The Agenda Drop
California Lung Cancer Roundtable
November 16, 2026 · 8:30 AM–5:00 PM · California Endowment Center, Los Angeles. "From Screening to Action — Building a Connected California."
Registration & Coffee
Arrival and informal networking.
Welcome: State of Lung Health in California, Introduction to CLCC and Healthy Lungs California— Amy L. Cummings, MD, PhD
Coalition framing, progress since 2025, and goals for the day.
Opening Plenary: From Screening to Action— Loretta Erhunmwunsee, MD, FACS
Frame the continuum from screening through diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and equity.
Building the System: What Providers Actually Need
Provider needs plus mature and emerging community-health-center models.
What Health Systems and Providers Need— Patrick Chen, MASc, MPH
System and provider needs at critical junctures in lung cancer care.
Mature Model: Integrating Lung Cancer Screening Into Established FQHC Workflows— Roxanna Christian, AltaMed
Eligibility identification, imaging/referral integration, closed-loop follow-up, and scale.
Clinical Care Perspective— Sara Ghandehari, MD
Getting started: eligible-patient identification, referral pathways, ownership, and workable screening workflows.
Break
Beyond Screening: What Happens Next?
Navigation, clinical care, implementation science, and community perspectives after screening.
Navigation Across the Care Pathway— Chanita Hughes Halbert, PhD, and Mario Espitia, DSW, LCSW
Where navigation matters most and how it prevents loss to follow-up.
Community Perspective— Zul Surani, EdD
Trust, access, follow-up, and community partnership.
Implementation Science: Moving Lung Cancer Screening Evidence Into Practice— Jennifer Tsui, PhD, MPH
Use implementation science to identify barriers and facilitators, adapt evidence-based screening and follow-up workflows, and evaluate adoption, sustainability, and scale.
Lunch & Networking
Policy, Advocacy & The California Opportunity
Three focused perspectives on systems opportunity, legislative action, patient access, and coalition advocacy.
California Policy / Academic Perspective— American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative (ALCSI) Representatives
California-specific policy, academic, and systems opportunities for lung cancer screening and early detection.
Policy & Advocacy / Legislative Action— Robert Park, ACS CAN
Current California legislative and advocacy priorities and how partners can support coordinated statewide action.
Patient Access & Coalition Advocacy— Jennifer Zins, Zins Public Affairs, Inc.; Trish McDaid-O'Neill, AstraZeneca
Patient access, public affairs, state policy opportunities, and coalition alignment.
Building a Statewide Movement
Move from individual programs to coordinated statewide partnerships and shared priorities.
Coalition Building: Turning Local Partnerships Into Statewide Action— Amy L. Cummings, MD, PhD
Align health systems, community organizations, screening programs, and regional partners around practical shared goals.
California Dialogue on Cancer / American Cancer Society Lung Cancer Screening Workgroup— Bridget Freeley, American Cancer Society; Vice Chair, California Dialogue on Cancer
California Lung Cancer Story Map, workgroup updates, and statewide coordination opportunities.
Survivor Voices: Where the System Works — and Where It Does Not— Moderated survivor panel · Moderator: Jeffrey Velotta, MD
3–5 survivors focused on critical junctures, barriers, and what would have changed their experience.
California Lung Health Action Roundtable
45-minute facilitated working session; survivors embedded at tables.
Roundtable Report-Out— Table leads
One priority barrier, one action, one lead/partner, and one near-term next step per table.
Commitments & Closing— Facilitator / Healthy Lungs California leadership
Confirm ownership, immediate next steps, and follow-up.
Healthy Lungs California Survivor & Partner Reception
Survivors, providers, community partners, advocates, researchers, and policy stakeholders.
The Leadership Pavilion
Loretta Erhunmwunsee, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Confirmed Speaker — Opening Plenary, "From Screening to Action"
Dr. Erhunmwunsee is the Vice President and Chief Health Access and Community Enrichment Officer at City of Hope (COH) Medical Center, where she leads strategy that addresses health disparities and fosters inclusion across the COH enterprise.
A trained thoracic surgeon-scientist, she leads a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded R37 grant investigating the impact of social determinants of health on cancer biology and recurrence rates in underserved lung cancer patients.
Through her leadership, she continues to drive progress in reducing cancer disparities, creating more equitable healthcare systems, and improving outcomes for historically marginalized populations.
Founder & Convenor
Amy L. Cummings, MD, PhD
Confirmed Speaker — Coalition Alignment & Closing
Amy L. Cummings, MD, PhD, is a thoracic oncologist, physician-scientist, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where she serves as Director of Lung Cancer Screening and Clinical Trial Access at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
She is the founder of the California Lung Cancer Coalition (CLCC) and a leading force behind Healthy Lungs California, a statewide initiative working to improve lung cancer prevention, early detection, screening, and access to care across California.
Dr. Cummings' work spans early-stage lung cancer, precision medicine, clinical trials, biomarkers, and the use of clinical data and technology to improve cancer care.
Through Healthy Lungs California and CLCC, she brings together academic institutions, health systems, community organizations, advocates, and policymakers to address disparities in lung cancer screening and care, expand community-based education and screening programs, strengthen patient pathways, and advance policy and innovative approaches to early detection — with particular focus on reaching populations and communities that have historically experienced barriers to timely lung cancer screening and care.
Cancer Health Equity Leader
Chanita Hughes Halbert, PhD
Confirmed Speaker — Navigation Across the Care Pathway
Dr. Hughes Halbert is the Associate Director for Cancer Health Disparities at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Vice Dean of Research and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at Keck School of Medicine.
She also serves as Director of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention at USC Norris and is a nationally recognized leader in cancer prevention and minority health research.
She has dedicated her career to reducing the disparities in cancer outcomes that affect patients from underrepresented communities, with a primary focus on African American communities.
Among her many achievements, she has identified sociocultural, psychological, genetic, and environmental determinants of cancer health disparities, and she has translated this information into interventions to improve health equity among racially and ethnically diverse populations, as well as other medically underserved groups.
Cancer Prevention & Access
Mario Espitia, DSW, LCSW
Featured Speaker — Expanding Access to Cancer Screening & Care
Mario Espitia is a licensed clinical social worker with nearly 20 years of experience in behavioral health, medical social work, and program development.
He currently serves as Clinical Operations Support Manager for the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Prevention at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, helping expand access to cancer screening and care.
Mario earned his Doctor of Social Work from USC, where his work focused on improving healthcare access and outcomes for underserved communities.
Policy & Advocacy
Robert Park
Featured Speaker — Policy, Advocacy & The California Opportunity
Robert Park is the Southern California Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society | Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the advocacy arm of the American Cancer Society.
He leads state and local advocacy across Southern California, from the Central Valley to San Diego, focusing on tobacco control, access to care for cancer patients, medical debt, and federal cancer policy, including support for clinical trial modernization and increased funding for the NIH and CDC.
Before joining ACS CAN, Robert served in economic policy, infrastructure, and community engagement roles for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Prior to his time with the LA Mayor's Office, Robert worked for a CA state legislator representing his hometown of Los Angeles.
Robert is passionate about advancing policies that improve health equity and empower underserved and diverse communities.
Lead RN, Lung Cancer Registry
Roxanna, RN, BSN
Confirmed Speaker — Patient Safety & Quality Care
Roxanna, RN, BSN, is a Registered Nurse holding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Public Health Nursing certificate, with 12 years of experience in the healthcare industry.
She has been a dedicated member of the AltaMed team for nine years and truly enjoys her role as the Lead RN for the lung cancer registry team, focusing on patient safety and quality care.
Associate Director of State Partnerships (CA)
Bridget Freeley
Confirmed Speaker — Cancer Prevention & Statewide Partnerships
Bridget Freeley is an Associate Director of State Partnerships at the American Cancer Society, where she works with payors and statewide associations to advance cancer prevention, early detection, and survivorship efforts across California.
She also serves as Vice Chair of the California Dialogue on Cancer (CDOC), the state's comprehensive cancer coalition, and is a member of the CDOC Lung Cancer Screening Workgroup.
Since joining the American Cancer Society in 2021, Bridget has previously served as a Cancer Support Strategic Partnerships Manager, partnering with health systems, hospitals, clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers in the Los Angeles area to support cancer prevention initiatives, improve access to care, and strengthen provider and patient education.
Founder & President, Zins Public Affairs
Jennifer Zins
Confirmed Speaker — Advocacy & Public Affairs
As Founder and President of Zins Public Affairs, Jennifer Zins provides public affairs, communications, and advocacy consulting to corporations and nonprofit organizations across the health care, automotive, air quality, and business sectors in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii. She brings more than 30 years of experience in government affairs, advocacy, communications, grassroots and grasstops engagement, and public affairs at the corporate, state government, and nonprofit association levels.
Jennifer serves as the state alliance manager for AstraZeneca in California and Nevada, where she helps facilitate the Healthy Lungs California Advocacy & Policy Collaborative.
She has held senior management positions in the California State Legislature, public affairs firms, and several nonprofit organizations.
A seasoned government affairs professional with a strong health care policy background, Jennifer has deep relationships with patient advocacy and health care organizations and leaders across multiple western states.
Where to Stay
Hotels near the California Endowment Center
Accommodations within walking distance of the venue. Walk times are approximate.
711 N. Main St.
Closest option on this list; worth comparing for budget-conscious attendees.
120 S. Los Angeles St.
Convenient full-service option with a restaurant, fitness center, and rooftop Japanese garden.
328 E. First St.
In Little Tokyo, with nearby restaurants and complimentary in-room Wi-Fi.
251 S. Olive St.
Upscale option with a pool; advertises complimentary sedan service within three miles, subject to availability.
Planning Committee
The People Behind the Roundtable
The clinicians, researchers, and advocates shaping the Healthy Lungs California initiative.
Alexandra L. Lindgren, BS
- Medical Student, California University of Science and Medicine
- Program Manager, California Lung Cancer Coalition & Healthy Lungs California
- Clinician-Scientist Trainee, University of Southern California
Alexandra coordinates statewide lung cancer initiatives focused on screening, early detection, community outreach, education, and access to care, while supporting coalition programming, partnerships, policy activities, and regional events. Her research focuses on cancer health disparities, patient navigation, social determinants of health, and improving equity in lung cancer screening and prevention.
Raquel Arias, MPH
- Associate Director, State Partnerships, American Cancer Society
Raquel Arias, MPH is an Associate Director of State Partnerships for the American Cancer Society in California. In this role, she impacts the cancer care continuum through engagement with payors, healthcare delivery systems, government entities, and state coalitions. Raquel's work is especially focused on advancing cancer screening and HPV immunization. She holds leadership roles with the California HPV Vaccination Roundtable, California Dialogue on Cancer, California Colorectal Cancer Coalition, and the California Lung Cancer Coalition. Raquel is passionate about bringing together diverse partners to do more together than we could do alone.
Jeffrey B. Velotta, MD, FACS
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
- Clinical Professor, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
- Clinical Assistant Professor, UCSF School of Medicine
Dr. Velotta attended medical school at George Washington University and completed his general surgery residency at UCLA Medical Center, followed by postdoctoral research at Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed his Cardiothoracic Surgery training at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His clinical and research interests involve innovative techniques for lung cancer surgery and improving uptake in lung cancer screening.