Directors
Samantha J. Scolamiero, President & Founding Director, is an epidermoid brain tumor survivor from
Cambridge, Massachusetts. She earned her “PHD” –patient helping doctors—degree during a colloquium she co-organized at the American Medical
Informatics Association in the mid 1990s. Through her active patient advocacy she has been invited to teach at conferences across the U.S. and has
also taught at M.I.T., Boston University, Harvard Medical School, and University of Vermont Medical School. She has also served at the National
Institutes of Health, as a Federal Appointee to the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research.
Personal Statement: There is too
much that I want to say in this small space. For now, let the fact that The Healing Exchange BRAIN TRUST has come into being speak for itself. ONWARD!!!
George Hunter, B.S.B.A., Director, is the father of Stacia Jennifer Hunter, who was diagnosed in April 1997 with a glioblastoma tumor. George became a self-educated health care advocate for his daughter and used the Internet to understand and seek advanced treatments. He joined the BRAINTMR List in March 1998 and soon became active in supporting patients and caregivers. Stacia lived for 26 months and was overcome by her tumor in May 1999.
George has worked in Production Control and Business Planning in the semiconductor industry for over 30 years. He currently is a Senior Manager for ST Microelectronics, in San Jose, California.
Matthew Fullerton,
B.S.B.A., Director, is a glioblastoma multiforme
brain tumor survivor from Wichita, Kansas. Diagnosed
at age 17, Matthew has been a patient advocate for nearly
twenty years. Matthew has a passion for individuals
affected by brain tumors and/or epilepsy.
Personal Statement: For ten years I have seen our
on-line groups draw people together in the ordeal of
a brain tumor. The knowledge that you are not alone
is so powerful; it gives a person hope often when there
was none before. Until a cure is found, advocacy is
the key to ensure that those affected by these disorders
have the full range of treatment options available to
them. Keep On Keepin' On (KOKO!!)
David M. Bailey,
Director, is a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor survivor
from Earlysville, Virginia. He is a Performing Songwriter
with experience as a software-marketing manager prior
to his diagnosis.
In David’s words: "The BRAINTMR List helped
save my life. It's a light in the darkness, a compass
in the wilderness, and a warm companion on a very long
journey. I'm thrilled to join the board of the BRAIN
TRUST, pioneers of hope and my personal heroes.”
Alice Brown,
M.D., Ph.D., MMSci.,
Director, is a neuro-oncologist who received her training
at Brigham and Womens Hospital and the Pappas Center
for Neuro-Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital
in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a physician-scientist
who does translational research on malignant glioma
and CNS lymphoma tumors, and has received a patent for
a stem cell-based treatment strategy for glioblastoma.
She is also devoted to advancing the care and concerns
of patients with brain tumors, serves as a Study Section
member at the National Cancer Institute, and is an Instructor
in Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
Scott Brown,
M.P.H., Director, has
a long standing interest in how individuals and groups
use new technologies to promote, improve, and maintain
health. Scott is past-chair of the Consumer Health Informatics
Working Group in the American Medical Informatics Association
and has been a member of the working group since 1995.
Scott developed the Web’s first student health
information website for Duke University in 1995 while
earning a master’s degree from the School of Public
Health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel
Hill.
