The Jury Members

Ann Steyn – Panel Chairperson

Ann Steyn has been the president of Reach to Recovery International (RRI) since the 14th UICC RRI International Breast Cancer Support Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, June 2007.

 

Ann started attending Reach to Recovery meetings in South Africa after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990. Two years later, she trained as a Reach to Recovery volunteer. As a result of her experience, she identified a need to train volunteers from all South Africa’s communities.

 

In 1994, she was elected vice-chair of the Cape Peninsula Reach to Recovery group and vice-coordinator of the Reach to Recovery national executive committee, with special responsibility for the Western Cape. A year later she became chair of the Cape Peninsula group and introduced a new training programme tailored to the needs of South African volunteers. She was elected Reach to Recovery national coordinator in 2003.

 

Since then, she has been actively involved in the UICC RRI breast cancer support conferences, both regional and international. She has also served on the board of the Cancer Association of South Africa Western Cape.

 

Ann Steyn was presented with the 2005 Teresa Lasser award at the 13th UICC RRI Breast Cancer Support Conference in Athens, Greece, in 2005, in recognition of her contribution to the development of RRI programme in South Africa.

 

Her experience and integrity have been demonstrated in her commitment to improve the lives of women living with breast cancer. Her global outlook and her much admired ability to create a climate of innovation and collaboration makes her the perfect choice to chair the jury of Reel Lives.

 

Cynthia Gelb

Cynthia Gelb, BSJ, is a health communications specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.  She is director of CDC’s Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign and Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer campaign.  A former newspaper reporter and Emmy-Award winning television news producer, Ms. Gelb has worked in communications related to cancer for 20 years.  

 

Dr Jeff Dunn

Professor Jeff Dunn is the chief executive officer of the Cancer Council Queensland, Australia. He is also a professor at the University of Queensland’s Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science and James Cook University’s Faculty of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences. Jeff maintains a particular interest in supportive care for cancer patients and is actively involved in research in this field. Jeff publishes in the area and is frequently invited as a speaker to national and international meetings and conferences.

 

Jeff serves on numerous advisory and planning committees to the Cancer Council Australia and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC). He is currently the UICC’s strategic leader for capacity building and supportive care and an adviser to the Reach to Recovery International Breast Cancer Support network. Jeff is also the chair of the UICC’s Asia Pacific Cancer Society Training Grants programme (APCASOT).

 

Dr Tezer Kutluk

Dr Kutluk is president of the Turkish Association for Cancer Research & Control (TACRC), and chief executive officer of Hacettepe University Hospitals. TACRC has a long-standing history of cancer prevention and control that has significantly supported the Turkish population both within and outside the country. It is the oldest non-governmental cancer organization in Turkey.

 

Dr Kutluk also serves on the editorial board of the Turkish Journal of Cancer and is active in the Association of European Cancer Leagues, the National Coalition Against Smoking, the National Advisory Board for Cancer Control, the International Cancer Information Services Group, and the Hope Lodge project in Turkey.

 

Isabelle Moncada

Isabelle Moncada is a journalist and TV presenter who currently co-produces the health show 36.9° on Télévision Suisse Romande (TSR), part of the Swiss national broadcasting system. She specialises in medical research, public health, nutrition and environment issues.

 

Ms Moncada studied political science and started her career presenting the morning news on RSR 1 (Swiss national radio) where she followed Swiss health policies closely. Later she presented and co-produced a popular TV show on consumer information that dealt with subjects including food, health and the laws that govern food processing in Switzerland and around the world.

 

A renowned public health advocate, Ms Moncada has produced many reports on industrial misbehaviour, the links between diet and cancer and between the environment and cancer, with a particular focus on the tobacco industry.

 

Isabel Mortara

Isabel Mortara has been the executive director of The International Union Against Cancer or UICC (Union Internationale Contre le Cancer) since 2000. UICC is the largest international non-governmental organization dedicated to all aspects of the worldwide fight against cancer. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the UICC unites more than 280 member organizations in over 90 countries.

 

Activities include the International Cancer Journal and the World Cancer Congress (Geneva, August 2008), the RRI Breast Cancer Conference (Australia, May 2009). The UICC also runs World Cancer Awareness Building Campaigns including ‘My Child Matters’ in support of children who have cancer and ‘Today’s Children, Tomorrow’s World’, a primary prevention campaign aimed at reducing children’s risk of developing cancer tomorrow. UICC is also well known for its community of tobacco control professionals – an on-line community of over 6000 professionals. Mrs Mortara received a joint Luther Terry Award (2002) for the most innovative on-line community in 2002.

 

She has a Masters in Business Administration and she has focused her career on association management, with twenty years experience in knowledge transfer, networking and capacity building in cancer prevention, early detection and supportive care.