Confirmed Speakers
Carly Fauth, ACSM-ACS
Carly Fauth (FitFunCarly) is a fitness instructor, ACSM-ACS certified cancer exercise specialist, movement mentor, and founder of Fit in Fitness, a virtual fitness program that helps people get fit in just 15 minutes a day. A lifelong advocate for mental health through fitness, Carly’s passion for wellness deepened when she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in February 2024. As a survivor, she now uses her journey to inspire others to unlock their own extraordinary personal strength and overcome life’s obstacles.
During chemotherapy, Carly launched a podcast straight from her infusion chair at Dana-Farber. What began as a way to share strength and connection in the middle of treatment has evolved into the Fit in Fitness podcast—broadcast from her home studio and reaching listeners everywhere. Today, Carly uses the show to spark hope, share real conversations, and inspire resilience, offering cancer patients, caregivers, and anyone facing life’s “bears” the reminder that movement and mindset can change everything. She also wrote a book from her chemo chair called, “Pray for the Bear”. Carly lives in Milford, MA, with her husband, two sons, and their goldendoodle.
Dr. Payal Khincha
Since 2018, Dr. Payal Khincha has been the principal investigator on the National Cancer Institute’s longitudinal study on the clinical, genetic, and epidemiologic study of Li-Fraumeni syndrome.
The study opened in 2011 under the leadership of Dr. Savage, in order to further characterize the clinical and molecular consequences of this disorder, and develop a cancer screening program for TP53 mutation carriers.
The team also assisted in the creation of an international LFS research consortium. During her NCI tenure, Dr. Khincha has been involved with the LFS Study in clinical evaluations and genetics of LFS families, quickly building her expertise in this area, taking on leadership roles in the study, and collaborating with experts in the consortium.
Her LFS research focusses on developing an effective cancer surveillance protocol for these families, genotype-phenotype analyses, understanding the genetics and biological basis for cancer development in LFS, and evaluating the effects of cancer treatment on subsequent cancer risks.
She received the 2023 NCI Director’s Innovation Principal Investigator Award for her proposal, “Novel strategies for multi-cancer early detection using a cell-free DNA assay in individuals with Li-Fraumeni syndrome.”
Dr. Khincha received her primary medical degree (MBBS) in 2005 from Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore, India, and completed her residency training in pediatrics in 2010 at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, and CNMC, Washington D.C. She is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric hematology-oncology.
Lawrence Ingrassia
Lawrence Ingrassia is an award-winning journalist, now retired. His latest book, A Fatal Inheritance, intertwines the heartbreaking saga of his and other families’ puzzling over the many seemingly unrelated cancers afflicting them, along with the inspiring search by doctors for an answer. It took more than two decades, but their breakthrough discovery of the rare inherited mutation behind Li-Fraumeni Syndrome helped unlock the mysteries of cancer. A Fatal Inheritance was one of 10 finalists for the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction in 2024, and also was selected for best-of-the-year lists by NPR, Amazon, Kirkus Reviews and BookPage Audiobooks.
