Colorado Cancer Screening Program Staff
Colorado Cancer Screening Program Staff
Please direct all program inquiries to Program Director, Andrea (Andi) Dwyer.
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Andrea (Andi) Dwyer, Program Director
Andrea (Andi) Dwyer, Program Director
andrea.dwyer@cuanschutz.edu; 303-724-1018
Ms. Andrea (Andi) Dwyer, MPH is the Director of the Colorado Cancer Screening Program (CCSP) and the Associate Director of Education and Outreach for the Rady Center of Esophageal and Gastric Cancer at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and The Colorado School of Public Health. She serves as the co-investigator on several dissemination and implementation science grants, particularly focusing on patient navigation and sustainability strategies for lung, hereditary and GI cancers. Ms. Dwyer is the Chair of the American Cancer Society National Navigation Roundtable, is on the Leadership Council of the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators (AONN+), and leads the Steering Committee for the Alliance of Colorado Community Health Workers, Patient Navigators, and Promotores de Salud. Ms. Dwyer also serves as an Advisor and Medical Advisory Board Member for Fight Colorectal Cancer in their health promotion and research advocacy aims.
Elsa Staples, MPH, Senior Program Manager
Elsa Staples, MPH, Senior Program Manager
Elsa supports operational and implementation management, as well as evaluation efforts for CCSP. She joined the CCSP team in 2018 and has been working in the cancer prevention field since 2016. Elsa also provides support and advisement for several state and national initiatives within the cancer continuum and patient navigation/community health work spheres including as a Steering Committee Member for The Alliance of Colorado Community Health Workers, Patient Navigators, and Promotores de Salud, and as a Co-Lead for the Cancer Screening and Early Detection Committee at the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators (AONN+). Elsa has a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Education and Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Tulane University. She is passionate about working with communities across the state and nationwide to increase equitable access to and reduce barriers for cancer and healthcare services. In her free time, she enjoys returning to her mountain roots for summer and winter outdoor activities, live music, and all things involving food, including watching competitive cooking shows, trying out new recipes and cooking techniques, and eating her way around Denver.
Emily Bilenduke, PhD, Senior Professional Research Assistant
Emily Bilenduke, PhD, Senior Professional Research Assistant
Dr. Emily Bilenduke is a Senior Professional Research Assistant for the Colorado Cancer Screening Program (CCSP), where she supports community engagement and evidence-based program implementation, including for initiatives focused on lung and upper GI cancers. Her research focuses on advancing equitable cancer prevention and control initiatives by leveraging implementation science and collaborative population health methodologies. Dr. Bilenduke earned her doctorate in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of Colorado Denver, completed her clinical internship at Rush University Medical Center, and finalized her postdoctoral training within the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Northwestern University.
Jo Henning, MPH, Program Specialist
Jo Henning, MPH, Program Specialist
Jo is a Project Specialist for the Colorado Cancer Screening Program, where she leads technical assistance for the implementation of evidence-based interventions to increase colorectal cancer screening. She partners directly with 19 safety-net clinic systems, helping teams build action plans, strengthen workflows, and sustain practice change.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Human Services from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master of Public Health, concentrating in Behavioral and Community Health, from the LSU School of Public Health in New Orleans. During her graduate studies, Jo worked in marketing and communications for the school and for the Louisiana Center for Evidence to Practice, where she worked with behavioral health providers serving Medicaid patients in adopting evidence-based practices. Jo is driven by a commitment to social and environmental justice and to programs that improve access to care in underserved communities. Outside of work, you'll likely find Jo at the local farmers' market, crafting, hiking with her rescue Greyhound, or scoping out Denver's newest coffee shops and vegan restaurants.
Betsy Risendal, PhD, Program Lead
Betsy Risendal, PhD, Program Lead
Dr. Risendal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health and one of the founding members of CCSP. Her research is focused on cancer survivorship with an emphasis on health disparities. Promoting physical activity and other health-related behavior interventions after cancer among underserved populations is a particular area of interest. She currently serves as Principal Investigator for the Colorado Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network and a LCRF Research Grant on Disparities in Lung Cancer. Dr. Risendal served on the Swiss National Cancer Advisory Board on Self-Management and as the lead evaluator for Lance Armstrong Center of Excellence in Cancer Survivorship at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Dr. Risendal also serves on national and state projects related to patient navigation, including both training and research.
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