Renée Pelletier, MS, CGC is a board-certified genetic counselor and Senior Medical Science Liaison based in Massachusetts. She holds a BS from Northeastern University and an MS in Genetic Counseling from Boston University. Renée began her career at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she provided cancer genetic counseling and later managed the Genomic Medicine Unit to integrate clinical genomics into healthcare infrastructure. Having previously served as a GRAIL MSL from 2022 to 2024, she has since expanded her expertise leading clinical product strategies and large-scale diagnostic trials before proudly rejoining the GRAIL team in 2026. She is dedicated to translating complex scientific data into actionable narratives that improve patient outcomes and drive the adoption of cutting-edge diagnostics.
Dr. Ana Acuna is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Clinical Trials Office at UConn – Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her work focuses on the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, early-phase clinical trials, and improving access to clinical research. She is particularly interested in system-based innovation in clinical research operations with the ultimate goal of improving equitable access to clinical trials in patients with cancer.
Tracy Battaglia MD
MPH Professor of Medicine Yale School of Medicine Associate Director, Community Outreach and Engagement Yale Cancer Center. Dr. Battaglia is a general internal medicine clinical-scientist internationally recognized for her collaborative and pragmatic approaches to addressing health disparities among communities historically marginalized. Dr. Battaglia received her medical degree from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and her MPH degree from Boston University School of Public Health. After completing Internal Medicine Residency training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, she returned to Boston University to complete a Primary Care Academic Fellowship with a concentration in Women’s Health and Preventive Medicine.
Dr. Battaglia spent 25 years at Boston Medical Center, the largest Safety Net Medical Center in New England, where she rose to rank of Professor serving in multiple leadership roles including Director for Community Engagement for the BU Clinical Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Her own research focuses on designing, implementing and evaluating multi-level health system interventions in pursuit of equitable access to care for at-risk women, especially for cancer care. She is a pioneer in the development of oncology Patient Navigation serving as founding Chair of the National Navigation Roundtable (2017-2022).
She joined the Yale Cancer Center in 2024 to lead a new Initiative to Reduce Cancer Disparities where she also serves as Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement and practices as a high-risk breast health provider. And in 2026 she joined the Advisory Board for the CT Cancer Partnership.
Kristin Price, is a Senior Director of Medical Affairs, where she leads efforts to expand access to innovative cancer screening technologies. A certified genetic counselor, she holds degrees from Boston College and the University of Minnesota and has co-authored more than a dozen publications on the genomic drivers of cancer.
Ilana Richman, MD, MHS – General Internist and Health Services Researcher at the Yale School of Medicine. Her current work focuses on evaluating new breast cancer screening technologies as well as the use and implementation of lung cancer screenings
Lesley Bennett, Chair, CT Rare Disease Advisory Council. Lesley has a professional background in clinical laboratory science and medical research–with experience in hematology/oncology, blood bank support for cancer patients, stem cell research, genetic testing, and medical writing. Her connection to cancer is personal: her father died of glioblastoma, and a close friend died of neuroendocrine cancer. After her daughter, Kelly, was born with a rare metabolic disorder, Lesley increasingly focused her work on patient advocacy while studying for an advanced degree in molecular diagnostics and immunochemistry. For the past 30 years, she has advocated for people, mostly children, with rare diseases, including rare and inherited cancers that are often difficult to recognize, diagnose, and appropriately screen for. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Connecticut Rare Disease Advisory Council.