Our Team
Worth the Wait Trustees
Worth the Wait Advisory Committee
Kara Bendle, Co-Director, Integrative Program for Young People with Cancer (Committee Member)
Amy Colver, Oncology Social Worker and Manager of Health Information and Publications (Committee Member)
Amy Colver, MSSA, MA, LISW, OSW-C, is an oncology social worker with more than fifteen years of experience in cancer care. She currently serves as a Manager of Health Information and Publications at Susan G. Komen, where she develops patient-centered resources and delivers evidence-based information to patients, caregivers, health care providers and the public. Amy has served patients as their loved ones as a clinician, managed psychosocial oncology services across multiple sites, mentored social workers and contributed her writing to national platforms. In addition, she is involved with the Association of Oncology Social Work through her role as Editor-in-Chief of their quarterly newsletter, AOSW Connections.
Guided by a deep personal and professional commitment to those impacted by cancer, she brings both expertise and heart to her work, which spans education, clinical care, mentorship, and professional writing, reflecting her passion for supporting patients and families and strengthening the social work profession. Amy is honored to be a part of Worth the Wait’s advisory committee. Outside of the cancer space, she spends time exploring and enjoying her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio with her husband, son and chocolate lab.
Dana Mack, Development Executive (Special Advisor)
Dana Mack is the Senior Director of Development at The Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center and Health Sciences Colleges Advancement. Dana has thrived in significant fundraising roles across the university, including the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, WOSU, and the Wexner Medical Center. She is highly respected for her expertise in working with corporate, foundation, and individual donors. As a special fundraising advisor Dana helps Worth the Wait grow its mission by providing her skills as an advisor and partner on projects.
Dr. Leena Nahata, Medical Director of the Fertility and Reproductive Health Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Special Medical Advisor)
Leena Nahata, MD, is a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist, associate professor of Clinical Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and founder and medical director of the Fertility and Reproductive Health Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. As an NIH-funded Principal Investigator in the Center for Biobehavioral Health at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute, she is leading and collaborating on several clinical research studies focused on improving reproductive and psychosocial outcomes in pediatric populations at risk for infertility. She also contributes to fertility guidelines through multiple national and international organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatric Initiative Network of the Oncofertility Consortium, Children’s Oncology Group, PanCareLIFE, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health.
Lesley Northrop, PhD, Translational Scientist, Geneticist and Executive (Committee Member)
Dr. Lesley Northrop has spent over 20 years in the clinical diagnostic industry specific to women’s health, including her ABMGG training at Columbia University Medical Center, and post-doctoral training at the largest, most prestigious IVF center in the US, RMA-NJ Fertility Center. As an innovator, Dr. Northrop was a lead scientist on developing the first comprehensive preimplantation genetic diagnosis technology (PGD) or known as PGD-A today. Dr. Northrop serves as an advisor to several biotechnology and financial investment firms on her expertise in the clinical diagnostic genomics space. She spends her free time mentoring young minds in science, including her 2 young children.
Pash Patel, Marketing Executive (Special Advisor)
Pash has 20 years of Consumer and Patient Marketing experience at Procter and Gamble and more recently at Takeda. She led the 1st ever disease awareness campaign in the patient community for Eosinophil Esophagitis, a rare GI condition. Her current role is focused on bringing human-centric approach to innovation while keeping patient needs at the core and having a positive impact to society.
She has a wealth of experience in brand building and portfolio innovation strategy rooted in consumer and patient insights. Pash and her husband’s two kids keep them busy and grounded in life. She has a personal connection to cancer patients and celebrating survivorship.
Julia Stal, PhD, Oncofertility Researcher (Committee Member)
Julia Stal, PhD is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She earned her PhD in Preventive Medicine from the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Stal is a health services and outcomes researcher whose work examines access to and delivery of reproductive health care for young patients with cancer. She was awarded an NCI F99/K00 Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award which supports her research program to advance equitable oncofertility care delivery and improve patient-centered reproductive health outcomes among pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with cancer.
Dr. Preeti Sudheendra, Clinical Director (Special Medical Advisor)
Dr. Sudheendra is a highly regarded breast cancer medical oncologist and lifestyle medicine physician. After almost 15 years in full time clinical practice at The Ohio State University James Comprehensive Cancer Center, she is now focused on breast cancer drug development at Merck.
Her practice philosophy is to incorporate the pillars of Lifestyle Medicine as important tools for cancer prevention and improve overall health and well-being.
She served as an investigator on several clinical trials and her research has been published in Clinical Breast Cancer and Journal of Clinical Oncology and Blood. Dr. Sudheendra is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and serves on several of their national committees for breast cancer therapy.
Jessica Woodford, PhD, Clinical Psychologist (Committee Member)
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Woodford is involved in medical education at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, where she contributes to the development of future healthcare professionals. She is also passionate about multicultural education in psychology and advancing culturally responsive approaches to patient care, training, and community engagement.