Staff

Office of the Director

Jeffrey D. White, M.D.
Director

Dr. White joined the Metabolism Branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 1990 as a Medical Staff Fellow where he performed laboratory research in immunology and molecular biology. While in the Metabolism Branch, he served in various positions culminating as director of the Clinical Trials and Clinical Care Program. In that capacity, he coordinated the development and administration of phase I and II clinical trials using unmodified and radiolabeled monoclonal antibody constructs. Dr. White has been principal investigator for and has reported the results from trials of various experimental treatments for patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).

From 1995 to 1998, Dr. White also served as an oncology consultant to the director of the NIH’s Office of Alternative Medicine. In October 1998, the Deputy Director of Extramural Science of NCI, Dr. Robert Wittes, chose him to serve as director of a new office in the NCI titled the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM). The office was created to augment the activities of the different divisions at NCI that were already supporting CAM research. OCCAM continues to promote and support research and generation of good quality information on the various disciplines and modalities associated with the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as they relate to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer.

Dr. White is a board certified medical oncologist and a cancer researcher. Dr. White graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Applied and Engineering Physics in 1979 and received an M.D. from Howard University in 1984. He completed a residency in internal medicine in 1987 and fellowships in oncology and hematology in 1990 at The Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. 

Christina Armstrong
Administrative Program Specialist

Ms. Armstrong serves as office manager and administrative program specialist to OCCAM’s director.  Her role includes managing office budgets, contracts, travel and guest arrangements; planning and scheduling for the director; and overseeing full-time and contract staff. She works closely with the OCCAM director and staff, communicating federal policies and ensuring efficient operation of the office.

Ms. Armstrong has over seventeen years of federal service.  She began her career as an administrative secretary for the Office of the Secretary, Office of Minority Heath in 1991 and joined the National Cancer Institute in 2000. Ms. Armstrong attended the Global Technology Business School and earned a certification in business and computer technology. She also holds numerous certifications in federal applications.

Jihane Guidy
Office Assistant,Contractor

Ms. Guidy serves as the office assistant in the OCCAM Office of the Director. In this role, she assists with administrative planning, scheduling office meetings and conferences, and preparing foreign and domestic travel.

Before working at OCCAM, Ms. Guidy served as an administrative assistant to the program office at the National Children’s Study where she worked on administrative projects within the office, and participated in the coordination of National Institute of Child Health & Human Development Research Day. Ms. Guidy is currently attending Montgomery College, and is working towards an Associate’s degree, with future plans to attend the University of Maryland.

Libin Jia, M.D.
Health Scientist Administrator

Dr. Jia joined OCCAM in 2005 as a health scientist administrator. In this position, he helps establish research collaborations, most recently in the area of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and serves as a liaison between the collaborative parties and OCCAM. He also manages CAM supplements provided by OCCAM to NCI Cancer Centers and Community Clinical Oncology Programs.

Previously, Dr. Jia was a scientific project director in the NCI Office of Cancer Genomics and participated in the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project, Mammalian Gene Collection, and the H-Invitational, which is an international human genome annotation project. He also joined the project officer team for the Molecular Library Screening Centers Networks of the NIH Road Map in 2006, managing the compounds screening projects.

Dr. Jia graduated from Shanghai Medical University II with his M.D. in 1988 and did his post doctoral study at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Extramural Research Program

Isis Mikhail, M.D., Dr.P.H., M.P.H.
Extramural Research Program Director

Dr. Mikhail rejoined OCCAM in 2008 as director of the Extramural Research Program. In this role, she leads and fosters extramural CAM research activities. Previously, Dr. Mikhail served as a contractor for OCCAM from 2003-2004 when she worked on a study of homeopathy and lung cancer.

Prior to rejoining OCCAM, Dr. Mikhail was an epidemiologist and program director at the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Branch of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) at NCI, where she oversaw a portfolio of cancer epidemiology grants and was involved in several research activities. Dr. Mikhail served as chair of the Health Disparities Interest Group at DCCPS, was a member of the NCI Special Studies Institutional Review Board, and received an NCI Merit Award in 2008.

Before coming to NCI, Dr. Mikhail worked for 15 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where she held positions of program director and research coordinator of several large-scale epidemiologic studies and clinical trials.

Dr. Mikhail received her M.D. from Cairo University School of Medicine in Egypt and her M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. in Epidemiology and International Health from the UAB School of Public Health.

Research Development and Support Program

Tara Secor
Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) fellow

Tara Secor is working as a Cancer Research and Training Award (CRTA) Fellow in the Research Development and Support Program.  In this position, she assists in reviewing grants and compiling a portfolio analysis of NCI CAM research.  She also is conducting a review of current CAM practices as it relates to cancer, which she plans to present at the end of her summer term.

In 2009, Ms. Secor received her B.S. in Human Biology from Indiana University.  She is currently working towards an M.S. in Physiology with a specialty in Complementary and Alternative Medicine from Georgetown University.   Ms. Secor has previously worked as an emergency patient care technician and unit coordinator at Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital.

Dan Xi, Ph.D.
Program Director

Dr. Xi joined OCCAM in 2005. As program director for the Research Development and Support Program, she is responsible for overseeing and managing a portfolio of research grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts related to cancer CAM. She also conducts the NCI CAM research portfolio analysis for NCI’s Annual Report on CAM.

Dr. Xi received her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology & Pathobiology from the Medical University of South Carolina. Since then, she has been working in the fields of neuroscience and cancer at the National Institutes of Health. She has extensive research experience in high throughput technologies (e.g. microarray technology and bioinformatics), pharmacology/toxicology, as well as cellular and molecular biology.  

Case Review and Intramural Science Program

Mary Ojukwu
Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) fellow

Mary Ojukwu graduated from the University of Connecticut in May 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology. Following graduation, she has been working as a Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) fellow within OCCAM’s Case Review and Intramural Science Program (CRISP).

Her fellowship will involve multiple goals including: designing an independent research project involving CAM use and cancer; publishing a manuscript to report her findings; reviewing case reports for the NCI Best Case Series Protocol; and presenting CAM-related articles at journal clubs in office meetings. After her term at OCCAM is complete, she will attend medical school with a focus on community health issues.

Oluwadamilola Olaku, M.D., M.P.H., MRCOG
Case Review and Intramural Science Program Coordinator, Contractor

Dr. Olaku has served as a scientific program analyst for OCCAM since 2004. In this role, his duties include reviewing cases submitted to the NCI Best Case Series Program, providing technical assistance to grant applicants, analyzing the NCI CAM portfolio, managing grants, and coordinating the OCCAM Monthly Lecture Series.

Dr. Olaku received his M.D. from the College of Medicine University of Lagos, Nigeria in 1989. He completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology in the United Kingdom where he received the Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (MRCOG). He received a law degree at the Middlesex University in London, England. Dr. Olaku is certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates and is a recipient of National Research Service Award. In 2004, he completed a postdoctoral clinical fellowship in complementary and alternative medicine at Morgan State University and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Farah Zia, M.D.
Case Review and Intramural Science Program Director

Dr. Zia joined OCCAM in September 2007 as the director of the Case Review and Intramural Science Program. Using her expertise in medical oncology, she evaluates cases submitted to the NCI Best Case Series Protocol and explores promising treatments for potential clinical studies in NCI’s intramural program. She is also a member of the Clinical Center Medical Staff at the Center for Cancer Research, Medical Oncology Branch, seeing patients in the early drug development clinic.
           
Dr. Zia is a hematologist/oncologist who received her M.D. from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 1997. She subsequently completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at the George Washington University Hospital in 2000. Dr. Zia then completed a subspecialty training fellowship in hematology/oncology through NCI and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. As a fellow, she developed a special interest in the treatment of breast cancer and was protocol chairperson and associate investigator on several breast cancer trials at NCI.

Communications and Outreach Program

Elizabeth Austin, M.S.
Communications and Outreach Program Coordinator, Contractor

Elizabeth Austin is the communications and outreach program coordinator for OCCAM. Her responsibilities include producing OCCAM's newsletters, annual reports, and other publications; overseeing the conference and exhibit program; and managing the OCCAM Web site.

Prior to joining OCCAM through the Health Communication Internship Program, Ms. Austin worked in the fields of marketing and communication in higher education. Ms. Austin earned a B.S. in Information Design and Corporate Communication from Bentley University and a M.S. in Health Communication from Tufts University School of Medicine.

Barbara McMakin, M.S.
Communications Analyst, Contractor

Barbara McMakin is a communications analyst for OCCAM. Her responsibilities include researching and writing for OCCAM publications and participating in outreach efforts targeting a variety of audiences, including cancer patients, researchers, health care providers, and advocacy organizations.

Prior to her role at OCCAM, Mrs. McMakin worked in the fields of science writing and public affairs. She earned an M.S. in Neurobiology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2007 and a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh.