JOE GOODMAN // Board Chair
Joe (he/him) discovered Survivor Wellness after his own cancer diagnosis in June, 2022, and has been actively involved with Survivor Wellness since. Survivor Wellness has been an invaluable support for him and his entire family during this period, and considers having the opportunity to give back to the organization a great blessing.
Joe has previously served on non-profit boards, and, as an attorney, brings his personal and professional experience to the organization. Joe is hoping to expand the reach of Survivor Wellness in our community, and to provide these invaluable services and resources to more people dealing with the devastating impacts a cancer diagnosis has on Utah families.
DANA LEVY // Executive Director
Executive Director of Survivor Wellness since late 2022, Dana (she/her) is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT), certified Laban Bartenieff movement analyst (CLMA), and has her M.A. in Dance from The Ohio State University.
A native of Nashville, Dana spent 15 years living in Japan, where she pursued training in martial arts and Iyengar yoga, became fluent in Japanese, raised her son with her husband Zach Smith, and ran a yoga studio in collaboration with Italian fashion brand, FURLA. Dana's full profile can be found here.
Dana is honored to serve as Executive Director of Survivor Wellness, and believes that the health of the organization and the health of those who receive and provide services and support here should be equally respected and compassionately cultivated.
GRANT JACKSON, MD // Board Member
Dr. Jackson (he/him) went to medical school with the simple idea of helping people.
"My mom died from cancer when I was nine years old. I remember visiting her in the hospital and seeing the worry in her eyes. As a nine year old I didn’t feel suddenly “called” to a career in medicine but the experience broadened my empathy towards those who are suffering. Ultimately these feelings nudged me towards becoming a physician."
Dr. Jackson chose family medicine because he fell in love with the idea of working with people from all walks of life.
"There are so many people with chronic and debilitating medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, fatigue, depression, anxiety, arthritis, and insomnia. Many struggle with several of these problems at the same time."
To better serve his patients, Dr. Jackson extended his training by completing a two year fellowship with the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.
"I am convinced that everyone can prevent or reverse any chronic condition, symptom or concern. The body has a wonderful innate capacity for self-healing. My passion is to help people activate and enhance the healing process."
MELISSA SMITH // Board Secretary, Events Committee
Melissa (she/her) has served with several nonprofit organizations in Utah including the Salt Lake Chapter of the National Charity League and the Utah Blues Society and earned her certificate of Professional Volunteer Management from the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism.
Melissa is interested in community, connectedness and paying forward all the love and support she received during her cancer journey in 2022-2023. While searching for support, she found the Survivor Wellness website but was afraid to attend her first event until a good friend agreed to go with her.
“I am here to be a friend to anyone who is interested in Survivor Wellness events and offerings and remove any fear or stigma that is associated with walking in the door.”
DAVID FUHRMAN //Board Member
David (he/him) has been involved in Clinical Translational Research since the early 2000's. David started his career as a software engineer in the early 1980’s. In the 1990's, he became a Research Associate for the NIH ‘Big Science’ Genome Mapping Project at the University of Utah. This began his education in Genetics, Proteomics, Metabolomics and Cellular Biology.
David’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to couple his background in these domains with his computer science background to launch two very successful software companies in the Life Sciences.His second company, purchased by Exact Sciences, produced Cologuard, a colon cancer screening and cancer diagnostic service. While working for them, David assisted in growing Exact’s test portfolio. The mission of Exact Sciences, to eradicate cancer through early detection, aligned with the goal of making a difference in healthcare by bringing new technologies out of R&D and to the clinical bench as fast as possible.
Following his career with Exact, David worked with another startup company developing a cellular based cancer diagnostics with the promise that cancer can be cured using immunotherapies. This company's goal is to introduce the latest gains in cancer diagnostics and therapies to the clinic and make a positive difference in patient outcomes.
"I believe this approach will lead to us curing cancer within my lifetime.“
David is honored to have been asked to join the board of Survivor Wellness and support this remarkable organization and its mission.
JAMES ROBERTS // BOARD MEMBER
James (he/him) joins the board in 2024 to support the cancer survivor community at Survivor Wellness. James co-founded Redirect Digital in 2004 and has more than 30 years of business development and marketing experience. He studied economics and political science at the University of Utah. James was formerly Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Viawest, Senior Vice President at Harris & Love Advertising, Co-Founder of U235 Interactive, and Director of Corporate Development at Sundance. James is a digital marketing pioneer and agent of change. The ever-changing marketplace and the opportunities the market creates are what makes James tick.
James has been personally impacted by cancer in his family, and is dedicated to helping those in need through his involvement in Survivor Wellness.
EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS
BENJAMIN ROGERS
Benjamin Rogers (he/him) served in the U.S Marine Corps, has acted as a consultant to various organizations and political institutions around the world, and is now a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. Benjamin completed both his Bachelor of Science in International Studies and Master of Science in Finance from the University of Utah, and is passionate about giving back to the local community by partnering with non-profits that are making a difference.
His passion for the Survivor Wellness stems from his parents’ battles with cancer and the difficulty they both had getting to their treatments regularly and having a support system outside of them. Ben is a founding board member for Survivor Wellness, and is also on the board of the Cancierge Foundation.
JOHN LIBRETT, MPH
As a cancer survivor, Dr. Librett (he/him) is a past member of the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Public Health Advisory Board, Clinical Director of the American Medical Athletic Association's Clinical Advisory Board and past chair of a White House Federal Interagency Health Council. Dr. Librett is a former health scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Institute Clinical Conference Series in Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Librett is recognized for his leadership in preventive medicine, clinical translation and health policy. On these issues, John has worked with the White House, the US Department of Health and Human Services; and the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as governments and corporations in Asia, Eastern Europe, Central and South America, and the U.S.
In addition to his business development, Dr. Librett's health policy research has appeared in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, World News Tonight, and NPR's Morning Edition, to name a few. Dr. Librett is a Founder of the First Ascent Fund, President and Founder of Behavioral Science International, and Adjunct Professor with the University of Utah, College of Health.
Dr. Librett is the founder and chief scientific officer of Survivor Healthcare, which offers cutting-edge, value-based virtual primary cancer care.
While in medical school, studying epidemiology and evidence-based medicine, Dr. Librett was diagnosed with cancer. During his cancer diagnosis, John developed a deep interest in integrative medicine; including meditation and mindfulness; later attending the Soto and Rinzai Schools and becoming a member of the White Plum lineage.