Diversity Advisory Group (DAG)
Chair
Nidhi Shah, DO
Attending Physician, Penn State Health, Hershey PA
I am the current chair of the Diversity Advisory Group for ASPHO. I am interested in promoting ongoing DEI efforts at the institutional and national level for our patients and their families, as well as our colleagues.
Advisory Group Members
Maa-Ohui Quarmyne, MBChB MS
Clinical Associate Professor University of Arizona College of Medicine/Pediatric Hematologist, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, AZ
Diversity in our society enriches our life experiences. It spurs innovation, encourages engagement, improves tolerance, and reduces discrimination, ultimately, leading to better understanding of each other and greater satisfaction in our world.
John H. Fargo, DO FAAP
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Akron Children's Hospital
Assistant Professor Northeast Ohio Medical University, Akron, OH
While it has taken me longer than I care to admit, I have learned and reflected internally a great deal about my explicit and implicit biases. As I continue in my career, it is even more evident how a diverse, inclusive team and organization are most successful at fulfilling the goals they set out to achieve. The DAG is one area I felt I could take what I have learned, and am still learning, and apply it to ASPHO’s mission of promoting optimal care of children, adolescents, and young adults with blood disorders and cancer.
Arun Gurunathan, MD
Assistant Professor, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA
My interest in being a member of ASPHO's Diversity Advisory Group stems from the desire to see that ASPHO's programming and leadership appropriately reflects the diversity of its membership as well as the patients ASPHO aims to serve, with resources that help underrepresented groups grow within ASPHO as well as resources that help providers in giving inclusive and culturally competent care. I am especially interested in decreasing the healthcare inequities faced by individuals/families with limited English proficiency.
Carol O'Hear, MD PhD
Vice President of Clinical Development, Gilead Sciences
Given that my job involves running global clinical trials, I am particularly interested in how our current lack of diversity in clinical trial enrollment can play a detrimental role in our ability to safely and effectively bring drugs to market. In pediatrics, the gap is less than in adult trials, but there still exist gaps where enrollment in trials often does not match the distribution in gender, ethnicity, or other demographics in the overall population with that disease. In addition, as the leader for a large team, I have come to appreciate that diversity in my workforce has a direct impact on the success of our work. For example, when designing a trial that will be run in certain countries, the insights from team members with different ethnicities has been valuable in making sure eligibility criteria and trial conduct would be acceptable ex-US. I am excited to continue as a member of the DAG to promote opportunities for promoting diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency within the society.
Kenneth Chen, MD
Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX
As a physician scientist, my goal is to improve the care of children with cancer using data. With regards to DEI, the data suggest that we still have room to improve before the demographics of our field reflect the demographics of our patients. I serve on the Diversity Advisory Group to encourage ASPHO to continue gathering data on and addressing the barriers to diversity within the field of pediatric hematology and oncology.
Scott L Coven, DO MPH
Assistant Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
Rosa Diaz, MD
Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX
I am a pediatric hematologist and oncologist from San Juan, Puerto Rico. I completed my pediatric residency at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, and then relocated to Houston, Texas to pursue a fellowship in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and a clinical sub-fellowship in Hemophilia and Rare Bleeding Disorders at Texas Children’s Hospital. During my 10+ years of clinical experience in Houston, TX, I’ve encountered patients, families, trainees, and faculty from diverse backgrounds and have deeply enjoyed getting to know their stories. As a member of ASPHO’s Diversity Advisory Group, I aim to promote diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency to best meet the needs of not only the Society but also the patients and families we serve.
Dominder Kaur, MD
Assistant Professor, Columbia University/Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY
Kalindi Narine, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital, Katy, TX