The plaintiffs in the case — Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. – claimed that the ruling would have an immediate impact on people’s health by reducing the cost of the BRCA tests.   Robert Cook-Deegan, a research professor at Duke University’s Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, was quoted in the New York Times, “I think that there might be some blustering or saber rattling, but I would be really surprised if they sue anybody for patent infringement for a diagnostic test.”

Others described the ruling as a partial victory for Myriad because the court held that complementary DNA, or cDNA, could be patented.  Peter Meldrum, Myriad President and CEO, was quoted in the Washington Post: “We believe the Court appropriately upheld our claims on cDNA, and underscored the patent eligibility of our method claims, ensuring strong intellectual property protection for our BRCAnalysis test moving forward.”

Survivorship care planning is one element of NCCS’s work. NCCS’s goal is to ensure that every cancer patient has access to care planning and care coordination before, during, and after treatment.

This is a “crowd funding” program that is carried by MedStartr.com, which provides a platform for projects that have a health focus. We are asking Journey Forward supporters to provide feedback and potentially support My Care Plan through July 5th.My Care Plan is competing for a $25,000 award from NCI to further this work.

Would you help? Please go to http://www.medstartr.com/CrowdsCare and click on Journey Forward’s  My Care Plan to leave a comment or show your support. We look forward to your feedback!

“Shelley brings to NCCS years of experience in public policy and medical affairs, knowledge of cancer policy issues, and strong relationships with cancer support and advocacy organizations. NCCS and the cancer survivors we serve are fortunate to have the benefit of Shelley’s skills, experience, and knowledge,” said NCCS Executive Director Nina Wendling. “Our Board and staff welcome Shelley back to the cancer community where we will benefit not only from her health policy expertise, but from her collaborative disposition to work with NCCS Board and staff who are dedicated to assuring quality cancer care for all.”

As Senior Director of Public Policy, Ms. Fuld Nasso will lead NCCS activities, including:

•  Advocating in Congress and federal agencies for reform of Medicare and other health care systems to ensure cancer care planning and coordination and the empowerment of patients as health care decision-makers;
• Representing cancer survivors in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act to guarantee that insurance coverage meets the lifelong needs of cancer survivors and to encourage health system reforms that promote and protect quality, affordable care;
• Convening survivors, physicians, researchers and others to investigate solutions to problems related to cancer drug development, access to quality care, and the development of a sustainable system of cancer care;
• Articulating the concerns and interests of cancer survivors in policy efforts that relate to cancer care delivery and access, including involvement in regulatory and legislative proposals and initiatives.

In accepting this position for NCCS, Ms. Fuld Nasso expressed both her personal and professional interest in working in the area of cancer quality improvement. “Cancer has touched me on a personal level, as I lost my closest friend, Dr. Brent Whitworth, to renal cell carcinoma last year. I witnessed and supported him in his experience with clinical trials, treatment decision-making, palliative care, and ultimately end-of-life care. I am passionate about advocating for quality cancer care and representing the interests of cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers in public policy debates,” said Ms. Fuld Nasso

Ms. Fuld Nasso is a graduate of Rice University and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.