Contact number: 202-687-1860

Lucile L. Adams-Campbell, PhD (Associate Director for Minority Health & Health Disparities Research) is Professor of Oncology and Associate Director of Minority Health and Health Disparities Research at Lombardi. Dr. Adams-Campbell has participated and led several large cohort studies of African-American women, and much of her focuses on energy balance — diet and exercise. Prior to joining Lombardi, Dr. Adams-Campbell was director of the Howard University Cancer Center for 13 years. Born and raised in DC she has played a leading role in the DC cancer and public health community. She is an internationally recognized expert in minority health and health disparities research and was recently elected to the Institute of Medicine and inducted into the DC Hall of Fame. Dr. Adams-Campbell received her undergraduate (biology) and master's degree (biomedical science) from Drexel University, and her PhD in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Sherrie Flynt Wallington, PhD (Program Director and Health Communication) is Assistant Professor of Oncology and serves as the program director for the Health Disparities Initiative. Her research interests focus on using community-based and community-based participatory research approaches to explore the role of health communication in reducing and eliminating health disparities among minority and underserved populations. Dr. Wallington recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Harvard School of Public Health and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Wallington attended Howard University and received a Ph.D. in mass communication, specializing in health communication and also holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Chiranjeev Dash, MBBS, MPH, PhD (Cancer Epidemiologist) is Research Instructor of Oncology. His research interests focus on colorectal and prostate cancer screening and nutritional epidemiology of cancer, particularly the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in cancer causation and prevention. Dr. Dash recently completed his PhD in Epidemiology from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, and also holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (MPH in Biostatistics and Epidemiology) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (MBBS).

Elizabeth Dennis, PhD, RD (Post-Doctoral Fellow) completed her graduate and undergraduate degrees at Virginia Tech in the department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise. Her dissertation research focused on water intake and adult weight management. She completed her dietetic internship through Marywood University and is a member of the American Dietetic Association. Dr. Dennis works to ensure that research projects implemented by the Office on Minority Health are scientifically sound from a nutritional perspective. Her research interests include obesity and cancer prevention, and the link between beverage intake, energy balance and cancer risk.

Everett Dodson (Community Health Educator) develops and implements community outreach plans that effectively address the current needs of DC communities. Mr. Dodson is a nationally recognized expert on community and men's health issues. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director's Consumer Liaison Group, and is a member of the NCI Clinical Trials Advisory Committee and Patient Advocate Steering Committee. His efforts as a health advocate have been recognized by The Prostate Net. Mr. Dodson is a member of the National Alliance of African American Prostate Cancer Advocates, and is a former chairperson for the Mid Atlantic Region of the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer. Mr. Dodson has over twelve years of experience in community engagement and men's health.

Kepher Makambi, PhD (Biostatistician) is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics. His research focuses on the development and application of statistical methods for cohort studies, clinical trials, and cancer epidemiology focused on addressing health disparities. Dr. Makambi supports the research efforts conducted by health disparities researchers. Dr. Makambi received his doctorate in applied statistics from the University of Dortmund, Germany. He has served as a lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya.

Erin McLeod, BA (Administrative Officer) is the newest member of the Health Disparities Initiative at Lombardi. Her previous experience includes work in the Director's Office at Lombardi and non-profit work at educational programs for public schools. Erin will coordinate all health disparities community-based efforts.

Sherieda Muthra, MS (Regional Coordinator, Biospecimen Management Program - BMaP) received her MS in Cancer Biology, Prevention, and Control in the consortium masters program of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of the District of Columbia. In her current role, she coordinates the management and administration of Region 1 BMaP, which encompasses Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. The BMaP project works to promote biospecimen research and collection with underserved and minority populations. Ms. Muthra works closely with the Regional Coordinating Committee. Her research interests include cancer epidemiology, genetics, and nutrition.

Diane Scott, BA (Administrative Officer) provides administrative support for grants and programs for the Health Disparities Initiative. Her previous experience includes providing administrative support to the Lombardi Comprehenive Cancer Center Support grant and serving as Program Officer at the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative. She has also worked at a cyber-security consulting company that provided financial and national security services to both the private and public sector. Ms. Scott holds a BA in Classics and German from Case Western Reserve University.

Jennifer Sween, MS (Exercise Physiologist) develops and conducts exercise interventions for clinical trials which focus on physical activity and cancer risk and prevention. She also helps to create community-based exercise programs designed to reduce cancer disparities among the underserved and ethnic minority populations. Ms Sween received her MS in exercise physiology at Howard University and is currently working towards her PhD in Physiology, also at Howard University.