Seven Honored with Summit Awards For Commitment to Reducing Cancer in Nevada

08 August, 2025

Six individuals and one organization were honored Wednesday, Aug. 27 by the Nevada Cancer Coalition for their dedidcation to reducing the burden of cancer for Nevadans. The individuals received Summit Awards during an awards luncheon as part of the annual Nevada Cancer Control Summit, a statewide conference for healthcare and public health professionals held at the Carpenter International Training Center.

All of this year’s awardees are from the Las Vegas region and have had a significant impact across the region and the state. They are pictured here with NCC Board of Directors Chair Susan Cox.

Luz Castro, Equity Impact Champion. As a program manager at Dignity Health’s Englestad Foundation R.E.D. Rose Program, Castro is a bright light in the often-dark world of breast cancer. She brings hope, compassion and critical resources to those who need them most – community members who are uninsured or underinsured and seeking screening and treatment for breast cancer.

Dr. Alice Chen, Prevention and Early Detection Champion. Dr. Chen is an associate professor and pediatric dentist at Roseman University of Health Sciences and has used her expertise to advocate for HPV vaccination among adolescents to prevent oral cancers. Dr. Chen played a pivotal role in recent regulatory changes by helping ensure that dentists in Nevada who can now vaccinate their patients for influenza can also administer the HPV vaccine.

Dr. Vishisht Mehta, Healthcare Partner of the Year. Beyond his “day job” as director of interventional pulmonology at the Lung Center of Nevada, part of Comprehensive Cancer Centers, and department chair of pulmonology at Mountain View Hospital, he serves on multiple boards, founded a nonprofit to promote lung cancer screening, collaborates with Nevada Caner Coalition on all things lung cancer, and still finds time to share his expertise at conferences, on podcasts, and—most importantly— all while caring for his patients. Dr. Mehta is dedicated to helping find solutions to Nevada’s lung cancer screening challenges to help Nevadans stay healthier and find cancers earlier.

UNLV Health, Healthcare Partner of the Year. Nevada’s public health and medical schools are vital to reducing the burden of cancer in the state, not only because they educate the next generation of health professionals, but because they channel the energy and enthusiasm of their students and educators into the community. Nevada Cancer Coalition—and other organizations—has been fortunate to partner with faculty, staff and students from UNLV to educate people in southern Nevada about skin cancer and sun safety, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and more. Joanne Strobbe, executive associate dean for finance and administration for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV accepted the award.

Annette Logan-Parker, Advocacy Award. Though trained as a nurse, Logan-Parker was born to be an advocate. As the founder of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation she has never settled for what is, but strived for what could be. Thanks to her efforts and diligent advocacy, Nevada’s Cancer Plan now includes a dedicated section on pediatric and adolescent and young adult cancers. She also helped establish and now chairs the Nevada Rare Disease Advisory Council, ensuring access to care for Nevadans with rare diseases and building the data needed to shape meaningful policy. Logan-Parker’s impact is felt here in Nevada, but extends beyond our borders thanks to her national advocacy efforts, all intended to help create healthier, brighter futures for thousands of families. Annette was unable to attend the Summit and Cure 4 The Kids CEO Christine Tonn accepted the award on her behalf.

Emily Ames and Maggie Sanders, Rising Star Award. UNLV medical students Emily Ames and Maggie Sanders both share an interest in skin cancer prevention and early detection. Last year, the pair organized a campus-wide sunscreen drive to gather donations of sunscreen which they donated to Nevada Cancer Coalition for distribution to elementary school students in underserved communities through its Sun Smart Schools program. This year, the pair organized a free skin cancer screening event at YMCA Durango Hills connecting people without insurance to dermatologists and giving medical students a chance to learn alongside physicians while giving back to the community. Emily and Maggie are pictured at far left along with fellow students at an August 11, 2025 skin cancer screening clinic they organized.

Seven Honored with Summit Awards For Commitment to Reducing Cancer in Nevada

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