Our Team
Our team is made up of people, like you, who are passionate about funding cancer research. With decades of combined experience, we are moving things forward, one story at a time.
Peter Garrett
Executive Director
Peter Garrett is a nationally recognized leader in health and cancer communications who has dedicated his career to ensuring science serves patients and the public. He began as an HIV/AIDS activist in the 1980s and went on to lead transformative public health campaigns at HHS and the National Cancer Institute. As Patient Action for Cancer Research’s executive director, he brings his passion for patients and urgency to mobilizing patients, caregivers, and advocates.
Elena Garcia
Operations Manager
Elena Garcia is an experienced relationship builder, project manager, and communicator at mission-driven organizations. A DC native, Elena has worked in fundraising, event planning, education, and board management in the region for the past 10 years. She has a MA in Literary and Cultural Studies from Carnegie Mellon University.
Jim Healy
Communications & Public Relations
Jim Healy is an experienced communications leader with strategic communications experience in support of a range of healthcare organizations including AAMC, AARP, the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare and a range of academic medical research centers. In addition to his work with Patient Action for Cancer Research, Jim serves as founder and principal of Alluvus, a ten-year-old integrated marketing agency.
We’re here to shape the future of cancer research funding
Patient Action for Cancer Research was founded to bring together patients, caregivers, and researchers to defend the science that saves lives. We work to protect federal science policy and funding wherever cancer research happens, across every agency that fuels discovery.
We are committed to working in partnership with patients and the research community. We work with the people most affected by federal decisions to champion policies that accelerate discovery and protect access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and clinical trials. Our mission is clear and urgent: keep life-saving cancer research moving forward so patients and families are never forced to wait for progress.
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