The Research Evangelist Dave Bjork

On today's episode, meet Dr. Martin F. Dietrich, medical oncologist at Cancer Care Centers of Brevard. In his clinical practice, he addresses all aspects of hematologic and oncologic care, with a special research interest in the treatment of lung and breast cancer, and genetic evaluation and counseling of somatic and hereditary syndromes. He also holds a faculty appointment at the University of Central Florida in Orlando as an assistant professor of internal medicine.

He also holds doctorates in cancer biology from the German Cancer Research Center and in molecular genetics from the University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School. He completed his fellowships in Hematology/Oncology in the physician-scientist training track at the University of Texas Southwestern Track as a T32 scholar of the National Cancer Institute. As a fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP) and a Board-certified internist, Dr. Dietrich believes in a comprehensive approach to his patients’ medical care.

On today's episode, meet Stacey Bledsoe. Stacey Bledsoe RN, MSN has over 19 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry across multiple disciplines including Research & Development, Global Health
Outcomes, Medical and Six Sigma. Stacey is currently Head of Global Clinical Trial Diversity and Inclusion at Gilead Sciences. Previously Stacey has served as Senior Director for Diversity in Clinical Trials at Eli Lilly. She also held a Registered Nurse role on the Level III Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Riley Hospital for Children. Stacey earned her Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing from Indiana University.
Stacey’s goal is to help influence and ensure that all patients have access to clinical research and life changing medications that will ultimately improve their lives.

On today's episode, meet Dr. Ronny Bell, the Fred Eshelman Professor and Chair of the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at UNC Chapel Hill.

Dr. Bell received his undergraduate degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health and his Master’s and Doctorate in Foods and Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Bell completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Gerontology and completed a Master’s in Epidemiology from the Wake Forest School of Medicine. From 1996 – 2016, Dr. Bell was a member of the faculty in the Department of Epidemiology at Wake Forest, and from 2006 – 2016, he served as Director of the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity. From 2016 – 2020, Dr. Bell served as Chair of the Department of Public Health in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.

Dr. Bell is an enrolled member of the Lumbee tribe of eastern North Carolina, and currently serves a Chair of the North Carolina American Indian Health Board. He also serves as co-lead the Southeastern American Indian Cancer Health Equity Partnership (SAICEP).

Among his awards and honors, Dr. Bell was most recently appointed to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Minority Health (2024).

Meet Brenda Lormil-Raymond—a compassionate, and multi-faceted leader committed to elevating healthcare education for Haitian-American communities in Massachusetts. Raised by Haitian immigrant parents, Brenda's cultural background served as the driving force behind the establishment of the Haitian American Medical Assocation (HAMA).

She is the founder and Lead Consultant at VDI Consulting, a company dedicated to offering comprehensive healthcare solutions and guidance, with a focus on advancing diversity, delivery, and accessibility within the healthcare industry.

Brenda serves as the Equity Nurse Practitioner for Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston, MA. She provides patient-centered care to phase I clinical trial participants in the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies.

She is an alumna of Regis College in Weston, MA, where she earned both of her degrees (Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing.)

On today's episode, meet Dr. Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH. Dr. Basu Roy is the Executive Director at LUNGevity Research where he spearheads LUNGevity’s Translational Research Programs and Patient-Focused Research Center (Patient FoRCe). He has implemented and manages LUNGevity’s patient-focused research including Project Transform, a multi-year, multi-stakeholder patient preference study that LUNGevity is conducting with Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Dr. Basu Roy also has extensive experience in community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodology in health sciences research, specifically in projects involving immigrants and minority populations.

Dr. Basu Roy has a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona, and an MPH in Global Health Policy and Management from New York University.

On today's episode, meet Dr. Robert Van Haren. Dr. Van Haren is a thoracic surgeon at the University of Cincinnati UC Health. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Michigan and his Medical Degree from Michigan State. He completed his surgical training at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial, followed by a thoracic surgery fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
His training was focused on minimally invasive techniques such as
robotic surgery and comprehensive multidisciplinary care for complex
cancers, and while in training he completed a clinical research
fellowship and obtained a Master's Degree in public health at the University of Miami. His current clinical and research efforts focus on improving outcomes after surgery for lung and esophageal diseases.