Daymark Assembles 'Dream Team' to Overhaul Cancer Care

PHILADELPHIA, PA – February 18, 2026 – Daymark Health, a company aiming to reshape the cancer care experience, today announced the formation of a Clinical Advisory Board stacked with some of the most influential names in American healthcare. The move signals a major escalation in the effort to shift complex cancer support out of the hospital and into the home, backed by a roster of experts whose careers have defined modern oncology, health policy, and value-based care.

By uniting top-tier oncologists, a key architect of the Affordable Care Act, a former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and leading patient advocates, Daymark is making a bold statement: transforming cancer care requires more than technology—it requires a coalition with the influence to rewrite the rules of clinical practice, patient engagement, and policy.

Daymark’s model partners with health plans to provide in-home and virtual supportive services—from 24/7 navigation and symptom management to mental health assistance—that wrap around a patient's existing oncology team. The new board is tasked with providing the strategic and clinical guidance to scale this vision.

"As we continue to grow and expand on our mission at Daymark, our Clinical Advisory Board will help ensure that we're building scalable and high-quality solutions that meet the evolving needs of patients, providers, health plans, and other partners," said Dr. Justin Bekelman, Co-Founder and CEO at Daymark Health. "We feel privileged to welcome this accomplished and respected group of experts to Daymark and continue delivering an exceptional, patient-centered cancer care experience."

A Powerhouse Roster for a Singular Mission

The board's membership reads less like a typical corporate advisory list and more like a who's who of healthcare innovation. The group’s collective expertise spans the highest levels of clinical research, healthcare operations, and federal policy-making.

Leading the clinical charge is Dr. Cardinale Smith, the Chief Medical Officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, one of the world's premier cancer institutions. A renowned lung cancer and palliative care specialist, her involvement lends immense clinical credibility to Daymark’s model. "Daymark has assembled an expert group of clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates with a shared purpose: to completely transform the cancer care experience for patients and the system at large," Dr. Smith stated in the announcement. "From the hospital to the board room to Capitol Hill, my fellow Board members and I are honored to shape the future of cancer care."

Alongside her are figures like Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the bioethicist and oncologist from the University of Pennsylvania who was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act, and The Honorable David Shulkin, MD, who as the former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs ran the nation's largest integrated health system. Their presence underscores an ambition that extends beyond individual patient care to systemic reform.

Redefining Value in Oncology

The strategic assembly of this board appears laser-focused on accelerating the shift toward value-based oncology—a model that prioritizes patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness over the volume of services provided. Several members bring deep operational experience in this domain from the nation's largest payers and providers.

Dr. Roy Beveridge, who serves as Daymark's executive board chair, was formerly the Chief Medical Officer at Humana and US Oncology. Dr. Jennifer Malin held senior roles at Optum and United Healthcare, where she designed value-based initiatives. Carol DeVol, co-founder of the home-based care company Landmark, brings a proven track record of managing care for vulnerable populations under risk-based contracts. This concentration of expertise from the payer and large-scale provider world suggests Daymark is building a solution designed from the ground up to meet the demands of health plans, which are increasingly seeking partners who can demonstrably improve outcomes and lower the total cost of care. Companies like Daymark, with established partnerships like the one with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, are positioning themselves as essential infrastructure for this new era of cancer treatment.

Elevating the Patient Voice

While the board is heavy with policy and operational experts, it also includes powerful advocates for a more humane and patient-focused approach to cancer. This commitment is embodied by the inclusion of Shelley Fuld Nasso, MPP, the CEO of Cancer Nation (formerly the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship), a leading patient advocacy organization.

Her involvement ensures that the patient's voice is not just heard but is a driving force in the company's strategy. Ms. Fuld Nasso has dedicated her career to ensuring that cancer care works for the people living with the disease, focusing on quality of life, not just survival. "Living with cancer can mean managing significant symptoms, uncertainty, long wait times, and emotional upheaval," she said. "Daymark is raising the bar for patient-centered care across the cancer journey. I'm excited to collaborate with the Daymark team and fellow Advisory Board members to advocate for patients and elevate their voices."

This focus is further strengthened by Dr. Kathi Mooney, a distinguished nursing professor and researcher at the University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute. Her work on symptom management, technology-aided interventions, and care for patients in underserved rural communities provides critical insight into delivering supportive care where it is often needed most but is least available.

A Strategy to Influence Policy and Practice

The combined weight of this advisory board positions Daymark Health not just to navigate the current healthcare landscape, but to actively shape it. With figures like Dr. Emanuel and Dr. Shulkin, the company gains unparalleled insight into the mechanics of health policy and regulation. Their experience in crafting and implementing large-scale health reforms could prove invaluable as Daymark seeks to prove the efficacy of its model and advocate for payment structures that reward comprehensive, supportive care.

The board's formation is a clear signal that Daymark Health intends to be more than just another vendor in the crowded health-tech space. It is assembling the clinical, operational, and political capital required to build a new standard of care for one of medicine's most complex and costly fields. By bringing these diverse and powerful voices to the same table, the company is betting that a truly integrated approach is the only way to finally build a cancer care system that puts the patient's entire well-being at the center. The healthcare industry will be watching closely to see how this supergroup of experts guides the company's next steps in its ambitious mission.