Rethinking global oncology: Innovations from cancer disparities near and far

Nickhill Bhakta, M.D., M.P.H., is director of the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Program for St. Jude Global and director of Disease Burden and Simulation at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He also serves as co-director of the Adapted Resource and Implementation Application (ARIA) Guide. Bhakta's research focuses on understanding and reducing the global burden of childhood cancer through innovative modeling approaches and implementation science. His work examines survivorship outcomes, late effects of cancer treatment, and strategies to improve access to pediatric oncology care in resource-constrained environments across sub-Saharan Africa.

Lauren Wallner, Ph.D., M.P.H., is associate professor of Internal Medicine and Epidemiology, assistant division chief for Faculty Development and Mentoring in General Medicine, and co-leader of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program at Rogel Cancer Center. She is a faculty member in the Cancer Surveillance and Outcomes Research Team (CanSORT) and Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. Dr. Wallner's research focuses on improving the quality, delivery, and equity of cancer care across the cancer continuum and multiple cancer sites. She has expertise in designing, evaluating, and implementing interventions to improve cancer care, and conducts analyses of large healthcare databases and population-based survey studies. Her work has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and industry partners.

Sameer Saini, M.D., MS, is director and research investigator at the Center for Clinical Management Research at VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan. He also serves as director of the Gastroenterology Early Career Faculty Mentoring Program and associate director of the National Institutes of Health T32 GI Epidemiology Training Program at the University of Michigan. Dr. Saini's research focuses on appropriate use of resource-limited medical procedures, development of next-generation performance measures, and evaluation of interventions to reduce low-value care. He uses simulation modeling, mixed-methods, and implementation science approaches in his work.

Satish Gopal, M.D., M.P.H., serves as director of the Center for Global Health at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health. In this role, he leads NCI's efforts to advance cancer research, training, and care in low- and middle-income countries. Gopal's work focuses on building sustainable research partnerships and addressing the growing burden of cancer in resource-limited settings. His expertise spans clinical oncology, implementation science, and global health policy, with particular emphasis on HIV-associated malignancies and health systems strengthening in sub-Saharan Africa.