Educated at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Sherif Mohamed El-Refai has served as a practicing pharmacist in New Jersey. Sherif Mohamed El-Refai supports several charities, including the Livestrong Foundation in Austin, Texas.

In its function as an advocacy organization for persons surviving cancer, the Foundation has developed a policy platform. It puts forth public health recommendations for worldwide, national, and state application.

The international part of the plan calls for nations to prioritize research, treatment, and preventive measures, as well as to combat the stigma of cancer and work toward a goal of better access to medical care as a basic human right.

In the United States, all with cancer should be given quality, patient-centered care. Support resources must be in place for patients, and the federal government must be involved in up-to-date research.

At the state level, governments should work harder to control tobacco use, by means of taxes and workplace laws. They should also create networks to disseminate data about public health measures. Also important is emphasizing effective cancer pain relief, including better access to hospice providers.