ABOUT US

Metastatic Trial Talk (MTT) was created to address the overwhelming amount of breast cancer information available online. We carefully select news and features about metastatic breast cancer research to help patients when making treatment decisions, including whether to enter a clinical trial.

MTT was developed by BreastCancerTrials.org as a companion to Metastatic Trial Search, a clinical trial matching tool designed specifically for people with metastatic breast cancer.

Who We Are

Kristine De La Torre, PhD - Content Editor

Kris is the MTT Editor for Metastatic Trial Talk and thus, selects the content for each month’s MTT. As a freelance medical writer, her interests are in facilitating bidirectional communication between patients and the medical community. She holds a PhD in neurobiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alexandra Burd, MMB - Managing Editor

Alex is the Outreach and Operations Lead with BreastCancerTrials.org. She manages Metastatic Trial Talk, trial registry services, and partnerships with breast cancer advocacy organizations. Her interest in healthcare and passion for health equity drives her desire to help people make the most informed decisions about their health. Alex has a B.S in Microbiology and a Master of Microbial Biotechnology from North Carolina State University.

Leeza Patel, MBA - Technical Editor

Leeza is the Data Scientist with BreastCancerTrials.org. She has a Bachelors in Computer Engineering and dual MBA in Healthcare Management and Enterprise Resource Planning from Scranton University. She has 8 years of experience in the healthcare field and is passionate about using data to drive change in people’s lives using data science and analytics. Her interest in healthcare stems from her passion to impact and improve quality of life for more diverse populations.

Susan Colen — Program Director

Susan began her career at BreastCancerTrials.org in 2009, as a Program Associate and trial curator. Since 2013, she has managed the operations of BCT and its companion applications, Metastatic Trial Search and Metastatic Trial Talk and became Program Director in 2020. Her interest in research, her involvement in the breast cancer community, as well as a family history of breast cancer drives her commitment to improving awareness and access to clinical trials. She has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and has completed the UC Berkeley Extension’s Clinical Research Conduct and Management program.

Elly Cohen, PhD — Co-Founder and Senior Advisor

Elly was the Program Director of BreastCancerTrials.org (BCT) from its beginning as a UCSF-NCI research pilot through 2020, developing BCT into a highly regarded nationwide, non-profit service. Under her leadership, BCT grew into a family of applications that include BCT Match, BCT Browse, Metastatic Trial Search, and Metastatic Trial Talk. Elly is an active contributor as Senior Advisor at Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative, the sponsor of BCT. She is frequently invited to talk about clinical trials to patient groups and is actively involved in the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance. Elly has a Ph.D. in Pathology from Cornell University and is a breast cancer survivor.

About BreastCancerTrials.org

BreastCancerTrials.org (BCT) is a patient-friendly, online clinical trial matching service focused exclusively on breast cancer. It maintains a registry of over 500 studies actively recruiting patients in the USA, including clinical trials and observational studies. Conceived by patients, and developed at the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, BCT was validated in a UCSF/NCI research pilot prior to its nationwide launch in 2008. The mission of BCT is to accelerate breast cancer research by making patient consideration of trials the norm vs. the exception. Towards that goal, BCT develops tools and services that engage patients to discuss trials with their providers as a routine option for care.

BCT is a program of Quantum Leap Health Care Collaborative, a non-profit organization affiliated with the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center.

For more information, visit BreastCancerTrials.org.

About Metastatic Trial Search

Metastatic Trial Search (MTS) is a clinical trial search tool designed specifically for patients with metastatic breast cancer. Launched in 2015, MTS was developed by BreastCancerTrials.org in collaboration with the following breast cancer advocacy organizations:

MTS is embedded on the websites of many partner sites providing patients with easy access to trial information from within their trusted communities. MTS is currently available on these sites:

For more information, visit Metastatic Trial Search.

About Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative

A 501C(3) charitable organization, Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative (QLHC) was established in 2005 as a collaboration between medical researchers at University of California, San Francisco and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Their mission is to integrate high-impact research with clinical processes and systems technology, resulting in improved data management and information systems, greater access to clinical trial matching and sponsorship, and greater benefit to providers, patients and researchers – to improve and save lives. QLHC’s portfolio includes BCT, CTMatch, I-SPY trials, and OneSource.

For more information, visit Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative