News & Events

Phyllis L. Rodgers

Founder & CEO, Peer Plus

Phyllis L. Rodgers is the Founder and CEO of Peer Plus Education and Training Advocates, a registered 501(C)(3) in Illinois. Since its inception in 2002, Peer Plus has engaged 4,500+ participants through community events, seminars hosted by various medical providers and clinical staff, as well as health fairs, screenings and educational programs. As a nonprofit, Peer Plus is financially supported through fundraising, donations and philanthropic giving.

Her vast experience as a community and patient advocate laid the foundation for Peer Plus. A cancer survivor, she has committed her talents to change patient experiences and to create much-needed conversations and outcomes. 

Callisia N. Clarke, MD, MS, FACS, FSSO

Douglas B. Evans Endowed Chair for Surgical Research
Division Chief of Surgical Oncology
Assistant Director of Clinical Research, Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center
Associate Professor of Surgery
Medical College of Wisconsin

Callisia Clarke, MD, MS, FACS, FFSO, specializes in Surgical Oncology with a focus on tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract, sarcomas, melanomas and regional therapies for advanced malignancies.

Her research interests are centered on personalized cancer care and targeted approaches in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Christina Bailey, MD, MSCI, FACS

Associate Professor of Surgery
Program Director, General Surgery Residency
Division of Surgical Oncology & Endocrine Surgery
Department of Surgery
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Christina Bailey, MD, MSCI, FACS is interested in primary gastrointestinal malignancies, including gastric cancer, small bowel cancer, colorectal cancer, sarcoma, and neuroendocrine tumors. Her research focus is disparities in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes regarding age, socioeconomic status, and race, as well as quality of life after cancer treatment.

Andrew Hung, MD

Vice Chair for Academic Development
Department of Urology
Associate Professor of Urology
Associate Professor Computational Biomedicine
University of Southern California
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Andrew Hung, MD, is a surgeon-scientist who specializes in robotic surgery for diseases of the kidney and prostate. He is internationally recognized as a leader in the development of innovative surgical simulation and assessment technologies. Supported by both industry grants and the National Institutes of Health, he has also become a leading innovator in the development of automated performance metrics for robotic surgery. His collaboration with data scientists at USC and Caltech has harnessed deep learning algorithms to better predict robotic surgical outcomes and automate surgeon skills assessment.

He has produced over 200 papers on surgical assessment and training in leading journals, including Nature Biomedical Engineering, JAMA Surgery and the Journal of Urology.

12:05 – 12:12 p.m.

Introduction of Previvor to Survivor Initiatives in the Cancer Center

VK Gadi, MD, PhD
Deputy Director, University of Illinois Cancer Center

Medical Oncologist, UI Health

12:12 – 12:15 p.m.

Introduction of Program and Speakers

Oana Danciu, MD
Associate Director, Clinical Research, University of Illinois Cancer Center

Medical Oncologist, UI Health

12:15 –  12:50 p.m.

"Thriving One Day at a Time”

Phyllis Rodgers, Founder & CEO
Peer Plus Education and Training Advocates 'Aware with Care'
The 'Bridge to Support, Services, and Resources'

Q&A (10 minutes)

12:50 – 1:40 p.m.

"Closing the Gap: Advancing Equitable Cancer Care"

Callisia N. Clarke, MD, MS, FACS, FSSO
Douglas B. Evans Endowed Chair for Surgical Research
Division Chief of Surgical Oncology
Assistant Director of Clinical Research, Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center
Associate Professor of Surgery
Medical College of Wisconsin

Q&A (10 minutes)

1:40 – 2:30 p.m.

“Young Patients, Old Disease: Rethinking Colorectal Cancer in 2025”

Christina Bailey, MD, MSCI, FACS
Associate Professor of Surgery
Program Director, General Surgery Residency
Division of Surgical Oncology & Endocrine Surgery
Department of Surgery
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Q&A (10 minutes)

2:30 – 3:20 p.m.

"Automation of Surgical Skills Assessment with AI”

Andrew Hung, MD
Vice Chair for Academic Development
Department of Urology
Associate Professor of Urology
Associate Professor Computational Biomedicine
University of Southern California
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Q&A (10 minutes)

3:20 – 3:50 p.m.

Panel Discussion

VK Gadi, MD, PhD, Moderator

Symposium speakers will offer collective insight and answer further questions from attendees.

3:50 – 4 p.m.

Closing Remarks

Jan Kitajewski, PhD