Appendix B

Biographical Sketches of Presenters

John L. Anderson, Ph.D., is president of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). He was most recently Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and president (2007–2015) of the Illinois Institute of Technology. Before that he was provost and executive vice president at Case Western Reserve University (2004–2007), following 28 years at Carnegie Mellon University, including 8 years as dean of the College of Engineering. He began his career as a member of the Cornell University faculty (1971–1976). A member of the NAE since 1992, he was elected an NAE councillor in 2015, and he has served on the Executive Compensation Committee and Temporary Nominating Committee on Member Diversity. He has also served on several other NAE committees; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committees and boards; and foundations. Dr. Anderson is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and he was appointed to the National Science Board in 2014. He has received awards from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Association of Engineering Societies, and he is listed on the Alumni Wall of Fame at the University of Delaware. He has held visiting professorships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Melbourne (Australia), and Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen (the Netherlands). He has presented guest lectures at universities throughout the United States and is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters. He received

his undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Katina R. Beard, M.S.P.H., is CEO of the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center. Previously, she was interim CEO. In addition to overseeing strategy and operations at Matthew Walker, she sits on a number of advisory boards, including the American Cancer Society Nashville Advisory Board, Safety Net Consortium of Middle Tennessee, and the Tennessee Primary Care Association Governing Board. She earned her bachelor of science degree in healthcare administration and planning from Tennessee State University and her master of science degree in public health from Meharry Medical College.

Cedric M. Bright, M.D., is the associate dean for admissions, professor of internal medicine, and the interim associate dean of diversity and inclusion at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, in Greenville, North Carolina. He served as president of the National Medical Association from 2011 to 2012, advocating in the White House for health equity, increased diversity in clinical trials, and increasing the pipeline of students of color into health careers. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and the Order of the Golden Fleece and serves on the boards of the National Medical Fellowship Inc. and the W. Montague Cobb Health Policy Institute. He serves on the Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and has presented numerous grand rounds on the impact of COVID-19 on the Black community.

Daphne Calmes, M.D., is the senior associate dean of medical student affairs for the Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program and is an assistant dean for medical student affairs at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She completed her undergraduate education, medical school degree, and public health degree programs at UCLA. Dr. Calmes completed her pediatric residency training and a child development fellowship at the King/Drew Medical Center. She joined the faculty of the Child Development Unit (CDU) in the Department of Pediatrics and went on to serve as the pediatrics clerkship director for 10 years. Dr. Calmes has received several awards for her role in medical education, including the UCLA Award for Excellence in Medical Education, the Drew Excellence in Teaching Award, and

the Best Clerkship Director Award for the CDU/UCLA Medical Education Program’s Pediatric Clerkship, and the Most Supportive Faculty Award from several graduating senior CDU/UCLA Medical Education Classes.

Sherri Charleston, Ph.D., serves as the first chief diversity and inclusion officer at Harvard University. She is one of the nation’s leading experts in diversity and higher education. Dr. Charleston is a historian trained in U.S. history with a focus on race, women, gender, citizenship, and the law, and an attorney with a specialization in constitutional and employment law. Most recently, she served as the assistant vice provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion and chief affirmative action officer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison). She oversaw the Office of Employee Disability Resources and undergraduate scholarship programs focused on recruiting and retaining students from historically underrepresented communities. She also held faculty affiliations with the Departments of Gender and Women’s Studies, teaching courses on women, inequality, and policy analysis at UW–Madison. In 2019, Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine named her one of the “Top 35 Women in Higher Education.” Dr. Charleston received a B.A. from Columbia University in history and African American studies, an M.A. and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan, and a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

André L. Churchwell, M.D., was named in May 2020 as Vanderbilt University’s vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion as well as chief diversity officer. In addition to his diversity role, Dr. Churchwell is a professor of medicine (cardiology), radiology and radiological sciences, and biomedical engineering. In 2005, he was named the Walter R. Murray Jr. Distinguished Alumnus by the Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni for lifetime achievements in personal, professional, and community arenas. In 2015 Vanderbilt University endowed him with the Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D. Chair for achievements in diversity and inclusion.

Dr. Churchwell graduated from the Vanderbilt School of Engineering magna cum laude in 1975. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1979 and later completed his internship, residency, and cardiology fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine and affiliated hospitals in Atlanta. In addition, he was the first African American chief medical resident at Grady Memorial Hospital (1984–1985). For the past 10 years he has been named one of the nation’s top cardiologists in “The Best Doctors in America.”

In 2012 and 2013, the Vanderbilt University Organization of Black Graduate and Professional Students honored Dr. Churchwell with one of the organization’s first distinguished faculty awards. He was also elected in 2012 to serve as the southern representative for the Group on Diversity and Inclusion for the AAMC (American Association of Medical Colleges). In 2014, he was named one of the “Top 15 Most Influential African American Health Educators” by Black Health Magazine. In 2016, he was named to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for his work in biomedical engineering education. Dr. Churchwell received the Vanderbilt University Pioneer in Diversity Award in 2017. He has served on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals and has served as a reviewer for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and the Biomedical Engineering Society’s internationally recognized Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology Journal.

Keith Churchwell, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.H.A., F.A.C.P., is the president of Yale New Haven Hospital and associate clinical professor of medicine (cardiology) at Yale School of Medicine. He previously held the positions of executive vice president and chief operations officer and senior vice president and executive director for heart and vascular services and transplantation services and clinical service coordinator for the Department of Medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine. He spent his formative training years at Emory University Medical School and Affiliated Hospitals, then spent 12 years in private cardiology practice before joining Vanderbilt Medical School as full-time academic faculty in 2006. At Vanderbilt he was an associate professor of medicine and radiology and the executive director/chief medical officer at the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute from 2009 to 2014. Dr. Churchwell is also on the National Board of the American Heart Association (AHA) and was the chair of the National Advocacy Committee for AHA through 2021. He sits on a number of local boards in the New Haven area, including president of the New Haven Symphony Board, Columbus House, and the New England Donor Services.

Kevin Churchwell, M.D., is the president and chief executive officer of Boston Children’s Hospital. Since joining Boston Children’s in 2013, Dr. Churchwell has been instrumental in leading the hospital’s work to become a High Reliability Organization, one where zero avoidable harm

impacts any patient, family member, or employee. Previously, he was CEO of both Nemours/Alfred I. Dupont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. An advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusivity, Dr. Churchwell established three Offices of Health Equity and Inclusion at hospitals across the United States and Canada, including at Boston Children’s. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Vanderbilt Medical School, Dr. Churchwell completed his pediatric residency and a clinical fellowship in pediatric critical care at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is an associate professor of pediatric anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and is the Robert and Dana Smith Associate Professor of Anesthesia at the Harvard Medical School.

Deborah Deas, M.D., M.P.H., is the vice chancellor for health sciences, the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean of the School of Medicine, and professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). She has received several national awards in the areas of diversity and inclusion and a variety of accolades and awards at the national, regional, and local levels. She serves on the Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, is a member of the AAMC Council of Deans and several Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) committees and groups, and is a fellow with the American College of Psychiatrists and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Before UCR, Dr. Deas served as the interim dean of the College of Medicine and professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). During her tenure at MUSC, she also served as senior associate dean for medical education, chief academic officer, and associate dean for admissions. She has received NIH funding (R01) as well as industry funding for her research, has published articles in several peer-reviewed journals, and has won multiple awards and honors for her work. Dr. Deas earned her B.S. degree in biology from the College of Charleston, her M.P.H. degree from the University of South Carolina, and her M.D. from MUSC. She completed her residency in adult psychiatry, followed by fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry as well as addiction psychiatry. She is board certified in each of the three specialties. She also completed a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) substance abuse research fellowship.

Michael Denning, Jr., is an M1 student at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. He has a keen interest in the areas of medical

education, diversity and inclusion, and community engagement. As the M1 curriculum representative at Brody, he strives to create impact and change on both the peer-to-peer level and a systemic policy level. From creating student engagement surveys to advocating for student success on several curriculum committees and working groups, his belief in Brody’s mission of increasing access to medical education for underrepresented and disadvantaged students stands at the forefront of all his work. His work also extends to community service and mentorship. As an NC Albert Schweitzer fellow, he developed and executed a health education and mentorship program with the adolescent Black males of the Building Hope Community Center.

Melissa Gresalfi, Ph.D., is professor of mathematics education and learning sciences at Vanderbilt University. Her research has predominantly focused on students’ experiences in mathematics—in school and out of school—and how and why those experiences so often lead students to conclude that they are not capable of or interested in continuing with mathematics. Her work has focused specifically on how the nature of the context in which one is learning influences students’ experience. Over her career, Prof. Gresalfi’s funded projects have examined student collaboration, classroom norms, curricular structures such as project-based learning, task development, video games, textile craft, play, and computer programming. This work shares the goal of trying to transform the spaces where people learn such that students have opportunities to engage with mathematics that involves sense making, decision making, and problem solving. These projects share a commitment to fostering experiences that create opportunities for students to see themselves as competent, capable, and valued members of the learning community.

J. Otis Harris has supported and led the efforts of the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Council of Shiloh Baptist Church since its inception in 2003. The council was formed to raise awareness regarding HBCUs and to provide HBCU access to generations of new students. It provides community education and access to college, scholarships, SAT and college board test preparation, and a host of celebratory HBCU services. It also hosts concerts and social events to raise money to support HBCUs. Mr. Harris has been a music teacher and band and choral director in Prince Georges County, Maryland, for many years. He has provided musical direction to Bowie State University and is a sought-after expert on music education matters. Mr. Harris graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High

School and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia State University. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Robert S. D. Higgins, M.D., M.S.H.A., serves as president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and executive vice president at Mass General Brigham, roles he assumed in December 2021. As president, he is responsible for the vitality and success of the clinical, academic, and educational mission of the Brigham in support of patients locally and across the globe. As executive vice president, he plays an active leadership role within the Mass General Brigham system, setting and guiding strategy, priorities, and performance. He is widely regarded as a leading authority in heart and lung transplantation, adult and pediatric cardiac surgery, and mechanical circulatory support. Before Brigham, he served as director of the Department of Surgery, surgeon-in-chief, and the William Stewart Halsted Professor of Surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. From 2010 to 2015, Dr. Higgins served as chair and director of the Department of Surgery at the Comprehensive Transplant Center at the Ohio State University Medical Center. He has served in numerous national professional leadership roles. Most recently, he was elected to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Alpha Omega Alpha chapter and was awarded the Fellowship Ad Hominem of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He has authored more than 200 scientific articles and book chapters. Dr. Higgins earned his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and medical degree from Yale School of Medicine. He completed his residency in general surgery and served as chief resident at the University Hospitals of Pittsburgh. He was a Winchester Scholar and fellow in cardiothoracic surgery at the Yale School of Medicine. He earned a master’s degree in health services administration at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Kenneth Hill, M.A., is president and CEO of the Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program. ChiS&E was founded in 2008 and takes its inspiration and benefits from the programs developed and implemented by the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) with students in grades K–12 in the Detroit Public Schools, which Mr. Hill also founded. ChiS&E is a nonprofit organization; it developed a partnership with Chicago Public Schools and connected with local foundations, corporations, universities, museums, and other nonprofit organizations. Mr. Hill is a graduate of Howard University with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and Wayne State University with a master of arts degree

in mathematics education. He worked at MichCon and taught in the Detroit Public School System prior to moving to the Republic of Zambia in Central Africa, where he taught calculus and physics to African high school students. Mr. Hill was the recipient of the 1990 NAACP Distinguished Service Award and service awards for his work with DAPCEP. He was selected Michiganian of the Year in 1999. In 2000, he received the William L. Dawson award from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (Washington, D.C.), and he has received several awards for his work with ChiS&E.

Talmadge E. King, M.D., is dean of the UC San Francisco School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs. He began his career at UCSF as chief of Medical Services at Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. He has served as chair of the UCSF Department of Medicine. He has authored or co-authored 300 publications and has co-edited 8 books. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Association of American Physicians, American Clinical and Climatological Association, and the Fleischner Society. He is a master of the American College of Physicians and fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. He won the 2007 Trudeau Medal, the highest honor of the American Thoracic Society. Dr. King graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College and earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, followed by a residency at Emory University Affiliated Hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia, and a pulmonary fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.

Luis Leyva, Ph.D., is the director of the PRISM (Power, Resistance and Identity in STEM Education) Research Lab at Vanderbilt-Peabody College. His interdisciplinary research explores narratives of oppression and agency across historically marginalized groups’ educational experiences to uncover interlocking functions of racism and cisheteropatriarchy in undergraduate STEM. Dr. Leyva’s research has been distinguished with awards and fellowships from the American Educational Research Association, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Mindset Scholars Network), National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, and Vanderbilt University-Peabody College. As an educational researcher, Dr. Leyva draws on his professional experience as a certified K–12 mathematics teacher and his various leadership roles across STEM support programs. He has more than 6 years of experience in student programs at Rutgers University for

increasing STEM retention and success among underrepresented groups, including his roles as a residential mentor in STEM living-learning communities and as a mathematics teacher for the Upward Bound Math-Science summer bridge program.

Benjamin Linder, Ph.D., is director of Affordable Design and Entrepreneurship and a professor of design and mechanical engineering at Olin College of Engineering. His teaching and research efforts are focused on sustainable design, international development, human-centered design, and creative design methods. These efforts are directed at developing techniques and approaches that further a more ecologically connected and socially informed design practice. He regularly advises and delivers workshops for practitioners, educators, and the public, and he is a co-organizer of the International Development Design Summit that brings people together from more than 20 countries to build local, creative design capacity. Dr. Linder has received numerous grants, is a patent holder, and is the co-author of numerous publications. He received a B.S.E. in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from MIT.

Shirley Malcom, Ph.D., is senior advisor to the CEO and director of SEA Change at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In her more than 40-year tenure at AAAS, she has worked to improve the quality and increase access to education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as well as to enhance public science literacy. Dr. Malcom is a trustee of Caltech and regent of Morgan State University. She is a former member of the National Science Board and served on President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. Dr. Malcom is a former high school science teacher and university faculty member. She serves on the boards of the Heinz Endowments, Public Agenda, National Math-Science Initiative and Digital Promise Global. In 2003, Dr. Malcom received the Public Welfare Medal of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. She received her Ph.D. in ecology from the Pennsylvania State University, master’s degree in zoology from UCLA, and bachelor’s degree with distinction in zoology from the University of Washington. In addition, she holds 17 honorary degrees.

Amon Millner, Ph.D., is an associate professor of computing and innovation, directing the Extending Access to STEM Empowerment, or

EASE, Lab at Olin College of Engineering. His research and teaching are informed by his work in the human–computer interaction domain, drawing heavily from his specialization in developing tangible interactive systems for making and learning. He develops technology and community platforms to facilitate learners becoming empowered to make a difference in their neighborhoods. Dr. Millner has established local and international hubs for learning, making, and digital fabrication, shaping the ways in which networks such as Computer Clubhouses and Fab Labs have evolved. His international recognition includes a designation as a Fulbright Specialist/Grantee. A champion in the maker movement, he has authored computing curricula for K–12 classrooms. He contributes to multiple research communities, particularly conferences that focus on tangible user interface design, interaction design and children, and digital media and learning. Dr. Millner, a patent holder, earned a Ph.D. in media arts and sciences from MIT, an M.S. in human computer interactions from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in computer science from the University of Southern California.

Valerie Montgomery Rice, M.D., is the sixth president of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and the first woman to lead the freestanding medical institution. She serves as both the president and the dean. A renowned infertility specialist and researcher, Dr. Montgomery Rice provides a combination of experience at the highest levels of patient care and medical research, as well as organizational management and public health policy. Prior to joining MSM, she held faculty positions and leadership roles at various health centers, including academic health centers. Most notably, she was the founding director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry Medical College, one of the nation’s first research centers devoted to studying diseases that disproportionately impact women of color. She holds memberships in various organizations and participates on the boards of many organizations, foundations, and funds. Dr. Montgomery Rice has received numerous accolades and honors, including the 2017 Horatio Alger Award. For three consecutive years (2016–2018) Georgia Trend Magazine selected her as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians. Dr. Montgomery Rice holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and an honorary degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and honorary doctor of humane letters from Rush University. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Emory University

School of Medicine and her fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Hutzel Hospital.

LaShyra Nolen is a medical student at Harvard Medical School, where she serves as student council president. She is the first documented Black woman to serve in this leadership role. She is also the founding executive director of We Got Us, a community empowerment organization committed to increasing vaccine and healthcare access for marginalized communities. She is an advocate for equity and social justice and sees it as her life’s purpose to bring light to the experiences and challenges of those who have been deemed voiceless by our society. She seeks to live out this mission through healing, advocacy, writing, and public policy.

Ike S. Okwuosa, M.D., is a cardiologist with Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, where he specializes in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology. Dr. Okwuosa’s clinical research interests are in heart failure, pregnancy and cardiovascular disease, and chemotherapy-induced heart failure, and he has published works examining the impact of depression in cardiovascular disease and disparities in cardiovascular disease. He is an assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He received his M.D. at Georgetown University School of Medicine, completed his residency at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, and was awarded two fellowships at Johns Hopkins University.

Nancy Oriol, M.D., is faculty associate dean for community engagement in medical education at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Thirty years ago in partnership with Boston communities, she created the Family Van, a mobile health clinic designed to address health disparities. Today, the Family Van provides more than 4,000 health and social service visits a year and is an important venue where Harvard students partner with the community in addressing the social determinants of health. She also co-founded HMS MEDscience, an innovative high school biology curriculum based on mannequin simulation and designed to address the education achievement gap of local high schools. Dr. Oriol graduated from HMS in 1979, after which she completed residency training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Management, where she was the director of the Division of Obstetric Anesthesia until 1997. From 1997 to 2016, she was dean for students at HMS. She

has presented many abstracts and authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, as well as book chapters, documentaries, reviews, and case reports, and she has been recognized with numerous awards.

Michelle Reaves was appointed the executive director of the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) in 2016. The nonprofit was founded more than 40 years ago to partner with universities, K–12 school systems, and others to design and implement hands-on STEM programs for youth. Since then, she has earned numerous awards, including an Excellence in STEM award from the American Association of Blacks in Energy and a Women in STEM Certificate of Achievement from the State of Michigan. She is a member of the New Detroit Leadership Board, a coalition working toward racial understanding and equity, and the first female director of DAPCEP. Understanding best-learning practices and Michigan’s talent needs, Ms. Reaves created the DAPCEP Explorers Program for preschool to third-grade children to discover STEM early. The program introduces students to coding, artificial intelligence, biology, chemistry, math, and physics. She is also the chief architect of the Preparing African American Males Energy and Education multiyear program, a National Science Foundation–supported program that seeks to improve diversity in power generation and renewable energy industries by assisting 240 young men through a cohort. She earned her M.B.A. at Wayne State University.

Joan Y. Reede, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., was appointed the first dean for diversity and community partnership of Harvard Medical School in January 2002. She is responsible for the development and management of a comprehensive program that provides leadership, guidance, and support to promote the increased recruitment, retention, and advancement of underrepresented minority faculty at HMS. In addition, she holds appointments of professor of medicine at HMS; professor of society, human development, and health at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health; and assistant in health policy at Massachusetts General Hospital. Previously, Dr. Reede served as the medical director of a Boston community health center and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. She has also worked as a pediatrician in community and academic health centers, juvenile prisons, and public schools. Dr. Reede is a co-founder of the Biomedical Careers Program (BSCP), is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), and is the past chair of NAM’s Interest Group 08 on Health of Populations/Health. Her current affiliations include committees,

advisory boards, and working groups focusing on diversity and inclusion in the health professions and STEM. Dr. Reede has received numerous awards, at the national, regional, and local levels. She graduated from Brown University and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed a pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and a fellowship in child psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital. She holds an M.P.H. and an M.S. in health policy management from Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and an M.B.A. from Boston University.

Edie Stringfellow is vice president of ecosystem development for the Center for Global Health Innovation (CGHI), where she is responsible for recruiting pioneering organizations to expand the innovative, entrepreneurial, and collaborative ecosystem of CGHI’s Global Health Innovation District. She is also developing programs to draw and engage district participants as well as the surrounding community in a manner that creates mutual value and advances the CGHI’s mission. As head of CGHI’s Innovation and Health Equity Office and Command Center, she works with numerous organizations via a transformational digital network to address health disparities in underserved and underresourced populations. While at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, Ms. Stringfellow served as the senior director of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Prior to MassBio, she was a director of patient recruitment for a clinical research agency. Currently, she is on the Mass General Brigham Biobank/NIH All of Us Research Program Community Advisory Panel and the Medable Patient Advisory Council. She is also a member of the Vaccine Atlanta Outreach Initiative and a member of WITH (Women Innovating Together in Healthcare) global organization, Boston Chapter.

Donna Thompson, R.N., M.S., has led Access Community Health Network (ACCESS) to become one of the nation’s largest networks of federally qualified health centers. Anchored by a strong mission, ACCESS provides an integrative healthcare home for more than 180,000 patients each year through 35 health center locations across Cook and DuPage counties in Illinois. Ms. Thompson first joined ACCESS as its chief operating officer in 1995. Previously, she was a pediatric nurse at Michael Reese Hospital, which was once Chicago’s largest research and teaching hospital before it closed in 2009. Most recently, she collaborated with area providers to receive one of the state of Illinois’ transformation grants to improve health equity on the West Side of Chicago. Ms. Thompson holds numerous board

memberships, serves as an advisor and mentor, and is a past member of the Health Care Committee for the Economic Club of Chicago. She holds bachelor of science and master of science degrees in nursing administration from DePaul University. She was named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse fellow in 2003 and is a graduate of the Kellogg School of Management’s CEO Perspectives program. Throughout her career, she has received several awards and recognitions.

Ashley Walker is a chemist, planetary scientist, and science communicator. Currently, she is a first-year planetary science Ph.D. student at Howard University in the Graduate Program in Atmospheric Sciences. At Howard, she studies the atmospheric processes and evolution of ice giant planets Neptune and Uranus. She received her undergraduate degree in chemistry at Chicago State University. During her undergraduate tenure, she interned at Harvard University (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and Johns Hopkins University, specializing in planetary atmospheres and planet formation. Thus, making her the first astrochemist in Chicago State University history. Following her graduation, she was a postbaccalaureate intern at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, studying stratospheric ice chemistry on Saturn’s moon Titan. She is a part of several organizations and committees, including the American Astronomical Society’s Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy and National Society of Black Physicists’ Astronomy Committee, and is a founding member of Black In Astro, BlackInChem, and Black In Physics. She has been featured on Katie Couric Media’s Thank You Notes, BBC America’s Space Week, Seeker, and radio ads with companies such as ComEd.

Quintin R. Youmans, M.D., is a chief fellow in the Division of Cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He is a clinician, educator, and researcher in health equity, mentorship, and promoting diversity in medicine. His work has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, and the Annals of Internal Medicine, among others. He is the recipient of several local, regional, and national awards, including the Susan Perlman Award from McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, the Dr. John E. Franklin Commitment to Diversity Award, and the American Medical Association Foundation Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award. Dr. Youmans completed his undergraduate education at Brown University, where he was an honors graduate with a concentration in human biology. He earned his M.D. at

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, where he served as a chief medical resident for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. He earned a master of science degree in clinical investigation from the Graduate School at Northwestern University.

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