Al-Tariq W. Best, CEO/Founder – The HUBB Arts & Trauma Center Founder - The HUBB HELP Trauma Recovery Center for Youth & Families Founder - ThatHUBBLife ENT, LLC Newark, NJ

Commissioner/Elder Al-Tariq W. Best has over 25-years of supervisory, operations management and multi- media technical experience. Best also has more than 30-years in the music industry as a performer, writer, and producer. Born and raised in the city of Newark, through traumatic experiences and victimization, he would discover his “calling” to become a voice and change-agent for today’s youth and their families, through his work as a community leader, activist, motivational speaker and mentor. Best and the foundation have received numerous awards, among them: The Spirit of Newark by Newark Now and former Mayor now US Senator Cory A Booker; Citizen of the Year from Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; Community Service Award from NAACP; and Excellence in Community Service Award” by Odyssey International Productions. He continues to live true to the FP mission to Entertain, Educate and Empower!

FP YouthOutCry Foundation, Inc.’s (FPYOC) doing business as The HUBB Arts & Trauma Center is a 501c3 that was founded by and led by Al-Tariq Best. The HUBB A&TC is located in Newark, NJ with a mission to increase opportunities for success by providing healing programs, services, and events for underserved youth and their families through experiences that Entertain, Educate and Empower! For the past thirteen (13) years, Mr. Best has responded to the numerous cries for help from Newark youth and their families. FPYOC has established ourselves as a safe place for everyone to heal and have earned the community’s trust and respect.

Dr. Alicia Terry Henderson is a Psychotherapist, with a focus on psychodynamic psychotherapy with children, adolescents and families. She has worked as a Psychotherapist for over 25 years. She has also worked as an Adjunct Professor at New York University’s Shirley M. Ehrenkranz School of Social Work where she taught Ethnocultural Issues and Human Development. She has researched, written and spoken about the social psychological factors related to human development and self esteem, and racial identity development. She has also spoken on the issues related to and the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Dr. Henderson is currently the Director of Clinical Services for the largest homeless shelter provider in the country, Women In Need.

Dr. Henderson’s publications include her dissertation titled, “The Relationship Between Attitudes Toward Black English and Racial Identity and Self-Esteem,” published in 2001; and her first children’s book titled, “Call Me Black Call Me Beautiful,” published in 2002.

Dr. Henderson is passionate about community service. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, The Links, Incorporated, and an alumna of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated. All three organizations have afforded Dr. Henderson many opportunities and hours of community service. In addition to her service through these organizations, Dr. Henderson and her two daughters created Community Unity for Education. Through this organization and in partnership with churches and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they have donated over 1000 backpacks and school supplies to inner city children.

Dr. Henderson resides in Bergen County, New Jersey.

Dr. Barbara Rhoden is the Vice President of Marketing for the Advanced Therapies business at Siemens Healthineers North America. In this role, Dr. Rhoden creates the strategies and initiatives that support growth in market share, customer satisfaction and profitability in North America. She partners with global and local marketing, sales, and communications teams at Siemens Healthineers to bring benchmark marketing programs, insights, and value propositions to customers. She leads the strategic clinical and solution marketing teams and develops KOL partnerships across the company’s Advanced Therapies portfolio, which includes Interventional Cardiology, Radiology, Neurovascular, Radiation Oncology and Surgery.

Dr. Rhoden has more than 15 years of experience driving growth and productivity in regional and global markets. In her previous position, she was a director of marketing and sales at GE Healthcare, where she led the company’s strategy for its Women’s Health portfolio across North America. She began her career in 1998 as a research scientist, implementing programs to determine crop protection chemicals and metabolites in plant, animal, and environmental matrices.

Dr. Rhoden is passionate about inspiring girls in disenfranchised communities to realize their potential by engaging them in STEM education. She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees for Girls Inc DC and facilitated summer camps for middle school girls.

Dr. Rhoden was born in Kingston, Jamaica and holds a degree in Chemistry from Howard University and a PhD in Bioanalytical Chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Dr. Rhoden enjoys yoga, live concerts and time spent with her son Kyle, a sophomore at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins in October, but for Dr. Bert M. Petersen, breast cancer awareness begins every day at sunrise as he readies to visit his patients. Widely recognized as America’s top Breast Cancer Surgeon and a worldwide leader of best practices in breast cancer and health disparities around the globe, Dr. Petersen works tirelessly to provide access to healthcare and bring it to the people who need it most. His main desire: People Living Healthy Lives.

He has been recognized by a broad spectrum of foundations, publications, and organizations for his contribution to provide access to highly supportive, individualized, and holistic care. He was named by New York Magazine as “Best Doctors of New York” Hall of Fame and considered one of the “100 best Black Doctors in the United States” by Black Enterprise Magazine. He also was named “Top Doctor” by Redbook and by Women’s Health, New Jersey Savvy Magazine.

At an early stage in his career, he decided that his specialty in oncology would be as a breast cancer surgeon – a choice he made from the heart not from the mind. “I was raised by a single mother who worked two jobs seven days a week.” “I always thought, what would have happened if my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer? She was the breadwinner!

In his role as Director of the Breast Surgery Clinic Program at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, NY, Dr. Petersen knows too well that the same concerns he had while studying oncology are the same concerns women experience. He understands that while a woman is first learning of her diagnosis, she is immediately also dealing with how will the family react, how will she tell them, what will happen with her job, and a series of countless and unimaginable fears all too daunting to deal with at once. This is why Dr. Petersen has spent most of his life with one mission in mind: Taking Healthcare to the People.

Named America’s Top Surgeon by the National Consumer Research Council, Dr. Petersen has devoted more than 15 years to counseling and treating women, particularly women who live in inner cities. He is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Global Cancer Control, an international organization whose mission is to reduce cancer incidence and mortality in developing nations where he establishes and provides educational, clinical, and scientific research programs for cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment.

In his native island of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, where his mother and family reside, Dr. Petersen is well known in the community and actively participates in the improvement of the Island’s healthcare system. He co-founded the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute, the first regionally-based comprehensive cancer center in the Caribbean and a state-of-the-art facility that is now well known for Dr. Petersen’s initiative to design a cancer screening program that “embraces culture and linguistic diversity.” In New York, he continues his life-long crusade of taking healthcare to the people by committing to eliminate disparities among the poor and underserved populations, particularly African-American and Hispanics. In 2007, he launched “The Barbershop Quartet,” a mobile medical unit which provides a series of cancer screenings and diagnosis to African American men in Harlem, NY, a project that continues today and has had a significant turn out in the community.

He has been honored and distinguished for his work and dedication to breast cancer and breast diseases by National Cancer Institute/National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer’s Unsung Hero Award, the WNBA and National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations’ Breast Health Hero 2000 Award, the Vice Chancellor Award from the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies, and a Proclamation by the Council of the City of New York.

He is also the Medical Director of Dorcas Medical Missionary Ministry, a faith-based organization that provides medical, surgical, dental, and vision care to the poor in Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. More than 100,000 people have benefited from their services and the numbers continue to rise. Dr. Petersen received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University. His medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed his residency in General Surgery at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington. Subsequently, he completed his fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Dr. Petersen sits on various boards among them, the Harlem Dowling-West Side Center for Children and Families, the Board of Advisors for the Bronx Office of the American Cancer Society, and the Yvonne Ashley Galiber Foundation. He is a member of the Abyssinian Baptist church, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the New York State Cancer Consortium. He also has served as Medical Correspondent for WCBS Channel 2 in New York.

Dr. Sutton joined Boston Scientific in 2019 and is currently Vice President, Medical, overseeing the Electrophysiology and Watchman franchises. Dr. Sutton completed all his medical training at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Hospital, and an MBA in Medical Services Management at the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business. Dr. Sutton is board certified in Cardiovascular Medicine and Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, he served as Associate Professor of Medicine and Clinical Vice-Chair of the Department of Medicine, as well as Assistant Dean for Health Strategy and Innovation at the University of Louisville.

C. Virginia Fields is the President and CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on Health (NBLCH). She brings to the position over eighteen years of experience as an elected official in New York City, where she won widespread praise as a consensus builder around important city, state and national policy issues.

Ms. Fields is the former President of the Borough of Manhattan, New York City. As the chief executive of 1.5 million residents, she was elected Manhattan Borough President, in 1997 and reelected in 2001. In 2005, she was a Democratic candidate for Mayor of New York City, becoming the first African-American woman to seek that office. She served as a member of the New York City Council from 1989-1998, upon her election to the position of Manhattan Borough President.

Under her leadership, as President & CEO of NBLCH, the organization has grown to include twelve affiliates and over 150 national partners in furthering its mission to educate, mobilize, and empower Black leaders to meet the challenge of fighting HIV/AIDS and other health disparities in their local communities. NBLCH’s outreach has increased through expanded local and national programs. Ms. Fields serves as a member of the New York State AIDS Advisory Council; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Region II Health Equity Council; and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable, among other organizations.

As a leading advocacy organization and change agent, born of 31 years of service to the African American community, NBLCH has broaden its scope to include other major health disparities beyond HIV/AIDS. Founder/President and CEO, NBLCH is now known as the National Black Leadership Commission on Health (NBLCH), furthering its mission of advocacy and empowerment to moving beyond health disparities to achieving health equity for African Americans across the country. The focus areas of health include HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, sickle cell, diabetes and mental health. Ms. Fields is a recipient of numerous awards, citations and honors of distinction for her leadership on health education, community, civil rights and social justice issues.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Ms. Fields received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Knoxville College in Tennessee where she currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees; and a master’s degree in Social Work from Indiana University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, Harlem New York and Greater New York Chapter, Links, Inc.

A recipient of numerous awards, citations and honors of distinction for her leadership on health, education, community, civil rights and social justice issues, Ms. Fields resides in New York City.

Icilma V. Fergus, MD was recently appointed Director of Cardiovascular Disparities at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Prior to that she served as Chief of the Division of Cardiology at Columbia University Harlem Hospital Center beginning in April 2007 and Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology of New York Hospital Queens from 1999-2006. Her current academic appointment is Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, New York. She is a Barnard and SUNY Downstate graduate. She completed her residency and Chief residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center. Dr. Fergus completed her cardiology fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Fergus is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology.

Dr Fergus has authored numerous articles related to heart disease and congestive heart failure in peer-reviewed journals and a co-author in the new book entitled “Cardiovascular Disease in Ethnic Minorities”. Her current research interests involve cardiovascular disparities, Hypertension and Diastolic Dysfunction as well as heart disease in women. She has been an investigator in several clinical trials including NHLBI sponsored trial evaluating acute ischemia in young women entitled “VIRGO” and DOH sponsored grant for Harlem Healthy Eating and Living.

Dr. Fergus is an active member of many professional memberships, including the American Society of Hypertension, American Society of Echocardiography, and the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Fergus served on the board of the Association of Black Cardiologists for six years including two years as secretary and has been the Chair of Community Programs for the past three years. She is a prominent educator in the Harlem community and is a member of the Harlem Healthy Eating and Living Committee supported by the Harlem Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Fergus is also Mrs. Rowe mother of three and married to Robert Rowe. She enjoys decorating, gardening, reading and traveling. She is an active member of in organizations such as The Links, Incorporated, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and Jack and Jill Incorporated– Rockland County Chapter. She has been featured in numerous articles and magazines including Essence, Heart and Soul and Girlfriends Magazines. She has also been a guest speaker on several radio and TV stations including the CNN’s Black in America part 1. Dr. Fergus continues to be very active in communities where health care disparities are present.

Dr. Jaysree Roberts is a New York-based licensed Clinical Psychologist who works primarily with children, adolescents, young adults, and families. Dr. Roberts earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland, College Park before going on to earn her master’s degree and doctoral degree at the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University. She specializes in the treatment of mood and behavioral disturbances in children and adolescents. Dr. Roberts also conducts evaluations for intellectual, learning, and developmental disabilities. She is passionate about providing culturally relevant treatment to families of color and increasing access to quality mental health evaluations and community support services. Dr. Roberts’ research and publication interests have included autism spectrum disorders and the use of creativity in psychotherapy.

Kenneth Stein, MD, FACC, FHRS, is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Rhythm Management and Global Health Policy at Boston Scientific.

Ken is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard College (in Economics), and earned his MD from New York University School of Medicine. He completed his medical internship and residency at The New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he also completed his cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology training.

Prior to joining Boston Scientific in 2009, Dr. Stein held the position of Associate Director of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology at Weill Cornell Medical Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Cornell University where he was widely published, authoring over 125 peer-reviewed scientific publications in the areas of cardiac electrophysiology with special interest in cardiac resynchronization therapy and risk stratification for sudden cardiac arrest.

Dr. Stein currently oversees the clinical trials, medical safety, and medical education and clinical communications for Boston Scientific’s Cardiac Rhythm Management, Electrophysiology and Watchman Left Atrial Appendage Closure businesses as well as leading the corporate Global Health Policy team tasked with shaping the company’s policies with respect to global health care delivery and reimbursement.

Dr. Stein serves on the board of the Boston Scientific Political Action Committee and on the Scientific Advisory Board of Optum Labs. Since 2013, he has also served on the board of Childrens HeartLink, a registered 501c(3) nonprofit organization that trains and mentors medical teams in underserved parts of the world to diagnose and treat children with heart disease. Founded in 1969, Children's HeartLink currently supports partner hospitals in Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, Ukraine and Vietnam.

Dr. Katherine Soreng completed her BS in Biology at the University of Washington in Seattle and her PhD in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

As an undergraduate, she conducted research on human herpes viruses, including clinical testing and diagnosis. She completed a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the National Centers for Infectious Disease, where she investigated pathogenic factors associated with measles virus infection.

Dr. Soreng currently heads Global Clinical Education for Laboratory Diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers. She writes and educates on a variety of clinical diagnostic disease states, including Infectious Disease, Liver Fibrosis, and Cardiology. She has expertise in COVID- 19 including several publications, and has recorded multiple presentations and podcasts focused on the relevance of testing in SARS-CoV-2 infection and post-vaccination.

Mei L. Chau, MD, MPA, is a Cardiothoracic surgeon in the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular surgery at Montefiore Medical Center and an Associate Professor of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is a Board Certified in Thoracic Surgery with an advanced year in Interventional Cardiology. She joined Montefiore Medical Center in 2011 as a fellow after completing her General Surgery residency at Saint Barnabas Medical Center at Livingston, New Jersey. Prior to General Surgery, she acquired her B.A. in Biology from New York University, Master in Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU, and her MD from SUNY Stonybrook. Dr. Chau performs a wide variety of open adult cardiac surgery, including: Coronary artery bypass grafting, valve repair and replacement surgeries, and aortic surgeries. Her main focus is in percutaneous transcatheter therapies. She is currently the Surgical Director of the Structural Heart Program at Montefiore Medical Center. She is trained in the most current, innovative, and ground-breaking technologies including Transcatheter Aortic Valve replacement, Transcatheter Mitral Valve replacement, and Transcatheter Mitral Edge to Edge repair. In addition to her busy clinical practice, she is extraordinarily interested in facilitating and training the bright new minds in cardiothoracic surgery as the Associated Program Director of the fellowship and the residency program.

Dr. Paul Underwood, MD is a Medical Director for the interventional cardiology division at Boston Scientific, a global manufacturer of minimally invasive medical devices. He has more than 20 years’ experience in direct patient care and clinical research as a board-certified cardiologist. Over the past 10 years his medical input and risk management oversight has guided clinical trial, strategic partnership and health equity projects for Boston Scientific. Originally from Knoxville, TN, Dr. Underwood graduated from Morehouse College, completed his medical studies at Mayo Clinic and interned at Henry Ford Hospital followed by cardiology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He is a former president of the Association of Black Cardiologists and has authored over 100 publications.

Dr. Underwood is dedicated to assuring that innovative technology used to treat cardiovascular disease is available for all people who need it. He works closely with clinical project management and R&D teams regarding compliance with quality and regulatory standards. He also works closely with Close the Gap, Boston Scientific’s health equity initiative. He has collaborated with universities, federal agencies, trade groups/professional societies and clinical trial transformation initiatives to promote clinical trial diversity.

Reverend Jacques Andre De Graff has served on the pastoral staff at historic Canaan Baptist Church, where he was ordained under the Reverend Wyatt Tee Walker, (Reverend Dr. MLK’s former Chief of Staff) and become a renowned champion for equity and inclusion.

Reverend De Graff is a graduate of Hunter College, studied at the NYU School of Real Estate, New York Theological Seminary and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Reverend Jacques DeGraff has been an outspoken advocate for economic and social justice for communities of color. Well known and respected in New York leadership circles, he has been a tireless advocate for Minority and Women owned businesses, which create jobs in our communities, where he helped to lead the passage of Local Law1 to create municipal opportunities for MWBE contracts.

City & State magazine featured him, in a recent cover story, as a leader in the national Black Church initiative to combat COVID in NYC. His activities also earned him inclusion on the list of New York’s Black Power 100.

Chair & President for The Friends of Harlem Hospital the fund-raising organization for the enhancement of the hospital and patient care.

Featured speaker at the United Nations at its Commission on Violence against Women as the United States representative.

Been a leader and activist against gun violence working with the One Hundred Black Men, the Manhattan District Attorney, Cy Vance and New York Police Department. Helped spearhead the acclaimed gun buyback program.

He is also a founding member of world-famous Harlem Week.

Served as Co-Chair on the African American Council on matters of economic development and diversity for the Nielsen Corporation, the leading global provider of consumer information and analysis.

Chair of the NewsCorp Community Philanthropic Awards & Scholarships, Past Chair.

Past chair of the Board of the Urban Assembly, an innovative educational foundation that has created over twenty-two public schools in the City of New York.

In the recent past he:
Honored for his advocacy in building NYC as part of the 50 Most Powerful New Yorkers in Construction. He was previously cited as the NYC MWBE Advocate of the Year by the City of New York having been nominated by the Building Trades Council.

Lead historic delegation of African American clergy on Israel Mission of Bridge Building and interfaith fellowship and education with NYC Jewish Community Relations Council.

He has also become the co-chair of the New York Friends of Puerto Rico, an economic development and bridge building organization. Co-chairing annual conference in Puerto Rico as part of Somos El Futoro fostering opportunities and relationships between businesses, government and civic leaders in New York and Puerto Rico.

Reverend De Graff has served as the 1st Vice President of the One Hundred Black Men, New York, where he has been a founding member of two public high schools; The Eagle Academy for Young Men and the Bronx School for Law, Government & Justice (Urban Assembly).

Reverend De Graff’s prodigious organizing and communications skills keep him in constant demand in the media on matters concerning political analysis, diversity, social justice and minority affairs. A much sought-after speaker he is also a regular contributor on FOX NEWS and his leadership has been featured in the New York Times, Crain’s New York, Positive Community, City & State, Wall Street Journal and other leading publications in articles on MWBE issues, the Black Church, Education and Social Justice.

Dr Simbo Ige is the Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Health Equity Capacity Building at the New York City’s Department of Health. She leads the Bureau’s efforts to undo structural racism and injustices to advance just and fair health outcomes for the most marginalized New Yorkers. She also serves as the Branch Director for COVID-19 Community Engagement to operationalize the agency's equity agenda for the COVID-19 resurgence and vaccination program. This involves ensuring the equitable distribution of culturally and linguistically appropriate information, resources and opportunities in a manner that is informed by the expertise and agency of communities. She also works with several strategic partners including community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and other community leaders to address COVID related health inequities and to develop models and interventions for improving health outcomes for BIPOC communities in NYC.

Taylor Rae Almonte is a Brooklyn based Afro-Latina actor, athlete & activist. She utilizes her unique skill set to educate, empower and amplify marginalized voices in all aspects of her life. Her Fitness Activism work meets at the intersection of racial justice and wellness. She is the co-founder of ACTIV-ISM, an anti-racism wellness program, alongside Kira West. Taylor is on the founding board of Claim Our Space Now, a non-profit organization whose mission is emboldening urgent action to dismantle white supremacy and save Black lives. She is also a founding member of Fit For Us, a national organization that advocates, empowers and serves Black fitness professionals and underserved communities. Taylor has a weekly anti-racism newsletter focused on fighting systemic oppression through education and community.

Taylor is a Rumble Boxing trainer and frequent contributor for Women’s Health Magazine. Her certifications include: NASM CPT, NASM MMA Conditioning Specialist, and she is currently pursuing her NASM CNC. She is proud to call herself a Reebok Athlete. Learn more at taylorraealmonte.com or @taylorraealmonte.

Dr. Guillaume is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH). Her clinical expertise is in the management of functional and motility disorders. She is the Director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Center at SBUH, which specializes in the comprehensive evaluation of luminal motility disorders. Under the leadership of Dr. Guillaume, the motility center provides the latest in innovation and technology to diagnose and treat the entire spectrum of motility disorders. She is co-founder of the annual Thought Leaders in GI Motility Symposium held in New York, and a member of many GI organizations including the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society. Dr. Guillaume has a special interest in diversity initiatives particularly at the undergraduate level. She serves on the executive subcommittee for the Renaissance School of Medicine’s admission committee, and is also the Faculty Advisor to the School of Medicine’s Pre-Medical Access to the Clinical Experience (PACE) program. Dr. Guillaume graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine. She completed Internal Medicine residency at New York University Medical Center and her GI fellowship at SBUH. She also has additional fellowship training in the management of enteral and parenteral nutrition from NYP Hospital – Columbia University.

David is presently vice president of clinical solutions for the Rhythm Management business at Boston Scientific. He leads a team of 600 field based personnel deployed around the country whose focus is on patient management, providing both technical expertise on Boston Scientific technology and solutions to help healthcare providers, hospitals, and practices with diagnostic and monitoring capabilities. The team also manages the enrollment and surveillance of patients in Company sponsored clinical trials

Dr. Arthur graduated from the University of Virginia. He then joined the University of Virginia Department of Neurosurgery where he did research on brain aneurysms. He continued this research throughout medical school, obtaining his medical degree from the University of Virginia in 1998. He did his internship and residency at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. While there he also completed a Masters in Public Health with a focus on clinical trials methodology, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2002. Dr. Arthur is currently the Director, Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery, Semmes-Murphey Clinic and University of Tennessee Department of Neurosurgery Director, Vascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery, Methodist University Hospital, Memphis, TN and Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, Methodist University Hospital, Memphis, TN

Reverend Lawrence E. Aker, III currently serves as Lead Pastor of the Cornerstone Baptist Church, Brooklyn, New York. In 2003, he was elected as the eighth pastor in the church’s history succeeding his spiritual mentor, Dr. Harry S. Wright, Sr. Reverend Aker was born in Oakland, California and was raised in Dallas, Texas. Over the past sixteen years, under Rev. Aker’s spiritual leadership many have given their lives to Christ.

Rev. Aker is greatly concerned with the spiritual health of the Church and Community, he is transforming lives by responding to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and in deed. He has also inspired the Women of the Word (WOW) ministry, which seeks to spiritually nurture the women of Cornerstone. Rev. Aker has also led the church through extensive renovation to the exterior of the edifice. He graduated cum laude from Howard University with a B.A. in Communications. He holds a Master in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary; a Master of Sacred Theology from Yale University, and is presently a Doctor of Philosophy candidate at Baylor University, Waco, Texas. Rev. Aker has also been blessed with the opportunity to study Biblical Archaeology at The Holy Land Institute in Jerusalem and has had the opportunity to preach in Zimbabwe, Africa. Rev. Aker is a family man and resides in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and college sweetheart, Cynthia. They are the proud parents of one son, Lawrence IV, and two daughters, Karina Vivian and Nyla Victoria. To whom much is given, much is required. Rev. Aker has a passion for God and is dedicated to preaching and teaching the Word of God.

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Dr. Williams is an Associate Professor of Medicine on the clinician educator/researcher scholar track in the Division of Gastroenterology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Within the Department of Medicine she is the Director of the Department of Internal Medicine’s Organization for Nurturing Diversity (DIMOND) and within her division she is the Program Director for the Gastroenterology training program. Her interests include health disparities in colorectal cancer screening and medical education. In medical education she has focused on simulation as an educational experience and runs an intra city OSCE education day for first year gastroenterology fellows. She completed a Master’s program for Health Profession Education at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Maastricht University in the Netherlands in 2018. She currently serves on the NYC Citywide Colorectal Cancer Coalition (C5) screening guidelines committee. She is the recipient of the 2018 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Minority Digestive Healthcare award, the former Chair of the Minority Affairs and Cultural Diversity Committee for the ACG, and now serves on the ACG Board of Trustees. Dr. Williams is also a member of the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy’s Training committee.

Rev. Gregory Jerome Jackson obtained his early education in the segregated schools of South Carolina, while his high school and college educational experience was in the northeast. Upon graduating from Saint Peter’s College, he began his theological education at Colgate Rochester Divinity School in Rochester, New York and received a Masters of Divinity Degree in 1976.

Rev. Jackson began his pastoral career at Monumental Baptist Church in Elmira, New York in 1975 and served there with distinction until 1984 when he was called to pastor Mount Olive Baptist Church in Hackensack, NJ where he has labored for nearly 35 years. He encourages them to be generous in giving to needy persons at home and abroad, but to also be politically aware as they seek to do justice for God’s people around the world.

Pastor Jackson presently serves as the newly-elected President of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Missions Convention. He also serves as part of the Baptist World Alliance and the Baptist-Islamic Taskforce and is the Moderator of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary Board of Trustees. He is the President of the Hackensack Fellowship of Black Churches. Pastor Jackson believes in transforming the world into the kingdom of God; he has led Mount Olive in her effort to be a part of the redemptive work of the gospel around the world.

Under his leadership, on May 27, 2007, Mount Olive Baptist Church dedicated the completion of the 28,000 square foot, Logan Family Life Center, a building built to the glory of God and to the service of humanity.

Pastor Jackson believes in a gospel that is reflected in one’s personal life as well as one’s social and political life. His involvement and ministry reflects his thinking, his reading, and his life experiences. He is constantly studying, reading, developing and becoming. He is never satisfied with who he is.

Pastor Jackson is married to Barbara Rose Jackson and they are proud parents of three children, Michael, Monique and Aashon; and grandparents to granddaughters Jorden, Kennedy and Madison.

Sam Conaway has been in the field of Interventional Cardiology for more than 30 years. His career began at the Washington Hospital Center and he is currently with Boston Scientific holding the position of General Manager & President of Sales - Interventional Cardiology. Sam is a member of Boston Scientific’s executive leadership team reporting directly to the President of Interventional Cardiology, where he provides strategic direction for the division and leads both a sales team 700 strong and the Portfolio Strategy & Sales Operations team.

During his tenure, Sam has grown IC revenue year over year, which translates to thousands of patients served. Under Sam’s leadership the IC Sales Force has successfully launched many new products and with a track record of achieving commercial goals. As Boston Scientific diversified its portfolio, Sam has been instrumental in establishing Boston Scientific leadership in Complex PCI, LAAC and Structural Heart Valves.

As Chairman of Close the Gap, Boston Scientific’s health equity program, Sam works relentlessly toward the goal of where all patients, regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status and sexual orientation understand their medical conditions and have access to therapies to help them live better lives.

While the term Sales is in Sam’s title, those who know him would say that his selling success is the result of his authentic leadership and his ability to see the future and align his organization (his people) to meet change and challenge head on.

Education University of Maryland – Masters Business Administration and Management
University of Phoenix – BS Business Administration and Management
American University – General Studies
Washington School of Nursing – DVT Certification

Ugo Iroku is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Assistant Clinical Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is Medical Director of New York Gastroenterology Associates Brooklyn Heights office. Dr. Iroku is a board certified gastroenterologist with an expert in a broad spectrum of gastrointestinal disorders including colon cancer prevention and screening.

Dr. Iroku has a long-standing passion for promoting public health literacy and empowering his patients to make their own informed medical decisions. As a public health expert he has been featured on a number of national platforms including TV news segments, radio interviews, podcasts, magazine features and on his own social media platforms.

Dr. Iroku received his medical training at Harvard Medical School and public health training at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He completed his internal medicine residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Cornell University and his gastroenterology and liver disease fellowship at New York Presbyterian Hospital – Columbia University. He completed leadership in medicine training at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Lemuria Alawode-El is the Vice President, StrengthenNYC at the United Way of New York City “UWNYC”. UWNYC mobilizes our communities to eradicate barriers and cre-ate opportunities that improve the lives of low-income New Yorkers for the benefit of all. The mission of UWNYC’s StrengthenNYC unit is to support UWNYC’s nonprofit partners in capacity and community building resources and expertise to deliver high-quality results and achieve meaningful outcomes ensuring that partner organizations are stable, strong and sustainable and build relationships that will engage and support communities, enabling them to create collective solutions that lead to change. Lemu-ria’s role support UWNYC’s network approach to mobilizing individuals and organiza-tions around community change. She plays a “backbone” role within those partnerships – building trust and strong relationships, facilitating and planning, fostering constant communication, connecting and aligning strategies and resources, and fostering inno-vation using shared data, measurement and accountability. Most recently Lemuria lead UWNYC’s work on Census2020 in partnership with the Mayor’s Complete Count Fund. Currently, Lemuria is the project manager for the Choose Healy Life, a multicity initiative focused on addressing the disparate impact of Covid-19 on the black com-munity. Since joining the team at UWNYC in 2012, Lemuria has been instrumental in leading UWNYC’s community building efforts, planning, and coordinating volunteer efforts in neighborhoods across New York City.

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Yakira David, M.B.B.S, is currently a final year Gastroenterology Fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. She received her medical degree with honors in 2010 from the University of the West Indies, St, Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. During this time she conducted and published epidemiological research in Obstetrics and Maternal Health. She subsequently served as a House Officer in the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Champs Fleurs, Trinidad and Tobago.
In 2014 she was accepted into an Internal Medicine Residency at the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center. During her time there she participated and led research projects focusing on racial disparities in various aspects of gastrointestinal malignancies including screening, treatment interventions and outcomes. Due to the demographics of the population served by Downstate Medical Center and the neighboring Kings County Hospital Center her study population was dominated by patients of an Afro-Caribbean background. The findings of this research have been presented at various regional and national Gastroenterology and Oncology conferences and is published in peer-reviewed journals. She subsequently served as a Chief Resident in Internal Medicine allowing her to expand on her existing research as well as gain experience in medical education and administration. She has since been accepted into a Gastroenterology Fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and will go on to complete an Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship at the same institution next year. On completion of an Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, she ultimately plans on returning to Trinidad and Tobago with the following goals: 1)Development of a feasible colorectal cancer screening program which can be used as a model for the rest of CARICOM, 2) Development of a therapeutic endoscopy service with a focus on improving diagnosis and therapeutic interventions for patients with pancreatic cancer, 3) Creation of a Fellowship Program in Gastroenterology through the University of the West Indies to fill the deficit in the Caribbean. In preparation for this, she has been collaborating with researchers in the US as well as those at home in the Caribbean to study patterns of gastrointestinal diseases among people of Caribbean origin.
In her spare time, she is an classical musician (oboe and clarinet), avid road biker, and carnival costume creator.

Paige Bingham leads the Boston Scientific—Close the Gap initiative to address healthcare disparities by engaging with local communities, collaborating with healthcare providers, and connecting with organizations in our shared action to fight for health equity.

Previously, Paige was at Allina Health leading a team focused on improving care coordination for patients with heart failure, cancer and Alzheimer’s. This LifeCourse program received the Circle of Life Award from the American Hospital Association and a regional Emmy™ for “The Language of Health.”

Paige’s background in driving transformational change with leading healthcare and consulting organizations is evident in her previous leadership positions at Medtronic, General Mills, and Deloitte. Paige has also served on the board of WomenHeart, YWCA of Minneapolis and Twin Cities RISE.

Paige has an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a CPA (currently inactive), and a BA from Claremont McKenna College.

Deepak “Dee” Khuntia, M.D., joined Varian in 2013 and leads the office of Medical Affairs, which is responsible for providing medical-clinical expertise to all Varian operations, including clinical research, medical evidence generation, medical science education, product development, product support, regulatory affairs, government affairs, mergers and acquisitions. Dr. Khuntia has played a leading role in innovating and bringing new cancer treatment and cardiac radiosurgery technologies to hospitals worldwide.

In addition to his responsibilities at Varian, Dr. Khuntia continues to hold a part-time clinical practice in Radiation Oncology in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he has a special interest in advanced radiation treatment technologies, central nervous system tumors, head and neck cancer, and lung cancer.

Dr. Khuntia is a board-certified radiation oncologist and Fellow of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

Dr. Khuntia holds both undergraduate and medical school degrees from the University of Illinois, and completed his residency in Radiation Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic. Prior to moving to the Bay Area, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin, where he served multiple leadership roles including Residency Director, Director of Radiation Oncology Outreach, and Course Director of Oncology for the Medical School. Dr. Khuntia is considered an expert in brain tumors, head and neck cancer, and lung cancer and has published more than 100 articles, book chapters, and abstracts.

Dr. Avonia Richardson-Miller is the Vice President of Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at Hackensack Meridian Health. In her role, she has network-wide, responsibility for the DEI strategic initiatives and day-to-day operations of the DEI department.

A leader by example, Dr. Richardson-Miller holds herself and the organization accountable for diversity equity and inclusion initiatives. From her childhood on a family farm in Woods, North Carolina to the executive suite, Dr. Richardson-Miller attributes her success to hard work, education, and great mentors and executive sponsors. And she’s eager to pay it forward. As she puts it, “We have an opportunity divide in this country. If I can help to close that gap, I’m inspired to represent that impactful change for generations to come.”

Dr. Richardson-Miller’s experience includes serving as the Vice President of Benchmarking for DiversityInc where her responsibilities involved oversight for benchmarking companies against diversity management best practices. Additionally, as director of the Bronx Workforce 1 Career Center’s Career Advancement Program, she successfully launched and managed the program pilot. Her team was responsible for providing individualized coaching to promote educational opportunities and career advancement services to participants defined as low-wage workers.

Dr. Richardson-Miller holds a Doctorate degree in Education and strongly agrees with Nelson Mandela’s statement, “Education is the most powerful weapon by which you can change the world”. She recently completed a 3-year term volunteering her time as an elected official, serving as a School Board Member for Plainfield Public Schools. Dr. Richardson-Miller has also served as a mentor for youth enrolled in NYC’s Year Up program, supporting their mission “to close the Opportunity Divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education”.

An alumna of Howard University, Dr. Richardson-Miller currently serves as the Vice President of the Howard University Alumni Club NJ. She is the proud mother of two daughters, Savannah and Morgan - both alumnae of her alma mater. She and her daughters also share the bond of the illustrious sisterhood of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., an organization of college educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and to public service with a primary focus on the Black community. Dr. Richardson-Miller is married to her husband of 28 years, Retired Lieutenant Allen Miller of the New Jersey State Police.

Dr. Katerina Dodelzon is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College in the division of Women’s Imaging. In addition, she serves as the Associate Program Director for the Diagnostic Radiology residency program and the Breast Imaging Fellowship training program at Weill Cornell. Dr. Dodelzon received her training in Diagnostic Radiology from NYU where she served as chief resident, and where she stayed on to complete a year-long breast imaging fellowship.