Sarah DeFeo

Sarah DeFeo, OCRA’s Chief Program Officer, joined OCRA in November 2008 and oversees OCRA’s annual grant solicitation and review progress, working closely with the Scientific Advisory Committee. Under her leadership, applications to OCRA’s three research grant programs have quadrupled.

She also directs the rapidly expanding patient support initiative, Woman to Woman Peer Mentor Program, as well as Survivors Teaching Students, and oversees all live and web-based patient education initiatives, including the OCRA’s International Gynecologic Cancer Conference. Sarah supports the development and communications teams, providing content and ensuring the visibility of OCRA’s research and programmatic activities across all media platforms.

Before joining OCRA, Sarah was the Director of the Physician Advocacy Fellowship at Columbia University, which trained doctors in social justice and health policy work. She also served as the Project Officer at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Center to Advance Palliative Care and in various positions at the Social Science Research Council.

Sarah graduated with honors from Vassar College with a Bachelor’s Degree in American History and earned her Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from Columbia University. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two daughters.