Becky Cammy’s Steadfast Journey

Becky Cammy’s ongoing work as a clinical oncology social worker at Jefferson Health is a perfect example of Philly’s heart and resilience. With more than two decades of experience to her credit, Cammy has emerged as a steadfast advocate for those facing the challenges of cancer. But her work at Jefferson extends well beyond providing support to patients—it embodies a mission of holistic care, advocacy, and empowerment.

Cammy’s dedication to the field isn’t confined to her day-to-day work. She’s currently pursuing her PhD in Palliative Care at the University of Maryland; her dissertation is focused on health-related social needs aka social determinants of health. 

While Cammy encounters countless heart wrenching stories on a daily basis, she shares one that stands out as illustrative of the importance of screening for health-related needs. She elaborates: “There’s a gentleman I’ve been working with for a few years now who is quite ill with metastatic renal cancer. He lives in Northeast Philadelphia with his significant other and has sort of struggled through treatment. Certainly his nutrition has been a challenge, and Legacy of Hope has been providing regular food delivery for him, and oral supplements, which has been critical. But most recently we’ve learned that his lease is going to be terminated in a few months because his landlord wants to sell the home he’s been living in. He’s been a caretaker for this home for 12 years. He knows the street, he knows his community. So, in the midst of going through routine cancer treatment, unstable housing will be an additional stressor. We’re lucky that we have some time to at least figure things out; so we’ve been working closely with Legacy of Hope to think about next steps. So now housing needs are the newest concern in his case. For a long time now. We’ve been helping with transportation to his appointments; we’ve been helping address his food insecurity; we’ve connected him with other financial grants to help with household bills. His case illustrates not just one but multiple health related social needs, which really contribute to the complexity of his care and his ability, even just to access treatment.” 

On top of all this “and he comes with a lot of complicated experience with the healthcare system too— mistrust and hesitancy, and communication preferences and challenges with different providers. So, from an emotional, psychological perspective, the complexity of his case is weighty. We really had to build trust with him, establish rapport with him and his significant other to even let us come in and let him know we were able to understand these challenges without stigma, without shame.”

This type of case, which unfortunately occurs frequently, really underscores the importance of screening for health-related social needs, all of which dovetails perfectly with Legacy of Hope’s efforts to address the multifaceted challenges faced by cancer patients. It’s no surprise then, that Cammy’s long standing collaboration with Legacy of Hope has been a cornerstone of her approach to comprehensive patient care. “Legacy of Hope is an incredible partner,” Cammy notes. “Their rapid response to urgent needs makes a tangible difference for so many of our patients.”

Cammy’s current PhD studies reflect her commitment to advancing the field of oncology social work. By focusing on the social determinants of health, she hopes to influence how healthcare systems address patients beyond just treating their illness. By combining her clinical expertise and experience with academic rigor, Cammy is not only critically important to Legacy of Hope’s mission, she is paving the way for more comprehensive and compassionate care models.

Cammy’s dedication to helping others extends beyond her professional life and into her personal passions. Once again, she’ll be running the Love Run Half Marathon as a sponsored runner for Legacy of Hope. Since her last feature article (Encore) in our blog, Cammy has achieved some noteworthy milestones in her running journey, including an impressive personal record of 45:04 at the Philly 10k; and placing 6th in her age group in the Rothman 8k. For the 2025 Love Run Half Marathon, Cammy is approaching the race with both enthusiasm and a commendable perspective. “My goal is to have a solid winter training cycle and get out there and have fun.” We couldn’t be happier to have her on the team. Her ongoing commitment to raising funds and awareness for Legacy of Hope is a testament to the power of compassion and resilience. Her work at Jefferson Health providing unwavering support for cancer patients and their families, her academic pursuits she continues to inspire and uplift those around her.

Contribute to Becky’s Love Run fundraiser, which helps Legacy of Hope support patients like the one in the case Becky shared. If you want to go the extra [13.1] mile(s)—or 7k—register at https://www.legacyofhope.life/love-run-2025/; and Legacy of Hope will refund your race registration fee if you raise $250. Your contribution could make all the difference for someone facing the fight of their life. For more information about Becky Cammy’s invaluable work on behalf of Philly’s oncology population check out Frontline Warrior.

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Elliott Sina

Elliott is a medical student at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College, driven by a commitment to advancing care for cancer patients through clinical insight and research. He leads Legacy of Hope’s research initiative, evaluating the impact of the Emergency Patient Support Network on patients’ quality of life. Through his efforts, Elliott aims to amplify Legacy of Hope’s mission, combining patient-centered care with meaningful, data-driven advocacy.

Mike 2

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Dr. Claudia Capparelli, PhD

Affiliations: Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center

Education: PhD, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy – 2011

Focus & Impact:  Focus on the role of the SOX10 transcription factor with regard to tumor cell heterogeneity and plasticity across multiple genotypes in melanoma. Investigating how SOX10 plasticity/heterogeneity affects the response to MEKi and anti-ErbB3 combinations in WT BRAF melanoma patients. 

Publications: Publications Link

Honors & Awards:

  • Legacy of Hope Merit Award

  • Outrun the Sun Melanoma Research Scholar Award

  • Unical Fellowship Visiting Scholar

  • International Pigment Cell Conference Travel Award

  • Best Poster Presentation, Ninth Annual Jefferson Post-doctoral Research

  • INPDAP Fellowship for Student Merit 

  • University of Calabria Fellowships for Student Merit 

Dr. Qing Chen, M.D., Ph.D.

Affiliations: The Wistar Institute, The Chen Laboratory, University of Maryland

Education: PhD,Immunology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, State University of New York at Buffalo (Dean’s Award for outstanding dissertation) – 2006

Focus & Impact:  Focus is on the molecular mechanisms of brain metastasis originating from primary tumors like breast cancer, and the interplay between cancer cells and the stromal cells that populate the brain microenvironment. 

Publications: Publications Link

Honors & Awards​:

  • Legacy of Hope Merit Award

  • Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation for Health and Policy Award

  • Susan G. Komen, CCR Basic/Translational and Clinical application

  • The V Foundation for Cancer Research Award

  • Dissertation Research Award, Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation 

Nia Andrews

Bio Coming Soon

Rebecca Blinn

Bio Coming Soon

Carol Sollenberger

Bio Coming Soon

Maree Lavo

Bio Coming Soon

Bryan Lathrop

Bio Coming Soon

Kimberly S. Reed

An award winning international speaker, author, corporate trainer and diversity, equality and inclusion executive, nationally recognized thought leader, expert, strategist and advisor to some of the world’s most influential organizations in global professional services, health care, financial services, consumer products and pharmaceutical industries.

Kimberly is a seasoned leader in transforming organizations into high-performing enterprises and challenging leaders to live without limits, with more than 20 years of HR, talent acquisition, and diversity & inclusion experience; successfully turning around troubled diversity practices by designing, building, leading, and shaping high-performing cultures at global organizations with robust strategies, global employee development programs and enterprise-wide initiatives that have increased revenue growth and organizational brand eminence.

Michele Redrow

Michele is a Director on the Legacy of Hope board and also serves on the Executive Committee.

mary chicorelli

Professional:  Mary is a certified city planner for Philadelphia, a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association as well as the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Pro Bono Honor Roll First Judicial District of Philadelphia.

Bio: Mary’s insight into the legal world is invaluable to Legacy of Hope, both in keeping our daily operations moving fluidly as well as making connections for our patients and their families when needed.

“Michael reached out to me about 2 years ago through mutual friends. We worked together to help a woman with stage 4 cancer get her electricity turned back on after it was shut off during the winter. I’ve been 100% supportive of Mike’s vision since then.”

joseph ruggieri, jr

Education: Bachelor’s of Science from West Chester University in Management and Finance

Bio: As a member of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.’s upper management team, Joseph brings a wealth of knowledge regarding finances, management, team-building and planning to the Legacy of Hope board. Joseph linked up with Michael, our President, and Wells Fargo began supporting Legacy of Hope annually.

“My father passed away from what started as Colon Cancer in 2015. Cancer is horrible and if there is something I can do to help others impacted I would want to be a part of it.”

David April

David is the founder of the Fishtown Beer Runners, an organization with chapters all over the world based here in Philadelphia.

dr. kevin kelly

Dr. Kevin Kelly leads Legacy of Hope’s Scientific Review Board to seek out and support the most promising cancer research in Philadelphia using a merit-based system.  He is Jefferson’s Director of Solid Tumor Oncology.

greg garber

Greg Garber is the director of Oncology Support Services at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

Gina Mancuso

Gina’s experience as the very successful co-owner of CoreFitness, LLC coupled with her expertise in planning special events makes her the perfect Vice President for Legacy of Hope. With energy, passion, and drive that makes her seem superhuman, Gina’s connection to our mission is a personal one.

“Both my father and my dear childhood friend were diagnosed with cancer within 3 months of one another. They were surrounded and supported by friends and family throughout their battle and until their passing. No one should suffer through a diagnosis alone and, without Legacy of Hope, some people would do just that.”

Michael Rowe

Awards:

Volatile Media Management’s Mover, Shaker, Changemaker Award – February 2017

Miles Mack Community Services & Leadership Honorable Mention – 2016 TJUH Emergency Department Technician of the Year, Physicians Choice Award – 2015

TJUH Emergency Department Technician of the Year, Physicians Choice Award – 2014

Bio:

With his free time so limited, Michael manages to fuse his work with his other passion: running. Whether it is with the Fishtown Beer Runners, our own Team Relentless Hope, or his closest friends, Michael can often be spotted on the streets of Philadelphia keeping himself fit and active.