SGM Alliance

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Our Leadership

By promoting awareness, challenging biases, and driving change, we will bridge the gap between marginalized communities and healthcare systems, ensuring that SGM individuals receive effective, equitable, and compassionate care.

Click on each photo to learn more about our leadership.

Founders & Board of Directors

Garo Kiledjian (he/him)

Founder, Board President, CEO
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Lorena Kuri, MSMHC (she/her)

Founder, Board VP, Chief Development
and Strategy Officer
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Jessica Brescher, MPH (she/her)

Founder, Board Secretary,
Chief Research Officer
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Michael Wohlfeiler,
JD, MD, AAHIVS (he/him)

Board Member AIDS Healthcare
Foundation
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Matthew B. Schabath,
PhD (he/him)

Board Member
Moffitt Cancer Center
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Advisory Board

Charles Kamen, MPH, PhD
(he/him)

Associate Professor of Surgery,
Psychiatry, and Public Health
at the University of Rochester
Medical Center
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Demetre Daskalakis,
MD, MPH (he/him)

Director of National Center for
Immunization and Respiratory
Diseases at Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
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Jackie Kent (she/her)

Pharmaceutical development
and healthcare technology
executive, board director,
and trusted advisor
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Jacky Goh (she/her)

Chief Development Officer at
the National LGBTQ Task Force
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Karen Parker, MSW, PhD (she/her)

Director, Sexual & Gender
Minority Research Office
Mational Institutes of Health (NIH)
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Lisa Moneymaker (she/her)

Chief Technology and Product
Officer at Saama
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NFN Scout, MA PhD (he/they)

Executive Director of the
National LGBT Cancer Network
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Get Involved

Donation

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to advance and
improve SGM inclusion.

Community
Engagement

If you are an
organization interested in
collaborating with us,
send us a message.

Corporate
Sponsorship

Join the growing list of
sponsors that want to pursue
effective, equitable, and
compassionate care for all.

Stay Connected

Garo Kiledjian (he/him)

Garo Kiledjian is the Founder and Executive Director of SGM Alliance. He is passionate about DEI and offers a unique perspective on how the intersectionality of race and ethnicity overlap with gender and sexuality. Garo serves on the Advisory Board for Arab Board for Clinical Research, is on the Membership Planning Committee for Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS), and is on the GALA Executive Committee for the National LGBTQ Task Force, which focuses on legislative and policy changes at the grassroots level in Washington, DC. Garo earned his Bachelor’s from UCLA and studied Leadership and Global Strategy at Woodbury’s Graduate School of Business.
Lorena Kuri (she/her)

Lorena Kuri, MSMHC, is recognized for her leadership in advancing diversity in clinical trials at BMS. With extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Lorena is dedicated to promoting health equity. Lorena earned a Bachelors in business degree from Tecnológico de Monterrey and a Masters in Strategic Management and Human Capital from Universidad Anáhuac. She also earned a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. Lorena is an active member of the Red Shoe Movement, Women of Color in Pharma (WOCIP), and volunteers for her hometown New Providence Diversity Committee.
Jessica Brescher (she/her)

Jessica Brescher, MPH has 17 years of clinical trial experience in pharmaceuticals and medical devices. At Bristol Myers Squibb, in addition to being a Sr Clinical Scientist, she co-leads an initiative to allow patients to self-identify their sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status in their clinical trials. Jessica is also a Doctoral Student at Drexel University, where her research focus is the ethical inclusion of sexual and gender minorities in clinical research. Her commitment to diversity and representation as a moral imperative underlies the passion she brings to all her work, especially in this role.
Michael Wohlfeiler (he/him)

Dr. Wohlfeiler received his medical degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago and then completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital/University of Miami. He has specialized in HIV Primary Care Medicine since beginning private practice in 1990. In addition to his private practice, in the 1990’s Dr. Wohlfeiler served as the Medical Director of an AIDS hospice program. He became boarded in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and wrote some of the first hospice guidelines specifically for AIDS patients. The National Hospice Organization (NHO) asked Dr. Wohlfeiler to serve on the its Medical Guidelines Task Force where he wrote the NHO’s hospice guidelines for terminally ill patients with AIDS. From 2000 to 2010, Dr. Wohlfeiler served as the Medical Director for Special Immunology Services (SIS) at Mercy Hospital in Miami. SIS was the largest provider of Ryan White medical and case management services for HIV patients in Dade County. He joined AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in September 2011 when he and his medical partner agreed to have AHF acquire their private practice. In August 2012, he became Regional Medical Director of AHF’s Southern Bureau and in August 2013 he was asked to become AHF’s Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Wohlfeiler has been extensively involved in HIV clinical research for 30 years and has served as Principal Investigator in over 100 clinical trials. He has authored book chapters and articles about HIV/AIDS and has been a named author on multiple research papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. He has spoken extensively on the topic of HIV/AIDS both in the US and abroad. He is considered a Key Opinion Leader in the field of HIV medicine and has been awarded a multitude of awards and accolades over the past three decades. His peers have selected him as one The Best Doctors in America yearly since 1997 and he was selected by the International Association of Internists as one of “The Leading Physicians in the World.” He received a Red Ribbon Hero Award from the Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Coalition and was named one of Miami’s “Twelve Good Men” for 2002.

Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Wohlfeiler attended law school at the University of Arizona. While in law school, Dr. Wohlfeiler was awarded a scholarship to work as a staff assistant with a subcommittee of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC. After receiving his Juris Doctor (JD) and passing the bar exam, he spent 3 unhappy years working as an attorney. He is much happier being a doctor.
Matthew Schabath (he/him)

Dr. Schabath is a Moffitt Distinguished Scholar and Program Leader for the Cancer Epidemiology Program at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. He has published over 220 peer-reviewed papers and has expertise in molecular epidemiology, utilizing artificial intelligence methods for biomarker development and validation, and health equity research among sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. With respect to health equity research, Dr. Schabath has conducted formative research measuring oncology care provider attitudes, knowledge, and affirming practices of SGM patients. These studies revealed that oncology care providers possessed limited knowledge about SGM healthcare needs but have a high interest in receiving education regarding these communities. As such, he co-led the development of the first-ever educational curriculum for SGM cultural humility for oncologists called COLORS: Curriculum for Oncologists on LGBT populations to Optimize Relevance & Skills. To test the efficacy of COLORS, he co-led three pragmatic trials which showed COLORS was effective at improving knowledge, attitudes, and affirming practices regarding the care of SGM patients with cancer. In 2015, Dr. Schabath also co-led a catchment area survey study among SGM populations in the Tampa Bay region which revealed high rates of disclosure of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) to their healthcare providers (HCPs), and low rates of negative reactions from HCPs. Based on this research, Moffitt Cancer Center implemented SOGI collection as standard-of-care demographic items in an institution-wide patient intake form which has been completed by over 150,000 patients. To follow-up on these efforts, Dr. Schabath is conducting a mixed methods approach to assess implementation outcomes, barriers, and facilitators of SOGI data collection and SGM healthcare delivery. Dr. Schabath is also the Chair of the SGM Working Group in ECOG-ACRIN, and in June 2023 Dr. Schabath was awarded the “2023 Florida LGBTQ+ Ally Award” from the Florida Diversity Council.
Charles Kamen (he/him)

Charles Kamen, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery and Psychiatry in the Division of Cancer Control at the University of Rochester. He also serves as Assistant Director for Community Outreach and Engagement at the Wilmot Cancer Institute and Chair of Health Equity Research for the University of Rochester Cancer Center NCI Community Oncology Research Program Research Base.  He is a clinical psychologist by training, and his program of research focuses on cancer-related health disparities affecting sexual and gender minority (or LGBTQ+) and other minoritized cancer survivors.  He has over 100 peer reviewed publications. He has also contributed to the development of a range of behavioral interventions with the goal of improving the health and well-being of cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers, and has worked with national and international organizations around the collection of sexual orientation and gender identity data in oncology.
Demetre Daskalakis (he/him)

Demetre Daskalakis, MD, MPH, is the Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, where he leads CDC’s efforts to detect, prevent, and respond to vaccine-preventable and respiratory infectious disease threats. Most recently, he served as the Director of the Division of HIV Prevention in CDC’s National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. Dr. Daskalakis has been recognized nationally and internationally as an expert in HIV prevention and has focused much of his career on the treatment and prevention of HIV and other STIs as an activist physician with a focus on LGBTQIA+ communities. He also served as the Deputy Coordinator of the White House’s Mpox Response, where he successfully led vaccination and public education efforts that helped to halt the advancement of the virus.
Jackie Kent (she/her)

Jackie Kent is a pharmaceutical development and healthcare technology executive, board director, and trusted advisor with a passion for clinical research and inclusiveClinical Trials. With over 35 years of experience in pharma and technology, Jackie also served as the Chief Customer Officer at Medidata Solutions. She continues contributing her expertise and passion for clinical trial accessibility through boards, advisory and consulting. She is now an independent consultant focusing on transforming clinical trials with innovation and inclusion at the forefront of what she does.

Jackie is a change leader and advocate with comprehensive knowledge about the dynamics of diverse healthcare systems and clinical development and execution. She is currently an independent board director for Circuit Clinical, Curavit, Datacubed Health and Catalyst Clinical Research. Jackie also leads the IncluDE Program for the Society of Clinical Research Sites(SCRS) focusing on the clinical research site and their voice in the conduct on clinical trials.

Jackie spent over four years at Medidata where she led the Customer Success organization, which is laser-focused on ensuring a positive customer experience along every step of their journey with the company. The CS organization uses a cross-functional customer strategy to infuse the voice of the customer throughout the organization. Previously, she was the EVP, Head of Product and, in both roles, reported directly to the CEO while serving on the executive committee.

Throughout her 29-year tenure at Eli Lilly, Jackie held leadership roles across Clinical Development, where she worked with leading organizations to develop feasibility, recruitment/retention, site selection, clinical operations, CT supply planning, medical quality, and global audit.

Her honors include PharmaVoice 100, PM360 Elite Strategist and HBA Luminary.

Jackie lives in Fernandina Beach, Florida and spends her free time with her husband Alan sailing their catamaran Shangri La and traveling.
Jacky Goh (she/her)

Jacqueline “Jacky” Goh serves as the Chief Development Officer for the National LGBTQ Task Force. In this role, Jacky leads the Task Force’s fund development efforts and is responsible for strengthening the infrastructure needed to support and grow the organization’s budget through foundation, corporate, and individual donors, as well as other vital revenue streams.

As a queer Korean woman, Jacky has long understood the importance of allyship and collective liberation. She recognizes the ways that she has benefitted from others who have fought to defend and protect her existence, and she has dedicated her career to paying it forward. In her previous role as Senior Director of Development for the Center for Employment Opportunities, she raised funds to support formerly incarcerated individuals in their reentry into the workforce. She was the Director of Strategic Growth at Define American, a culture change organization that uses the power of narrative to humanize conversations about immigrants. She has also raised funds to advance economic mobility, housing security, and health equity with her work at Restaurant Opportunities Center United, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, and the Center for Youth Wellness.

Jacky has extensive experience with Board and donor engagement and strategic planning. She holds a Bachelors in Sociology and a Masters in Clinical Psychology with specializations in LGBT Affirmative Psychology and Applied Community Psychology from Antioch University.

Jacky lives in Los Angeles. She is an avid crossworder and grateful companion to two furry felines, Dummy (who is actually very smart) and Alby (who enjoys saying hello on zoom calls).
Karen Parker (she/her)

Karen L. Parker currently serves as Director of the Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In her role as Director, Dr. Parker is co-chair of the trans-NIH Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Research Coordinating Committee (RCC), the NIH SGM Research Working Group of the Council of Councils, and the NIH Office of the Director Equity Council.

Dr. Parker serves as co-chair of the Measuring Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Research Group, an entity of the Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology, as well as an Executive Director of Department of Health and Human Services LGBTQI+ Coordinating Committee.

Dr. Parker began her NIH career in 2001 as a Presidential Management Fellow. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Indiana University and her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan, where she studied community organization, social policy, and evaluation. She subsequently completed her Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work.
Lisa Moneymaker (she/her)

Lisa Moneymaker is the Chief Technology and Product Officer for Saama, the industry leader in AI-driven products for the clinical development space. Lisa has over 20 years experience as a leader in the pharma, biotech and medical device industry, specializing in delivering complex systems solutions in support of excellence in clinical trial execution. She is respected throughout the industry as a thought leader and speaker, having worked across the product, consulting, and internal pharma information systems space.

Prior to joining Saama, Lisa was Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations Technology at Medidata Solutions. In this position, she helped to advance the role of internal sponsor and CRO technology, leading solutions across the RBQM, Centralized Monitoring, CTMS, and Payments space. Lisa began her career at Accenture and continued as an independent consultant, gaining exposure to information systems across the pharma space. Much of her career was in support of Amgen, developing systems within its global development organization, which gained her exposure and recognition as a subject matter expert within pharma information systems. While at Amgen, she was given leadership roles within TransCelerate Biopharma, driving industry innovation through delivery of the Shared Investigator Platform and the Investigator Registry. A graduate of University of Southern California, Lisa holds a BS in Biomedical Biochemical Engineering.
Scout (he/they)

Scout is the Executive Director of the National LGBT Cancer Network and the principal investigator of both the CDC-funded LGBTQI+ tobacco-related cancer disparity network and Out: The National Cancer Survey. They spend much of their time providing technical assistance for tobacco and cancer focusing agencies expanding their reach and engagement with LGBTQ+ populations. Scout has a long history in health policy analysis and a particular interest in expanding LGBTQI+ surveillance and research. They have faculty appointments at both Brown University and Boston Universities’ Schools of Public Health. They are a member of FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, a longtime member of the NIH Council of Councils, on the Advisory Panel for NIH’s All of Us initiative, and the former Co-Chair of the NIH Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office Work Group. Their work has won them recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives, two state governments, and many city governments. Scout is an openly nonbinary and trans father of three, a vegetarian, an avid hiker and climber.