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Medical Advisory Board

Twenty-three clinicians stand behind this curriculum.

Surgical oncologists, physicians, physical and occupational therapists, oncology nurses, naturopathic doctors, dietitians and exercise scientists across nine countries — reviewing the science, shaping the content, and advocating for patients.

23 members · 9 countries · Surgical oncology · Rehabilitation · Nursing · Exercise science · Integrative medicine · Nutrition

The role

Not a list of names on a page.

The board exists to keep the curriculum honest — and current.

Members act as consultants on new content, provide direct review of scientific and medical material, and serve as advocates for cancer patients and survivors within their own fields. The curriculum is revised every two years — a partial rewrite of whatever has changed — and that revision goes through them.

It is also deliberately international. A protocol that works in a Washington teaching hospital is not automatically the right protocol in Lagos, Bangkok or Taipei — and CETI trains specialists in 60 countries.

23
board members across nine countries
2 years
curriculum revision cycle, reviewed by the board
7
members hold the CETI qualification themselves
The full board

Twenty-three members, by discipline

Surgical & clinical oncology
Dr. Shawna Willey, MD
Dr. Shawna Willey, MD
Peterson Chair of Breast Cancer Research, Inova Schar Cancer Institute. Professor of Surgery, Georgetown. Chairman of the Board, American Society of Breast Surgeons.
United States
Dr. Kevin Knopf, MD, MPH
Dr. Kevin Knopf, MD, MPH
Hematologist and oncologist, Division Chief at Alameda Health System — the safety-net hospital serving Oakland. Associate Professor of Pharmacoeconomics at the University of South Carolina School of Pharmacy and Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF, where he works on cost-effective cancer care and reducing cancer disparities. Author of more than 65 peer-reviewed articles. Trained at MIT, UCSF, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Memorial Sloan Kettering and the National Cancer Institute.
United States
Dr. Ahmed Shama
Dr. Ahmed Shama
Clinical Oncology Consultant with a PhD in Clinical Oncology. Practices across specialized oncology centers and academic university settings, and mentors early-career physicians.
Egypt
Dr. Robert L. Bard, MD
Dr. Robert L. Bard, MD
Advanced diagnostic imaging — high-resolution ultrasound, Doppler blood flow analysis and elastography. Founder of the AngioInstitute. Leads work in cancer surveillance and rehabilitation diagnostics.
United States
Dr. Elizabeth Almli
Dr. Elizabeth Almli
Anaesthesiologist who cared for cancer patients for 25 years before her own diagnosis at 44 — bilateral mastectomies, reconstruction and a year of chemotherapy. Now President and Fitness Director of Tucson Cancer Conquerors.
United States
CETI-certified
Rehabilitation, physical & occupational therapy
Kaitlin Pennington, MS, CCC-SLP
Kaitlin Pennington, MS, CCC-SLP
Founder & CEO of Cancer Rehab Group. Spent a decade leading an oncology rehabilitation program across five MD Anderson–partnered cancer centers, standardizing care to NCCN and Commission on Cancer standards. Co-leads the CSPN Head & Neck Cancer Special Interest Group.
United States
Sarah Blount, DPT, CLT
Sarah Blount, DPT, CLT
Physical therapist with over fifteen years in oncology rehabilitation, lymphedema management and pelvic health. Spent much of the past decade at the Midwestern affiliate of MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she led the expansion of rehabilitation services across the cancer care continuum. Co-founder of an oncology-focused rehabilitation practice widening access to evidence-based, cancer-specific care.
United States
Theresa Courter, OT
Theresa Courter, OT
Occupational therapist for over 25 years, certified in lymphedema management through Klose Training and in cancer rehabilitation under the STAR program. Resident educator at Michigan Medicine.
United States
CETI-certified
India Gooderham, PT
India Gooderham, PT
Physiotherapist and yoga teacher specializing in cancer rehabilitation. Trained in oncology and palliative care in the NHS, with a Certificate of Palliative Care from Cardiff University. Founder of Gentle Cancer Recovery.
United Kingdom
CETI-certified
Dr. Marie-Antoinette Mhawej, DPT
Dr. Marie-Antoinette Mhawej, DPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in women’s health, pelvic floor rehabilitation and breast cancer rehabilitation. Licensed in Quebec and Lebanon. Has taught at the University of Montreal. An OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist.
Canada · Lebanon
Faith Aduragbemi Duncan, PT
Faith Aduragbemi Duncan, PT
Pelvic floor physiotherapist and women’s health educator with 11+ years’ experience. Established the Women’s Health and Pelvic Rehabilitation Clinic within the Lagos State Health Service Commission and replicated it across ten facilities. An OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist.
Nigeria
Adamu Aliyu, PT
Adamu Aliyu, PT
Physiotherapist specializing in oncology rehabilitation — post-mastectomy rehabilitation, lymphedema management and exercise prescription. Founder of the Reach & Restore Cancer Care Initiative, providing free consultations across Jigawa State.
Nigeria
CETI-certified
Dr. Scott Wang
Dr. Scott Wang
Superintendent at STAR Rehabilitation Clinic, Taipei. Graduate of Chang Gung University School of Medicine. Founder of One-Minute Fitness, an evidence-based public health information source.
Taiwan
Nursing & exercise science
Sherry Longbottom, RN, CYT, CPT, CES
Sherry Longbottom, RN, CYT, CPT, CES
Registered Nurse with thirty-four years in health and wellness, and a Cancer Exercise Specialist trained through CETI. Founder of MyYogaRN, where she bridges evidence-based medicine with yoga, nutrition and mindfulness. ACE-Certified Personal Trainer, NESTA certified yoga instructor, with mindfulness meditation training through UCLA. Her current work develops programming for treatment-related tightness and restoring mobility during and after chemotherapy and radiation.
United States
Dr. Anna L. Schwartz, PhD, FNP-BC, FAAN
Dr. Anna L. Schwartz, PhD, FNP-BC, FAAN
Co-author of the ACSM Guidelines for Cancer Survivors. Co-author of The Essentials of Exercise Oncology. NIH-funded researcher. Built survivor exercise programs with YMCA-USA and LIVESTRONG.
United States
Dr. LaGary Carter, RN
Dr. LaGary Carter, RN
Dean, School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center. ACSM Certified and Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist. Exercise is Medicine® Level III.
United States
Jenny Spencer, BSN, OCN
Jenny Spencer, BSN, OCN
Oncology Certified Nurse with chemotherapy and immunotherapy certification, practicing in oncology since 2010. Principal investigator on an exercise oncology study in the neuro-oncology population. Founder of Fight the Fatigue®.
United States
CETI-certified
Dr. Mark Kelly, PhD, CSCS
Dr. Mark Kelly, PhD, CSCS
Exercise scientist specializing in the physiological and neuromuscular adaptations to training. Works across teaching, research and applied performance and rehabilitation programming.
United States
Integrative medicine & nutrition
Dr. Brian Kunakom, ND
Dr. Brian Kunakom, ND
Naturopathic doctor at Bumrungrad International Hospital, Bangkok. Trained at Bastyr University. Focuses on mitochondrial health in the cancer population and integrative oncology.
Thailand
Dr. Suwannee Siriwimalanun
Dr. Suwannee Siriwimalanun
Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. MSc in Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine. Thai Board of Preventive Medicine and American Board of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine.
Thailand
CETI-certified
Dr. Penelope McDonnell, ND
Dr. Penelope McDonnell, ND
Licensed naturopathic physician specializing in integrative oncology and whole-person cancer care. Clinical interests in inflammation modulation, metabolic health and personalized nutrition in oncology populations.
United States
Wendy Gough, clinical nutritionist
Wendy Gough
Clinical nutritionist, licensed health coach and health communicator. Vice President of Nutrition at Memios, where her work centers on nutrition and health education, and previously with Beauty&Soul in Arizona. Focuses on translating nutrition science into practical strategies, with particular interest in thyroid health, autoimmune conditions and integrative wellness.
United States
Dr. Manuel N. Guzman Jr.
Dr. Manuel N. Guzman Jr.
Registered Naturopathic Medicine Doctor and Registered Integrative Medicine Doctor, both earned with distinction. Focuses on preventive, patient-centered holistic care and community health education. An OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist, and author of the complementary and alternative medicine chapter in the 15th Edition.
Philippines
In their own words

Two board members on why this training exists

Both are recorded for the OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist Advanced Qualification and are reproduced here in full.

Dr. Jay Harness
Dr. Jay Harness, MD, FACS · 13 minBreast surgical oncologist. His introduction to the OncoVie® Cancer Exercise Specialist curriculum, recorded for the course.
Dr. LaGary Carter
Dr. LaGary Carter · Exercise is Medicine · 5 minDean of the School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center. ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Exercise is Medicine® Level III professional.
What this means for you

Why a board like this changes what the curriculum can say.

Exercise guidance for cancer patients is only as good as the clinical reasoning behind it. Knowing that a client had a sentinel node biopsy rather than a full axillary dissection changes what is safe. So does the difference between a DIEP flap and an implant reconstruction, or between chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and a musculoskeletal problem.

Those distinctions come from surgeons, therapists and nurses who see them daily. That is what the board is for.

Seven members hold the CETI qualification themselves — they have sat the same exam they help write.

“The whole concept of taking health and fitness professionals and giving them additional training to become legitimate specialists in the care and treatment of cancer patients is a unique and valuable program. In my world of breast cancer, people with this level of cancer exercise training are really needed.”

Dr. Jay Harness, breast surgical oncologist

Learn what twenty-three clinicians think you should know.

The colorectal cancer section is free — a section of the curriculum this board reviews.

View colorectal section Accreditation & CEUs →