Roxane Beharry is interning at the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD), where she is acting as an integral member of the Communication and Dissemination team to plan and implement strategic images and information about CRCHD and its supported programs. Roxane’s main projects include reviewing major reports, papers, guidelines, information, products, and programs, including research programs developed or supported by CRCHD, extracting information pertinent to the Center, and providing succinct reviews and suggestions of how these materials can be used by the Center. Roxane is working towards her Master of Public Health in Community Health Education at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Email Roxane at beharryr@mail.nih.gov.

Alissa D’Amelio is interning in the Public Affairs Branch within the Office of Communications and Education (OCE) where she will be assisting on various projects including raising awareness and disseminating information and materials across OCE, NCI and other audiences; the implementation and evaluation of the NCI Exhibit Program, which represents NCI at conferences throughout the year; crafting, implementing, and evaluating communication dissemination plans; assisting with the NCI Event-Cal, a weekly electronic newsletter; assisting with the OCE Communications Activities Report and assisting with event planning. Currently, Alissa is working on her graduate degree in Health Communication from George Mason University where she also serves as a teaching and research assistant. Alissa received her Bachelor of Arts in Public and Mass Communication from The College of New Jersey. Email Alissa at damelioa@mail.nih.gov.

Melanee Dulfon is interning for the Office of the Associate Director in the Behavioral Research Program (BRP) within the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences. As part of her training, she will be working with the BRP’s senior communication staff on various projects within the Program. For example, Melanee will be assisting with a content analysis of media depiction of HPV. She will also be developing a project to examine knowledge and attitudes among rural populations regarding HPV, utilizing nationally-representative data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 2003 and HINTS 2005). Melanee is a Master of Public Health candidate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Program. After receiving her Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Promotion from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, Melanee worked at the Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas as a Women’s Health Outreach Coordinator for the rural counties of Nevada. Her main responsibility in that position was to work with women in the rural and underserved communities to address their cancer-related needs and issues, especially in obtaining access to cancer screenings and treatments. While attending UNLV, she has been a Graduate Assistant and working with the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine, on the Outreach and Education for the Nevada Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (NV RESEP). As part of her efforts, she outreached to Nevada’s “downwind” communities to provide education regarding no-cost medical screenings and compensation for those who qualify, based on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act of 1990 and 2000. Melanee’s rural-health experience contributed to her appreciation of the importance in utilizing community-based support and methods for the most effective outreach. She has a particular interest in working with research regarding the health needs of rural and underserved populations, and in the areas of environmentally-related cancers. E-mail Melanee at dulfonm@mail.nih.gov.

Andrea Fletcher is interning with the Communications Strategy and Program Branch (CSPB) within the NCI’s Office of Communications and Education (OCE). During her time at NCI she will be involved in both planning and implementing effective and timely communications activities designed to improve public health knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Her work on various projects will support the mission of the NCI by educating both the cancer community and the general public about the most current cancer research and programs. Andrea received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising and Public Relations from The Pennsylvania State University’s College of Communications in 2004. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Health Communications at Tufts University’s School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. E-mail Andrea at fletcheran@mail.nih.gov.

Steve Graff is interning in the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine, where he serves as part of the Communications and Outreach Program. The communications program focuses on disseminating information about NCI program initiatives, funding opportunities, clinical trials, and educational materials via the OCCAM Web site. Steve also contributes to the planning, writing and editing of OCCAM publications, newsletters and other correspondence, as well as coordination of OCCAM sponsored conferences. Steve received his Bachelor of Science in biology from York College of Pennsylvania, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Art in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. E-mail Steve at graffs@mail.nih.gov.

Shelly Porcellino is the current intern for the President's Cancer Panel (PCP), where she is assisting with the production and distribution of the 2006-2007 annual PCP report on reducing cancer risk through promotion of healthy lifestyles. Shelly also is involved in preliminary research and concept development for the 2007-2008 Panel meeting series. Throughout the internship, Shelly will attend various public health conferences, gathering information relevant to the PCP reports and meeting series. In addition, she is responsible for monitoring related legislative activity and scientific developments and disseminating the information to the contract support team. As an undergraduate, Shelly majored in Biology and Psychology at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, where she also participated in a research project to develop an animal model of a treatment for epilepsy. Shelly then pursued her graduate work in Technical and Scientific Communication with a concentration in Health Communication at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. As a graduate assistant at Miami University, she had the opportunity to independently teach two sections of Introduction to Technical Communication to undergraduate science majors. Email Shelly at porcellm@mail.nih.gov.

Jessica Pyjas is an Advocacy Program Fellow in the Office of Liaison Activities (OLA) where she focuses on the Advocacy Outreach Program. Her projects include communication and outreach efforts to various advocacy organizations composing the NCI Nealon Digest, as well as the development of an online database of cancer advocacy organizations. Prior to her time at NCI, Jessica worked as a graduate assistant for the Point 4 the Future: College Campus Folic Acid Campaign at The University of North Carolina Greensboro. While working on the Point 4 the Future Campaign, Jessica traveled to various colleges and universities throughout the state of North Carolina to educate college students on the importance of folic acid in the prevention of neural tube defects in babies and its role in maintaining overall health. During her time as a graduate student, Jessica also assisted professors with conducting research in the areas of adolescent risky behavior and the integration of men into family planning clinics. Jessica has served as a Community Ambassador for the March of Dimes and has volunteered her time at the Healthy Beginnings Program to help reduce infant mortality. Jessica graduated cum laude from The University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2004 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Community Health and will receive her Masters Degree in Public Health from The University of North Carolina Greensboro in May of 2007.
Email: pyjasjes@mail.nih.gov
Telephone: (301) 594-9896

Jennifer Sponsler is interning in the Office of the Director/Research Dissemination and Diffusion within the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS). Jennifer's position helps NCI promote evidence-based cancer control research and interventions. She is involved in several projects including the development and usablility testing of Cancer Control P.L.A.N.E.T., a web-based resource for cancer control planners, program staff and researchers, providing Cancer Control P.L.A.N.E.T. trainings for health professionals at scientific conferences, updating the Dissemination and Diffusion website, and attending various professional meetings and training seminars. Jennifer is currently pursing her Master of Public Health degree at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Women's Studies at the George Washington University. E-mail Jennifer at sponslerj@mail.nih.gov.

Leyda Su Ham is interning in the Surveillance Research Program (SRP) within the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS). During her internship with SRP, Leyda will engage in various health promotion activities, particularly in cancer surveillance communication. She will be involved with the initiation, development, and production of a variety of media, including program newsletters, lay publications, governmental web sites, web publications, reports, and monographs. In addition, Leyda plans to utilize her background and interest in cancer data research to initiate and collaborate with SRP in statistical analysis of these data. She will also focus on dissemination of research results to the various SRP audiences. Leyda has been dually enrolled at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) College of Osteopathic Medicine and Master in Public Health Program. She recently graduated with her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine medical degree and is currently completing final course work for her Master in Public Health degree. Her previous experiences include interning at the Caridad Health Center in Boynton Beach, Florida and working as a graduate research assistant at NSU Institute for Child Health Policy, where she was involved in various activities focusing on preventive medicine and health promotion. Leyda also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and Master in Business Administration degree from NSU Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences and H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship, respectively. E-mail Leyda at suhaml@mail.nih.gov.