MBC Alliance Announces 2023 Leadership

Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Alliance Welcomes New Chair & Vice Chair

The MBC Alliance has welcomed Beth Burnett and Janine Guglielmino to the roles of Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the organization.

The MBC Alliance is a coalition formed in 2013 by metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients and advocates, nonprofit advocacy and research organizations, and pharmaceutical and biotech industry partners who joined together to transform and improve the lives of people living with MBC. 

Independent advocate Beth Burnett, who recently retired as Pfizer Oncology’s Director of Advocacy and Professional Relations, brings a diverse network, extensive relationship management experience, and more than 20 years of experience in oncology to her role as Chair of the Alliance.

“I’m excited to continue supporting the Alliance’s collaborative work to transform and improve the lives of people living with MBC,” says Beth. “As a coalition of nonprofit, patient and industry members, we have worked over the past few years to identify areas of opportunity and set strategic goals that position us to increase our impact. Together, I know we can do even more to ensure that every person impacted by MBC has access to the research, care and resources that can make a difference.”

Beth previously served as the Alliance’s Vice Chair, and was also a member of the organization’s Executive Group for two years as the representative of Pfizer Oncology. She was an active participant on the Alliance’s Information and Awareness Task Forces, and supported special initiatives including strategic planning and the Black Experience of Clinical Trials and Opportunity for Meaningful Engagement (BECOME) project.

As Vice President of Mission Delivery at Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), Janine Guglielmino leads content delivery for the organization’s programs, services, and outreach, and oversees thought leadership initiatives. Serving more than half a million people a year with trusted information and a community of support, LBBC was a founding nonprofit member of the MBC Alliance. LBBC has been a leader in training MBC advocates and in convening the community for its annual Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer, now in its 17th year. Janine has been an integral thought leader in LBBC’s programming and has written extensively on the medical, emotional, and practical concerns of people impacted by breast cancer and has contributed to research on the psychosocial impacts of people with MBC.  

“It’s an honor to continue helping to guide the Alliance’s growth and be part of leveraging the immense talent, knowledge and passion of the members,” says Janine. “I’m inspired by the resilience and dedication of this community, and know that together we can make even greater gains to support those we serve and educate policymakers and the public about the urgent needs of people living with MBC.” 

Janine, who has been an LBBC representative to the Alliance since its founding, served for several years as Co-chair of the Alliance’s Information Task Force. To her new role as Vice Chair, she brings deep knowledge of the organization’s mission and operations, and extensive experience in collaboration, thought leadership, program and service delivery, outreach, and research and evaluation.

The Alliance also welcomed several members to new roles in its 2023 Executive Group. Independent advocate Christine Hodgdon and CancerCare Executive VP/COO Christine Verini co-lead the Alliance’s Research Working Group; while Sue Weldon, CEO and Founder of Unite for HER and independent advocate Stephanie Walker co-lead the Alliance’s Clinical Care Working Group. Finally, Kristin Olson, Senior Director of Patient Advocacy at Seagen Inc., joins Jeanette Meibach, Global Advocacy Lead of Gilead Sciences, as the two Industry Representatives on the Executive Group.

MBC Alliance 2023 Executive Group 

Beth Burnett, Chair
Janine Guglielmino, Vice Chair
Christine Benjamin, Past Chair
Shirley Mertz, Chair Emerita
Christine Hodgdon, Research Working Group Co-lead
Christine Verini, Research Working Group Co-lead
Stephanie Walker, Clinical Care Working Group Co-lead
Sue Weldon, Clinical Care Working Group Co-lead
Jeanette Meibach, Industry Representative
Kristin Olson, Industry Representative
Deborah Collyar, Member-at-large
Margaret Flowers, Member-at-large
Stacy Lewis, Member-at-large
Caroline Johnson,  Member-at-large
Teri Pollastro,  Member-at-large
Lynda Weatherby,  Member-at-large