Dr. John Cleveland is Center Director of Moffitt Cancer Center and executive vice president. Dr. Cleveland is responsible for elevating Moffitt’s research enterprise and reputation for world-class bench-to-bedside science. His research interests include cancer cell checkpoints, cancer cell metabolism, cancer prevention and therapeutics, and the regulation and role of apoptosis and autophagy in the development and maintenance of cancer. Prior to Moffitt, Dr. Cleveland was professor and chair of the Department of Cancer Biology at The Scripps Research Institute. He also held various leadership roles with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr. Cleveland is the principal investigator for GMaP Region 2.
Clement K. Gwede, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN
Dr. Clement K. Gwede is a Senior Member in the Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Division of Population Sciences/Cancer Prevention and Control at Moffitt Cancer Center, and Associate Professor in the Department of Oncologic Sciences at the University of South Florida, College of Medicine. Dr. Gwede’s research interests and expertise include reducing cancer disparities among high-risk, medically underserved multi-ethnic/diverse populations, and improving quality of life for cancer patients during treatment and survivorship. His funded research uses community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods and client-directed interventions to increase community access to colorectal cancer screening and prostate cancer screening informed decision making. Dr. Gwede’s work integrates cultural and literacy frameworks in the development and delivery of targeted interventions to reduce cancer disparities. Dr. Gwede also serves as the Co-project leader for GMAP Region 2.
Cathy D. Meade, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dr. Cathy Meade is a “community-minded researcher.” She is a Professor and Senior Member in Moffitt Cancer Center’s Division of Population Science, Health Outcomes and Behavior, and is a national leader in the field of health disparities, health literacy, and cancer communications. She is especially interested in the role that culture and literacy play in the development and design of behavioral interventions. She has led a wide variety of education, training and research activities at the cancer center, and is currently Co-PI of the Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network (TBCCN), a network of over 28 community organizations, that work together to address critical access, education, and prevention issues among medically underserved populations. She also serves as the Co-project leader for GMAP Region 2.
Doug Cress, PhD
Dr. Doug Cress is a molecular biologist focused on understanding the biology of lung adenocarcinoma. Working in collaboration with oncologists, pathologists, statisticians, informaticists and epidemiologists, he hopes to understand the genetic and epigenetic changes that drive this cancer so that it can be treated and perhaps even cured. Dr. Cress the director of Moffitt Cancer Center's postdoctoral training program and the SPARK summer internship program. Dr. Cress also serves as the Internal Advisory Committee co-chair for the U54 partnership between the Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) and the Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU), which aims to develop and improve cancer care outcomes for Hispanics in Puerto Rico and Florida by enhancing cancer care, personalized medicine, participation in clinical research and understanding the underlying basic mechanisms of cancer. Dr. Cress is a co-investigator for GMaP Region 2.
Z'Kera Sims is the GMaP Region 2 Coordinating Director at Moffitt Cancer Center and manages the program's activities. Z'Kera was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Howard University in Washington, DC. She went on to earn her Master of Public Health degree from Jackson State University (JSU) in 2013. At JSU her studies focused on Behavioral Health Promotion and Education. After graduating from JSU, Z'Kera completed a competitive internship with the Federal Government at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In 2016, Z’Kera was awarded a Global Health Corps Fellowship. For over a year she lived and worked in rural Zambia on a World Bank funded project that sought to improve the livelihood and nutrition of more than 7,000 girls living in rural Zambia.
Vivekka Suppiah, MSc
Vivekka.Suppiah@moffitt.org
Vivekka Suppiah is the GMaP Region 2 Coordinator - she facilitates regional communications and activities. She completed her BA in Philosophy at the University of South Florida in 2018 and received her MSc in Migration, Culture & Global Health from Queen Mary University of London in 2019. Vivekka first joined the Health Outcomes & Behavior department at Moffitt Cancer Center in 2013. She was one of three high school students in the Tampa Bay area competitively selected to take part in Project LINK: Leaders In New Knowledge, a research training program, funded by the National Cancer Institute, for promising underrepresented students. After completing her graduate coursework, Vivekka returned to Moffitt Cancer Center as a Research Coordinator. She now works on GMaP Region 2 and the Southeast Partnership for Improving Research and Training in Cancer Health Disparities (SPIRIT-CHD), two NCI-funded projects that aim to expand workforce development and health disparities research training.