Susan Leighton

Susan Leighton is a 28-year survivor of recurrent ovarian cancer and 12-year survivor of breast cancer. Susan began her journey in advocacy when she co-founded the Lilies of the Valley, a gynecologic cancer support and awareness group in Huntsville, Alabama.

Susan joined the OCRA team in 2016 and is the Director of OCRA’s Survivors Teaching Students® (STS) program. Under her guidance the program has expanded both nationally and internationally reaching approximately 11,000 students annually. Susan serves as a consumer member of the Programmatic Panel for the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP). She has participated as a PCORI reviewer, an NCI patient advocate Reviewer, and an FDA Patient Representative. She is a past member of the NCI Ovarian Cancer Task Force.

She has participated in numerous scientific meetings and has been a mentor for the AACR Survivor-Scientist Program. She served as an OCRA Advocate Leader carrying the voice of the ovarian cancer community to Capitol Hill and in 2011 testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense in support of the DoD OCRP. She spearheaded state legislation establishing the “Alabama Study Commission for Gynecologic Cancers.” Susan serves as a patient advocate on several ongoing research projects providing the patient’s perspective.

She was honored by OCRA with the Cindy Melancon Survivor Spirit Award and recognized by CURE Magazine as an Ovarian Cancer Hero in recognition of her work on behalf of the ovarian cancer community.