Health Equity Council

LeeAnn Bailey is Chief of the Integrated Networks Branch of the NCI’s CRCHD since 2016. In this role, she manages, develops, and assesses strategies for enhancing the integration and dissemination of diversity training, women’s health, and sexual and gender minority efforts within and across NCI, as well as within the scientific community and underserved communities through NCI-supported networks. She also identifies and leverages opportunities to address unmet needs in cancer health disparities research.

Prior to joining NCI, she was a healthcare consultant at Deloitte Consulting LLP. She has also been a principal investigator researching tissue engineered products and cellular inflammatory responses at the National Institute of Standards and Technology as well as an adjunct professor at Morgan State University.

Dr. Bailey received her M.B.B.S (M.D. equivalent) from the University of Adelaide Medical School with an emphasis on aboriginal health and pediatric oncology. Dr. Bailey also has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and a M.S. in Biological and Physical Sciences from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Selected Publications

Springfield SA, Van Duyn MAS, Aguila HN, et al. The NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities: Moving Forward to Eliminate Cancer Health Disparities and Diversify the Cancer Biomedical Workforce. J Natl Med Assoc. 2020;112(3):308-314. doi:10.1016/j.jnma.2020.06.001

San Miguel-Majors SL, Whitaker DE, Davis BC, Bailey LO, Springfield SA. Education on cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling to address cancer health disparities among racial/ethnic groups and rural populations: Implementing culturally tailored outreach through community health educators. J Genet Couns. 2020;29(2):243-246. doi:10.1002/jgc4.1272

Whitaker DE, Snyder FR, San Miguel-Majors SL, Bailey LO, Springfield SA. Screen to Save: Results from NCI's Colorectal Cancer Outreach and Screening Initiative to Promote Awareness and Knowledge of Colorectal Cancer in Racial/Ethnic and Rural Populations. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2020;29(5):910-917. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-19-0972

Franco I, Bailey LO, Bakos AD, Springfield SA. The Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE): a model for training underserved scientists in cancer research. J Cancer Educ. 2011;26(1):92-96. doi:10.1007/s13187-010-0126-6

Dr. Carla Berg is a Professor of the Department of Prevention and Community Health in the Milken Institute School of Public Health and the Associate Center Director for Population Sciences and Policy within the George Washington Cancer Center. Her research primary focuses on sociocontextual factors related to substance use, particularly tobacco and marijuana, ranging from macro-level factors such as policy and marketing to interpersonal and individual factors. Dr. Berg has also conducted research on health behaviors and quality of live among cancer survivors, and has conducted large-scale survey studies involving cross sectional and longitudinal designs, mixed-methods studies, and individual- and community-level randomized control trials.

Selected Publications

Berg CJ, Duan X, Romm K, et al. Young adults' vaping, readiness to quit, and recent quit attempts: The role of co-use with cigarettes and marijuana [published online ahead of print, 2020 Dec 17]. Nicotine Tob Res. 2020;ntaa265. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntaa265

Li J, Berg CJ, Weber AA, et al. Tobacco Use at the Intersection of Sex and Sexual Identity in the U.S., 2007-2020: A Meta-Analysis [published online ahead of print, 2020 Nov 17]. Am J Prev Med. 2020;S0749-3797(20)30437-2. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2020.09.006

Cahn Z, Drope J, Douglas CE, et al. Applying the Population Health Standard to the Regulation of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems [published online ahead of print, 2020 Sep 22]. Nicotine Tob Res. 2020;ntaa190. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntaa190

Berg CJ, Yang YT, Pratt-Chapman ML, et al. Campus tobacco control policies and cessation interventions in college students: a commentary calling for research and action to address tobacco-related health disparities [published online ahead of print, 2020 Sep 7]. Transl Behav Med. 2020;ibaa083. doi:10.1093/tbm/ibaa083

Berg CJ, Haardörfer R, Lanier A, et al. Tobacco Use Trajectories in Young Adults: Analyses of Predictors Across Systems Levels. Nicotine Tob Res. 2020;22(11):2075-2084. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntaa048

Berg CJ, Vanderpool RC, Getachew B, et al. A Hope-Based Intervention to Address Disrupted Goal Pursuits and Quality of Life Among Young Adult Cancer Survivors. J Cancer Educ. 2020;35(6):1158-1169. doi:10.1007/s13187-019-01574-7

Lynette Bonar serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Tuba City Regional Health Care Corp.

Bonar, with help from partners, established the first and only cancer clinic on any American Indian reservation and she is the first woman to be in charge of a Navajo health care system. The facility she established combines traditional healing with modern medicine. Before the establishment, Navajo, Hopi, and Paiute patients had to travel at least 200 miles roundtrip to receive cancer care.

Selected Publications

Egan T, Bonar L. Views from the Front: Inner-City and Rural Pandemic Perspectives. Front Health Serv Manage. 2020;37(1):45-48. doi:10.1097/HAP.0000000000000089

Bonar L. A Healthy Respect for Culture Can Improve the Delivery of Care. J Healthc Manag. 2019;64(2):71-73. doi:10.1097/JHM-D-19-00012

McCanney J, Johnson T, Bandini LAM, Chambers S, Bonar L, Carlson RW. Advocating for Equity in Cancer Care. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2019;17(9):1043-1048. doi:10.6004/jnccn.2019.7339

Dr. Cherie P. Erkmen is a Professor of Thoracic Surgery at Temple University Health Systems and Temple’s Center for Asian Health. She specializes in robotic techniques to deliver the highest quality of care thoracic surgery patients. She is a devoted educator and the founding Program Director of the ACGME-Accredited Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at Temple. She is also the Program Director for Temple’s Lung Cancer Screening Program that screens people at high risk and expedites treatment for lung cancer. Her research focuses on bringing technology of screening and multidisciplinary care to underserved populations. She is part of a Temple’s NIH-funded U54 grant exploring cancer disparities, and she is the P.I. of an American Cancer Society—Pfizer grant to disseminate a novel single-visit lung cancer screening model.

She is married to Dr. Kadir Erkmen, a vascular neurosurgeon, and mother to a hockey player and a soccer player.

Selected Publications

Erkmen CP, Kane L, Cooke DT. Bias Mitigation in Cardiothoracic Recruitment. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021;111(1):12-15. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.07.005

Erkmen CP, Ortmeyer KA, Pelletier GJ, Preventza O, Cooke DT; Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Diversity and Inclusion. An Approach to Diversity and Inclusion in Cardiothoracic Surgery [published online ahead of print, 2020 Dec 17]. Ann Thorac Surg. 2020;S0003-4975(20)32121-4. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.10.056

Ortmeyer, K. A., Raman, V., Tiko-Okoye, C., Espinosa, J., Cooke, D. T., & Erkmen, C. (2020). Women and Minorities Underrepresented in Academic Cardiothoracic Surgery: It's Time for Next Steps. The Annals of thoracic surgery, S0003-4975(20)31851-8. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.08.057

Ortmeyer K, Ma GX, Kaiser LR, Erkmen C. Effective Educational Approaches to Training Physicians About Lung Cancer Screening [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jun 5]. J Cancer Educ. 2020;10.1007/s13187-020-01784-4. doi:10.1007/s13187-020-01784-4

Randhawa S, Sferra SR, Das C, Kaiser LR, Ma GX, Erkmen CP. Examining Gender Differences in Lung Cancer Screening. J Community Health. 2020;45(5):1038-1042. doi:10.1007/s10900-020-00826-8

She completed her internal medicine residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where she was the chief fellow from 2018-2019.

Dr. Florez's clinical interests include targeted therapy for lung cancer and the care of women with lung cancer, including their unique aspects of cancer survivorship. She is the principal investigator of the Sexual Health Assessment in Women with Lung Cancer (SHAWL) Study, the largest study to date evaluating sexual dysfunction in women with lung cancer.

Apart from her clinical interests in lung cancer, she is also a leading and productive researcher in cancer health disparities, gender and racial discrimination in medical education and medicine. She received many awards including the 2018 Resident of the Year Award by the National Hispanic Medical Association, the Mayo Brothers Distinguished Fellowship award, and the 2020 Rising Star award by the LEAD national conference for women in hematology and oncology.

In addition, Dr. Florez founded the Duma Lab in 2019. The laboratory focuses on lung cancer, social justice issues in medicine, and medical education. The laboratory's long-term goals are to create a welcoming environment for medical trainees from historically underrepresented groups in medicine while improving the care of vulnerable populations. Members of the Duma Lab are agents of change.

Selected Publications

Duma N, Lambertini M. It Is Time to Talk About Fertility and Immunotherapy. Oncologist. 2020;25(4):277-278. doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2019-0837

Duma N. Gender differences in publication rates in oncology: Looking at the past, present, and future. Cancer. 2020;126(12):2759-2761. doi:10.1002/cncr.32819

Duma N, Kothadia SM, Azam TU, et al. Characterization of Comorbidities Limiting the Recruitment of Patients in Early Phase Clinical Trials. Oncologist. 2019;24(1):96-102. doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2017-0687

Duma N, Durani U, Woods CB, et al. Evaluating Unconscious Bias: Speaker Introductions at an International Oncology Conference. J Clin Oncol. 2019;37(36):3538-3545. doi:10.1200/JCO.19.01608

Duma N, Azam T, Riaz IB, Gonzalez-Velez M, Ailawadhi S, Go R. Representation of Minorities and Elderly Patients in Multiple Myeloma Clinical Trials. Oncologist. 2018;23(9):1076-1078. doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2017-0592

Idossa D, Duma N, Chekhovskiy K, Go R, Ailawadhi S. Commentary: Race and Ethnicity in Biomedical Research - Classifications, Challenges, and Future Directions. Ethn Dis. 2018;28(4):561-564. Published 2018 Oct 18. doi:10.18865/ed.28.4.561

Duma N, Vera Aguilera J, Paludo J, et al. Representation of Minorities and Women in Oncology Clinical Trials: Review of the Past 14 Years. J Oncol Pract. 2018;14(1):e1-e10. doi:10.1200/JOP.2017.025288

Dr. Marvella Ford is an Associate Professor for Bioinformatics and Epidemiology and Associate Director of Cancer Disparities at the Hollings Cancer Center. Dr. Ford’s research focuses on personal and socioeconomic factors impacting cancer screening and detection among underserved and minority populations such as race, gender, and education. She studies the impact of targeted interventions on health care behavior and methods for improving informed decision making for cancer screening. She has developed research methods to remove barriers and facilitate recruitment and retention of patients in clinical trials, particularly among African Americans and underserved populations. Dr. Ford’s research interests include evaluating the impact of patient navigation intervention on health care behavior, developing and testing methods to improve cancer surveillance adherence, developing and testing methods to improve cancer screening adherence, and improving informed decision making for prostate cancer screening.

Selected Publications

Ford ME, Geurtsen GJ, Groet E, Van Bennekom CAM, Van Someren EJW. A blended eHealth intervention for insomnia following acquired brain injury: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2020;21(1):861. Published 2020 Oct 16. doi:10.1186/s13063-020-04789-y

Rivera MP, Katki HA, Tanner NT, et al. Addressing Disparities in Lung Cancer Screening Eligibility and Healthcare Access. An Official American Thoracic Society Statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020;202(7):e95-e112. doi:10.1164/rccm.202008-3053ST

Felder TM, Heiney SP, Hebert JR, et al. Improving Adherence to Adjuvant Hormonal Therapy Among Disadvantaged Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer in South Carolina: Proposal for a Multimethod Study. JMIR Res Protoc. 2020;9(9):e17742. Published 2020 Sep 3. doi:10.2196/17742

Cartmell KB, Bonilha HS, Simpson KN, Ford ME, Bryant DC, Alberg AJ. Patient barriers to cancer clinical trial participation and navigator activities to assist. Adv Cancer Res. 2020;146:139-166. doi:10.1016/bs.acr.2020.01.008

Ford ME, Abraham-Hilaire LM, Bryant DC, et al. Evaluating a Media Strategy to Provide Health Messages to Medically Underserved Populations. J Natl Med Assoc. 2019;111(3):270-280. doi:10.1016/j.jnma.2018.10.002

Regnante JM, Richie NA, Fashoyin-Aje L, Vichnin M, Ford ME, Roy UB, Turner K, Hall LL, González ET, Esnaola NF, Clark LT, Adams HC III, Alese OB, Gogineni K, McNeil LH, Petereit DG, Sargeant I, Dang JH, Obasaju C, Highsmith Q, Craddock Lee SJ, Hoover SC, Williams EL, Chen MS Jr.:  US Cancer Centers of Excellence strategies for increased inclusion of racial and ethnic minorities in clinical trials. J Oncol Prac DOI 10.1200/JOP.18.00638 (JOP Editors Pick Award 2019)  http://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JOP.18.00638

Ellen Miller-Sonet serves as the Chief Strategy and Alliance Officer at CancerCare. She leads the strategic initiatives and national policy agenda for CancerCare, the leading national organization providing free, professional support services and information to help people manage the emotional, practical, and financial challenges of cancer. Prior to joining CancerCare, Ellen served 17 years as Vice President of Marketing at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She was an avid patient advocate who was devoted to understanding the complex nature of health care decision-making and the needs of people affected by cancer.

Selected Publications

Winkfield KM, Regnante JM, Miller-Sonet E, González ET, Freund KM, Doykos P, on behalf of the Cancer Continuum of Care for Medically Underserved Populations Working Group. Development of an actionable framework to address cancer care disparities in medically underserved populations in the United States: expert roundtable recommendations, Jan 19, 2021, Journal of Oncology Practice. Open access and online@ https://ascopubs.org/journal/op

Nipp RD, Sonet EM, Guy GP Jr. Communicating the Financial Burden of Treatment With Patients. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2018 May 23;38:524-531. doi: 10.1200/EDBK_201051. PMID: 30231377.

Hibbard JH, Mahoney E, Sonet E. Does patient activation level affect the cancer patient journey?. Patient Educ Couns. 2017;100(7):1276-1279. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2017.03.019

Abrahams E, Balch A, Goldsmith P, et al. Clinical Pathways: Recommendations for Putting Patients at the Center of Value-Based Care. Clin Cancer Res. 2017;23(16):4545-4549. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-1609

Bylund CL, Gueguen JA, D'Agostino TA, Imes RS, Sonet E. Cancer patients' decisions about discussing Internet information with their doctors. Psychooncology. 2009;18(11):1139-1146. doi:10.1002/pon.1511

Dr. Raymond Osarogiagbon is an oncologist specialized in hematology and oncology. Dr. Osarogiagbon serves as the director of the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program at Baptist Cancer Center. He is focused on helping all patients benefit from the latest advances, regardless of where they live. Dr. Osarogiagbon and his colleagues have developed a kit that helps surgical teams collect the full spectrum of information needed to determine the best care for each patient.

Dr. Osarogiagbon’s interests center around improving population-based systems of care, improving the accuracy of cancer staging and evaluating the biologic drivers of outcome differences in potentially curable lung cancer.

Selected Publications

Osarogiagbon RU, Sineshaw HM, Lin CC, Jemal A. Institution-level differences in quality and outcomes of lung cancer resections in the United States [published online ahead of print, 2020 Nov 13]. Chest. 2020;S0012-3692(20)35134-5. doi:10.1016/j.chest.2020.10.075

Verhoeven D, Chollette V, Lazzara EH, Shuffler ML, Osarogiagbon RU, Weaver SJ. The Anatomy and Physiology of Teaming in Cancer Care Delivery: A Conceptual Framework [published online ahead of print, 2020 Oct 27]. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2020;djaa166. doi:10.1093/jnci/djaa166

Unger JM, Hershman DL, Till C, et al. "When offered to participate:" A systematic review and meta-analysis of patient agreement to participate in cancer clinical trials [published online ahead of print, 2020 Oct 6]. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2020;djaa155. doi:10.1093/jnci/djaa155

Unger JM, Hershman DL, Osarogiagbon RU, et al. Representativeness of Black Patients in Cancer Clinical Trials Sponsored by the National Cancer Institute Compared With Pharmaceutical Companies. JNCI Cancer Spectr. 2020;4(4):pkaa034. Published 2020 Apr 24. doi:10.1093/jncics/pkaa034

Osarogiagbon RU, Ray MA, Faris NR, Smeltzer MP. Response to Clinical Thoughts on Mediastinal Node Management in Early-Stage Lung Cancer. J Thorac Oncol. 2020;15(11):e185-e186. doi:10.1016/j.jtho.2020.08.028

Smeltzer MP, Osarogiagbon RU. Out of the Darkness, Into Light: The Scientific Rigor of Lung Cancer Clinical Trials in the Age of Enlightenment. J Thorac Oncol. 2020;15(7):1110-1112. doi:10.1016/j.jtho.2020.04.025

She obtained her MD and Masters in Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill and completed her Internal Medicine residency, fellowship in Hematology and Oncology, and Masters in Science in Health Services Research at Stanford University.  Dr. Patel's research involves evaluating systems-level and social factors that influence disparities in cancer. Her expertise lies in designing, implementing, and evaluating new models of cancer care delivery through community-based participatory research. She collaborates with academic, community, and VA oncology practices to improve patient experiences with care, clinical outcomes, and reduce unwanted healthcare utilization and health disparities. Dr. Patel also has expertise in linking large cancer registries to investigate modifiable etiologies for disparate care receipt among populations.

Dr. Bruce Rapkin serves as Professor for the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and for the Department of Family and Social Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Rapkin’s area of research focuses on building community-academic partnerships that can reduce barriers and improve standard of care. As a community psychologist, Dr. Rapkin seeks to improve access to quality of life and to care among diverse, medically underserved patients, families and communities. Along with his colleagues, their collaborative research with community organizations and health providers have led to new research designs and assessment methodology to promote evidence-based interventions in public health.

Selected Publications

Schwartz CE, Stark RB, Rapkin BD. Capturing patient experience: does quality-of-life appraisal entail a new class of measurement? J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2020;4(1):85. Published 2020 Oct 27. doi:10.1186/s41687-020-00254-1

Sprague Martinez L, Rapkin BD, Young A, et al. Community engagement to implement evidence-based practices in the HEALing communities study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2020;217:108326. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108326

In H, Solsky I, Castle PE, et al. Utilizing Cultural and Ethnic Variables in Screening Models to Identify Individuals at High Risk for Gastric Cancer: A Pilot Study. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2020;13(8):687-698. doi:10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-19-0490

Rapkin BD. Resolving the Rigor versus Respect Dilemma in Community-Based Research: Commentary on Bess and Colleagues. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2019;13(4):397-400. doi:10.1353/cpr.2019.0068

Rapkin BD, Schwartz CE. Advancing quality-of-life research by deepening our understanding of response shift: a unifying theory of appraisal. Qual Life Res. 2019;28(10):2623-2630. doi:10.1007/s11136-019-02248-z

Su CT, Chau V, Halmos B, et al. Impact of Primary Care Access on Mortality of Lung Cancer Patients in an Underserved Community. Am J Clin Oncol. 2019;42(3):298-303. doi:10.1097/COC.0000000000000516

Scout is the Executive Director of the National LGBT Cancer Network and the principal investigator of the CDC founded LGBTQ tobacco-related cancer disparity network. He leads a team that focus on building tools and sharing strategies across state departments of health.

Scout is an expert cultural competency trainer and sought-after public speaker. He has a long history in health policy analysis and a particular interest in expanding LGBTQ+ surveillance and research.

Selected Publications

Boehmer U, Gereige J, Winter M, Ozonoff A, Scout N. Transgender individuals' cancer survivorship: Results of a cross-sectional study. Cancer. 2020;126(12):2829-2836. doi:10.1002/cncr.32784

Kamen CS, Alpert A, Margolies L, et al. "Treat us with dignity": a qualitative study of the experiences and recommendations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) patients with cancer. Support Care Cancer. 2019;27(7):2525-2532. doi:10.1007/s00520-018-4535-0

Scout NFN. Transgender health and well-being: Gains and opportunities in policy and law. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2016;86(4):378-383. doi:10.1037/ort0000192

Reisner SL, Conron K, Scout N, Mimiaga MJ, Haneuse S, Austin SB. Comparing In-Person and Online Survey Respondents in the U.S. National Transgender Discrimination Survey: Implications for Transgender Health Research. LGBT Health. 2014;1(2):98-106. doi:10.1089/lgbt.2013.0018

Nichelle Stigger is a lung cancer survivor-advocate, part of LUNGevity’s Board of Directors. Her goal is to speak as an African American woman experiencing cancer, the equitable treatment of people of color in cancer, and diminishing the stigma of lung cancer. Nichelle wants to be the voice for others who cannot be at that table.

Nichelle was diagnosed in 2016 with a rare form of lung cancer, mucinous adenocarcinoma, found in only 1% of cancer patients. As of 2017, she has been cancer-free, following two surgeries and removing her left lobe and lymph nodes. She is an educator in Illinois and an advocate for equality in education.

Dr. Karriem Watson is a Community Health Scientist who serves as the Associate Executive Director of the Mile Square Health Center, a group of Federally Qualified Health Clinics affiliated with the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System. Dr. Watson also serves as the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the University of Illinois Cancer Center at UIC and has a faculty appointment in the UIC School of Public Health as Research Assistant Professor.

Dr. Watson’s research is focused on cancer prevention and control and mitigating the impact of social determinants of health on chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. His research and publications are focused in community engagement and health equity, and expanding diversity in clinical trials.

Selected Publications

Kim SJ, Ramirez-Valles J, Watson K, et al. Fostering health equity research: Development and implementation of the Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) Chicago. J Clin Transl Sci. 2019;4(1):53-60. Published 2019 Dec 17. doi:10.1017/cts.2019.415

Watson KS, Henderson V, Murray M, et al. Engaging African American Men as Citizen Scientists to Validate a Prostate Cancer Biomarker: Work-in-Progress. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2019;13(5):103-112. doi:10.1353/cpr.2019.0043

Watson KS, Henderson V, Murray M, et al. Engaging African American Men as Citizen Scientists to Validate a Prostate Cancer Biomarker: Work-in-Progress. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2019;13(5):103-112. doi:10.1353/cpr.2019.0043

Giachello AL, Watson KS, Stuart M, et al. Community-Academic Partnerships to Reduce Cancer Inequities: The ChicagoCHEC Community Engagement Core. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2019;13(5):21-37. doi:10.1353/cpr.2019.0032

Murray M, Campbell C, Kendall L, Whitt-Glover MC, Watson KS. Perspectives from Project Brotherhood: Facilitating Engagement of African American Men in Research. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2019;13(5):137-142. doi:10.1353/cpr.2019.0047

Dr. Karen Winkfield is the Executive Director at Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance, a strategic partnership between Meharry Medical College and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Previously, she was an associate professor of Radiation Oncology at Wake Forest University, associate director for Community Outreach and Engagement, and director of the Office of Cancer Health Equity at Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Winkfield developed the first comprehensive clinical program focused on hematologic malignancies in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. She also established the first multidisciplinary clinic for patients with hematologic disorders. Dr. Winkfield is a national expert in community engagement with research focused on the design and implementation of programming to reduce sociocultural and economic barriers that contribute to disparate health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities and underserved populations.

In September 2021, Dr. Winkfield was one of seven distinguished clinicians and researchers appointed by President Biden to the National Cancer Advisory Board, which plays an important role in guiding the Director of the National Cancer Institute in setting the course for the national cancer research program.

Selected Publications

Winkfield KM, Regnante JM, Miller-Sonet E, González ET, Freund KM, Doykos P, on behalf of the Cancer Continuum of Care for Medically Underserved Populations Working Group. Development of an actionable framework to address cancer care disparities in medically underserved populations in the United States: expert roundtable recommendations, Jan 19, 2021, Journal of Oncology Practice. Open access and online@ https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/OP.20.00630

Gibbs IC, Chapman CH, Gabeau D, et al. In Response to Comment On: Why Racial Justice Matters in Radiation Oncology. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2020;5(5):797. Published 2020 Aug 18. doi:10.1016/j.adro.2020.07.016

Deville C Jr, Cruickshank I Jr, Chapman CH, et al. I Can't Breathe: The Continued Disproportionate Exclusion of Black Physicians in the United States Radiation Oncology Workforce. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2020;108(4):856-863. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.07.015

Chapman CH, Gabeau D, Pinnix CC, Deville C Jr, Gibbs IC, Winkfield KM. Why Racial Justice Matters in Radiation Oncology. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2020;5(5):783-790. doi:10.1016/j.adro.2020.06.013

Butler SS, Winkfield KM, Ahn C, et al. Racial Disparities in Patient-Reported Measures of Physician Cultural Competency Among Cancer Survivors in the United States [published online ahead of print, 2019 Oct 31]. JAMA Oncol. 2019;6(1):152-154. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.4720

Winkfield KM, Flowers CR, Patel JD, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology Strategic Plan for Increasing Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Oncology Workforce. J Clin Oncol. 2017;35(22):2576-2579. doi:10.1200/JCO.2017.73.1372

Sprague Martinez L, Freeman ER, Winkfield KM. Perceptions of Cancer Care and Clinical Trials in the Black Community: Implications for Care Coordination Between Oncology and Primary Care Teams. Oncologist. 2017;22(9):1094-1101. doi:10.1634/theoncologist.2017-0122

Dr. Robert Winn serves as the Director of VCU Massey Cancer Center where he oversees an NCI designated cancer center. Dr. Winn is committed to community-engaged research centered on eliminating health disparities. Dr. Winn is a pulmonologist whose scholarship has focused on lung cancer, health disparities, and community-based health care. His research focuses on the mechanisms that drive the proliferation of cancer on the role of cellular senescence in lung cancer. He is committed to developing methods to eliminate health disparities by empowering underserved patient populations, improve health-care deliver, and ensuring equal access to cutting-edge medical treatments.

In October 2021, Dr. Winn received the inaugural Association of American Cancer Institute’s Cancer Health Equity Award for his passionate commitment to improving health equity and his significant positive impact on cancer care in Virginia.

Selected Publications

Newman LA, Winn RA, Carethers JM. Similarities in Risk for COVID-19 and Cancer Disparities. Clin Cancer Res. 2021;27(1):24-27. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-20-3421

Rivera MP, Katki HA, Tanner NT, et al. Addressing Disparities in Lung Cancer Screening Eligibility and Healthcare Access. An Official American Thoracic Society Statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020;202(7):e95-e112. doi:10.1164/rccm.202008-3053ST

Tossas KY, Watson KS, Colditz GA, Thomas CR, Stewart JH, Winn RA. Advocating for a "Community to bench model" in the 21st century. EBioMedicine. 2020;53:102688. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102688

Ko NY, Hong S, Winn RA, Calip GS. Association of Insurance Status and Racial Disparities With the Detection of Early-Stage Breast Cancer. JAMA Oncol. 2020;6(3):385-392. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.5672

Tossas-Milligan KY, Winn RA. Breaking the Cycle of Health Inequities: The Bioethics of Data. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2019;30(4S):86-90. doi:10.1353/hpu.2019.0119

Kim SJ, Ramirez-Valles J, Watson K, et al. Fostering health equity research: Development and implementation of the Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) Chicago. J Clin Transl Sci. 2019;4(1):53-60. Published 2019 Dec 17. doi:10.1017/cts.2019.415

Watson KS, Hulbert A, Henderson V, et al. Lung Cancer Screening and Epigenetics in African Americans: The Role of the Socioecological Framework. Front Oncol. 2019;9:87. Published 2019 Mar 12. doi:10.3389/fonc.2019.00087

By leading the formation of Patient Advisory Boards and listening to patients, she provides patient insights to clinical teams to help in the design of clinical trial protocols.

Stacey also forms collaborative relationships with diverse patient advocacy organizations to further mutual objectives and to help raise awareness of clinical trials to patients with cancer.

Stacey is an Associate Director, Clinical Trial Engagement Strategy for Bristol Myers Squibb supporting the lung oncology portfolio. In her prior roles, Stacey was as an oncology clinical research nurse at a community cancer center and has enjoyed a 20+ year career in the pharmaceutical industry.

Keith joined Genentech in 2004 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in PD Clinical Operations, gRED Oncology Clinical Science and United States Medical Affairs (USMA). Keith holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from the University of San Francisco, an MS in Nursing from Georgetown University and a BS in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.

His prior appointments have been as the Head of Multicultural Marketing for Sanofi Genzyme’s Diabetes & Cardiovascular franchises before joining Novartis in 2018 as an Associate Director for the Cardio-Renal Metabolism Systems of Care team in the Northern New Jersey and NY City market. He currently serves as the US Director for Diversity & Inclusion and is the D&I Lead for Disparities in Care for Novartis.

Throughout his three-decade career, Ben has been recognized as a champion for underrepresented communities for his quality initiatives projects in collaboration with healthcare systems. He has been vocal in facilitating and participating in courageous conversations on diversity and inclusion throughout Novartis in light of the racial challenges faced in the US and the impact implicit bias and racism has had in the field of medicine.

Ben is a native son of New York City and a graduate of Pace University. In 2012, he earned the distinction of Certified Professional in Health Care Quality (CPHQ) from the National Association of Healthcare Quality and received his certification as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB). He is a former Board Member of the Hispanic AIDS Forum and supporter of The Latino Commission on AIDS. In his spare time, he advocates for at risk youth in the LGBTQI community and works to raise awareness of bile duct cancer by partnering with the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation of America. Ben’s pronouns are he/him/his and he currently resides in New York City with his husband, Jordan.

Prior to joining Amgen, Lisa worked in executive leadership roles at Susan G. Komen where she most recently served as the Vice President of Pharmaceutical Partnerships and Account Management.  During her time at Komen, Lisa created the organization’s strategy for working with industry and established its partnership portfolio.  Lisa holds a BBA in Marketing from Howard University.

Sara Green is the Director of Advocacy and Alliance within the AstraZeneca Oncology portfolio. She oversees advocacy strategies in lung cancer and PAN oncology. She has worked on the Advocacy and Alliance team for almost 10 years and is a 21-year Corporate Affairs leader.  Her deep experience includes patient and professional engagement, healthcare education and policy issues at the national and state level. Some of her most recent experiences include supporting the kickoff of the American Cancer Society’s National Lung Cancer Roundtable and other collaborative partnerships addressing disparities in healthcare and elevating lung cancer awareness initiatives. Having lost six family members to lung cancer, reducing disparities to care is both a personal and professional passion.

Sara received her BA from The University of North Dakota in Communication and Marketing and is the proud mother of Wyatt (12), Addison (10) and Parker (8).

Karen fosters and maintains relationships with patient groups to identify and find ways to address common goals, gather patient and caregiver insights, and improve awareness, education and outcomes.

Karen has been at Novartis for 13 years and in that time she has helped develop and train the global network of patient advocacy leads, convened patient advocates from around the world and from various disease communities for summits and best practice sharing, spearheaded collaborations with patient groups, engaged colleagues from various US and global functions to partner with the patient community and supported the work of numerous patient groups. Karen is a member of an internal workstream to address health equity barriers in clinical trials, has significant communications experience prior to and at Novartis and is passionate about addressing communications gaps. She was born and raised in New York City and received her BA in English from Georgetown University.

Meg joins PAR from Hematology where she was a Sr. TLL. In this role, she managed complex relationships with thought leaders, cross-functional teams, external vendors and collaboration partners to inform strategy and advance patient care. She is a passionate representative on the D&I Coalition and leads Hematology’s D&I Advisory Council .

She spent the first 20 years of her career championing patient-centered initiatives at various organizations including Director of Patient Services at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Executive Director for Cook for Your Life.

Meg holds a BA from Hamilton College and an MA in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education from the University of Colorado.

She has been actively involved in diversity initiatives at Lilly and was an ambassador to Eldoret, Kenya, to support Lilly’s partnership with AMPATH.  She currently leads a Phase 3 study in Lung Cancer, which is utilizing biomarker testing across diverse geographies and populations to identify potential patients.

Devon McGoldrick, MPH, CCPH, is part of the Advocacy & Professional Relations team at Lilly Oncology.  Prior to joining Lilly, Devon enjoyed roles at the Livestrong Foundation, the National Cancer Institute and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.  Devon holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and is a Master of Public Health, with a focus area of Health Promotion/Disease Prevention from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. She is committed to improving experiences and outcomes for all people affected by a cancer diagnosis. 

A pharmacist by training with a PharmD from Roseman University of Health Sciences, prior to taking the role as Director for Amgen’s RISE (Representation in Clinical Research) Program, Jude was Team Lead in Oncology Early Clinical Development Operations, with significant work in developing precision therapies for lung cancer. He was also a post-doctoral fellow in translational medicine at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. Jude has been with Amgen for over 4 years, has held leadership roles for the Amgen Black Employee Network (ABEN), and specializes in oncology and general medicine therapeutic areas, clinical sciences and innovation, and patient recruitment and retention in clinical trials.

In addition, Jeanette spearheads the enterprise-level engagement strategy with the advocacy community at the above brand level, including building and sustaining relationships with the patient advocacy community with a primary focus on issues affecting equitable health.

Prior to joining the Advocacy Relations team, Jeanette was the chief of staff for Judy Brown, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Amgen and spent the bulk of her career as part of Philanthropy organization where she built and managed global programming in both quality of care and science education for the Amgen Foundation. Prior to joining Amgen, Jeanette was a Program Manager at the American Lung Association of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.

She holds a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a double major in Communication and Sociology and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles.

She also serves as the Global Health lead. Additionally, Vikki fosters relationships and collaborates with external stakeholders for alignment in shaping the healthcare environment to ensure equitable and quality healthcare. This includes advocating for legislative and regulatory policies that improve health outcomes for underrepresented populations.

Vikki has worked for Novartis for over 20 years. Her expansive career has included working in areas such as Market Access, C-Suite Development, Integrated Systems of Care and Public Affairs.  She has worked passionately advocating for sustainable polices across disease areas such as oncology, SCD, cardiovascular and rare diseases to ensure health equity for all patients. Vikki leads numerous corporate Diversity & Inclusion initiatives and serves on a host of boards and committees focused on marginalized communities. She received her MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University and undergraduate degree from Howard University.