Global Cancer Research and Control Seminar Series 2025 (Upcoming Webinars)

Tran Thanh Huong, M.D., Ph.D., Vice Director
Vietnam National Cancer Institute

Tran Thanh Huong, M.D., Ph.D. received her M.D. from Hanoi Medical University in 1996 and Ph.D. in psychosocial medicine from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden in 2006. Dr. Huong acts as Vice Director of the Vietnam National Cancer Institute and chairs the Department of Bioethics and Health Psychology at Hanoi Medical University. She is also the Director of the Bright Future Fund, a charity organization supporting cancer patients in Vietnam.

Dr. Huong has extensive expertise in developing, evaluating, and building capacity to identify risk factors for cancer and other noncommunicable diseases. She helped coordinate a joint project between the Vietnam National Cancer Institute and Vanderbilt University, aiming to improve strategies for, and education around, breast and cervical cancer control in Vietnam. She also runs several programs to promote the need for more accessible medicine for cancer patients. Recently, Dr. Huong has coordinated a National Cancer Control Program; Cancer Registry; and developed Bachelor’s curriculum on social work in medical settings and clinical psychology. She plans to build on this work and integrate her expertise in evidence-based practices for cancer care. Dr. Huong has published more than 130 scientific papers in national and international peer reviewed journals.

PhuongThao Le, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences
Boston University School of Public Health

PhuongThao Le, Ph.D., M.P.H., is an Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences at Boston University School of Public Health. Her research focuses on examining mental health and sociocultural issues to inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of health programs and policies among marginalized populations globally. She has worked on several NIH- and foundation-funded projects on topics such as cancer health disparities, human trafficking, migration, maternal and child health, and task-sharing mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Dr. Le serves as Principal Investigator for several psycho-oncology research studies, including an ongoing Fogarty/NIH K01 study to adapt and pilot a group-based stress management intervention among breast and gynecologic cancer patients in Vietnam.

Carolyn Taylor, Executive Director
Global Focus on Cancer

Carolyn Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Global Focus on Cancer (GFC), is a global advocate and leader in supportive cancer care, committed to addressing disparities and improving outcomes for people with cancer in low-resource settings. GFC’s programs, including the NIH-validated Stronger Together Peer Support Program, have impacted thousands of patients and serve as scalable models for addressing psychosocial needs in diverse settings.

Ms. Taylor is deeply involved in global research and policy. She serves as Commissioner for The Lancet Global Health Commission on People-Centered Care for Universal Health Coverage and as a contributing author to The Lancet Commission on Women, Power, and Cancer. She also advises the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative, contributing to technical guidance for advancing cancer care in Africa. Ms. Taylor co-founded and co-chairs the Southeast Asia Breast Cancer Symposium (SEABCS), a key regional platform for addressing cancer challenges, and serves on multiple committees and advisory boards, including the WHO Symposium on Meaningful Engagement, the Global Initiative to Advance Cancer Navigation for Better Outcomes, and the Asia Pacific Oncology Alliance. She also serves on the Editorial Board for The Journal of Cancer Survivorship Research and Care. She has contributed to high-impact publications, including The Lancet and Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, focusing on ensuring cancer policies and programs address real-world barriers faced by patients.

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Nirmala Ramanujam, Ph.D., Director, Center for Global Women's Health Technologies
Duke University

Nirmala “Nimmi” Ramanujam, Ph.D., is the Robert W. Carr Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and a Professor of Cancer Pharmacology and Global Health at Duke University. In addition to serving as the Director of the Duke Center for Global Women’s Health Technologies, Dr. Ramanujam founded the Center in 2013 to catalyze impactful research and educational and community outreach activities that promote women’s health. She is recognized for creating globally accessible technologies for women’s health related to cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

In 2023, Dr. Ramanujam was awarded the IEEE Biomedical Engineering Technical Field Award, given annually for outstanding contributions to the field of biomedical engineering. In 2019, she received the Social Impact Abie Award from AnitaB.org for making a positive impact on women, technology, and society. She was also elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2017. Dr. Ramanujam created the Calla Health Foundation to commercialize her technologies, in addition to a number of other initiatives and consortia–including WISH, (In)visible Organ, and IGNITE–that have far-reaching impact on cervical cancer, reproductive health, and engineering design education.

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