis, MPP

Rebecca V. Nellis, MPP is the Executive Director of Cancer and Careers. Since 2004 she has helped evolve the organization from early concept to national prominence. Rebecca oversees CAC’s programming and fundraising strategies to ensure long-term growth and sustainability. Under her leadership, the organization’s services transform the everyday lives of survivors while promoting lasting, systemic change for tomorrow’s workplace.

Featured in The Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Women’s Health and on the TODAY show, Rebecca is a subject-matter expert on cancer–workplace issues. She travels the country presenting at national conferences, leading hospitals and community events about the intersection of life, work and cancer. She has been an invited speaker for the American Public Health Association, the Association of Oncology Social Workers, the National Business Group on Health and South by Southwest, among others.

Over the years, Rebecca has launched many of Cancer and Careers’ signature programs and services, including the National and Regional Conferences on Work & Cancer, In-Service Trainings for Healthcare Professionals and Financial Assistance and Technology Access Grants. As an active member of the cancer community, she has served on numerous committees and working groups.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University and a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University. Her graduate thesis was entitled “Implications of Cancer Survivorship on Financial Assets, Work Productivity and Employment Circumstances.”

Scott Sinclair

Scott is a Senior Manager of Programs for Cancer and Careers. In his position, Scott oversees communications, including PR, social media and paid awareness efforts. He also manages CAC’s English website as well as the Balancing Work & Cancer Webinars — a 12-part series offering information and resources on targeted topics each month. Scott has been a member of CAC’s Young Professionals Committee since 2018, and regularly worked in a volunteer capacity supporting CAC's program initiatives before signing on as a full time member of the team. Prior to this role, Scott worked at CEW, Inc., where he supported Carlotta Jacobson, President of CEW and Founder of Cancer and Careers.

In a previous life, Scott worked on Broadway for five years on productions such as Kinky Boots and Evita. He earned his BA from Emerson College.

Sissy Silva

As Senior Manager of Programs and Spanish Resources, Sissy Silva manages CAC’s events in Spanish, Resume Review Service and research initiatives. Fluent in Spanish, she also oversees CAC’s library of English and Spanish publications and supports various other programs, events and initiatives.

Sissy received her BA in psychology from Rutgers University in 2014 and went on to work in the field of mental health research at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, before pursuing her MA in Peace, Conflict, and Development Studies from Universitat Jaume I, in Spain, in 2017. As a master’s candidate, she interned at Safe Passage Project and became actively involved in the labor movement, working for the American Federation of Teachers, in Washington D.C.

Raymond Wadlow, MD

Raymond Wadlow, MD, is a gastrointestinal oncologist specializing in pancreatic and gastrointestinal cancers at the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, VA. Dr. Wadlow graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 2000 and he completed internal medicine residency at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. After his mother, the late Virginia state senator Emily Couric, died in 2001 at 54 from pancreatic cancer, Dr. Wadlow chose to pursue hematology-oncology fellowship training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. After seven years as a laboratory-based physician-scientist and gastrointestinal oncologist in Boston, Dr. Wadlow worked for nine years in community practice as part of the U.S. Oncology Network. In his current position, he serves as Division Chief of Hematology and Oncology and co-director of the gastrointestinal oncology research program at Inova Schar Cancer. Dr. Wadlow is also the director of the high-risk pancreatic clinic at the Inova Saville Cancer Screening and Prevention Center, and a principal investigator in the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection (PRECEDE) Consortium. Dr. Wadlow is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and has dedicated his career to improving the lives of patients at risk or diagnosed with pancreatic and other gastrointestinal cancers.

Katie Welch

Currently Head of Brand and Company Communications, US at CHANEL. Formerly the Chief Marketing Officer for Rare Beauty, Katie Welch is a creative thinker and brand storyteller with more than 20 years of marketing experience. An innovative thought leader, Katie has continually pushed the envelope while working with globally respected beauty brands, including Hourglass, Bliss, Elemis, Burt’s Bees and Unilever. Katie has appeared on AMC’s The Pitch, WABC, WNBC, WIX and QVC. She has been quoted in Allure, WWD, Vogue Business, Glossy and more.