Co-Founders

JoAnn Pushkin

JoAnn Pushkin, Executive Director, has coauthored educational courses, articles, grants, and speaks on the topic of breast density and inform efforts. She learned of her own breast density's masking effect on her mammogram after finding a palpable lump which went undetected by mammography several years in a row. Ms. Pushkin's initiative and advocacy served as inspiration for New York State's Breast Density Inform bill, signed into law in July 2012.

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JoAnn Pushkin, Executive Director, has authored/coauthored educational courses, articles, grants, and speaks on the topic of breast density and inform efforts. She learned of her own breast density's masking effect on her mammogram after finding a palpable lump which went undetected by mammography several years in a row. Ms. Pushkin's initiative and advocacy served as inspiration for New York State's Breast Density Inform bill, signed into law in July 2012. On the federal level, Ms. Pushkin led the efforts for both the introduction of the Federal Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act, as well as the FDA’s Mammography Quality Standards Act regulatory amendment consideration, on whose behalf she was invited to testify and organized advocacy efforts to support. She is also cofounder of the advocacy group DENSE (Density Education National Survivors’ Effort) and founder of DENSE NY which work to ensure that women are notified of their own breast density.

Wendie Berg, MD, PhD

Wendie A. Berg, MD, PhD, FACR, FSBI, Chief Scientific Advisor, is Professor of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. Dr. Berg specializes in breast imaging and sees patients at Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Berg writes and co-edits one of the leading textbooks of breast imaging, Diagnostic Imaging: Breast (Amirsys; currently in its third edition) and has authored or coauthored over 120 peer-reviewed research publications on breast imaging.

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Wendie A. Berg, MD, PhD, FACR, FSBI, Chief Scientific Advisor, is Professor of Radiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. Dr. Berg specializes in breast imaging and sees patients at Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Berg writes and co-edits one of the leading textbooks of breast imaging, Diagnostic Imaging: Breast (Amirsys; currently in its third edition) and has authored or coauthored over 120 peer-reviewed research publications on breast imaging. She has been the Principal Investigator of many important research studies in breast imaging, most notably, with support of the Avon Foundation and the National Cancer Institute, the ACRIN 6666 protocol, which evaluated screening ultrasound and screening MRI in women with dense breasts. Dr. Berg has led important research evaluating positron emission mammography and MRI in women with newly diagnosed cancer, and is part of an outstanding team of physicians at UPMC who are evaluating tomosynthesis, fast MRI, contrast-enhanced mammography, and molecular breast imaging approaches to breast imaging.

Europe Team

Athina Vourtsis, MD, PhD

Athina Vourtsis MD, PhD, European Liaison, is a dedicated breast radiologist based in Athens Greece. Dr. Vourtsis is the founder of the Diagnostic Mammography Center and the founding President of the Hellenic Breast Imaging Society. She has authored or coauthored 47 peer-reviewed papers, has coauthored in breast imaging books and has been the Principal Investigator in many research studies. Dr. Vourtsis has presented more than 300 lectures as an invited speaker and over 80 lectures on breast awareness programs.

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Athina Vourtsis MD, PhD, European Liaison, is a dedicated breast radiologist based in Athens Greece. Dr. Vourtsis is the founder of the Diagnostic Mammography Center and the founding President of the Hellenic Breast Imaging Society. She has authored or coauthored 47 peer-reviewed papers, has coauthored in breast imaging books and has been the Principal Investigator in many research studies. Dr. Vourtsis has presented more than 300 lectures as an invited speaker and over 80 lectures on breast awareness programs. Through her career she has actively supported non-profit associations and has received honorary awards for her efforts on the national breast awareness program in Greece called “Alma Zois”. She has special interest in educating healthcare professionals as well as women on the implications of breast density and the necessity of supplemental screening. She is also a member of the DenseBreast-info.org Medical Advisory Board, was instrumental in the development and launch of DB-I/Europe, and additionally serves as European Liaison.

Cheryl Cruwys

Cheryl Cruwys, European Education Coordinator, is British. While living in France, she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2016 and credits the early detection of breast cancer to the French standard practice of performing supplemental screening on dense breast tissue. She works to extend DBI relationships at the European level with patient advocacy and medical societies, attends/presents at key scientific symposiums, and through reach out to international breast imaging experts.

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Cheryl Cruwys, European Education Coordinator, is British. While living in France, she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2016 and credits the early detection of breast cancer to the French standard practice of performing supplemental screening on dense breast tissue. She works to extend DBI relationships at the European level with patient advocacy and medical societies, attends/presents at key scientific symposiums, and through reach out to international breast imaging experts. She is patient representative on the ecancermedicalscience international Editorial Board, member of the European Society of Radiology’s Patient Advisory Group and is an active member of the ESR-PAG social media team and an invited speaker at the annual European Congress for Radiology, Vienna. She is co-founder of Breast Density Matters UK and has been instrumental in the UK Breast Density Education effort for both healthcare professionals and patients to raise awareness about the screening and risk implications of dense breasts. 

Board of Directors

• JoAnn Pushkin, Executive Director, has coauthored educational courses, articles, grants, and speaks on the topic of breast density and inform efforts.
• Laurie Scofield, CPA, CIA, CRMA, Treasurer / Secretary, is an audit and risk management professional, and is also a patient advocate and the Founder of DENSE NJ.
• Wendie Berg, MD, PhD, serves as Chief Scientific Advisor and is Professor of Radiology at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine/Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.
• Robin Seitzman, PhD, MPH, Director of Education and Epidemiology Research, has over 20 years experience in the design, conduct and analysis of epidemiologic research.
• Sharon Smith, Honorary Board member, provides corporate and industry support.

Medical Advisory Board

• DaCarla M. Albright, MD, FACOG, OB/GYN, Professor, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Wellness, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia PA
• Shusheila Appavoo, MD, FRCPC, Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, University of Alberta, Canada Chair, Patient Engagement Group, Canadian Society of Breast Imaging
• Emily F. Conant, MD, FSBI, Professor and Chief, Division of Breast Imaging, Vice Chair of Faculty Development, Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• Stamatia V. Destounis, MD, FACR, FSBI, Attending Radiologist, Elizabeth Wende Breast Care, Professor, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
• Elizabeth Etkin-Kramer, MD, FACOG, OB/GYN, Assistant Professor, Florida International University School of Medicine, Founder Yodeah.org, Miami Beach, FL
• Paula Gordon, OC, OBC, MD, FRCPC, FSBI, Clinical Professor, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada
• Lars Grimm, MD, MHS, FSBI, Associate Professor, Division of Breast Imaging, Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
• Jennifer A. Harvey, MD, FACR, FSBI, Dr. Stanley M. Rogoff & Dr. Raymond Gramiak Professor and Chair, Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
• Regina Hooley, MD, FSBI, Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
• Linda Hovanessian Larsen, MD, Professor and Chief, Division of Breast Imaging, Vice Chair of Professional Development, Department of Radiology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
• Daniel E. Lehrer, MD, DenseBreast-info.org Spanish Language Advisor, Breast Imaging Specialist, Medical Director of CERIM, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Ellen B. Mendelson, MD, MA, FACR, FSBI, FSRU, Professor Emeritus of Radiology (Breast and Women's Imaging), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
• Flavia Sarquis, MD, Chief, Breast Diagnosis and Intervention Department of Diagnóstico Maipú-DASA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Accredited Mastologist by the Argentinian Society of Mastology
• Jean M. Seely, MD, FRCPC, FSBI, Full Professor of Radiology, University of Ottawa. Head of Breast Imaging Section, The Ottawa Hospital, Ontario, Canada
• Athina Vourtsis, MD, PhD, DenseBreast-info.org European Liaison, Director and Founder of Diagnostic Mammography Center, Athens, Greece

Education, Program Administration

• Cheryl Cruwys, European Education Coordinator, works to extend DBI relationships at the European level with patient advocacy and medical societies, through reach out to international breast imaging experts, and attends/presents at key scientific symposiums. She has been instrumental in breast density education in the United Kingdom.
• Amy Pettis, Programs Administrator, has a Master of Public and Nonprofit Administration degree, with Certification in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership.

Patient Advisory Group

• Kim Armstrong, a print/digital media marketing manager, first visited the website when seeking accurate information about breast imaging insurance coverage. She was impressed by the wealth and depth of information available and the ease of quickly finding the answers. She is passionate about women’s wellness and empowerment and shares her input to advance those goals.
• Patti Beyer, is an educator, breast cancer survivor and the lead advocate for the Illinois “inform” law. She discovered the website when researching her own diagnosis and appreciated that it was medically-sourced and direct about giving answers to women. She continues her work with DBI as she feels women must come together and assist in every way they can with all things that affect women’s lives.
• Katherine H. Friedman, has a background in finance. As a high-risk breast cancer patient, she discovered the DBI website when researching a question about insurance coverage and is grateful for the depth and breadth of website content. That the website is medically sourced and clearly fueled by a “huge amount of brainpower” motivates her to lend her own support to improve outcomes for patients.
• Diana King, is a patient advocate who discovered that her later-stage breast cancer was missed on a mammogram due to her breast density. She became aware of DenseBreast-info.org/Europe through fellow patient advocates. She finds the wealth of trustworthy information on the website invaluable and shares her experience and expertise to help DBI inform, educate and empower women for better outcomes.

With Gratitude

• Cindy Henke-Sarmento, RT(R)(M)(BA), DenseBreast-info.org website designer, Co-Founder and former Technology Director