MEET THE TEAM
TOMI AKINYEMIJU, MS, PHD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Akinyemiju is a social and molecular cancer epidemiologist with expertise in epidemiologic methods, translational research, health disparities and global health.  Her research interests focus on identifying the impact of social (such as access to healthcare) and biological factors (such as metabolic dysregulation), on cancer related risk, tumor aggressiveness and survival. She has a specific interest in understanding the causes of cancer disparities among women of African descent in the US and sub-Saharan Africa, given their significantly higher risk of aggressive cancer subtypes relative to other racial groups.
APRIL DEVEAUX, MD, PHD
Medical Instructor
Dr. Deveaux earned a BS in Clinical Laboratory Science and an MD from UNC Chapel Hill, along with a PhD in Genetics from Howard University. After graduating from medical school in 2015, she returned to the lab and completed a post-doctoral program. A molecular geneticist by training, April’s research focuses on cancer health disparities, specifically on the molecular mechanisms in prostate and lung cancers. Her work at Population Health will probe the role that social determinants of health play in the biology of cancer disparities.
ASHWINI JOSHI, MPH
Research Program Leader
Ms. Joshi received her Masters in Public Health with a major in Epidemiology from University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas. Her interests lie in developing programs to improve quality, accessibility and affordability of health care. She is experienced in developing research protocols and grant proposals, managing research administration and operations, conducting quantitative data analysis and manuscript writing. She joined the Duke Department of Population Health Sciences is 2020 as a Research Program Leader (RPL) for REGAL Program. As an RPL, she uses her diverse skill set to conduct scientific research in areas of health disparities and lead all aspects of REGAL program.
SHENAE SAMUELS, PHD
Research Scientist
Dr. Samuels is a Health Services Researcher with an unwavering commitment to the advancement of health equity through research. Her educational background includes a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in Public Health Management and Policy, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Health Services Research from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. She is particularly interested in addressing the social determinants of health, as well as disparities in healthcare access and patient outcomes among marginalized populations with chronic conditions. As a Research Scientist, she will use her passion for health equity research and skill set to contribute to the REGAL team's mission of eliminating cancer health disparities.
JOVITA BYEMERWA, PHD
Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. Byemerwa is a post-doctoral associate in Dr. Tomi Akinyemiju's lab, where her role is to investigate biological and societal risk factors that contribute to breast cancer and breast cancer outcomes among women of African descent. She joins the team with extensive basic biology knowledge of breast cancer, which she gained during her dissertation work on understanding how female reproductive hormones, especially estrogens, modulate the immune microenvironment during breast cancer metastasis.
Dr. Byemerwa earned her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Brown University and her PhD in Pharmacology and Cancer Biology from Duke University.
HUGO G. QUEZADA-PINEDO, MD, MSc, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. Quezada is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Population Health Sciences. He completed his medical studies and a specialization in health administration at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru and his master's and PhD in clinical epidemiology at Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands. His research focused on cancer epidemiology, health disparities in the U.S. context, social determinants of health, and big data analytics.
ROSE VOLPONI
Senior Program Coordinator
Rose Volponi joined the Duke Department of Population Health Sciences in 2024 as Senior Program Coordinator for the REGAL research group. With nearly two decades of experience in early childhood education and nonprofit management, she brings over 14 years of leadership and administrative expertise. Rose has led a nonprofit through all phases, from startup to dissolution, working with Duke professors, students, and international families. Inspired by these experiences, she is passionate about supporting REGAL’s work in addressing global cancer research disparities and ensuring smooth operations.
ANJALI GUPTA
Research Assistant
Anjali is a Robertson Scholar at Duke University, pursuing a self-designed major titled, "The Interplay Between Health and Educational Outcomes." She seeks to explore the circumstances that inhibit social equity and to understand the intertwined mechanisms driving the health-education relationship. Anjali hopes to pursue a career at the intersection of medicine and educational policy.
VERONICA DUCK
Clinical Research Coordinator
Veronica is a clinical research coordinator who has been with Duke since 2021. Prior to joining the REGAL team, she was a clinical research coordinator in the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Department. Veronica earned a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her Master of Science in Public Health at Capella University. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Public Health to continue her work in research and public service on a macro level. Veronica is committed to research that focuses on cancer disparities affecting diverse and underserved communities.
ASHLIEGH WILLIAMS
Senior Clinical Research Specialist
Ashliegh is a clinical research professional with the Department of Population Health Sciences’ REGAL and Duke Cancer Institute’s COEE teams.
She previously worked with the Department of Defense’s Navy Drug Screening Program, and Duke Human Vaccine Institute’s, Henderson Lab, assisting in developing broadly neutralizing antibodies for HIV and SARS CoV-2 vaccine design. Ashliegh graduated from Florida State University with a BSc in biological sciences and has a passion for healthcare and people.
OYOMOARE OSAZUWA-PETERS, MD, PHD
Medical Instructor
Dr. Oyomoare Osazuwa-Peters is a Medical Instructor in the Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University school of Medicine with the REGAL (Research to Eliminate Global Cancer Disparities) research team. She completed her PhD in Biology (2015) and an MS in Genetic Epidemiology (2018). Her research interest is in the intersection of biology, molecular cancer epidemiology, and social epidemiology, with a specific focus on investigating the interplay between biological characteristics and social factors as underlying drivers of cancer-related disparities using “multi-omics” approaches. Dr. Osazuwa-Peters is passionate about applying her quantitative skills to increase knowledge that is fundamental to informing interventions to mitigate health disparities. Her long-term goal is to make valuable contributions to the body of scientific knowledge on molecular heterogeneity that underpins differential cancer outcomes at the population health level.
DREW NEISH
Biostatistician
Drew is a biostatistician who graduated with a Bachelors in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and an M.Sc. in Statistics from the University of Guelph. He spent six years in the pharmaceutical industry as a statistical consultant and machine learning researcher before joining Duke in 2023. He is currently applying his expertise in statistics and machine learning in oncology with the REGAL team and the Duke Cancer Institute.
Get to know more about our Principal Investigator and the Team here
ANDREA THOUMI
PhD Student
Andrea is a PhD student in the Department of Population Health Sciences (DPHS), Duke University School of Medicine and PhD student researcher with REGAL. As a bilingual and bicultural researcher, Andrea is passionate about improving Latine health equity in the US and globally. Her work aims to reduce health inequities by generating and translating community-engaged evidence to change policy and clinical practice while centering community perspectives in research and scholarship. Andrea holds a Master in Public Policy from Georgetown University, an MSc in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and BA in Community Health and International Relations from Tufts University.
REGAL ALUMNI
MALCOLM BEVEL, PHD
Post Doctoral Associate