The Research Team

Studying the many aspects of familial/hereditary cancer disorders requires the knowledge and expertise of several different disciplines. The Clinical Genetics Branch (CGB) Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) study team includes a group of experts who each bring their own special perspective to the project.

Payal Khincha, MBBS, MSHS

Dr. Khincha is the Principal Investigator of in charge of the LFS study. She is a board-certified pediatric hematologist-oncologist who also has a Master’s degree in clinical and translational research. She has an interest in inherited cancer predisposition syndromes, particularly those that can affect both children and adults. Dr. Khincha has overall responsibility for the conduct of this study, and her research focuses on the clinical, epidemiological, genetic and psychosocial aspects of LFS. She also leads the clinical evaluations of families enrolled in the LFS study.

Sharon A. Savage, MD, FAAP

Dr. Savage is the Lead Medical Advisor of the LFS study and leads the scientific efforts of the study. She is board-certified in both pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology and has extensive training in laboratory-based research related to how cancers develop. Dr. Savage has a special interest in the hereditary cancer disorders. She is particularly well known for her research related to a rare cancer susceptibility disorder called dyskeratosis congenita. Her research will be focusing particularly on molecular and genetic aspects of LFS.

Megan Frone, MS, CGC

Ms. Frone is a board-certified licensed genetic counselor with specialty interest and expertise in inherited predisposition to cancer and in gene variant annotation and classification. Ms. Frone is the Co-Chair of the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome Association (LFSA) Genetic Counseling Advisory Group, and is the Coordinator of the ClinGen TP53 Variant Curation Expert Panel which is helping to ensure that genetic test results for LFS are properly and consistently interpreted. Ms. Frone’s clinical background is in general pediatric genetics, inborn errors of metabolism, and pediatric and adult cancer genetics.

Jessica Hatton, MS, CGC

Ms. Hatton is a board-certified licensed genetic counselor with a particular interest in hereditary cancer syndromes. She provides genetic counseling to participants and furthering research on the spectrum of cancers that may occur in people with LFS. She also serves on the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome Association Genetic Counseling Advisory Group and is involved in variant curation activities for TP53 through the ClinGen TP53 Variant Curation Expert Panel, helping to ensure that genetic test results for LFS are properly and consistently interpreted.

Renée Bremer, MS

Ms. Bremer is an Epidemiology Program Analyst in CGB. She holds a Master’s degree in epidemiology from Michigan State University where she completed her thesis on adolescent physical activity and breast cancer risk. She has been a collaborator on multiple CGB-related research projects. In addition to overseeing LFS study management, she is involved in psychosocial analyses and follow-up data collection within the LFS study.

Kelvin de Andrade, MSc, PhD

Dr. de Andrade is a Research Fellow in CGB. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences from the Sao Paulo State University and Master’s and Doctoral degrees in oncology from the A.C. Camargo Cancer Center in Brazil. Dr. de Andrade has been involved in a series of genetic, clinical, and epidemiological studies trying to discover new factors that could contribute to the variable phenotype and cancer penetrance in LFS.

Camella Rising, PhD, MS, RDN

Dr. Rising is a Research Fellow in CGB. She is a behavioral scientist and registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) with a doctoral degree in communication and a master's degree in nutritional sciences. Her research focuses on developing a better understanding of health behaviors, communication behaviors, and the psychosocial needs of individuals and families living with cancer predisposition syndromes, such as LFS and telomere biology disorders. Dr. Rising is a researcher on the adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with LFS study and is leading a patient-centered pilot intervention study focused on reducing distress and improving the psychological well-being of AYAs.

Rowan Forbes Shepherd, PhD

Dr. Forbes Shepherd is a Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow in CGB. He is a psychosocial scientist with a special interest in adolescent medicine and developmental science. He earned his Ph.D. in psychosocial genetics from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Dr. Forbes Shepherd leads multiple psychosocial research projects including a study of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with LFS, and a study to understand screening-associated distress (“scanxiety”) in the context of LFS.

Sophia Ty B.Sc.

Ms.Ty is a post-baccalaureate fellow in CGB. She holds bachelor’s degrees in biomedical engineering and biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests are in the development and application of computational platforms, including AI, to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. She is investigating the effectiveness of longitudinal cancer screening on individuals with LFS and evaluating the association of body composition with clinical outcomes in LFS.