Scott Burdman, President
The Burdman Law Group

Anna Dillingham, MPH, Secretary

Utah Association of Local Health Departments

Zoe Kelman, Treasurer

Chemical Engineer

Charlie Smith, Policy Chair
Childhood cancer prevention advocate; mother of a cancer survivor

Richard Miller, Science Co-Chair
Industrial hygienist and author of Under the Cloud: Decades of Nuclear Testing

Chris Nidel, Science Co-Chair
Toxic Tort Attorney and Chemical Engineer

 

Staff:

Terry Nordbrock, MLS, MPH, Executive Director
Environmental Health Scientist
Mother of a cancer survivor

Youth Ambassador:

Trevor Schaefer, Youth Ambassador
Founder of Trevor’s Trek; cancer survivor

 

Advisory Board/Scientific Advisors/NDCA Founding Members:

Frank Bove, ScD
Epidemiologist, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, ATSDR

Richard Clapp, DSc, MPH
Epidemiologist, Boston University

Dee Lewis, Founder

Concerned Residents’ Initiative

Paul English, PhD, MPH

California Department of Public Health

Debbie Lowe-Liang, MPH, EPA Representative

United States EPA, Region 9

Molly Jacobs, MPH
Lowell Center for Sustainable Production

Karen Montgomery, PhD, FACMG
Geneticist, WiCell Research Institute

Rebecca Morley

Executive Director, National Center for Health Housing

Dan Wartenberg, PhD, Director
Epidemiologist, Rutger’s University

Jane Williams
Executive Director, California Communities Against Toxics

Mark Witten, PhD
Toxicologist, University of Arizona

Alliance Members:

Agnes Reynolds, RN
Radiation Project & Oncology nurse (mother of cancer survivor)

C. Paul Spears, MD
Oncologist Sacramento, California

Paul Spracklen
Guam Military Childhood Cancer Cluster (father of cancer survivor)

 

In Loving Memory:

Floyd Sands
Advocate, Fallon NV and NDCA

 

Biographies:

Frank Bove, ScD

Frank Bove is a senior epidemiologist in the Division of Health Studies, Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)/CDC since 1991. His
research has focused on the health effects of drinking water
contamination and exposures to toxic waste sites. Currently he is working
on health studies evaluating drinking water exposures to high
concentrations of TCE, PCE, vinyl chloride and benzene at U.S. Marine
Corps Base Camp Lejeune. From 1986 to 1991, he was a research scientist
at the NJ Department of Health, Environmental Health Service. He has a
masters in Environmental Health Science (1984), and a Sc.D jointly in
Occupational Health Science and in Epidemiology (1987), from the Harvard
University School of Public Health. Bove has a BA in Political Science
and in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania (1973). From 1973
to 1975, he attended graduate school in philosophy at Boston University
(no degree). During 1975-1982, he worked as an organizer in the Boston
Metro area on various issues including energy, environment, health,
housing, and welfare rights. He is currently on the board of ECO-Action, a grassroots environmental organization in GA.

Scott Burdman, JD

Scott Burdman, licensed to practice law in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, California and Ohio, concentrates in the area of construction defect litigation. Mr. Burdman has recouped over $100 million in settlement and trial verdicts for his construction defect clients over the last six years. With more than 25 years experience, Mr. Burdman has represented over 100 homeowner associations to resolve claims of defective construction. Mr. Burdman has been successful in using mediation in lieu of litigation to resolve construction defect claims for a number of condominium projects and planned unit developments. Mr. Burdman is personally involved in attending site inspections, board meetings, mediations and trials of claims. He has presented over 100 legal seminars for property management companies and their boards of directors on construction defects, condominium law, and related issues. He is active in promoting legislation protecting consumers and is a member of Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, Community Associations Institute, Arizona Association of Community Managers, and Consumer Attorneys of California. Mr. Burdman earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio University and a Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law.

Paul English, PhD, MPH

Paul English is Branch Scientific Advisor for the Environmental Health Investigations Branch at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).He received his masters and doctorate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.He has had over 10 years experience working in environmental public health for the CDPH, including serving as head of their Reproductive Epidemiology Section.His epidemiological research has been focused on spatial epidemiology, environmental health issues at the U.S./Mexico border, and environmental links to adverse reproductive outcomes and asthma, in particular exposures to traffic pollution. Over the last four years, Paul English has served as principal investigator of the California Environmental Health Tracking Program, which takes a community-based approach to develop surveillance and biomonitoring systems for environmental hazards, exposures, and environmentally-related chronic disease.He has been dedicated to responding to community needs and concerns regarding environmentally-related disease by integrating environmental epidemiology, health education, community participation, geographic information systems and spatial methodologies, and health policy.

Dee Lewis

Dee Lewis is founding member and former Director of Concerned Residents Initiative (CRI).With CRI she investigated and catalogued cancers in her former neighborhood in order to push the state to research environmental factors in the community.She has been profiled in numerous newspapers, including the Sacramento Bee, Reno Gazette and the Trenton Times and in several video media news stories and special features. In her continuing efforts to bridge community and agency communication, NDCA has been a participant with the California State Health Tracking Program and the Centers for Disease Control National Health Tracking Program, since inception in 2003. Dee was a contributor to the expert working group of California Senate Bill 702(SB702) CA Tracking Bill.In 2005 she spearheaded efforts to form partnerships with state and federal departments of health, academics, researchers and community advocates from across the nation. In December 2006 this group formalized as the National Disease Clusters Alliance (NDCA) as the Red Cross responds to disasters, NDCA responds to disease clusters in communities and works as a liaison between community and agency.

Ms. Lewis serves as Co- Investigator with California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in the Environmental Health Investigations Branch (EHIB) theTracking Implementation TIAG part of the CA Health Tracking Program and as a participant in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Health Tracking Initiative 2004.

Amy Kyle, MPH, PhD

Dr. Kyle holds appointments as a research scientist and lecturer in the Environmental Health Sciences Division of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. Her work focuses on improving the use of scientific findings to develop sound policy for protection of the environment and public health.

Current research projects focus on development of environmental health indicators that better describe links between the environment and health to integrate a public health perspective into environmental policy; analysis of disparate impacts of environmental pollution; policy responses, including risk assessment, for control of persistent pollutants that accumulate in the global environment; and approaches to integrating public concerns and precautionary principles into public policy for toxic substances.

Past work has focused on risk assessment, health risks from exposure to pesticides and ways to reduce them, comparative risk assessment, use of risk assessment in environmental policy in the US, international policy for hazardous waste remediation, and policy implications of different methods for assessing the health significance of hazardous waste sites.

Dr. Kyle teaches in the environmental health sciences program at the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley and in the occupational medicine training program at the University of California at San Francisco. She has taught at the Vermont Law School.

Dr. Kyle also works as a consulting scientist on environmental science and policy issues for states and non-governmental organizations. She received a Switzer environmental leadership award to work with the Natural Resources Defense Council on an analysis of the scope and public health significance of contaminants in fish. She has also worked with the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, The Breast Cancer Fund, Clean Water Action, California Communities Against Toxics, California Department of Health Services, Public Health Foundation, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, National Association of Attorneys General, Environmental Protection Agency, and American Fisheries Society.

She received her Masters of Public Health and PhD in Environmental Health Sciences and Policy from the University of California at Berkeley. Her undergraduate degree in physical sciences and oceanography was from Harvard University. Professional affiliations include the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Public Health Association, Risk Assessment and Policy Association, International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, and Society for Risk Analysis.

Dr. Kyle served for five years as Deputy Commissioner for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and has practical experience with the Exxon Valdez and other oil and hazardous substance spills and associated cleanup issues. She worked on both state and national legislation on oil and hazardous substance spills, including the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and several pieces of state legislation. Before that, she was executive director of the Alaska Coastal Management Program.

Debbie Lowe Liang, MPH

Debbie Lowe Liang is an Environmental Scientist with the US Environmental Protection Agency.She has been with EPA for over 15 years and currently works in the Environmental Justice Program where she manages several community grants and engages in research on cumulative impacts.Debbie completed her Master’s of Public Health at UC Berkeley.

Karen A. Dyer Montgomery, PhD, FACMG

Dr. Montgomery is the Director of the Cytogenetics Laboratory at WiCell Research Institute. Prior to joining WiCell, she co-directed the UW Cytogenetic Services at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene. She came to Madison in 2005 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Montgomery moved to Wisconsin from Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she was a Laboratory Director at Genzyme Genetics. Prior to that she was an Associate Professor and directed the clinical cytogenetics service at the University of New Mexico. She is a graduate of Kent State University, trained in human genetics at the University of Washington, is certified in clinical cytogenetics by the American Board of Medical Genetics, and is a founding fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics. Dr. Montgomery’s research interests are in the role of cytogenetic abnormalities in human embryonic stem cells and in the interaction of genetics and environmental contaminants in pediatric leukemia.

Rebecca Morley

Rebecca Morley is the executive director of the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) where she leads NCHH’s multi-disciplinary staff in creating healthy and safe housing for children through practical and proven steps. She led the development of the National Healthy Homes Training Center and spearheaded NCHH’s work in the gulf coast following Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita. She has authored numerous articles and publications on the topic of housing-related health hazards. Before joining NCHH in 2002, Ms. Morley was a senior associate with ICF Consulting in Washington, DC where she advised clients, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and HUD on the development of lead poisoning prevention and healthy homes programs. Before joining ICF, Ms. Morley worked with HUD in a variety of posts, including the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Public Affairs, and the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. During her tenure at HUD, she was responsible for developing lead paint regulations and developing and overseeing children’s environmental health projects. She served on the President’s Task Force for Children’s Environmental Health Safety and contributed to HUD’s preliminary health homes initiative plan and strategic plan to eliminate childhood lead poisoning by 2010. She designed and implemented a national multi-million dollar healthy homes education campaign focused on injury prevention. Ms. Morley also served as a legislative fellow to U.S. Senator Jack Reed where she authored key components of the Kennedy Health Bill related to childhood lead poisoning and helped to establish a national childhood lead poisoning prevention week through a Senate resolution. She serves on the Board of the National Disease Clusters Alliance and on the Howard County Environmental and Sustainability Commission.

Terry Nordbrock, MLS, MPH

Terry Nordbrock completed a Masters in Public Health degree at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with a focus on Environmental and Occupational Health.

Terry became concerned about environmental health when her two-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. In 2003, Terry and several other mothers of children with cancer met to discuss their frustrations about the Sierra Vista childhood leukemia cluster, and agreed to form a group to encourage more investigation into the cluster, Families Against Cancer & Toxics (FACT). CDC overturned their decades old policy of non-involvement in cancer cluster investigations to respond to the childhood leukemia clusters in Fallon, Nevada and Sierra Vista, Arizona. Terry gave up a beloved career as a reference librarian to work full-time to improve environmental health.

In 2004, FACT held a weekend conference for people affected by disease clusters. Advocates came to Sierra Vista from across the country from places like Fallon, NV; LeJeune, NC; and Sacramento, CA to explore ways of working collectively to address shortfalls in the nation’s public health system.

In Loving Memory:Floyd Sands

Floyd Sands became a passionate and vocal activist after losing his daughter Stephanie, one of the children in the Fallon NV childhood leukemia cluster. The odds of the Fallon leukemia cluster being due to chance alone were calculated to be 1 in 232 million by state and University of California epidemiologists. Floyd was President of Families In Search of Truth (FIST) of Fallon, Nevada.He developed and sponsored Stephanie’s Walk, a door-to-door volunteer health survey which afforded the people of Fallon the opportunity to share their family’s struggles with cancers and other illnesses.

Floyd was a founding member of NDCA and served as Operations Manager until his death from brain cancer in 2009. Floyd is survived by his children, Jason and Sierra Sands, and his grandson Ewan Mikel Sands.

Charlie Smith

Charlie Smith is a cancer prevention advocate and is the mother of a childhood cancer survivor. Her son Trevor Schaefer (formerly Smith) was diagnosed at age 13 with brain cancer in 2002 when they lived in McCall, Idaho. Smith has been involved in strategic planning as a member of the Comprehensive Cancer Alliance for Idaho. She serves on the St. Lukes Health Foundation Board and is active in Idaho Downwinders. Smith asked the Idaho Cancer Data Registry to study a cluster of brain cancers in McCall, Idaho, at the same time as Trevor’s case. In 1998-2002, there were 457 cases of brain cancer diagnosed among Idaho residents, including six in Valley County, ranking it third-highest in the state. Smith and her son have founded Trevor’s Trek.

 

Trevor Schaefer (Special to NDCA our Youth Ambassador and childhood brain cancer survivor)

My name is Trevor Schaefer.I was born in San Diego, California October 19, 1989.When I was six years old I moved with my mother and father to McCall, Idaho. When I was 13 years old I was diagnosed with brain cancer. My mother and I moved to Boise where I could receive medical care. During the course of my chemotherapy treatment I witnessed many children who were experiencing cancer.This motivated me to want to find out what was causing so much of this disease in young people.

I am very concerned about environmental toxins and how it relates to cancer and other diseases. I am an avid golfer and enjoy snowboarding. In my spare time I volunteer with Make A Wish Foundation of Idaho, the Comprehensive Cancer Alliance for Idaho (childhood cancer panel), and Idahoans for Clean Water Coalition. I have become active in childhood cancer awareness and have formed a website and organization: Trevorstrek.com which is a awareness campaign and fund raising event I created with the theme of “Walk a mile in our shoes” I also am Vice Chair of the Alliance Committee for National Disease Clusters Alliance.

Dan Wartenberg, PhD

Daniel Wartenberg is a Professor in the Department of Environmental and Community Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and the Division of Epidemiology in the UMDNJ School of Public Health, is Program Leader of the Cancer Control Program at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and is a member of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute.

He is aFellow of the American College of Epidemiology and has served on a variety of scientific advisory committees for state, national and international groups includingthe World Health Organization, the National Academy ofSciences, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the New Jersey Department of Health, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Dr. Wartenberg’s main research interest is the development and application of novel approaches to the study of environmental risk, pollution, and public health, with particular emphasis on geographic variation, disease clustering and the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). His research includes the study of the health of flight attendants, nuclear workers, and Persian Gulf War veterans, investigation of health effects from exposure to incinerator emissions, pesticides, power lines, solvents and toxic chemicals, as well as methodologic developments in quantitative risk assessment. He also often works with communities on understanding and addressing local health concerns and apparent disease excesses.

Dr. Wartenberg is also an active member of the Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 2, where he has served as a Trustee and as an a line officer, is a member of the Somerset County Hazardous Materials Response Team and serves on the Montgomery Township Board of Health.

Dr. Wartenberg received an A.B. degree cum laude in Ecology and Systematics from Cornell University, an M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Washington (Seattle) and a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He then was a Fellow in the Interdisciplinary Programs in Health at the Harvard School of Public Health.

 

Jane Williams

Jane is the Executive Director of California Communities Against Toxics (CCAT) since 1996. She is responsible for directing a 70 member environmental justice coalition in California, which is statewide and works on pollution, environmental justice policy issues, and directly assists communities affected by environmental pollution.Duties include working with affected communities on local impacts of pollution, establishing strategic relationships with key allies, working with the State Legislature and Congress, analyzing and drafting legislation, raising money for the organization, working with foundations to deliver services and funding to members, serving on expert boards and advisory groups, working with the steering committee members on governance issues, and organizing a yearly conference.Her professional affiliationsshe chairs both Sierra Club Waste & Air Toxics Committee Committees, California Air Resources Board Environmental Justice Advisory Group, California Health Tracking Planning Consortium, Member, California Bio-monitoring Planning Group, Mercury Policy Project, Concerned Residents Initiative Board Member, Greenaction Board Chair, and is a founding board member of the National Disease Clusters Alliance (NDCA).

Mark Witten, PhD

Dr. Witten received his B.S.E. Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas, Ph.DatIndiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. His post-doctoral training was asResearch Associate, Department ofPhysiology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center in Tucson, Arizona.

Mark has been a Research Professor at the Department of Pediatrics for the past several years. He has participated in several University committees; Science in the 21^st Century Symposium”, Gravitational Physiology Sessions, Experimental Biology ‘97 Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana and Experimental Biology ‘98 Meeting, San Francisco, California, Dean’s Research Council, College of Medicine, University of Arizona Animal Subjects Committee, and served as Mentor, Undergraduate Biology Research Program.

He has been a reviewer for many scientific journals; International Journal of Sports Medicine American Journal of Physiology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Applied Physiology, Toxicology & Applied Pharmacology,Environmental Science & Technology, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, American Journal of Pathology and Environmental Toxicology & Pharmacology to name a few.

Dr. Witten in the past several years has centered his study in the area of environmental toxins and cancers. His work is cutting edge in the area of Tungsten. His tree ring research has been published as was the related animal study and Tungsten. He has spoken on this at several symposiums such as: “Development of an Animal Model of Tungsten/Cobalt to Simulate Environmental Conditions in Fallon, Nevada.Fallon Leukemia Cluster , “Role of Metals in the Formation of Childhood Leukemia Clusters in the Western United States” and another seminar he led entitled “Role of Tungsten in the Development of Childhood Leukemia Clusters in the Western United States”, Emerging Contaminants Workshop, University of Arizona Department of Hydrology, Phoenix, Arizona.

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