ABOUT GCCA

FOUNDERS.

Andrew Spiegel, Esquire

Executive Director

Global Colon Cancer Association

​

Spiegel has a long and personal history with colorectal cancer. In 1998, Spiegel’s mother was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. She exhibited numerous symptoms, which were ignored by her physicians, and died nine months later. It was then, that Spiegel and a group of others founded the Colon Cancer Alliance, the leading United States-based national patient advocacy organization dedicated to colon cancer.

Mr. Spiegel, an attorney, besides being a co-founder of the organization and longtime board member of the Alliance became CEO in January of 1999 and he ran the CCA for nearly 5 years, before undertaking his next venture, the Global Colon Cancer Association. 

Spiegel is a member of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable and is on the Stand Up to Cancer Advocate Advisory Council. He serves on the steering committee of the Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines, on the Board and Membership Committee of the Digestive Disease National Coalition (DDNC), is a member of the Coalition for Imaging and Bioengineering Research and is a member of the Computerized Tomography Coalition as well as an active member of many other health care coalitions and organizations. Spiegel is currently co-chair of the DDNC. In 2012, Spiegel received the David Jagelman Award for Patient Advocacy from the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. 

Spiegel is a 1986 graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with minors in English and Philosophy. He is a 1989 graduate of the Widener University School of Law where he was an editor of the Delaware Law Forum, an invited member of the Phi Delta Phi legal honors society and a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. After working for a Philadelphia litigation firm, Spiegel opened his own law firm in 1995 and was a participating member of numerous legal organizations in the region. Mr. Spiegel resides with his wife and three children in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jola Gore-Booth

EuropaColon, the first Pan-European not-for-profit organization dedicated to colorectal cancer was founded by Jola Gore-Booth in 2004. Fuelled by Jola's passion EuropaColon is now a respected voice in Europe on colorectal cancer. The organization is committed to preventing deaths and improving the quality of life and support for people affected by the disease. Jola's vision for EuropaColon has grown from long-standing experience and deep understanding of the needs and challenges faced by people with colorectal cancer. 

She was Chief Executive of Colon Cancer Concern (CCC), a leading UK colorectal cancer charity (now known as Bowel Cancer UK) between 1997 and 2005. Whilst there Jola launched Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and the Bowel Cancer Forum – a collaboration of key stakeholders working together for the good of colorectal cancer patients and the general public. She participated in the UK Government's Bowel Cancer Advisory Board, NICE Implementation Advisory Board and Public Affairs Committee of the United European Gastroenterology Federation; she was also a member of the UK Bowel Cancer Screening Steering Committee. She achieved notable success with NICE on patient access to treatment.

Jola saw in her work with colorectal cancer the importance of collaboration and patient advocacy which drove her to creating a colorectal cancer community by co-ordinating the development of patient advocacy groups across Europe.  To date EuropaColon has representation in 28 European countries and many more in development. In 2008 Jola together with EuropaColon launched European Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in the European Parliament.  Jola sits on various key Patient Advisory Boards (ECCO, ESMO, EFPIA etc). She also campaigns tirelessly to ensure that governments and other stakeholders prioritize colorectal cancer. She presents regularly at conferences and meetings around the world on colorectal cancer prevention, control and access to best treatments and care.

In 2010 Jola founded Global Colon Cancer and in 2011 she joined forces with Andrew Spiegel (then CEO of the Colon Cancer Alliance in the US) to launch the Global Colon Cancer Association (GCCA). GCCA is committed to creating a global colon cancer community to ensure effective increased awareness, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

In 2007 Jola set up the Digestive Cancers Consultancy (DCC) which designed and developed the first European colorectal cancer educational tool – the Inflatable Colon. The Inflatable Colon has travelled extensively across the globe breaking down the taboo around colorectal cancer. More recently Jola has started up the Global Health Education Partnership focusing on disease prevention and control and addressing the big challenge of “globesity”. In addition she heads up a company developing an every expanding range of new inflatable walk through medical education models e.g Inflatable Colon, Inflatable Breast and the Alimentary Adventure (Inflatable Body Organs IBO)

Jola is married with two grown up sons and lives between Brittany in France and Salisbury in the UK.