Rodney Gillespie

Rodney Gillespie

Sep 4, 2026

Senior Vice President, U.S. Oncology Therapeutic Area Head

Senior Vice President, U.S. Oncology Therapeutic Area Head

Novartis Pharmaceuticals

Rodney Gillespie is Senior Vice President, U.S. Oncology Therapeutic Area Head at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, where he leads a multi-billion-dollar oncology portfolio. His global career includes senior leadership roles at Janssen Oncology and AstraZeneca, including serving as Country President for AstraZeneca South Africa. He holds a B.S. in Engineering from Drexel University and an MBA from the University of Washington. Gillespie is also an active community leader and mentor, serving in leadership and board roles focused on education, youth development, and expanding opportunities for young people.

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Carmen White

Carmen White

Sep 3, 2026

Senior Director, US & Global Health Equity Lead, Oncolgy

Senior Director, US & Global Health Equity Lead, Oncolgy

Pfizer

Carmen White serves as the US & Global Health Equity Lead as a part of Pfizer’s Oncology Patient Solutions and Alliances group in the Oncology Division. As Pfizer aims to Outdo Cancer and follow through on its commitment to patients to minimize barriers to care and access, Carmen works to empower communities and close health gaps through cohesive, sustainable, and scalable approaches to health equity, and helps make breakthroughs available to cancer patients no matter who they are or where they live.

She previously led multicultural participant experience in the R&D division and has patient engagement, clinical trial and healthcare communications experience serving the public sector, academia, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Over her career, she has led and supported HCP, patient advocacy, and clinical trials initiatives for various sponsors in multiple therapeutic areas and developed protocol review, public awareness, and community outreach programs for companies and a leading multi-center comprehensive cancer center.

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Rev. Dr. Alvin B. Downing, Sr.

Rev. Dr. Alvin B. Downing, Sr.

Sep 1, 2026

Pastor

Pastor

Pettiford Grove Missionary Baptist Church

Rev. Dr. Alvin B. Downing Sr. has served as Pastor of Pettiford Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Kittrell, North Carolina, since 2014. He holds a Master of Divinity from Shaw University School of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Studies from Apex School of Theology. He also completed Clinical Pastoral Education through Duke University Hospital Systems, serving as a chaplain at Duke Raleigh Hospital.

Dr. Downing has held leadership roles within the East Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Association and is actively involved in community service, including the Granville County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council. His ministry is centered on Christian leadership, service, and strengthening communities.

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Pritha Kuchaculla, MPH

Pritha Kuchaculla, MPH

Sep 1, 2026

Patient Advocacy Leader

Patient Advocacy Leader

Amgen Global Oncology

Pritha Kuchaculla, MPH, is a member of Amgen’s Global Oncology Patient Advocacy team, where she advances advocacy strategies and partnerships across multiple cancers, including prostate, lung, and hematologic malignancies. An experienced patient advocacy leader with a career spanning healthcare, advocacy, and biopharma, she works to integrate patient perspectives into research, development, access, and engagement strategies to address unmet needs and improve outcomes for people living with cancer.

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Tracy Battaglia, MD, MPH

Tracy Battaglia, MD, MPH

Sep 1, 2026

Associate Director, Community Outreach and Engagement

Associate Director, Community Outreach and Engagement

Yale Cancer Center

Dr. Battaglia is a primary care clinician-investigator internationally recognized for her collaborative, innovative approaches to addressing health disparities among women historically marginalized. She has led the development of foundational infrastructure to support community-engaged methods in translational science. Her own research focuses on engaging with the community to increase access to care for at-risk women, including ground-breaking work on the role of oncology patient navigators. Through her participation in several National Cancer Institute cooperative groups, she contributed to the 2012 Commission on Cancer Accreditation Standard requiring navigation services in cancer centers. As founding chair of the National Navigation Roundtable, she partners across sectors for a sustainable navigation workforce.

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Rev. Kevin C. Hardy

Rev. Kevin C. Hardy

Sep 1, 2026

Pastor

Pastor

Saint Matthew's Unison Freewill Baptist Church

Elder Kevin Craig Hardy has served as Pastor of Saint Matthew’s Unison Freewill Baptist Church in New Haven, Connecticut, since 2014, after accepting his call to ministry in 2008. He also serves as Assistant Director of the Office of Career and Professional Development and an Adjunct Professor at Albertus Magnus College. His career in education includes nearly 31 years with the West Haven Public School System and previous service as an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven. Albertus Magnus College currently lists Hardy as Assistant Director of Career & Professional Development.

Elder Hardy holds multiple advanced degrees, including a Master of Divinity, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at United Lutheran Seminary. In 2024, he received Missio Seminary’s President’s Award. He is also active with the NAACP, 100 Black Men of America, and the New Haven Works Advisory Board.

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