Ivy Elkins is one of the co-founders of the EGFR Resisters, a patient-driven initiative to understand and improve treatments for EGFR+ lung cancer through collaborations with researchers and advocacy groups. She is a dedicated advocate for lung cancer research, having served se times as a consumer reviewer for the Department of Defense Lung Cancer Research Program, reviewed grant proposals for ASCO’s Conquer Cancer, twice completed the AACR Scientist-Survivor program, mentored other research advocates through the IASLC STARS program and acted as advocate faculty for four years for the ASCO/AACR Methods in Clinical Cancer Research Workshop.

In addition, Ivy serves on the Yale SPORE, the Patient Advocacy committee for IASLC, the Editorial Group for the International Lung Cancer News (ILCN) and the UChicago Medicine Community External Advisory Committee. She also writes for lungcancer.net and frequently shares her patient perspective with the media, pharmaceutical companies, and other industry members involved in the lung cancer community.

Currently NED, Ivy was diagnosed in December 2013 with EGFR+ stage IV lung cancer that had metastasized to her bones and brain. She has been treated at both the University of Chicago and Northwestern Medicine and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband Ben and her two teenaged boys. She has an undergraduate degree in English from Princeton University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Matthew Peters is an Academic Respiratory Physician who has a long history of supporting lung cancer patients through advocacy, education and development of individual patients support programs.