Articles by Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement
Fighting For Her Life with a Clinical trial
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 7 June 2019 In Melanoma Stories, Science, Treatment
Colleen Wittoesch was a regular volunteer at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She came to the hospital every week to help out and spend time with patients and families in the melanoma clinic for going on seven years. Little did she know that in 2016 she too would walk through the clinic doors as a patient.
Research is Hope: MRA Announces $8.2 Million for New Grant Awards to Advance Melanoma Research
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 30 April 2019 In News, Science
In advance of Melanoma Awareness Month, the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the largest non-profit funder of melanoma research, today announced funding for 33 innovative research awards totaling $8.26 million.
Building Community While Raising More than $10 Million for Melanoma
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 15 April 2019 In Allies & Partnerships, Events
Leveraged Finance Fights Melanoma has become an annual event that brings over 1,000 people together from the leveraged finance and private equity community. Cofounder Brendan Dillon shares his own journey with melanoma.
This Engineer is Building a ‘Better’ Biopsy
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 20 March 2019 In Science
Biopsies are an important tool to determine if a mole or other lesion is cancerous. For most patients, the occasional biopsy is no big deal. However for patients facing multiple abnormal or otherwise ‘suspicious’ spots in highly visible places the prospect can be daunting. Dr. Jesse Wilson, an MRA-funded investigator, is an engineer on a mission to build a better biopsy.
Fight Back Give Back with Clinical Trials
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 24 February 2019 In News, Science
When patients understand all of their options, including clinical trials, they can make informed decisions about their care. For many patients, clinical trials represent the best possible way to get access to cutting-edge treatment options.
It’s Not that Simple: Young Women and Melanoma
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 15 February 2019 In Prevention, Science
Article after article describes the ‘skyrocketing’ increases in melanoma among young women. While most are quick to point out the clear association between intentional tanning and skin cancer, few ever hint that there may be more to the story.
When Are Melanoma Patients Finished with Immunotherapy?
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 23 January 2019 In Melanoma Stories, Science, Treatment
For melanoma patients, deciding when to discontinue treatment is a difficult decision. should the general ‘rule of thumb’ of treating patients with advanced disease until progression still apply? According to Dr. Jeffrey Weber and the data he presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress late last year, the answer is maybe not.
From Health Scare to Transformative Change
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 16 January 2019 In Melanoma Stories
Debra Black founded the Melanoma Research Alliance in 2007 after her own diagnosis with Stage II disease earlier that year. Since then, MRA has become the largest, non-profit funder of melanoma research worldwide.
Make Your Sun Safety Habit Stick: La Roche Posay’s My Skin Track UV
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 3 January 2019 In Allies & Partnerships, Prevention
Last month’s arrival of La Roche Posay’s My Skin Track UV may be just what the doctor ordered to help people understand the danger of overexposure to ultraviolet radiation.
MRA Advisor & Grantee Dr. Allison Awarded Nobel Prize for Transforming Cancer Care
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 28 November 2018 In News, Science, Treatment
MRA Scientific Advisory Panel Member & Grantee Dr. Allison Awarded Nobel Prize for his pioneering research to harness the power of the immune system to attack cancer. His work in immunotherapy, which began in the 1990’s, was audacious at the time. It helped to mainstream an entirely new class of tools in the arsenal against cancer; joining the likes of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
About the Author
Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement
Cody Barnett, MPH serves as the Director of Communications & Patient Engagement at the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA). In this role, he works to develop and cultivate strategies, messages, and stories that propel MRA and its mission forward. In addition, he develops patient-friendly articles, tools, and resources that demystify new research advances and make them actionable. Cody is responsible for media relations, web and social marketing, publications and materials development, and organizational branding. He is committed to using the power of storytelling and patient-centered thinking to advance melanoma research and improve patient outcomes.
Before joining the Melanoma Research Alliance, Cody served as Director of Communications at AIDS United, where he directed all internal, public, member, and online communications for the national HIV-focused organization. Previous to this, he managed digital communications for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s signature initiative, Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q).
Cody earned his Master of Public Health (MPH), concentrating in health policy, from The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in 2013 and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from York College of Pennsylvania.