Thank you to Novartis for sponsoring our Educational Panel in New York City!

Through honest dialogue and lived experience, we aim to deepen understanding and expand the public narrative around survivorship through this years educational panel.

Survivorship is often seen as a return to “normal.” In reality, it is a complex and deeply personal chapter. Life after treatment can include physical recovery, long-term side effects, identity shifts, emotional healing, and ongoing medical care. For many, it also includes navigating the persistent and very real fear — and risk — of recurrence. For members of the metastatic community, survivorship looks different still: living, thriving, and redefining stability while in continuous treatment.

Meet our Expert Panelists:

Dr. Allison Applebaum

Dr. Allison Applebaum trained with the Joffrey and Boston Ballet before earning her doctorate in clinical psychology. Today she directs the Steven S. Elbaum Family Center for Caregiving at Mount Sinai and has published over 100 works on cancer caregiving, including her book Stand By Me (Simon Element, 2024). In 2021, she returned to dance and hasn't stopped since.

Andrea Chinedu Nwoke

Andrea Nwoke is CEO of Full Voice, a keynote speaker, and an operatic soprano whose work spans concert stages and Fortune 500 boardrooms. With over a decade supporting leaders across industries, she helps people show up with clarity, confidence, and authenticity — rooted in the belief that voice, both literal and metaphorical, is a powerful pathway to healing, expression, and transformation. She is also a breast cancer survivor.

Dr. Sherry Shen

Dr. Sherry Shen is a medical oncologist and clinical investigator at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she co-directs one of the country's first dedicated programs for invasive lobular carcinoma. Her research focuses on improving treatment and quality of life for patients with hormone receptor-positive and metastatic breast cancer through immunotherapy and targeted therapies.

Sarrah Strimel Bentley

Sarrah is a breast cancer survivor, motivational speaker, and mother via surrogacy who turned her journey into advocacy. She co-founded A Chance For Life, funding surrogacy journeys for survivors who can't afford them, and has partnered with GMA, Dateline, Bloomingdale's, and Eli Lilly on breast cancer initiatives. She sits on the advisory boards of BeSound Breast, Radical Health AI, and Let’s Talk Well Women’s Health. She has appeared in seven Broadway shows and launched two successful yoga brands throughout her career. Her greatest role: mom to Chance.

Thank you to Novartis for sponsoring our Educational Panel on the Reality of Survivorship.

Learn more about Novartis at https://www.novartis.com/us-en/about/therapeutic-areas/oncology.