ACE Palm Springs 2026
Attendee Guide
Below you will find everything you need to know about the conference, including the agenda, speaker presentations, the attendee list and more.
2026 ANNUAL MEETING AGENDA
Day 1: Sunday, January 25, 2026
12:45PM - 1:00PM Welcoming Remarks & Marsha Fountain Award Ceremony
Vanessa Bramble, MS, MBA, FACHE, CRA, RT (R)(M)(ARRT), ACE President-Elect and Annual Meeting Chairperson
1:00PM - 1:30PM Keynote Speaker
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC
1:30PM - 2:15PM Beyond the Main Campus: A Bold Vision for Patient-Centered Research Delivery
Aleksandar Zafirovski, Chief Administrative Officer, Northwestern Medicine- Lurie Cancer CenterChristopher George, Medical Director, Cancer Service Line, Northwestern Medicine- Lurie Cancer Center
2:15PM - 2:45PM ACE Fellowship Presentations
2:45PM - 3:15PM Networking Break
3:15PM - 3:45PM LeanTaas Diamond Sponsorship Session: Balancing Systemness with Reasonable Consistency: Digging into Hard Discussions with the Right Data and Support
Tammy Boeshans, BSPharm, RPh, System Pharmacy Infusion Director, Providence
3:45PM - 4:30PM CAR-T Therapy Economics: Building Financially Sustainable Cellular Therapy Programs
Amy Ware, Regional Vice President, HCA Sarah Cannon Cancer Network
Shanice Davis, Director, Transplant and Cellular Therapy, HCA Sarah Cannon Cancer Network
4:30PM - 5:00PM New Member Reception (Invite Only)
5:00PM - 6:00PM Welcome Reception sponsored by LeanTaas
Day 2: Monday, January 26, 2026
8:00AM - 9:00AM EXPO Breakfast
9:00AM - 9:45AM Innovative Partnerships
Moderator: Gregory Calosso, Vice President, Network Development & Growth Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Panelists:
Kevin Brumit, Executive Director, Stamford Health
Connie Branyan, Chief Strategy Officer, Beth Israel Lahey Health
Claire Cote, COO, New England Cancer Specialists
9:45AM - 10:30AM A Comprehensive Approach to Optimizing Care for the Hospitalized Cancer Patient
Kevin Billingsley, Chief Medical Officer, Smilow Cancer Hospital/ Yale Cancer Center
Jensa Morris, MD, Chief, Oncology Inpatient Medicine, Smilow Cancer Hospital/Yale Cancer Center
Elizabeth Prsic, Inpatient Director, Palliative Care Smilow Cancer Hospital/Yale Cancer Center
10:30AM - 11:00AM EXPO Break
11:00AM - 11:45AM Improving Cancer Access In a Competitive Market
Megan Aiello, Assistant Vice President, Cancer Services, Stony Brook Medicine/Stony Brook Cancer Center
11:45AM - 12:30PM Optimizing Oncology Service Lines: Enhancing Access Through Operational Excellence
John Cherrix, Director Cancer Service Line Business Operations, UVA Health
Catherine Terrell, Director Clinical Operations Cancer Service Line, UVA Health
Katie Lassiter, Director Clinical Operations Cancer Service Line Infusion, UVA Health
12:30PM - 1:45PM EXPO Luncheon
1:45PM - 2:30PM The Business Case for Cancer Rehabilitation: Driving Outcomes, Reducing Costs, and Enhancing Care
Leslie Waltke, Cancer Rehabilitation Coordinator, Aurora Cancer Care - Advocate Health
2:30PM - 3:15PM Streamlining Prior Authorization Workflows for Intravenous Cancer Treatments to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Financial Losses
Mark Liu, Senior Director of Oncology Strategy, Transformation & Analytics, Mount Sinai Health System
Aarti Bhardwaj, MD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology and a member of the Dubin Breast Center team at Mount Sinai Health System
3:15PM - 3:45PM EXPO Break
3:45PM - 4:30PM Navigation PIN Codes - A Panel Discussion
Nicole Centers, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN, CBCN, CN-BN, Executive Director, Oncology Service Line, Wellstar Health System
Blake Hoegger, BDN, RN, Director, Texas Oncology Virtual Care
Jeanne Silva, MSN, RN-BC, Assistant Vice President, Nurse Navigation and Oncology Access, Oncology Services, RWJBarnabas Health
4:30PM - 5:00PM Azra AI Pearl Sponsorship Session - From Challenge to Change: Real-World Lessons in Tech-Enabled Cancer Care
5:00PM - 6:30PM EXPO Reception
Day 3: Tuesday, January 27, 2026
7:45AM - 8:15AM Table Topic Breakfast
8:15AM - 9:00AM Preventing Financial Toxicity: The Impact of Incorporating Oncology Pharmacists into Prior Authorization and Denial Workflows
Nikki Ogle, Oncology Reimbursement Clinical Pharmacist, Team Lead, The University of Kansas Health System
Laure DuBois, Pharmacy Manager, The University of Kansas Health System
9:00AM - 9:45AM 340B Panel Discussion
Moderator: Matt Sturm, ECG Management Consultants
Panelists:
Emily Jane Cook, Partner, McDermott Will & Schulte LLP
Michael Federico, Senior Director, Pharmacy, Sutter Health
Alerie Stiles, House Rx
9:45AM - 10:30AM Bridging the Gap: Role of Clinical and Specialty Pharmacy in Modern Healthcare
Rachel Mashburn, Executive Director, Pharmacy City of Hope
10:30AM Annual Meeting Adjourns
(Please note the agenda is subject to change.)
ACE 2025-2026 CORPORATE SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
PEARL SPONSOR
PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
DIAMOND SPONSOR
SPECIALTY SPONSORS
ATTENDEE LIST
Interested in connecting with your fellow ACE attendees?
Download the list for available contact information. We thank you in advance for being respectful when contacting fellow colleagues.
