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Lavondia has spent more than 23 years in the healthcare arena, propelling organizations forward through practice transformation. Her experience in the healthcare setting spans from clinical, managerial, data, analytics and quality improvement to executive leadership in the private, public, non-profit, and government sector. 

Through value-based care and patient centered approaches, she has assisted organizations in understanding how quality improvement practices and data analytics can create revenue making opportunities by leveraging existing and implementing new practices. 

Lavondia has a passion in serving the underserved population. As the Chief Quality Officer at a large Federally Qualified Health Center, she has created programs to reduce healthcare disparities, lower the cost of care, and promote quality care while satisfying patients and healthcare workers. 

Keeping pace with the dynamics of the healthcare delivery system and transforming data into actionable strategies for improving health, Lavondia has been able to achieve national quality awards for her organizations, develop strategic relationships with varying healthcare entities to reduce barriers to care, and achieve patient centered medical home for multiple practice sites. 

Lavondia is a Registered Nurse from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, with a Masters in Nursing Informatics and Business Administration. 

Lavondia is a trained Community and Patient Advocate for Research and serves as Co-Chair of the NCI designated Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center, Community Advisory Board.

Suhail Allaqaband, MD, is an internationally renowned Interventional Cardiologist, highly skilled in the most complex interventional procedures. Dr. Allaqaband serves as the Senior Medical Director of the Aurora Cardiovascular Service Line and takes great pride in passing his wealth of experience to the next generation of Cardiologists. 

In addition to his skills as a clinician and teacher, Dr. Allaqaband is a devoted researcher and has served as Principal Investigator on a slew of clinical trials, including studies evaluating left main stenting and bioabsorbable stents. More than 100 of his cutting-edge research manuscripts and abstracts have been published in premier cardiology journals like Circulation. 

As evidence of his myriad contributions to the field, Dr. Allaqaband has achieved prestigious Fellow status in the American College of Cardiology, the Society of Cardiac Angiography and Interventions, and the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

Jamy Ard, M.D. completed his medical training at Duke University Medical Center and is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention and Vice Dean for Clinical Research at Wake Forest School of Medicine. He is also co-director of the Advocate Health Wake Forest Baptist Weight Management Center, directing medical weight management programs. Dr. Ard conducts research on the clinical management of obesity and strategies to improve treatment outcomes in underserved and underrepresented populations. He has served on several expert panels and guideline development committees, including the 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS Guideline Panel on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. Dr. Ard served as president of The Obesity Society in 2024.

Dr. Anthony Atala is a practicing surgeon and the G. Link Professor and Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. His work focuses on bioprinting and growing human cells, tissues and organs. Seventeen applications of technologies developed in Dr. Atala’s laboratory have been used clinically. Dr. Atala was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He is a recipient of the US Congress funded Christopher Columbus Foundation Award, bestowed on a living American who is currently working on a discovery that will significantly affect society, the World Technology Award in Health and Medicine, the Edison Science/Medical Award, the R&D Innovator of the Year Award, and the Smithsonian Ingenuity Award. Dr. Atala’s work was listed twice as Time Magazine’s top 10 medical breakthroughs of the year, as one of 5 discoveries that will change the future of organ transplants and was ranked by the Project Management Institute as one of the top 10 most impactful biotech projects from the past 50 years. Dr. Atala was named by Scientific American as one of the world’s most influential people in biotechnology, by U.S. News & World Report as one of 14 Pioneers of Medical Progress in the 21st Century, by Life Sciences Intellectual Property Review as one of 50 key influencers in the life sciences intellectual property arena, and by the journal Nature Biotechnology as one of the top 10 translational researchers in the world. Dr. Atala has led or served several national professional and government committees, including the National Institutes of Health working group on Cells and Developmental Biology, the National Institutes of Health Bioengineering Consortium, and the National Cancer Institute’s Advisory Board. He was a Founder of the Tissue Engineering Society, the Regenerative Medicine Society, the Regenerative Medicine Foundation, the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, the Regenerative Medicine Development Organization, the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Society, and the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Consortium. Dr. Atala is editor of 25 books and 2 journals, has published more than 900 journal articles, and has applied for or received over 300 national and international patents.

Tanvir Bajwa, MD, is a highly accomplished Milwaukee-area physician, best known for his technical expertise in advanced interventional cardiac and peripheral vascular procedures. He has participated in and designed several scientific research protocols to treat such conditions as peripheral vascular disease, renal artery disease, abdominal aneurysms and carotid artery disease. He also serves as an advisor to many device companies.

Dr. Bajwa remains among only a handful of cardiologists in Wisconsin authorized to perform some of the most advanced procedures currently available. He has authored two books, 30 articles and 52 abstracts, and presents annually at local symposiums and national conferences.

In addition to serving as Program Director of the Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, Dr. Bajwa is Associate Head, Cardiovascular Disease Section; Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory; and Director, Peripheral Vascular Laboratory.

Scott began his journey with HOPE of Winston-Salem in November 2017 after relocating from Chicago. Formerly in the private sector, Scott made a career change back in 2008 and dedicated himself to ensuring all children and families have access to nutritious food supplies. He lives in Winston-Salem with his wife and daughter.

Dr. Ebony Boulware is the Dean of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the Chief Science Officer for Advocate Health. She is a genera internist, physician-scientist and clinical epidemiologist who seeks to improve health and health equity. Dr. Boulware’s internationally recognized research has identified patient, clinician, health system, and community- level barriers that result in disparate outcomes for historically marginalized individuals, with an emphasis on those affected by chronic health conditions such as kidney disease. Through her research and thought leadership, she has developed successful interventions, shaped national policy guidelines, raised physician awareness and changed clinical practice to improve health and health equity. Dr. Boulware’s research has been continuously funded by the NIH, the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and other organizations throughout her career. She has garnered over $80M in individual and institutional grant funding from these funders. She has published over 230 manuscripts, book chapters, and editorials. She has also mentored numerous students, residents, fellows, and faculty members, and she is a passionate advocate for advancing justice and equity in medical education and research. Dr. Boulware is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Associate of American Physicians, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The objective of this study is to determine if an Intensive Preventive Dental Program (IPDP) administered in an oncology practice can reduce dental disease in patients with head and neck cancer post-radiation therapy compared to current oncology care practice that occurs post radiation therapy. I am currently the co-PI of Clinical Registry of Dental Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancer Patients (ORARAD- U01DE022939) and of a prospective multicenter study- Oral Complications in Stem Cell Transplant Patients: ORASTEM, which has funding from the Swedish Government: Western Region of Public Dental.  I am also the lead investigator for a recent Phase I and a current Phase II study to determine the efficacy of gene therapy treatment in subjects with radiation-induced parotid gland hypofunction and xerostomia.  I have also successfully completed the pilot interventional study to assess IPDP in an oncology practice.   My current and previous roles as co-PI and PI for observational studies and clinical trials in head and neck cancer patients has provided me the experience and expertise needed to lead the development and successful enrollment and completion of the current proposed interventional study. My experience and expertise in oral oncology will allow for the successful dissemination of findings through manuscripts/presentations.

Board-certified general pediatrician and NIH-funded clinical researcher with expertise in obesity prevention and treatment in early childhood, specifically related to picky eating, parental concern about their child’s growth, and social determinants of health such as food insecurity. My research focuses on evaluating how parental feeding practices are associated with child stress and a child’s later risk of obesity. Lead researcher on the Winston Salem Weaver fire research study

Currently a cardiovascular research coordinator for both medical device and drug trials for over 13 years at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center.

Prior experience includes coronary care nursing as well as research coordinator for various adult clinical sponsored trials within the following specialties of Internal Medicine, Women’s Health and Allergy.

Dr. Bushnell completed her neurology residency training, stroke research fellowship, and graduate degree in clinical research at Duke University.  After 6 years on faculty in the Duke Division of Neurology, she joined the Neurology faculty at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in October 2007.  After serving as medical director of the Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Stroke Center and Stroke Section Chief for 9 years, she is currently Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Neurology.  Clinically, she is passionate about both inpatient and outpatient stroke treatment across the continuum, especially the transition of post-acute care and secondary prevention.  Her research spans women’s issues related to stroke, including sex differences in risk and outcomes, and was the chair of the first AHA Guideline for the Prevention of Stroke in Women.  She was co-PI of COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Service (COMPASS) Study, a pragmatic clinical trial funded by Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, which compared a holistic, patient-centered post-acute stroke model of care vs usual care in 41 hospitals across North Carolina.  Building on COMPASS, she is the PI for one of the first PCORI-funded Phased Large Awards for Comparative Effectiveness Research (PLACER) awards ($30 million) to compare telehealth management (home monitoring plus lifestyle coaching) vs clinic management to reach target goals for blood pressure 6 months after discharge.  She is also the writing group chair of the updated AHA/ASA 2024 Primary Prevention of Stroke Guidelines. 

Samuel Carmichael, MD MS FACS, is an assistant professor of surgery in the Section of Acute Care Surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He completed a general surgery residency at the University of Kentucky in 2018 followed by fellowship in Acute Care Surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 2020. Since that time, he has conducted research at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), investigating human placental stem cell-based therapies for prevention of abdominal adhesions under Dr. Anthony Atala. He has received funding in this effort from the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and through an intramural KL2 award. Presently, his continuing efforts seek to describe the native surface glycobiology of the abdomen, the epithelial glycocalyx, under conditions of homeostasis and surgical injury to guide development of future reliable prophylactics for prevention of abdominal adhesions.

John Chaffin serves as the Community Navigation Coordinator at the Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP), where he leads a team of five peer navigators dedicated to supporting individuals living with HIV. As the community partner collaborating with Wake Forest School of Medicine on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiative, John is committed to advancing health equity and improving outcomes for underserved populations, particularly those living with HIV and those in the queer community in Western North Carolina. Drawing on his background in public health and community engagement, he brings expertise in navigating complex healthcare systems and building meaningful partnerships to address critical public health challenges in the rural region.”

Allyson Cochran, PhD MSPH is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Prevention at Wake Forest School of Medicine and the Director of the Center for Surgical Outcomes Science at Atrium Health. In her roles, she provides analytics, statistical, and research methodology support for surgical research, quality improvement, and operations initiatives.

As a published author and presenter, Allyson speaks nationally and internationally on surgical predictive analytics, data-driven surgery, and the implementation of enhanced recovery programs. She chairs the Quality Measurement and Improvement Committee for the US Chapter of the ERAS Society and is a member of the Research Committee for the International ERAS Society. Allyson’s professional pursuits focus on integrating predictive modeling in enhanced-recovery pathways to predict – and ultimately prevent – adverse surgical outcomes

Pastor Tembila Christine Covington is an esteemed and knowledgeable leader, embodying the role of a servant leader to make the audience feel valued and respected. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy from Shaw University and a Master of Science in Agricultural Education from NC Agricultural & Technical State University. As the Pastor of Exodus United Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC, she applies her academic background to her pastoral duties and community leadership. Raised in Burkina Faso, West Africa, she is a bi-vocational pastor and Community Engagement and Impact Director at Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods. Pastor Covington’s influence on various boards in Winston-Salem and her unwavering commitment to community transformation is a testament to her dedication. She is unafraid to challenge mindsets and belief systems that affect our people, reflecting her values and deep care for the community. Her work is not just a job but a reflection of her values and deep care for the community. She is a servant leader dedicated to serving all people, driven by a vision of a brighter tomorrow for everyone. The boards she serves on in Winston-Salem are Atkins, CDC, Happy Hill Neighborhood Association Advisory Council to the board, the first female Pastor in a leadership position with the Rowan Baptist Association as 2nd Vice Moderator, Community Police Review Board, first woman Pastor At Exodus UBC, board member at Trellis Supportive Care Foundation, and Board Chair at Smart Start of Forsyth County, Additionally, she has recently launched her consulting business, The Little Village Circle LLC, aiming to create a brighter tomorrow for everyone.

Dr. Cyrille-Superville is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, echocardiography, advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology.

She is the associate director of Heart Failure for the Atrium Health Southern Region. She served as chief cardiology fellow during her cardiovascular fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center and was the recipient of the Dr. Martin B. Cohen Award for Clinical Excellence.

Dr. Cyrille-Superville has clinical interests in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), durable mechanical support devices, heart transplants and cardiac amyloidosis (stiff heart syndrome caused by an abnormal protein in the heart tissue).

The dynamic nature of the field is what led Dr. Cyrille-Superville to her career. She feels the field of heart failure has blossomed with exciting developments not only in the pharmaceutical realm but also in the area of mechanical support devices and heart transplant.

Dr. Cyrille-Superville received her medical degree and completed residency at Columbia University. She completed a heart failure and transplant fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

She is involved in ongoing research looking into the causes of diastolic heart failure, also known as heart failure preserved ejection fraction.

Dr Leila DeWitt is an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Hospital Medicine and Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program. She also serves as a course director for first- and second-year medical students. Dr. DeWitt is a health services researcher with expertise in food insecurity experienced by pediatric patients and their families while admitted to hospital, in addition to the consequences of inpatient food insecurity upon discharge home. She organized an inpatient food pantry and caregiver meal tray program, and she developed a novel screening tool to measure inpatient food insecurity for which she has published in JAMA Pediatrics. Dr. DeWitt attended Wake Forest University for undergraduate and graduate school, finishing with a Masters in Bioethics, proceeded to medical school in South Carolina, and returned to Wake Forest for pediatric residency.

Dr. Disch serves as Vice President, Cardiovascular Service Line, for the Midwest Region of Advocate Health.  Prior to joining Advocate Health in May of 2023, he oversaw cardiovascular services for Mercy Health in St. Louis, and more recently with Corewell Health in southwest Michigan.  He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine.  He then completed his internal medicine residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH, followed by a fellowship in Outcomes Research at Dartmouth Medical School.  His fellowship training in cardiovascular diseases was completed at Barnes Hospital, Washington University in St. Louis.  He also holds a Master of Medical Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

I am a Professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at WFUSM with secondary appointments in the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Molecular Medicine, and a joint appointment with the Wake Forest/Virginia Tech Biomedical Graduate Sciences Graduate Program. My research focuses on cancer biology and fluoropyrimidine biochemistry and emphasizes translational science, particularly for colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal malignancies. I have or have been the PI on multiple R01 awards as well as U01, R21, R29, R41 and R42 awards from NIH-NCI and grants from the DoD, the NC Biotechnology Center, and other agencies. I have authored and co-authored >110 peer-review publications related to my research with >10 issued patents and several pending patent applications. My work intersects with others involved in drug discovery / development and translation to clinical trials. I am passionate about mentoring and educational activities and am the course director for 2 graduate courses in the Cancer Biology curriculum, advisor for 7 PhD students and 4 MS students and served on the dissertation and thesis committees for 14 graduate students and trained 10 post-doctoral researchers.

Christopher Griggs is an associate professor of emergency medicine at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center and Wake Forest School of Medicine.  He serves as the medical director of the Emergency Medicine Pain and Addiction Quality Improvement and as the lead of ED transitions of care in the Charlotte Market.  His research focuses on improving pain and addiction care in the emergency department and he is currently grant funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to perform quality improvement in pain and addiction care across 27 Atrium ED’s in North Carolina. 

Dr. Metin Gurcan is Senior Associate Dean for Artificial Intelligence, the founding Director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research, Professor of Internal Medicine, Pathology, and Biomedical Engineering, and Director of the Clinical Image Analysis Lab at WFUSM. Dr. Gurcan is an internationally recognized researcher and educator in the fields of medical image analysis, artificial intelligence, and biomedical informatics. His research has been supported by NIH NCATS, NCI, NIDCD, NHLBI, NLM, NBIB, NIAID, and DOD, as well as awards from several nonprofit organizations. He holds ten patents for his interventions in medical artificial intelligence, which have led to the establishment of two startup companies. Dr. Gurcan received his BSc and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University, Turkey, and his MSc. Degree in Digital Systems Engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, England.

Adam Hall received his training in physics and materials sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a NASA Graduate Student Research Program (GSRP) Fellow and received the Ross & Charlotte Johnson Family Dissertation Fellowship. He then completed postdoctoral research at the Technische Universitat Delft in the Netherlands. From 2010-13, he was an Assistant Professor of Nanoscience at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering in Greensboro, NC, where he earned awards for both his research activities and teaching. He joined the faculty of the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences in August of 2013 as an Assistant Professor in the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2021. Adam has published more than 50 journal articles and is an inventor on 5 patents. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (including NCI, NIGMS, NIBIB, and NHGRI), DoD, BARDA, 3M, and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Dr. Sigrun (“Siggy”) Hallmeyer was born in East Berlin, Germany and escaped to West Germany at the age of 18.  After studying medicine at Humboldt University in Berlin, she moved to the U.S. in 1999 to begin her clinical training in internal medicine, followed by a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Today, she serves as an attending medical oncologist and hematologist and key teaching faculty member at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (ALGH).  Her clinical practice is focused on breast cancer, melanoma, and immuno-oncology and she has been affiliated with Advocate Health Care for almost 20 years. Dr. Hallmeyer founded and became the medical director of the ALGH Cancer Survivorship Center in 2013 and became the Director of the Cancer Service Line at ALGH in January 2019. She serves as the medical co-director for oncology research within the Advocate Aurora Research Institute and the first vice president of the ALGH Medical Staff

David Herrington, MD, MHS, Professor of Internal Medicine/Cardiovascular Medicine and Public Health Sciences/Epidemiology and Prevention, is a clinician and researcher focused on the pathogenesis and prevention of atherosclerosis and clinical cardiovascular disease. His efforts have focused on the application of various “omics” technologies in clinical and population research to identify potential molecular determinants of cardiovascular health and disease.  These efforts include leading or significantly contributing to several NIH- and European Commission-funded multi-institutional programs of research focused on genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic investigations. He serves on the Steering Committee and the Statistical Methods Working Group for the NCI-directed Consortium of Metabolomics Studies (COMETS). He has held numerous administrative positions including past Chair of the American Heart Association Council on Functional Genomics and Translational Biology, former Director of the Wake Forest Translational Science Institute, and current Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Renuka Jain the Director of Echocardiography at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI. Dr. Jain is a nationally-renowned board-certified cardiologist with a special focus in advanced structural heart imaging and interventional echocardiography.  Dr. Jain is an active member of professional organizations including the American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), and Society of Cardiac Computed Tomography (SCCT). She is the current Governor of Wisconsin Chapter of ACC and upcoming Chair-Elect for ACC Board of Governors.

Her bibliography to date includes over 50 publications 4 book chapters.  She is an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine by the University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health.  Dr. Jain graduated from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, NY with a Doctorate in Medicine and was awarded the Marie Nercessian Memorial Award (awarded to graduating medical student for exhibiting care, unusual concern, and dedication to helping sick people). She completed Internal Medicine residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed Cardiology Fellowship at University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor, MI with a special focus on echocardiography.

Cara Janusz, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Implementation Science in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She joined faculty in November 2022 after completing a post-doctoral training fellowship in pediatric health services research at the University of Michigan’s Child Health Evaluation and Research Center. She holds a PhD in Epidemiologic Sciences from the University of Michigan and previously worked on global immunization policy and programs at the Pan American Health Organization. Her research focuses on optimizing the delivery of health promotion and prevention to improve health and wellbeing, particularly in children. Dr. Janusz’s program of research combines her interdisciplinary methods expertise in economic evaluations and evaluative sciences to examine under-immunization patterns and to identify and scale strategies and policies that can improve vaccine uptake.

William Kaelin is the Sidney Farber Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Senior Physician-Scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. He obtained his undergraduate and M.D. degrees from Duke University and completed his training in Internal Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he served as chief medical resident. He was a clinical fellow in Medical Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and later a postdoctoral fellow in David Livingston’s laboratory, during which time he was a McDonnell Scholar. 

A Nobel Laureate, Dr. Kaelin received the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, and the American College of Physicians. He previously served on the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Advisors, the AACR Board of Trustees, and the Institute of Medicine National Cancer Policy Board. He is a recipient of the Paul Marks Prize for cancer research from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Prize from the AACR; the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist award; the 2010 Canada International Gairdner Award; ASCI’s Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award; the Scientific Grand Prix of the Foundation Lefoulon-Delalande; the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences; the Steven C. Beering Award; the AACR Princess Takamatsu Award; the ASCO Science of Oncology Award; the Helis Award; the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Prize; the Massry Prize; the Harriet P. Dustan Award for Science as Related to Medicine from the American College of Physicians. 

Dr. Kaelin’s research seeks to understand how, mechanistically, mutations affecting tumor-suppressor genes cause cancer. His laboratory is currently focused on studies of the VHL, RB-1, and p53 tumor suppressor genes. His long-term goal is to lay the foundation for new anticancer therapies based on the biochemical functions of such proteins. His work on the VHL protein helped to motivate the eventual successful clinical testing of VEGF inhibitors for the treatment of kidney cancer. Moreover, this line of investigation led to new insights into how cells sense and respond to changes in oxygen, and thus has implications for diseases beyond cancer, such as anemia, myocardial infarction, and stroke. His group also showed that leukemic transformation by mutant IDH was reversible, setting the stage for the development and approval of mutant IDH inhibitors, and discovered how thalidomide-like drugs kill myeloma cells by degrading two otherwise undruggable transcription factors.

I am Cheryl Korabik, Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. I graduated for University of Illinois at Chicago with a BS in Kinesiology and obtained my professional certification from Society of Clinical Research Associated (SOCRA).  I started my career as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Hinsdale Hematology Associates (private practice) and then joined AMITA Health Care.  I joined Advocate Lutheran General Hospital’s research department in 2017 and have been coordinating clinical trials in hematology and solid tumors, focused on lung and melanoma trials. I currently live in Brookfield, IL with my husband, Joe and have 3 beautiful children.

I’m a Clinical Child Psychologist and Assistant Professor in Social Sciences and Health Policy, as well as Pediatrics. I’m passionate about advancing mHealth projects, where I develop innovative smartphone apps paired with wearable sensors to track digital phenotypes of mental health across the lifespan. My work focuses on early childhood mental health diagnoses, detecting stress in young adults, and using biofeedback to predict and intervene in panic attacks in adulthood. Through my NIMH K23 award, I created digital phenotypes for anxiety and depression using wearable sensors and smartphones to enhance diagnosis and monitor symptom progress. I co-founded two companies, developing smartphone apps for mental health data collection, and received NSF Innovation Corps funding to explore business strategies. In 2024, I was honored to be selected as an NIH scholar for the mobile health technology institute (mHTI) and the Coaching and Resources for Entrepreneurial Women (CREW) program. I’m excited to continue innovating digital health technologies to better mental well-being.

Dr. McGinnis is the founding director of the Center for Remote Health Monitoring and an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. A leader in digital health, he’s held roles developing FDA-cleared digital biomarkers at MC10, Inc., and in academia at the University of Vermont and Stanford.

An NSF CAREER Award recipient and senior IEEE member, Dr. McGinnis’s research—funded by NSF, NIH, and industry—focuses on wearable and mobile technologies to advance patient care. His interdisciplinary collaborations span neurology, orthopedics, and mental health, and his innovations have shaped product offerings from nine companies.

Dr. Ruben A. Mesa is an international expert in hematologic cancers, who has dedicated his life’s work to research and drug development for a group of chronic leukemias that can cause a host of difficult symptoms, including premature death.  Dr. Mesa oversees all efforts related to cancer practice, research, and education across the Atrium Health system, while also serving in leadership roles with several organizations dedicated to cancer research.

Dr. Mesa has over 800 lifetime medical publications, with more than 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 15 book chapters and two edited books.  He has also led or co-led the development of six drugs that have been FDA approved.  

Dr. Mesa is an NCI-funded investigator and has won countless awards for his research.  In addition to his extensive research and clinical practice, Mesa is passionate about advancing cancer health equity and increasing minority patients’ participation in cancer clinical trials.

Arezoo Movaghar, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Center for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) at Wake Forest University-School of Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she later worked as a postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Movaghar’s research focuses on leveraging artificial intelligence techniques to develop innovative and accessible diagnostic frameworks for complex disorders. Her work has led to identification of new phenotypic associations for various genetic conditions and has also contributed to understanding the predictors and modifiers of health trajectories in patients with disability. She has a special interest in identifying factors related to diagnostic disparities and health inequalities in patients. Dr. Movaghar leads multiple NIH funded projects aiming to use AI to enhance early and equitable diagnosis as well as access to intervention and services for different genetic disorders across diverse patient populations.

Dr. Nelson is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry. She is also a member of the Center for Redox Biology and Medicine, the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Center for Structural Biology and the Center for Molecular Signaling. Her research has focused on the biochemical and structural characterization of the peroxiredoxin family of antioxidant proteins and in characterizing redox-mediated protein modifications. Since 2017, she has worked with Dr. Todd Lowther and Dr. Terrence Smalley to investigate the structure and mechanism by which the natural product thiostrepton acts as a suicide inhibitor of the mitochondrial protein Peroxiredoxin 3 (Prx3). In collaboration with RS Oncology, Dr. Nelson is a co-author on a patent relating to a clinical formulation of thiostrepton, and this formulation is currently being used in a Phase 1/2 dose escalation study for the treatment of malignant pleural effusions including malignant mesothelioma. During their work to determine the mechanism of thiostrepton, Drs. Nelson, Lowther, Smalley identified the minimal fragment that was sufficient to inhibit Prx3 and to kill cancer cells. They have made and evaluated >160 novel Prx3 inhibitors and have 3 patent applications at the PCT stage.

Ucheoma Nwaozuru is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Implementation Science. 

Her training and research experience have involved qualitative research methodology, community-based participatory research, crowdsourcing, and social innovations for health and the use of these principles to promote health equity, intervention adoption, and sustainability. Her work promotes the adoption, dissemination, and sustainability of evidence-based interventions, particularly in resource-limited Settings. Nwaozuru has led and collaborated on a wide range of community-engaged projects to improve health outcomes, particularly cancer prevention, HIV self-testing, and HPV vaccine uptake. She has played a key role in co-designing and implementing interventions that directly involve communities in identifying and overcoming barriers to healthcare access. In addition to her research, Dr. Nwaozuru is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of researchers and public health professionals. She actively supports students, young people, and researchers, guiding them in the implementation of science and community engagement with a focus on real-world applications of research to promote health equity.

Sally S. Ong, MD is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wake Forest School of Medicine. She specializes in the medical and surgical management of complex vitreoretinal diseases. After graduating with distinction from Duke University, she received her M.D. at Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School. She then completed her ophthalmology training at the Duke University Eye Center and pursued a fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Ong joined the faculty of Wake Forest in 2020. Her research interests, sponsored by grants from the North Carolina Diabetes Research Center and Translational Eye and Vision Research Center, include an examination of the intranasal delivery of insulin and nanoparticle-based systems to the retina for the treatment of diabetic eye disease and other ocular conditions. Dr. Ong and her team have identified the intranasal pathway as a novel route of delivery of therapeutics for retinal diseases. Dr. Ong is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and serves on the board of directors of Women in Retina of the American Society of Retina Specialists, and the North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons.

I have a broad background in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, and pharmacology with specific training and expertise in cancer pharmacology and pharmacogenomics. I completed a postdoctoral oncology pharmacogenomics fellowship in 2013 with Dr/Prof. Howard McLeod at the UNC Center for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy. In my current position, I oversee the cancer pharmacology & pharmacogenomics program across Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute and Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center and serve as Associate Director of Shared Resource Management at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, providing oversight for nine shared resources. My translational research program focuses on the discovery and validation of genetic predictors of drug response and drug toxicities related to cancer and supportive care therapies. I also serve as principal investigator on multiple pharmacogenomic and supportive oncology clinical trials with a focus on demonstrating clinical utility of pharmacogenomic testing. My team also oversees the clinical implementation of pharmacogenomic testing across the health system enterprise. I have experience conducting Phase I, II, and III clinical trials, including a Phase III trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. I have published over 150 articles, editorials, book chapters, and abstracts on pharmacology, pharmacogenomics, and pharmaceutical sciences. I serve as Pharmacology Editor for HemOnc Today and Deputy Associate Editor for Supportive Care in Cancer.

Dr. Olga Pierrakos (PhD) is a national higher education leader and innovator, interdisciplinary biomedical and mechanical engineer, experienced educator, and mother of four.  She is currently a STEM Education Program Director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) working across the education, engineering, and technology innovation directorates and managing a $50M portfolio of federal investments. Prior to joining NSF for a second stint, Olga served as the Founding Chair of Wake Forest Engineering (2017-2024) from launch to accreditation and led transformational change with a vision to Educate the Whole Engineer for Human Flourishing and positioned Wake Forest Engineering as the 14th Best Undergraduate Engineering Program (2023 US News Report, among 275 US institutions). Achieving unprecedented student and faculty diversity (over 40% women and over 25% racial/ethnic diversity), Olga led leveraged Inclusive Innovation to transform the culture, curriculum, and research enterprise of Wake Forest Engineering, serving as a catalyst for institutional change. Olga has a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and a MS and BS in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech. She has been founding faculty of two brand new U.S. engineering undergraduate programs – Wake Forest University and James Madison University – demonstrating institutional and national transformation of engineering education. Serving in national, state, and regional leadership roles, Olga is a national thought leader in higher education as well as innovation ecosystems. She has been PI on many NSF awards and currently is PI on a multi-year Kern Family Foundation KEEN award targeted at “Educating the Whole Engineer” through innovation (entrepreneurial mindset) and character. Prior to joining WFU, Olga was managing $100M of federal investments as a Program Director at NSF.

Dr. Pooja Jadiya is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (Neurobiology) from the Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR) in India and completed postdoctoral training in Neurobiology at Temple University, where she received the prestigious NIH K99/R00 grant for the fellow-to-faculty transition. In 2022, Dr. Jadiya joined the faculty at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Her expertise spans neurobiology, aging, molecular biology, cell biology, animal genetics, and biochemistry. Her research focuses on mitochondrial calcium signaling, quality control pathways, and cell death in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Jadiya’s work has been published in top-tier journals, including Nature Communications, Nature, Cell Reports, and Science Signaling. She is funded by the NIH, Alzheimer’s Association, and American Heart Association, underscoring her significant contributions to neurobiology and aging research.

I am Co-Director of the Center for Redox Biology and Medicine as well as Co-Director of the T32 Training Program in Redox Biology and Medicine, joining the other Wake Forest T32 Training Program in Structural and Computational Biophysics that I helped build previously. I serve on the Editorial Board of the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine (FRBM), and in 2017 I was appointed as a Fellow of the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM). In 2005 I received the (inaugural) Mid-Career Basic Science Research Investigator Award from Wake Forest School of Medicine. I helped establish and served as vice chair and chair (2010 and 2012) of the Gordon Research Conference on Thiol-Based Redox Regulation and Signaling. I have published >150 mostly primary research papers, at least 28 of which have been cited more than 100 times.

Ellen Quillen, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Molecular Medicine and member of the Center for Precision Medicine. She was trained as a statistical and population geneticist receiving her BS from the University of Kansas and PhD from Penn State. She completed her postdoctoral training at Texas Biomedical Research Institute and the Southwest National Primate Center in San Antonio, focusing on statistical genomics and gene expression in extended pedigrees of humans and non-human primates. Her past work has encompassed a wide range of traits including both evolutionary genetics and disease-focused work. Dr. Quillen’s current research applies integrated, multi-omic analyses to study the biology of aging with a particular emphasis on the musculoskeletal system.  Ongoing studies focus on the biological basis of multi-system resilience to diseases of aging including work in radiation-exposed macaques, a comparative study across non-human primate species, and longitudinal multi-omic analysis of cognitive and physical decline in humans participating in decades-long clinical trials. Ultimately, the goal of the Quillen Lab is to understand the molecular and physiological basis of resilience to intrinsic and extrinsic challenges as it manifests across tissues and species to identify global and disease-specific mechanisms for prevention and intervention that will enhance the healthspan.

Scott Rhodes, PhD, is Chair of the Department of Social Science and Health Policy and directs the Program in Community Engagement within the Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute. He has published more than 250 articles and book chapters on the health of vulnerable populations, including immigrants, Latinx persons, and sexual and gender minorities, harnessing community-engaged research approaches such as community-based participatory research (CBPR).  Dr. Rhode’s has developed, implemented and evaluated more than 10 evidence-based behavioral and community-level interventions designed to reduce HIV risk among Latinx and African American/Black populations. Several are included in the CDC Compendium of Evidence-based Interventions and Best Practices for HIV Prevention. 

Dr. Thomas Saphner joined Aurora Health Care in 2013. He is a medical oncologist at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. He currently serves as the co-principal investigator of the NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) and has since its inception in August 2014. The Aurora NCORP supports all NCI-sponsored research in Wisconsin and Illinois and is the largest federal award for Advocate Health – Midwest, earning more than $15 million for the organization over the past 10 years.

Rachel Seymour, PhD, is Professor and Vice Chair for Research for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute and Associate Dean for Translational Research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Charlotte. She has over 20 years of experience in clinical research, including multi-center trials and consortium development and management.  Recently, she served as Principal Investigator, with Dr. Joseph Hsu, on CDC-funded projects to implement clinical decision support in the EMR to address abuse, misuse, and diversion of prescription narcotics. She is also responsible for the management of a top enrolling site for the Major Extremity Trauma and Rehabilitation Consortium (www.metrc.org) at Carolinas Medical Center. Finally, Dr. Seymour leads the Evidence-based Musculoskeletal Injury and Trauma Consortium with Dr. Hsu, which is a network of academic medical centers answering critical questions in orthopaedic trauma through a series of grants funded by the Department of Defense.

Daniel Sostaita was born in Argentina (01-02-1964), married with Irene Sostaita 34 years ago, as a result of our marriage we have three daughters: Barbara, Daniela and Victoria and a beautiful dog Bobby.

We immigrated to this generous country in December 1998, from then until today our life has been developed in our community of Forsyth County.

I am a graduate of Grace Seminary in Pastoral Studies 2004-2008. 

Master in Divinity at the Baptist Telogical Institute of Cali Colombia 2010-2012

Professional Coach graduated in Metodo CC 2019

Life Coach graduate Emory University 2018-2019
 

Doctorate Honor and Cause awarded by International Theological University NC 2022 T.I.U.

Pastor and Founder of the Iglesia Cristiana Sin Fronteras Church since 2007 until today.

I function as a life coach for the Health Department for the minority program for people with pre-diabetes. Since 2019 until today

I am a community organizer for the Congreso de Organizaciones Latinas NC.

This year we finalized all the paperwork for a new non-profit organization Nuestra Comunidad, Inc. with the purpose of building a healthy, socially just and equitable society.

Dr. Ana Sucaldito is a social and behavioral scientist passionate about addressing health inequities impacting marginalized Asian and Asian American refugees, immigrants, and diaspora members through evidence-based interventions and research. She earned her PhD and MPH from The Ohio State University, where she worked in the community through local and statewide nonprofits and health coalitions. She later completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Wake Forest’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute where she received further training in community-based participatory research (CBPR). With experience across her many positionalities as a community member, community partner, and academic, Ana knows the importance of working with communities, not “to” or “for” them. She uses CBPR and mixed methods to create partnerships which prioritize equitable power-sharing between community and academic partners. Some of her research focuses include mental health promotion with the Karenni Community of Winston-Salem and language access advocacy for limited English proficient Asian Americans with NC Asian Americans Together.

Lynne E. Wagenknecht, DrPH, Vice Dean for Population Health, and Professor and Director of Public Health Sciences, provides strategic direction and oversight across all population health research at Advocate Health. She is a chronic disease epidemiologist with an extensive research portfolio in the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. She is Principal Investigator and Steering Committee Chair of the NIH-funded ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) Study. Dr. Wagenknecht is an Associate Director in the Wake Forest Clinical & Translational Science Institute funded through NCATS.  Her publications number nearly 400. She has served as an Associate Editor of Diabetes and as Chair of the NIH Kidney Nutrition Obesity & Diabetes (KNOD) Study Section.  Dr. Wagenknecht received her doctoral degree from the University of Alabama School of Public Health, and a fellowship in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women.

Ashley Weaver, PhD is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Her research uses medical image analysis and finite element modeling to study injury, with a particular focus on musculoskeletal health and fracture. Her research portfolio includes studies on high-energy trauma (e.g., automotive, spaceflight), as well as low-energy trauma (e.g., osteoporotic fracture). Her group is leading musculoskeletal imaging assessments for several NIH-funded clinical trials to assess the effects of interventions to prevent bone loss with weight loss, and she is PI of an R01 examining muscle-bone crosstalk in the Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging. She uses multiple imaging modalities in her human subjects’ research, including computed tomography (CT), high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Eric Weiss, MD, is the Surgical Director of the Structural Heart Program at Aurora Medical Group and specializes in adult cardiac surgery, aortic surgery, valvular heart surgery and the surgical treatment of heart failure. He obtained his medical degree from the John Hopkin’s University School of Medicine and completed fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at New York Presbyterial Hospital Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. 

Dr. Weiss completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in cardiac surgery at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD; has published over 70 peer reviewed journal articles and has given over 80 presentations at national and international scientific meetings. He received a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2009 with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics. He is a member of the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha and received the prestigious John L. Cameron Award for technical excellence in Surgery during his time at Johns Hopkins.

I am a Registered Technology Transfer Professional and have been managing commercialization activities in universities since 1996.

Before these university appointments, I served in research, business development, and company leadership roles in startup businesses, with an emphasis on fundraising and corporate partnership development. My experience in academia and the private sector includes basic research, business development, company formation, licensing and management of university intellectual property, technology-based economic development, and related issues.

Since 2014, I have served as a Specialist Reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program and previously as a reviewer for the Research Competitiveness Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

During my university technology transfer career, I have focused on technology transfer related public policy issues: I served on the Executive Committee of the Washington, D.C.-based Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) and made an invited presentation on patent reform matters to the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

At Wake Forest Innovations my goal is to enhance our capacity to add value and impact to the outputs of research and innovations created by Wake Forest and Enterprise teammates by moving basic research discoveries to partners who will transform these inventions into beneficial products and services, thereby improving quality of life.