Kelly Bird
Marketing Strategist
University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center
Kelly is a marketing strategist at the UW Carbone Cancer Center with experience in internal and external communications, data analytics, business development, public relations, lead generation, community outreach, customer service, and advertising. As a service line marketer focused on UW Carbone’s cancer program, she creates dynamic campaigns that engage patients, increase revenue, and communicate a unified brand message through strategic tactics.
She is passionate about advancing research and treatment options for cancer patients and is honored to be on a strong marketing team telling the world about her institution’s achievements. The variety of ways she gets to communicate with the public excites her—from photos, videos, and press releases, to social media posts and webinars. Kelly enjoys that each day is different while the goal to drive patients through our doors for healing remains the same.
Nicole Fawcett
Director of Communications
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Nicole is the director of communications for the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, where she leads a team of communicators responsible for media relations, marketing, web, internal communication, social media, multimedia, and publications. Nicole works closely with the Rogel Cancer Center’s leadership to develop strategic communication plans for the center’s research and clinical enterprises. Her team of communicators produce targeted, innovative communication to meet the Rogel Cancer Center’s goals.
Nicole has grown her team over the past 10 years from four to seven, successfully adding internal communications, an annual research publication, and a dedicated multimedia producer. She has mentored numerous students and junior colleagues over the years and was named among the Top Women in Communications in 2019 by Ragan.
Nicole has worked at the University of Michigan since 2003 and in cancer since 2004. Prior to that, she was a journalist at the Detroit News and at a start-up web-based community for people with disabilities. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in English with a public service concentration from Albion College in Albion, Michigan.
A member of PAMN since 2004, Nicole served on the steering committee from 2012-2018 and has chaired the sponsorship and webinar subcommittees. The experience has been rewarding professionally and personally, especially as PAMN has grown and expanded in recent years. PAMN membership is a highlight of working in cancer. She looks forward to helping shepherd new initiatives to continue making PAMN membership more valuable for all its members.
Karen Gehrman
Associate Director of Communications
University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Karen has been an interested participant in PAMN since UCSF hosted the annual conference in 2007. Her background in digital communications began in the early days of hand-coding websites (she admits an ongoing fondness for stylesheets and hex codes). As a web developer for the HDFCCC for more than two decades, she has overseen several platform changes and site redesigns. She works within a dedicated team of three that manages internal communications, content development, and strategic marketing for the cancer center in alignment with leadership and UCSF Health cancer services priorities.
Karen grew up in Hawai’i, attended Trinity College Dublin, the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and City College of San Francisco before graduating with a BA in history from San Francisco State University. When not championing the efforts of the tireless scientists, clinicians, and support staff at the HDFCCC, she is an avid traveler who was fortunate to have spent a year meandering the globe with her family. She studies hula with Kumu Patrick Makuakāne of hālau Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu, plays Hawaiian music at a local pub, is an avid bike commuter, and is fiercely proud to live in San Francisco.
Over the years, she has found her PAMN peers instrumental in helping to fast-track solutions, particularly when she was a team of one. Karen believes that for those with limited staff and resources, networking via PAMN gives real and actionable tools to do your best work. The range of different roles represented by members helps us all better understand the breadth of communications and marketing work done by our colleagues in and out of our own institutions.
Candace Gwaltney
Science Writer
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Candace joined the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center as its first-ever science writer in 2019. With more than 15 years of communications and public relations experience, Candace’s role focuses on communicating cancer research to internal and external audiences through stories and earned media. Beyond science writing, Candace contributes digital content, graphic design, event marketing, and communications strategy for the cancer center. She also leads the cancer center’s robust internal communications efforts.
Before joining the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Candace held communications and public relations roles in higher education and non-profit organizations. After earning her journalism degree at Ball State University, Candace started her career at a daily newspaper.
Advancing cancer research is near to her heart. Candace believes communications play a vital role in garnering public knowledge and support for research at NCI-designated cancer centers.
Taylor Lisenby
Digital Communications Manager
University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Taylor joined the team at UNC Lineberger in November of 2019 after more than 10 years in the television industry as a reporter and later a digital content manager. She oversees digital content strategies, faculty and staff social media training, and all video projects, including the faculty video profile initiative she started in 2020. Taylor has an active role in philanthropic communications campaigns with the annual giving team, coordinating social media ad buys and copy approval.
She also serves as communications liaison on the Lineberger Equity Council and co-chairs the awareness and training subcommittee for the UNC Health Foundation DEI Council. As a North Carolina native, Taylor cares deeply about the disparities in care gap in her state and that drives her passion to serve on both councils.
Taylor earned her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from East Carolina University and her master’s in interactive media from Elon University. She values the knowledge she has gained and the connections she has made through her involvement with PAMN. She welcomes the opportunity to better serve the organization as a member of its steering committee.
Renee Maude
Marketing and Communications Manager
University of California San Diego Health Moores Cancer Center
Renee’s background spans two extensive careers: the first in communications, public relations, and marketing, and the second in education—teaching and developing curriculum for advanced placement English and college writing, communications, and yearbook publishing. Her marketing and communications experience includes public and private sectors in both agency and in-house environments. She has worked on a variety of accounts, including health care, technology, the arts, large-scale event planning, and real estate developments.
She served as media liaison for San Diego State University’s Marketing and Communications Department in a role that included publicity and media relations for university professors, colleges, and programs; writing and editing for the alumni magazine; development of the university’s first-ever signature brochure; and communication efforts for the Office of the President. She also worked in a freelance capacity in the health care and real estate sectors. This included developing, implementing, and managing the visual, print, digital, and electronic marketing and communications program for two private dental practices, including brand creation and strategy, website development, newsletter design, copywriting, community outreach, event planning, and public relations. Renee sees her background in education, including a Master of Arts in Education degree, as an asset in the planning and development of programming and course curriculums for upcoming PAMN conferences.
Audrey Laine Seymour, MBA
Communications Manager
Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
Audrey Laine earned an undergraduate degree from Georgia Southern University and MBA from Valdosta State University. She has worked in health care communications and marketing since 2006. Her passion for cancer care and research was ignited at 10 years old, when her cousin Annie, who was the same age, died of cancer. Since then, Audrey Laine has supported community efforts to raise funds for cancer research, including the planning and execution of several 5Ks. She also volunteers for the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund and serves on its communications committee.
In 2021, Audrey Laine combined her personal passion with her professional expertise by becoming the communications manager at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. She often says she was made for this job and takes pride in supporting the Cancer Center at the nation’s number-one hospital. She leads a team of five across Mayo Clinic’s three sites in Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona, to advance priorities of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center through strategic communications to internal and external audiences, working closely with marketing, government relations, and community engagement colleagues. She has spearheaded a unified content strategy and demonstrated problem-solving skills by boosting collaboration across departments to increase the visibility of the cancer center.
As she works to expand her network among cancer center communicators and marketers, the PAMN steering committee offers an opportunity for her to meet colleagues, provide planning expertise, share best practices, and leverage relationships. She has a knack for bringing people together and superb attention to detail. Audrey Laine lives in Ponte Vedra, Florida, with her husband Jud, twin sons Aaron and Harrison, and pup Lucy.
See a complete list of NCI PAMN Steering Committee members.