Dr. Maricelly Santiago Ortiz, a young Puerto Rican scientist and health communicator, brings 24 years of experience in research, teaching, and cancer care. With degrees in Industrial Microbiology and Biology, and a specialization in Oncology and chronic disease, she has worked in academia, the pharmaceutical industry, and community outreach. Dr. Santiago has led numerous oncology projects, served on executive committees, and received over 30 awards. She is a prominent health communicator in Puerto Rico, the US, and Latin America, advocating for cancer education and community outreach. Recently, she joined a pioneering Educational Program in Hispanic Oncology, becoming the first Puerto Rican member, and collaborates with Telemundo Nacional. Dr. Santiago's passion lies in translating scientific efforts into community outreach, exemplified by her role as the founder and Executive Director of Jaque Mate Contra el Cancer, a non-profit in Puerto Rico dedicated to supporting cancer patients. Her motto: bet on the survival of cancer patients.

Dr. Gabriela Lemus is a passionate advocate for the Latin community at the intersection of social justice and economic growth. Her career spans more than 20 years in senior strategic leadership roles in congressional and government affairs, non-profit management, policy advocacy and community/civic engagement. She joined Maryland Latinos Unidos (MLU) as the founding Executive Director in 2020 after launching – Revolution Strategy US - a management and communications strategy consultancy where she advised clients best practices for building multi-racial coalitions and advocacy campaigns, advancing public policy and civic engagement. In her first year as Executive Director of MLU, she co-founded and administered the Mid-Atlantic Latinx Vaccine Equity Coalition (MALVEC), now the Latino Health Equity Alliance (LHEA).

Kelly Umaña, MPH, CCHW, is a seasoned public health professional with nine-plus years of diverse experience spanning public, private, governmental, and non-profit sectors. Ms. Umaña currently works with Maryland Latinos Unidos as a Senior Manager, Operations and Innovation. Specializing in health equity, she has successfully implemented community-based programs across various public health domains such as maternal health, primary care, chronic disease, and COVID-19 to serve the most underserved population. She is also a certified Community Health Worker and is an Advisory Committee Member for the Maryland Department of Health State Community Health Worker Advisory Committee. She is currently completing her Doctorate in Public Health at the George Washington University, Milken School of Public Health.

Nancy Peña, OPN-CG, CMI, BS, serves as Lead Patient Navigator for Gynecologic Oncology clinics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) since 2005. She specializes in assisting high-risk patients and those with abnormal findings, ensuring they access appropriate care and resources. Notably, she developed protocols that significantly reduced clinic no-show rates. Additionally, she is the Director and Founder of Navegación de Pacientes Internacional, Inc. (NPI), which trains patient navigators globally, particularly in Spanish-speaking regions like Guatemala. NPI also organizes the First Patient Navigation Congress in Latin America. Peña is actively engaged in various organizations, including the ACS Federal Cervical Cancer Roundtable Education and Community Engagement, and produces Colores Latinos TV, a television show promoting healthcare awareness in Hispanic communities. She holds a BS in Communications and Journalism from the University of San Carlos de Guatemala and certifications in patient navigation and medical interpreting from US-based organizations.

Olympia Cepeda is a two-time, triple negative breast cancer survivor, diagnosed at 39 years old. Olympia worked with SHARE on and off for many years, first as the program associate for the LatinaSHARE program and as a patient navigator for St. Luke’s Breast Clinic for seven years. Currently she is the LatinaSHARE Manager/Senior Outreach Coordinator. Her present responsibilities include facilitating three Spanish speaking support groups (2 in NY, 1 in NJ); she is also a Helpline facilitator and works closely with outreach coordinator in the Latino community and senior centers throughout NYC. In 2016, she participated in an initiative as a patient navigator with the NYU Bea W. Welters program.
For three years Olympia was a Research Coordinator/Caregivers Interventionist for the Latina Breast Cancer Survivors and Their Caregivers Study sponsored by Georgetown University and funded by PCORI. SHARE was one of four sites in the country involved in the study.
Olympia is a graduate of the Rutgers University School of Public Health where she earned her MPH degree in 2010.

Sandra Morales has been an integral member of the LatinaSHARE Program for over nine years, starting as an Outreach Ambassador providing crucial health, screening and treatment information to at-risk underserved community members.
As a Patient Navigator for the Breast Cancer Surgery Department of a major hospital center in NYC for the past seven years, Sandra helped patients and their families to navigate the complex health system, engaging in Community Outreach and referring patients to outside resources.
Through her work with LatinaSHARE, Sandra has also become involved with the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC). She has participated in educational conferences and graduated from NBCC's premier Science Course, ProjectLEAD. Sandra has also participated in NBCC lobbying efforts, traveling to Washington, DC as a patient advocate to meet with New York Congressional staff.
The American Association for Cancer Research recently recognized Sandra's journey from Cancer Survivor to LatinaSHARE Outreach Ambassador in the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2022. Sandra recently joined SHARE as a Patient Navigator, to assist in creating the Pilot Patient Navigator Program. In this role, she will help build and develop the program in partnership with healthcare partners in order to provide patient-centered care, and improve health outcomes for cancer patients.