Impact of Implicit and Explicit Biases on the Intersectionality of Gender and Historically Excluded Racial Backgrounds

Parul N. Barry, MD, FACRO
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Host

Parul N. Barry, MD, FACRO, received her undergraduate degree at Wellesley College and completed her medical school and residency training at the University of Louisville. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Barry is passionate about research and teaching. She has focused much of her clinical and research work on the treatment of breast and gynecologic cancers as well as improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the field. She is a member of multiple organizations and holds leadership positions at the national level. She has chaired the resident and new practitioner committees and co-chaired the Scientific Program Committee for the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) and now currently serves on the Board of Chancellors. She is a proud member of the ABR and serves as a SAM board reviewer. She is the Director of the Scientific Program for the Women in Medicine Summit. She serves on the senior advisory committee for the Society of Women in Radiation Oncology. She is a member of both the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Committee of Health, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (CHEDI) and Education committees, and Chair of the HEDI education council. She is active in clinical trials and serves as a member of the NRG Oncology breast and gyn committees.

Sarahgene Defoe, MD
UPMC Radiation Oncology
Panelist

Sarahgene Gillianne DeFoe, MD, was born on the island of Commonwealth of Dominica and grew up in Boston. She is a board-certified Radiation Oncologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at University of Pittsburgh Medical System (UPMC). Dr. DeFoe began practice in 2011, first in private practice where she spearheaded the Cyberknife stereotactic radiosurgery program, and then as Medical Director for the Veterans Affairs Health Systems providing oncological care to those who bravely protected our country.

Dr. DeFoe is a tireless advocate for the health care of underserved populations in medicine. She served as a member of ASTRO’s Committee of Health, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CHEDI). She provides mentoring for academically outstanding BIPOC students within the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine through American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Scholars Rotation Program and as well through the Harvard Medical School’s Biomedical Careers Program Student Conference (BSCP). She is a leader in improving community health and addressing social determinants of health and the intersection of social justice and health care and created a lecture series for residents on cancer care disparities which was the first of its kind.

Dr. DeFoe has completed training on how to create a safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment for LGBTQIA+ patients. She was named as a Top Black Doctor by Castle Connolly in 2023.

Dr. DeFoe is a Certified Life Coach and is president and CEO of The TIME MD where she provides life coaching services to women physicians who are burned out from medicine. Dr. DeFoe lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and two children.

Laura Flores, PhD
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Panelist

Laura Flores, PhD, is passionate about clinical trial research, with an emphasis on inclusion and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in research studies. She earned her undergraduate degree in philosophy at New Mexico State University, where she focused on bioethics. Dr. Flores is an MD-PhD Scholar at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Her doctoral research centered on bone health in at-risk populations, wherein she led clinical trials studying the efficacy of bisphosphonates for bone and muscle preservation.

Dr. Flores was named as one of only 40 scholars selected for the 2019 Yale Ciencia Academy Fellows, a nationally competitive program for advancing science in minority communities. Her passion for increasing diversity in the medical workforce and her involvement in the community have led to several local and national awards, including the Walls Do Talk Award, an award focused on the promotion of diverse portraits within the halls of medical schools. Dr. Flores is interested in increasing access to research for all populations and works to remove barriers for patients and research subjects. She has published on disparities in clinical trials in respected journals, including JAMA Network Open, and her work has been featured on CNN, Axios, Healio and STAT news.

In addition to graduating with the Praesto Award for her Doctoral work, Dr. Flores was recently an invited speaker at the Harvard Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Healthcare conference in 2021, presenting on “How to Make Science More Exciting and Accessible: Creating Compelling Scientific Figures and Graphs.”

Phylicia Gawu, DO
University of Oklahoma
Panelist

Phylicia Gawu, DO, is a PGY4 Radiation Oncology Resident at Oklahoma University Health Science Center in Oklahoma City. She earned her medical degree from William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine and her undergraduate degree in Microbiology from Brigham Young University. She currently serves as one of the vice chairs of Diversity Equity and Inclusion on the executive board of the Society for Women in Radiation Oncology (SWRO). Dr. Gawu is passionate about diversifying the face of radiation oncology and thus plays an active role in medical student pathways programs serving as a vice chair of medical student pathway programs for the Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee of the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO). She is a member of several professional societies including the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the National Medical Association (NMA).

Mylin Torres, MD
Emory University
Panelist

Mylin Torres, MD, is Professor of Radiation Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine and Co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention Control Research Program of Winship Cancer Institute. She leads the breast radiation oncology program at Emory. Her research program is dedicated to understanding the biology underlying treatment-related side effects, including chronic inflammation, and racial disparities, radiation-induced skin changes, and cancer-related fatigue, and to developing interventions which will improve the life quality of breast cancer survivors. She is also examining ways that radiation in combination with novel systemic agents can be used to help patients with metastatic disease. Approximately 45% of patients enrolled on her studies are from underrepresented minority groups, primarily of African ancestry.

Dr. Torres has written and co-authored a number of publications and abstracts. She has received highly competitive grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), ASCO, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), Winship Cancer Institute, and Susan G. Komen to support her research on the detection and treatment of breast cancer therapy-induced toxicities. She serves as Co-Chair of the Research Implementation Special Interest Group of the NRG Oncology Health Disparities Committee and is a member of the NCI Symptom Management and Health Related Quality of Life Steering Committee. For her outstanding care of patients, Dr. Torres was awarded the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Healthcare Heroes Rising Star, the Winship Cancer Institute Above and Beyond Award, and The Winship Annual Mentorship Award. Atlanta Magazine also named her as one of the “Women Making a Mark” in the Atlanta community.

Dr. Torres graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. She then went on to receive her medical degree from Stanford University before completing her training in radiation oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.