Organizational structure
The UMass Boston – DF/HCC Partnership is a collaborative effort between an NCI-designated Cancer Center and an institution serving underserved health disparity populations and underrepresented students (ISUPS). Each Partnership core and funded project is co-led by a UMass Boston faculty member and a DF/HCC member.
Leadership committees
Internal Advisory Committee (IAC)
The IAC serves as the key internal advisory and oversight group of the Partnership to ensure that the goals of the program are met and that research projects are on target. The committee comprises senior faculty and administrative leaders from both UMass Boston and DF/HCC.
Bala Sundaram, PhD
Vice Provost for Research & Strategic Initiatives; Dean of Graduate Studies
Laura Hayman, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAHA
Professor, College of Nursing
Katalin Szelényi, PhD
Graduate Program Director, Associate Professor, College of Education and Human Development
Jie Chen, PhD
Lecturer, Senior Statistician
Jonathan Celli, PhD
Associate Professor of Physics; Graduate Program Director
Changmeng Cai, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology, College of Science and Mathematics
Deborah Goff, PhD
Deputy Associate Director, Programs and Operations Support, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
Timothy Rebbeck, PhD
Professor, Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Professor, Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Cheryl Clark, MD, ScD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Valerie Stone, MD, MPH
Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Department of Medicine, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Beverly Moy, MD, MPH
Clinical Director of the Breast Oncology Program, Massachusetts General Hospital
Ian Matthew-Clayton, MSEd
Vice President and Chief Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Program Steering Committee (PSC)
The PSC provides expert and unbiased external review of the overarching goals of the Partnership, advising on the effectiveness and success of the organizational structure. Each PSC member belongs to an institution outside of the UMass Boston ‒ DF/HCC network and brings a unique expertise to our program. Collectively, the PSC has proficiency in the fields of basic science, population science, education of underrepresented students, and outreach to underserved communities.
Nelson Aguila, PhD (NCI Program Official)
Office of the Director, Center to Reduce Health Disparities (CRCHD) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Anil Wali, PhD (NCI Program Official)
Program Director, Integrated Networks Branch, Center to Reduce Health Disparities (CRCHD) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
David Burgess, PhD (Co-chair)
Professor of Biology, Boston College
Usha Menon, PhD, FAAN, RN (Co-chair)
Dean and Professor, University of South Florida College of Nursing; Senior Associate Vice President, University of South Florida Health
Alfred Neugut, MD, PhD
Myron M. Studner Professor of Cancer Research and Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, Columbia University; Head of Prevention, Control, and Disparities Research for the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia; and Co-Director of the Cancer Prevention Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Philip Hinds, PhD
Professor of Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology, Tufts University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Jill Bargonetti, PhD
Professor of Biological Sciences, Hunter College
Amelie Ramirez, DrPH
Director of Institute for Health Promotion Research, Chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences, UT Health San Antonio; Associate Director of Cancer Outreach and Engagement, Mays Cancer Center