Lillian Santos, Psy.D.

Dr. Lillian Santos serves as the top executive of the American Cancer Society of Puerto Rico (ACS PR), responsible for driving development and income strategies across the island and moving the organization’s mission forward by ensuring people with cancer and their families have access to essential programs and services. Dr. Santos joined ACS PR in 1996, and under her leadership, the organization has and experienced significant growth and reached multiple milestones, including:

• Increasing the annual revenue of ACS PR from $800,000 to $6 million.
• Opening ACS PR’s first Hope Lodge location for adults and integrating the existing Children’s Hope Lodge located on the island into its operations.
• Successfully advocating for the passage of a rigorous, comprehensive smoke-free law, which has resulted in Puerto Rico having the second lowest smoking rate in the nation.
• Holding the first Relay For Life, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, and Grand Gala events in the island’s history.
• Establishing the José M. Berrocal University Scholarship Program and the Luis Montañez High School Scholarship Program, which are annually granted to high school and college-bound cancer survivors.
• Growing the ACS PR volunteer force in Puerto Rico from 2,000 to more than 19,000 people.

Before joining ACS PR, Dr. Santos served as interim vice president of marketing, dean of student affairs, and a psychology professor at Ana G. Mendez University in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She began her career as a clinical and industrial psychologist for pharmaceutical industries and also held a private practice. Dr. Santos has also served as a speaker in Latin America and Europe for ACS global initiatives and as a panelist for international cancer-based forums.

Dr. Santos earned her undergraduate degree from Saint Joseph University in Philadelphia and holds both a masters and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Universidad Carlos Albizu in San Juan. Her social responsibilities extend to her community work as a former board member of the American Red Cross and her high school alma mater, Academia Maria Reina.