Tonja Amico is a Registered Nurse currently working in the Gastroenterology Hepatology Division at the University of Rochester Medical Center at Strong Memorial Hospital.  She has been an active member of the Strollin’ For The Colon Board of Directors since 2015. She is a passionate advocate of our mission of educating the community about the symptoms, testing options and early treatment of Colorectal Cancer.

Elaine Bucci became involved with Strollin’ for the Colon when her brother Joe and Tina Cottone’s sister, Toni, were both seeking treatment at Wilmot Cancer Institute for colon cancer.  Sadly, neither survived this terrible disease.  She had known Toni since their kids were in kindergarten, but got to know Tina while Joe and Toni were in treatment.  When Tina asked her to volunteer at the annual Strollin’ for the Colon 5K Walk/Run held in Geneseo and later to accept a position on the board, she was more than willing.  She continues to be involved in our mission of spreading awareness and the importance of screening for this terrible disease.

A few years later her daughter-in-law, at age 37, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.  She and her husband Joe then became involved in the Breast Cancer Research Initiative which led to her being asked to be a member of the board at the Wilmot Cancer Institute, which she continue to serve.

About two years ago she was asked to be a part of the Pluta Cancer Center board, acting as the liaison between Pluta and Wilmot.  She gives updates to both of these boards about Strollin’ for the Colon as well.

She continue to serve on all three of these boards and contribute in any way she is able in order to advance the goal of finally eradicating cancer.

Tina Cottone has been a nurse since 1982 working on a surgical floor for 16 years before joining UR Medical Center. She has worked in the Gastroenterology & Hepatology department for over 23 years, and has been the Chairman of the Board for Strollin’ for the Colon since it’s creation in 2012. She also serves as a board member of the Heredity Clinic’s Lynch Syndrome support group.

She is part of Strollin’ for the Colon because of her sister, Toni. She and her nurse colleague Ginny were having lunch one day after her oldest sister Toni had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer. Ginny, a cancer survivor herself, and she agreed they needed to do something to alert the community on the importance of Colon Cancer screening, as they know it can save lives. So they decided to host a 5k walk/run event in Geneseo, N.Y. There was nothing like that in their area! With no money, no sponsors, no venue and a lot of great community support including the support from URMC GI Division, and with a lot of hard work they pulled it off! Tina was proud that her sister Toni was able to attend this 1st event! Unfortunately, like many others, Toni lost her life to Colon Cancer the following year. Since then, Tina and the Strollin’ for the Colon board members have made it their mission to promote awareness, educate the public, and help fund research to help fight this disease. They have donated over $100,000 dollars locally to many organizations who promote their mission including Livingston County Health Department, Finger Lakes Cancer Services, Hope Lodge, Wilmot Patient Needs fund, and have helped fund many researchers at Wilmot Cancer Institute. Two years ago, Tina’s board colleagues advised her that they would like to name the 5k event Toni’s Race in honor of her sister. She and her family were honored, but more importantly this event isn’t just for her sister it is for many other wonderful people throughout the community who are affected by this disease. Tina is proud of the work that Strollin’ for the Colon has done over the years, and honored to be able to continue to give back to her community.

Dr. Arthur J. DeCross is a board certified gastroenterologist and Professor of Medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Educated at Albany Medical Center, the University of Rochester Medical Center, and the University of Virginia Medical Center, he has been a career clinical educator in medicine, teaching gastroenterology fellows, medical residents and medical students for 3 decades. Currently serving as the director of adult gastroenterology within the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center at URMC, Dr. DeCross sub-specializes in the management of Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis. He additionally has had a long term clinical interest in high risk colon cancer syndromes, and together with Dr. Marino, served to prompt the formation of the Hereditary Cancer Screening and Risk Reduction Program at the Wilmot Cancer Center of the University of Rochester. He serves actively on the tumor board of that program. He additionally has served as a board member of the Strollin’ for the Colon organization since its inception over 10 years ago.

Dr. Danielle Marino has been a member of the Strollin’ for the Colon Board of Directors since 2013.  She is an Associate Professor of Medicine in Gastroenterology at URMC. Dr. Marino received her medical degree from SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine, where she graduated summa cum laude and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. She completed her internal medicine residency at Yale University School of Medicine, and her Gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Rochester. Dr. Marino is the Director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship Training Program at the University of Rochester, and has clinical expertise in inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer screening and prevention, and the diagnosis and management of hereditary cancer syndromes. She serves as one of the gastroenterology faculty in the Hereditary Cancer Screening and Risk Reduction Program through the Wilmot Cancer Institute.

Dr. Marino is passionate about colorectal cancer prevention, community outreach and education. She is adamant that a preventable disease should not be the second leading cancer killer in this country! Dr. Marino lost both of her grandfathers to colorectal cancer, and wants to help ensure others don’t have to experience the same loss.

Teresa Pulvino-Forkl has proudly served Strollin’ for the Colon as an active board member since 2016, and currently serves as Assistant Director. She worked for over 14 years at Strong Memorial Hospital in administrative assistant roles, specifically in the Gastroenterology Division and the Solid Organ Transplant Department, and now works as a business analyst for pureIntegration. Through her work over the years, Teresa has seen first-hand the impact that cancer has had not only in her own family, but to friends and others in her community.

Douglas Stark is currently the Administrator for the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Rochester Medical Center.  Mr. Stark has been with the Medical Center for nearly 5 years and worked in the health and human service fields for over 40 years.  Mr. Stark joined the board of Strollin’ for the Colon three years ago only a few weeks after losing his wife of 33 years, Debbi, to colorectal cancer.  His wife fought this disease for nearly 8 years and during that time Doug decided that he would get involved with some aspect of helping to eradicate colon cancer in the future.  Mr. Stark became involved with Strollin’ thanks to Dress in Blue Day that year.  He happened to be walking past the booth Strollin’ had set up at the Strong Memorial Hospital lobby and entered into a conversation with some of the board members there.

Mr. Stark’s motivation for working with Strollin’ is the mission of organization, to help educate others about the importance of early and often screening, to raise money to help patients and families in need who are fighting colon cancer and to promote education programs as well as clinical research in the area of colon cancer. Mr. Stark is proud of the work that Strollin’ does and to be part of such a motivated caring group of people, all of whom have been touched by colon cancer at some point in their lives.

Carla has served on the Strollin’ for the Colon Board since 2015. She started as a participant and a volunteer for the Strollin’ for the Colon 5K event and was proud to become a member of the Board of Directors. As a survivor of colon cancer, she is focused on raising awareness of the importance of regular screening and early treatment. Serving on the Strollin for the Colon Board of Directors is a thank you to the many skilled and dedicated doctors and nurses at U of R Strong Memorial and Wilmot that provided her with such a positive outcome.