Our Team
For general inquiries:
Cancer Information Nurse Line for general inquiries: ccinfo@umn.edu or 612-624-7552
Inquiries on programs and events:
mccevents@umn.edu
Kiara Ellis, MSW (she/her) Director, Community Outreach and Engagement
Kiara is the Masonic Cancer Center’s Community Outreach and Engagement Director. Her passions lie in serving as a change agent for the community and impacting systemic change that will further cancer health equity in the state. She is the creator of the Cancer Center Community Impact Forum.
Jen Poynter, MPH, PhD (she/her) Associate Director, Community Outreach and Engagement
Dr. Poynter serves as the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement. Her role in the Masonic Cancer Center is to understand the cancer burden in Minnesota and ensure that the Center is responding to the needs of the population of Minnesota through research and clinical care.
Rebekah Pratt, PhD Associate Co-Director, Community Outreach and Engagement
Dr. Pratt serves as the Associate Co-Director of Community Outreach and Engagement. Dr. Pratt's role with the Masonic Cancer Center is supporting the ongoing efforts to build relationships with communities, enhance community engagement, and bring community voices into her work.
Christopher Pennell, PhD (he/him) Associate Director, Education
Dr. Pennell serves as the Masonic Cancer Center’s faculty education liaison. His role in the center is to help ensure the Masonic Cancer Center meets the needs of Minnesotans and to encourage students to pursue careers in cancer care and research.
Patty Beckmann, RN (she/her) Oncology Patient Access Nurse
Patty Beckmann, RN, is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and has worked for over 25 years on a variety of cancer clinical research trials. Her professional experience and passion for helping patients navigate clinical research make her a great fit to educate and provide resources to our patients and community members through our Cancer Information Line.
Lissa Martinez Huebner (she/her) Event and Administrative Manager
Ashley Pohlenz, MPH (she/her) Senior Research and Program Coordinator
Ashley comes to the Masonic Cancer Center with a background in reducing cancer burden in Indigenous communities. Her professional experience includes program evaluation, health systems change, and program design and implementation.
Amna Hussein (she/her) Community Engagement Coordinator
Amna completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Society, and Environment with a minor in Political Science, from the University of Minnesota. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Biological Sciences with a focus in public health, immunology, and cancer biology. Through various opportunities, Amna's professional experiences have centered around tackling inequities in education and healthcare. She is passionate about addressing the social determinants of health to reduce cancer health disparities in communities across the state.
Susannah Bartlow, PhD (she/her) Community Outreach and Engagement Associate - Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network (MNCCTN)
Susannah's job is to understand barriers to clinical research in diverse community settings and develop engagement programs to overcome these barriers. She is passionate about putting research into practice and bridging the gaps between resources and people. Learn more about the Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network (MNCCTN).
Bethany Hiltbrand (she/her) Event and Administrative Support Student Worker
Bethany is a senior majoring in Psychology and Strategic Communications at the University of Minnesota and has worked with the team since 2019.
Katie Hanson (she/her) Event and Administrative Support Student Worker
Katie is majoring in Biology, Society, and Environment. She plans to either continue her education by going to medical school or working within the healthcare field. She is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, and loves to travel, she even studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain last year.