Meet the Team
Our multidisciplinary team consists of experts in primary care, oncology, healthcare communication, clinical trials recruitment and retention, patient engagement, medical sociology, and program evaluation.
 |
Carma Bylund, PhDCarma L. Bylund, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. Dr. Bylund's grant funded research program focuses on improving communication in cancer care. She is the author of more than 140 peer-reviewed publications and three edited books on healthcare communication. |
 |
Raymond Mailhot Vega, MD, MPHRaymond Mailhot Vega, MD, MPH, is Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology and Director of the Hematologic Malignancy Radiotherapy Program at the University of Florida. His grant funded research focuses on leveraging data to better personalize treatment recommendations in areas where no level I evidence exists, with a focus on reducing the health disparities patients from historically marginalized backgrounds face. |
 |
Margo Michaels, MPHMargo Michaels, MPH, is considered a national expert in cancer clinical trials recruitment and retention, authoring numerous peer-reviewed publications around clinical trials recruitment and consumer engagement. Michaels founded and directed the Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials (ENACCT), a national advocacy organization that focused on increasing patient participation in cancer clinical research, especially among minority groups. Michaels is Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Public Health and Drexel School of Medicine, and serves as principal at Health Access and Action Consulting. |
 |
Ana Natale-Pereira, MD, MPH, FACPAna Natale-Pereira, MD, MPH, is Associate Professor of Medicine, of Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Division Director for General Internal Medicine, and Assistant Dean for Primary Care and Community Initiatives. Dr. Natale’s research interest is in cancer prevention and education, and the impact of culture and literacy on cancer health disparities among the underserved. Her work is focused on increasing awareness and improving outcomes using a community base approach for collaborative intervention. She has published and received numerous extramural funding awards to address cancer health disparities. Most recent, she serves as Principal Investigator for the NJCEED-SAVE Program, the ScreenNJ HOPE for Colorectal Cancer program, both focused on delivering cancer prevention, education, and screening to the Newark Community. |
 |
Elisa Weiss, PhDElisa S. Weiss, PhD, is Senior Vice President of Education, Services & Health Research at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In her role at LLS, she oversees the creation, implementation and evaluation of patient and professional education and support initiatives, as well as LLS’s Information Resource Center, Clinical Trial Support Center, and community-based patient outreach and support. As a medical sociologist and health disparities researcher, she has focused her career on addressing barriers to timely access to quality cancer care and services, particularly clinical trials, among underserved groups. |