Dr. Carolyn Akakpo
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Dr. Akakpo joined Family Health Centers (FHC) Inc. in the early part of 2022 as the Chief Administrative and Research Officer. FHC is a not-for-profit community health center that cares for the health and wellness of our community by providing primary and preventative health care services at nine clinical locations. Since 1976, the Family Health Centers has provided essential health services to Louisville's most underserved neighborhoods and populations. FHC is designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center, where the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) provides federal grant support to help offset costs of providing access to high quality primary and preventive care services without regard to the ability to pay.

Dr. Maureen Sanderson

Dr. Sanderson is Professor of Family and Community Medicine at Meharry Medical College. Dr. Sanderson has led etiologic and intervention studies of breast, prostate and HPV-related cancers for over 25 years. She has incorporated community-engaged research in these studies by establishing strong ties with community members that made it possible to obtain input and modify study designs accordingly.

Dr. Martha Shrubsole
Principal Investigator

Dr. Shrubsole is Research Professor in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Shrubsole has led a research portfolio of molecular, nutritional, and interventional epidemiology for over 20 years. She seeks to identify and evaluate modifiable factors and biomarkers, and to understand molecular mechanisms, laying foundations for the prevention, early detection, and precision-based interception of cancer and its precursor lesions. 

Dr. Susan Ward-Jones
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Dr. Ward-Jones is the Chief Executive Officer of a busy community health center, East Arkansas Family Health Center (EAFHC) overseeing a staff of 202 including six physicians, one ophthalmologist, twelve nurse practitioners, two physician assistant, three licensed clinical social workers, seven dentists and one hygienist with a support staff of 170.  EAFHC has twelve healthcare delivery sites including three school based health centers, a medical mobile unit and an HIV/AIDS Case Management site in Crittenden, Poinsett, Phillips and Mississippi County serving 18,191 patients generating over 70,000 patient visits. This flagship organization is Joint Commission Accredited,  NCQA Level III Patient Centered Medical Home and HRSA Health Center Quality Leader. 

Mr. Charles White
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Mr. White is the Chief Executive Officer of Franklin Primary Health Center in Alabama. Mr. White has worked tirelessly for the past 40+ years to provide accessible, affordable, quality and comprehensive health services to residents of Mobile and surrounding areas, regardless of insurance status of ability to pay. Franklin Primary Health Center consists of twenty-three locations in 6 counties (Mobile, Baldwin, Choctaw, Escambia, Monroe and Conecuh) in Alabama. The services provided include pediatrics, OB/GYN, family medicine, internal medicine, geriatrics, rheumatology, dentistry, optometry, physical therapy, nutrition services, wellness & fitness, social services, substance abuse prevention and treatment, HIV/AIDS services including case management, health education, pharmacy, laboratory, x-ray, and transportation services for the homeless. Franklin Primary Health Center is a non-profit, federally qualified health center.

Dr. Wei Zheng
Principal Investigator

Dr. Zheng is Professor and the Director of the Division of Epidemiology in the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Zheng has directed more than 40 NIH-funded epidemiologic studies to address significant issues related to the epidemiology and etiology of cancer and other chronic diseases. His main research focus is identifying genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors and biomarkers for disease prevention.​

Research Partners