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.

Founders & Board of Directors

Garo Kiledjian (he/him)

Founder, Board President, CEO
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Kelly McKee (she/her)

Board Secretary
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Mary Shea, PhD
(she/her)

General Manager, North America,
HireQuotient
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Slma Shelbayah
(she/her)

CEO/Founder of
Shelbayah Consulting
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Michael Wohlfeiler,
JD, MD, AAHIVS
(he/him)

Board Member
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
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Advisory Board

Dr. Lauren B. Beach,
JD, PhD
  (they/them)

Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
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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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Jacky Goh
(she/her)


Chief Development Officer at
the National LGBTQ Task Force




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Terttu Haring, MD
(she/her)

Clinical Operations Executive



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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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Jackie Kent
(she/her)

Pharmaceutical development and healthcare technology executive, board director, and
trusted advisor
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Lorena Kuri, MSMHC (she/her)

Global PBRG Lead OLA (Organization for Latino Achievement),
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)
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Lisa Moneymaker
(she/her)


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Karen Parker, MSW, PhD (she/her)

Director, Sexual & Gender
Minority Research Office
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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Kunal Patel, MD, BAO, Bch,
BA, MRCS, DTM&H, PhD (he/him)

International Health physician and Medical Director at iheed




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NFN Scout, MA PhD
(he/they)

Executive Director of the
National LGBT Cancer Network




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Dr. Ben Young,
MD, PhD, FIDSA
(he/him)

Independent consultant to HIV medicine and street medicine programs. Board member- Wellness Equity Alliance; Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins University
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to advance and
improve SGM inclusion.

Community Engagement

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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.

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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.
Kelly McKee is the Head of Innovative Recruitment at Evinova, AstraZeneca’s digital healthcare company where she is responsible for leading the department to develop and deploy digital and innovative patient recruitment strategies and tactics. Kelly is a proven clinical trial leader and trailblazer in operationalizing global patient-focused solutions to improve access, awareness, and inclusion of patients in clinical trials. Prior to Evinova, she spent over 20 years in clinical operations, digital technology, and patient recruitment at top-tier companies, including Sanofi, Merck, Eli Lilly and Co., Medidata, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Kelly has been named LifeSci Voice’s Top Industry Leaders (2022), PharmaVoice 100 Most Inspiring Leaders (2020), Centerwatch Top Innovators (2018), and PharmaTimes’ Clinical Researcher of the Year, Clinical Research Team (2012). Kelly lives in Boston with her two sons and three French bulldogs and loves to travel, cook, and write haiku.
As General Manager of HireQuotient’s North America business, Mary brings 25 years of commercial and operational leadership to the AI-first firm. Mary previously served as co-CEO of Mediafly, a well-known revenue enablement firm, and was the chief evangelist at sales execution unicorn Outreach. Her diverse career includes positions as a marketing professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and a principal analyst at Forrester Research.

A globally recognized thought leader, keynote speaker, podcast host, author, and advisor, Mary’s deep investment in the future of work, innovative technologies’ role in providing competitive advantage, and her commitment to elevating underrepresented professionals and their voices in the workforce position her as a significant industry influencer.

Mary’s work has been featured in prestigious publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Insider, Selling Power, GTM Mag, Destination CRM, The Journal of Selling, and many more.

Slma Shelbayah is a distinguished communications expert with a robust background as a former CNN journalist, adjunct professor, and marketing executive. Honored with the CNN Diversity Ovation Award in 2015, she is celebrated for her dedication to inclusive storytelling and impactful journalism. She has been recognized as one of the Women We Admire Top 50 Women Leaders in GA for 2023 and 2024. With over 15 years of experience in media, public relations, and communications, Slma has covered major stories across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, shaping global narratives.

In 2015, Slma established Shelbayah Consulting, LLC to provide bespoke global communications solutions tailored to organizational needs. The agency offers a comprehensive range of services, including strategic planning, media and public relations, public speaking coaching, intercultural training, content development, executive coaching, and event keynote and emcee facilitation. Their esteemed clients include The Carter Center, Flatiron Health, and American Express.

Recently, she served as the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Diversified Search Group, where she oversaw internal and external communications strategies, marketing, public relations, and branding across all acquired practices. She joined Diversified Search Group through the acquisition of Yardstick Management, where she played a key role in the sale, acquisition, and integration processes. Within six months, she was promoted to lead communications and marketing for the entire firm, corporate, and family of brands. Prior to this, her role as Corporate Director of Public Relations at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) involved enhancing the university’s profile through innovative media strategies and global partnerships.

An accomplished educator, Slma has taught public speaking, intercultural communication, and leadership at Brenau University and Clayton State University. She is a LEAD Atlanta graduate and a 2023 fellow of the New Leaders Council Atlanta Chapter, where she is dedicated to advancing social and political change through equity.

Slma is passionate about fostering diversity and community engagement, having contributed to the Harvard Debate Diversity Project and served on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters. She holds degrees in Journalism and Linguistics from Georgia State University and a certificate in Global Media Policy from Oxford University.

In her spare time, Slma enjoys cooking international cuisines, traveling, and spending quality time with her daughters. Her commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and advancing diversity underscores her leadership and vision in communications.

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.

Lauren B. Beach, JD, PhD, (they/them) is an Assistant Professor within the Department of Medical Social Sciences and Department of Preventive Medicine in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. They are the director of the ReACH Lab and ADVOCATE Program within Northwestern’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing (ISGMH).

Dr. Beach investigates the epidemiology of chronic physical health conditions over the life course among diverse SGM populations and people with HIV. They also study how multilevel health and identity related stigmas affect chronic condition management and health outcomes of minoritized populations.

Along with Sumanas Jordan MD, PhD, they lead the Advancing Opportunities in Clinical and Translational Equity in SGM Health (ADVOCATE SGM Health) Program, which focuses on advocating for good quality care and research-practice-policy improvements in community and public health.

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.
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).

Terttu Haring, MD, is a Clinical Operations Executive with a strong focus on fostering collaboration among investigators, sites, and patients. In the past years, Dr. Haring has led efforts to optimize engagement with clinical sites worldwide, delivering exceptional operational results for each project while ensuring a positive experience for sponsors, sites, and patients alike.

With over 25 years of experience in the clinical development ecosystem, Dr. Haring brings a comprehensive perspective, having worked across research sites, large pharmaceutical companies, and CROs. Her diverse roles have included serving as an investigator and research director, managing local and regional clinical operations teams across the Netherlands, Europe, and Africa, leading global trial operations and data management initiatives, and driving digital innovations in clinical operations.

As a member of the SGM Alliance Advisory Board, Dr. Haring provides leadership support for scientific programming and is committed to expanding the Alliance’s global presence and representation.

Dr. Haring earned her medical degree from Maastricht University in the Netherlands. She resides in Amsterdam on a houseboat with her wife and their youngest child, the third of their three children.

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.
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.
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.
Lisa Moneymaker (she/her)

Lisa Moneymaker is a seasoned leader in the intersection of technology and clinical research, with nearly 25 years of experiences across pharma, biotech, and medical devices. Her roles include leadership of product, engineering, AI research, and customer engagement organizations within both sponsor and product technology companies – supporting the industry’s ever-evolving need for innovative technology to improve clinical development and patient outcomes. Lisa serves as the vice chair of ACRO, and is on the advisory board for the SGM Alliance.
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.

Dr. Kunal Patel is an International Health physician and Medical Director at iheed. He is an academic and global health specialist whose work focuses on the themes of global health and the interface between technology, patients, health education and training. Dr. Patel has worked extensively within the international development sector, forming partnerships and developing research, which has been instrumental for primary care system strengthening, improving health outcomes and improved advocacy for the use of public health approaches for clinical research using technology and in advocating for the greater health education globally. He is the Programme Director for the Masters in Public Health at the University of Warwick/iheed and his recent clinical work has focused heavily on supporting the humanitarian response to the conflict in the Middle East and NGO response work. Recent publications have included the world’s leading review on compassion in AI-driven healthcare and narrative reviews on topics such as interprofessional collaboration and learning in diabetes care.

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.

Dr. Young is currently an Independent consultant to HIV medicine and street medicine programs while also serving as a Board member of the Wellness Equity Alliance at the Center for Public Health and Human Rights, Johns Hopkins University.

His previous role was at ViiV Healthcare as the Senior Global Medical Director. There he was the Co-Chair of the Clinical Trials Diversity Task Force and his responsibilities included supporting the launch of HIV medicines around the world.

Dr. Young’s experiences as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), Adjunct Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, expert principal on HIV criminalization and consensus statement on the science of HIV in the context of criminal law, and physician providing care for people living with HIV outline his extensive expertise, education, and support for people living with or affected by HIV.

Dr. Young also co-founded and was Medical Director of Rocky Mountain CARES (now ViventHealth) and has extensive digital communications background: serving as a contributing subject matter expert to the HIV websites TheBody.com and Medscape.com, he authored more than 50,000 online articles ranging from “Ask the Doctor” to scientific conference summaries.

Having authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters relating to HIV and its treatment, Dr. Young shared his HIV expertise through worldwide education programs where he has trained healthcare professionals and community groups in over 50 countries.