About the NPO
The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, in partnership with the VCU Center on Health Disparities (CoHD) serves as the NPO for the Alliance. Massey is a national leader in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the oncology workforce and is committed to optimizing cancer health care outcomes and spearheading interdisciplinary approaches to cancer disparities research. Working alongside the CoHD, a leader in community outreach and engagement, the NPO brings together a team of experts in oncology, health disparities, scientific evaluation and policy to provide grantee oversight and technical assistance.
NPO Functions
The NPO promotes grantee collaboration, provides learning opportunities and disseminates program outcomes and lessons learned. In addition, the NPO will work closely with the Foundation to conduct a comprehensive cross-site evaluation. Primary functions include:
- Oversees and monitors program grantees to ensure effective implementation
- Manages relationships with Alliance stakeholders and community partners to enhance communication
- Ensures sustainability planning of scalability and funding as the initiative grows
- Disseminates program outcomes and key findings to inform best practices for equitable cancer care
- Fosters communication among grantees to promote shared learning and best practices
Robert A. Winn, MD
Director, Alliance (NPO)
Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
Robert A. Winn, MD, is nationally recognized for his community engagement efforts in promoting new approaches to building trust among populations previously disenfranchised from health care or excluded or abused in research. As Director, Dr. Winn oversees all NPO functions to ensure effective operations and program success in order to meet the overall goals of the Alliance.
Marcie S. Wright, PhD, MPH
Deputy Program Director, Alliance (NPO)
Dr. Wright is the Associate Director for the Center on Health Disparities and is a health disparities researcher, whose research recognizes the impact of social political and economic systems on health behaviors. She specializes in coalition building and capacity building for research through community-based participatory research approaches. NPO responsibilities include day-to-day operations and financial management. In her role, she ensures the grantee’s programmatic work is effectively managed and adheres to expectations of the Alliance.
Sonya M. Kibler, MPH, MS, PMP
Lead Evaluator, Alliance (NPO)
Ms. Kibler brings eight years of professional experience evaluating multi-million dollar health programs. Ms. Kibler’s knowledge and application of social drivers of health and health equity principles will enable her to effectively lead the Alliance’s cross-site evaluation and continue monitoring the overall performance of the initiative.
Askar S. Chukmaitov, MD, PhD, MPA
Policy Expert, Alliance (NPO)
Dr. Chukmaitov is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Policy at VCU. He conducts health services research on health systems, hospitals, ambulatory care providers and Accountable Care Organizations, with the focus on quality of care and health care costs. Dr. Chukmaitov has studied important variations in quality and costs of care that were related to healthcare providers’ structure, care processes, and the external environment. This research framework is applicable to different populations, disease categories and social settings in the US. His NPO responsibilities include evaluation and dissemination activities to inform evidence-based policy changes.
Ettora Burrell
Program Assistant, Alliance (NPO)
Mrs. Burrell provides operational and administrative assistance to the NPO leadership and performs a variety of administrative, coordination and logistical services in support of the Alliance operations. Mrs. Burrell develops and implements high quality speaker events and identifies collaborative partners. She is also a cancer survivor and recognizes the importance of high-quality patient-centered care.
NPO Evaluation Team
Shiva Salehian, PhD, VCU Postdoctoral Fellow, VCU
Paulette Omeaku, Graduate Student, VCU
Brian Bush, MS, Biostatistician, VCU
Xiaoyan Deng, MS, Data Scientist, VCU
