Rebecca Cowens-Alvarado Named Executive Director of Sandy Springs-based Nonprofit TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation

The nonprofit TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation is excited to announce that Rebecca Cowens-Alvarado has joined the TurningPoint team as its Executive Director. TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation improves quality of life for women with breast cancer by providing, promoting and advocating specialized and evidence-based rehabilitation.

In her most recent role as Vice President of Health Systems at the American Cancer Society (ACS), Rebecca led a team of 120 staff members across the Southeast and mid-Atlantic states to implement the Society’s strategic priorities and programs. In her various roles with the ACS, Rebecca led regional and national initiatives to improve cancer prevention, increase cancer screening and enhance access to cancer treatment. As the Director of the National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center, she convened expert clinicians and researchers to develop clinical guidelines to enable primary care clinicians to address the needs of cancer survivors after treatment ends. She also led the development of evidence-based programs to reduce cancer disparities among American Indian, Alaska Native and rural communities across the nation. Additionally, Rebecca has engaged in a variety of research projects ranging from outreach and screening to patient and caregiver support.

Rebecca began her career working with the Oklahoma State Department of Health as the Chronic Disease Epidemiologist, responsible for analyzing data for the breast and cervical cancer early detection program and the state cancer registry. In this role, she worked closely with the program directors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help develop prevention and early detection programs to reduce the burden of cancer in the state.

She holds a Master of Public Health with a focus in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Drury University. Rebecca lives in Lilburn, Georgia with her husband, son and furry family.