Team

Dr. Larissa Nekhlyudov is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is a practicing internist at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. She is Clinical Director, Internal Medicine for Cancer Survivors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where she offers clinical care for long-term survivors of childhood and adult cancers. Dr. Nekhlyudov is particularly interested in improving the care of cancer survivors and the interplay between primary and oncology care. She has been at the forefront of the field of cancer survivorship, nationally and internationally, by leading and participating in the development of survivorship care policies and clinical guidelines, educational programs, and research. Throughout her career, Dr. Nekhlyudov has been committed to educating and empowering cancer survivors and their caregivers.

After graduating from Williams College in 1978 with degrees in Biology and Russian, Maria spent a year teaching English in Kurume, Japan. She went on to receive her J.D. from Harvard Law School and embarked on a legal career in New York City.

One year into her career, at age 27, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After undergoing a splenectomy, she was treated with mantle and abdominal radiation. She resumed her legal career and retired fourteen years later when her son was born.

Maria has experienced numerous late effects and is grateful to be a long-term survivor. She lives with her husband in Rye, NY where she continues to study Russian and is active in environmental advocacy.

Beth was diagnosed with HL in her senior year of high school in North Carolina and was treated with surgery and radiation. Shortly, thereafter, she started her education at Duke University, ultimately majoring in public policy with a concentration in health policy. After a short stint working on Capitol Hill, she returned to Duke for a law degree. After graduation, Beth worked in commercial litigation at Simpson Thacher & Barlett in NYC and later at the Taft firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. Beth encountered many of the long-term side effects of radiation treatment along the way, including a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2007. Shortly thereafter, Beth started working on developing a cancer survivorship program at the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center, along with serving on the boards of many Cincinnati non-profits and serving as chair of the board of trustees of The Seven Hills School, a pre-K- 12 independent school in Cincinnati.

I have been shaped by my cancer survivorship since the age of 17. My experience of surviving the challenges engendered by facing life threatening illness, have served to form the foundation for the adult Woman, Mother, and Lawyer I have become and remain faithful to.

As an accomplished, experienced litigator who, after practicing law as both a Criminal Defense attorney in Manhattan, and then a Deputy County Attorney, I returned to Law School to pursue a Masters degree in Family Law (LL.M) degree, while raising my then 8 year old daughter, as a single mom. I feel the fortitude and determination that has helped guide me emanates from the life lessons dealing with multiple cancer diagnosis have given to me. We are so much more than our medical charts reveal.

I share a beautiful home and life with my life partner, David, who will be the first person to say that he has only known me as a survivor, after we met while attending the University of Rochester, where I transferred after being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Dr. Samantha Siegel is an onco-pcp and survivorship physician at Kaiser Permanente. She has survived relapsed/refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma, including an autologous bone marrow transplant in June 2022. This has made her passionate integrative oncology, AYA survivorship, longterm toxicities, returning to work after cancer and more. Dr. Siegel is the cofounder of PCP-ONC CARES program, a longitudinal cancer survivorship care model beginning at diagnosis and she serves as the current director of Cancer Survivorship for Kaiser San Francisco. She is the host of AIM at Melanoma’s supportive cancer care podcast, “Beyond the Clinic.” Dr. Siegel is focused on elevating cancer survivorship to a distinct board certification status. She lives in Davis with her husband, three kids and energetic dog. They enjoy outdoor activities and plant-based living.

Raised on Long Island’s North Shore, Robert earned his economics degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  Following his graduation, he embarked on a successful career in residential mortgage banking, spanning over three decades. He is married to his college sweetheart, Melissa, and together they raised two children on Long Island. Inspired by Melissa’s experience as a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor who developed late-stage complications, including right-side heart failure, Robert is now dedicated to raising awareness about long-term survivorship issues among patients and healthcare professionals to promote proactive care.

Sophia was diagnosed with HL as a teenager in 1975 and treated with MOPP/ABVD and radiation at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital. She has experienced a variety of late effects including breast cancer diagnosis in 1996. Following this second cancer diagnosis, Sophia left a successful career in information technology at IBM to pursue her MSW and PhD in social work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She is an Associate Professor at the Duke School of Nursing where she teaches and conducts research that blends her love for technology with a passion for helping others.

In 1989, at the age of 24, Rachel was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma as she was beginning her career as an Optical Engineer. Treated with mantle radiotherapy and chemotherapy, she has since experienced several long-term effects such as breast cancer and radiation fibrosis. Throughout her career, Rachel has worn many hats, including working as a technical project manager and starting her own business in 2002 as a muralist, furniture refinisher, and painting teacher. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and enjoys connecting in person with her fellow survivors.

As a creative professional with 20+ years experience, Briana strives to design in a manner that makes information easy to find, understand, and digest. Her expertise has been helping support Hodgkin’s International in their mission to make hard to find, up-to-date information accessible – specifically with her work on the website. Briana owns a small design studio outside of Boston.

Rachel Mihalko is the director of social media at Hodgkin’s International and a freelance media specialist offering services in social media, proofreading, and graphic design. She is also a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor who loves theatre, writing poetry, and crafting of all sorts. Reading has fueled her passion for digital and written storytelling, and you will rarely find her without a book on hand.