Team

Dr. Sholi is the regional director for UPMC Hillman cancer center in north-central Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Jordan medical school and did his residency in Internal medicine at a Temple University community program, the Scranton Temple Residency Program.

He completed his hematology and oncology fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2003. Dr. Sholi practiced hematology and oncology in private practice and in hospital-based practice and finally joined UPMC Hillman cancer center in 2019.

He is also a survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma.

Dr. Sholi was diagnosed in 1989 with stage IIB Hodgkin’s lymphoma and received chemotherapy and radiation treatment at the Royal Marsden cancer center in Surrey , England.

He looks forward to sharing his personal story, from diagnosis, through treatment and completing medical school as well as post graduate training and how it shaped his life as an Oncologist. He would like also to discuss long term complications of treatments of Hodgkin lymphoma and how to cope with that risk.

After receiving her degree in nursing from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1969, Susan Leigh served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. Seven months after completing a tour of duty in the Mekong Delta in South Vietnam, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and treated with some of the earliest forms of chemotherapy and radiation. This experience influenced her decision to enter the newly founded field of oncology nursing and began this phase of her career working as a research nurse in the new Department of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Arizona Medical Center.

For the past 35 years, Susan has focused her efforts on national advocacy work with special emphasis on the long-term and late effects of cancer treatment. Her most cherished involvement has been with the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) as a founding member and past president. She has also been actively involved with many professional organizations, including the Oncology Nursing Society and the National Cancer Institute.

Susan also worked as a Survivorship consultant and educator with Arizona Oncology, a multi-site community practice in Tucson, until multiple treatment-related cardiac complications made it difficult to fulfill work obligations and accelerated her decision to retire.

Stan Barta was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma at age 13, fifty years ago. Five years of surgery, Cobalt radiation, and MOPP chemotherapy lead him to complete remission, just in time for high school graduation.

This was followed by 30 years of good health, travel adventures, sailing, and boat-building. When Stan and his wife Cathi adopted two toddler boys from Thailand, they moved the whole family to their tug/trawler, where Stan became the “at home parent,” home-schooling his sons aboard ship. The family had numerous maritime escapades in the coastal waters of Washington and British Columbia.

Stan began to experience late effects about ten years ago. He credits Dr. Michael Stubblefiled’s vigilance with preventing him from having a fatal heart attack. Stan was diagnosed with “advanced radiation-induced coronoary artery disease” (CAD), heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and cardiac cachexia.

Stan used to lament the things he can no longer do, due to fatigue and shortness of breath. With the help of a palliative care therapist, he has turned to exploring what he CAN be, and what his true values are.

Many will remember Stan’s wonderful talk on Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, presented via Zoom last year. If you missed it, you can watch it here via our Hodgkin’s International YouTube channel.

Anastasia was diagnosed with stage 2B Bulky HL at the age of 24 in 2009 and treated with ABVD. After a battle with Bleomycin Toxicity that left doctors divided on whether consolidative radiation should be used, Anastasia opted for Proton Therapy, enrolling in a research study and becoming the first patient to receive her treatment in all protons at the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute.

Today, Anastasia works as a Real Estate Broker and is a self-published author. She is happily married with two daughters ages 7 and 10. She is passionate about Hodgkin’s advocacy, sobriety, and thanking God for every experience.

Anastasia has already made significant contributions to the survivorship world and to our organization in particular. She has been instrumental in creating our TikTok site and has populated it with educational and inspiring posts. As a younger survivor, Anastasia’s voice and experience is crucial in understanding the needs of ALL Hodgkin’s survivors.