Research Team

ABOUT’s Research Team is composed of researchers, statisticians, and staff at the Health Informatics Institute of the University of South Florida.

Rebecca Sutphen, MD
Co-Principal Investigator
Professor of Genetics
Morsani College of Medicine
University of South Florida

Rebecca Sutphen, MD is a board-certified Clinical Geneticist and Molecular Geneticist. For over a decade, Dr. Sutphen’s research has focused on identification and management of hereditary cancer risk, strategies for early detection and prevention, and ways to involve consumers in the entire research process. Dr. Sutphen serves as Co-Principal Investigator, leading the ABOUT Network, which focuses on hereditary cancer. She serves on the Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board for FORCE. Dr. Sutphen is a survivor of premenopausal breast cancer and melanoma. She is co-author of the book Confronting Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, which was published by Johns Hopkins Press February 2012.

Beth Ann Clark
Clinical Research Associate for Rebecca Sutphen, MD
American BRCA Outcomes & Utilization of Testing (ABOUT) Network
American BRCA Outcomes Among the Recently Diagnosed (ABOARD) Study
Health Informatics Institute, University of South Florida

Ms. Clark has been with ABOUT since June of 2013 and was involved in the development and submission of the original PCORI application for Phase I funding to build ABOUT into a Patient-Powered Research Network (PPRN). She is a Clinical Research Associate at USF and serves as the Project Manager for the ABOUT PPRN; she has a BA in Health Communications with a minor in Public Health, a Graduate Certificate in Biostatistics, and expects to graduate with an MPH in Epidemiology in May of 2017. Beth Ann is very passionate about epidemiological research and values the patient-perspective in advancing research.

Olivia Parrillo
Lead Research Support Specialist
American BRCA Outcomes & Utilization of Testing (ABOUT) Network
Health Informatics Institute, University of South Florida

Olivia Parrillo began working for the ABOUT Network in April 2015, shortly after earning a BS in Public Health, and is the Lead Research Support Specialist at the University of South Florida. Her passion for cancer research began in 2008 when she was a teenager and her mother was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer, following two previous breast cancer diagnoses in 1993 at the age of 34, and again in 1999. Olivia feels honored to be a part of the ABOUT Network team and is eager to see the positive impact the network will have on individuals affected by hereditary cancers.

Jessica Conaty
Research Support Specialist
American BRCA Outcomes & Utilization of Testing (ABOUT) Network
Health Informatics Institute, University of South Florida

Jessica Conaty joined the ABOUT Network study team as a full-time Research Support Specialist in May of 2016, immediately after graduating from USF with a BS degree in Public Health. Prior to joining the research team full-time, she had volunteered with ABOUT while she was an undergraduate student. She loves being a part of the research and enjoys interacting with current participants as well as potential enrollees via our toll-free phone number as well as via email.