Kyra Bobinet, M.D.                            Watch Video!

Kyra J. Bobinet is the executive director and cofounder of Vision Youthz, a San Francisco-based organization dedicated to holistic personal transformation for youth through building diverse service communities and fostering healthy connections to inner self, society, and nature. Vision Youthz serves at-risk and incarcerated youth fourteen to twenty-one years old. Dr. Bobinet is a 1998 graduate of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, and a recipient of the 1997 James Comer Fellowship (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), the 1998 UCSF Martin Luther King Jr. Award, and the 1998 Echoing Green Graduate Fellowship in social entrepreneurship. Dr. Bobinet is of Ojibway, Lakota, and Czech descent, and a mother of two. She has dedicated her life to serving others and affirming the unconditional worth of all beings.

Herbert Boyer, Ph.D.                        Watch Video!

Herbert W. Boyer has served as a director of Genentech, Inc. since he cofounded the company in 1976 with Robert A. Swanson, a venture capitalist. He also was a vice president of the company from 1976 to 1990. A biochemist and genetic engineer, Dr. Boyer has demonstrated the usefulness of recombinant DNA technology to economically produce medicines, which laid the groundwork for Genentech's development. Dr. Boyer also was a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, and an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. At the time Genentech was formed, he was a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UCSF as well as the director of the graduate program in genetics. In 1993, Dr. Boyer was awarded Switzerland's prestigious Helmut Horten Research Award along with Dr. Stanley Cohen of Stanford University for their pioneering research in the use of gene technology in medicine. In 1985, he was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame and is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Boyer received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 1981 and the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award in 1980. He is a fellow in the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and received the Industrial Research Institute Achievement Award in 1982. He is on several editorial boards of scientific publications and has written or co-written more than a hundred scientific articles. Dr. Boyer received his bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry in 1958 from St. Vincent College in Pennsylvania. He received his master's and doctorate degrees in 1960 and 1963 respectively from the University of Pittsburgh.

Tanya Henneman, Ph.D.                  Watch Video!

 

Tanya Henneman, a proud native of Berkeley, California, has demonstrated throughout the course of her life a commitment to community service and academic excellence. Currently, she is the co-chair and creator of the Infinite Possibilities Conference, a conference designed to support and empower underrepresented minority women in the mathematical sciences. She is also committed to the reduction of health disparities and is involved in designing a plan to reduce the rates of hypertension in the African-American community in South and West Berkeley. Dr. Henneman received her doctorate training in the field of biostatistics at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to attending UC Berkeley, Dr. Henneman obtained a B.S. degree in mathematics from Spelman College and a master's degree in science and engineering from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Her academic accolades include a prestigious National Science Foundation Fellowship and a Ford Foundation Fellowship. Outside of academics, Dr. Henneman has a passion for helping students expand their minds. During her tenure in graduate school, she created and directed a program that provided tutorial services to students of all ages. In addition to teaching students, Dr. Henneman has served as a panelist to many community and academic organizations that aim to disseminate information to underserved communities. These organizations include the Black AIDS Institute, the National Brothers of the Academy Think Tank Conference, and the Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research. Dr. Henneman has dedicated her life to helping others reach their highest potential.

Freeman Hrabrowski III, Ph.D.

Freeman A. Hrabowski III has served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County since May 1992. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance. Born in 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Hrabowski graduated at age nineteen from Hampton Institute with highest honors in mathematics. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he received his M.A. (in mathematics) one year later and his Ph.D. (in higher education administration/statistics) at age twenty-four.

He serves as a consultant to the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and universities and school systems nationally. He also sits on several corporate and civic boards. Recent awards and honors include election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the American Philosophical Society; receiving the prestigious McGraw Prize in Education and the U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring; and being named Marylander of the Year by the editors of the Baltimore Sun. He also holds honorary degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Gallaudet University, the Medical University of South Carolina, and Binghamton University, among others. He is coauthor of two books published by Oxford University Press: Beating the Odds (1998), focusing on parenting and high-achieving African-American males in science, and Overcoming the Odds (2002), about successful African-American females in science.

A child leader in the civil rights movement, Dr. Hrabowski was prominently featured in Spike Lee's 1997 documentary, Four Little Girls, which chronicled the racially motivated bombing in 1963 of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

Suzy Jones                                        Watch Video!

Suzy Jones grew up in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood with her mother, and two older sisters. She always envisioned a career in science from as early as she can remember. While medical school was the focus of her academic vision, she realized after one year at Genentech that she could make significant contributions by better utilizing her love of science, business acumen, and people skills in a different role than that of a physician. As director of business development at Genentech, she is the head of the immunology and hematology group, where she manages a team of dealmakers responsible for identifying new collaboration opportunities that will support the company's short- and long-term strategic objectives. Jones has fourteen years of biotech experience. She spent seven years doing basic immunology research; three years doing product development, where she managed novel cancer therapeutics; and four years in business development executing multimillion-dollar business transactions.

Frederick L. Moore, Ph.D.                Watch Video!

Frederick L. Moore, a native of Fairfield, California, is an optimistic survivor by nature. After experiencing frustration with his elementary and high school education, he began his pursuit of academic excellence at Solano Community College. Thereafter, Dr. Moore attended the University of California, Berkeley, and obtained his B.A. degree in genetics with honors in 1996, and graduated from the University of California, San Francisco, with a Ph.D. in the field of human reproductive genetics in 2002. Dr. Moore is very passionate about assisting people with reaching their highest potential, both mentally and spiritually. In 2001, Moore cofounded the nonprofit organization Brothers Building Diversity in the Sciences (BBDS) with his colleague Dr. Michael Penn Jr. The organization aims to utilize science as a platform to empower underrepresented minority students to pursue careers available with a science background. Dr. Moore has received many academic accolades, including fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the Ford Foundation, but he is most proud of the Martin Luther King Jr. award, received for his humanitarian and community service work from UC San Francisco. Dr. Moore is grateful for his blessings, and is committed to expanding outreach to people who are disadvantaged and/or want to achieve at their highest level.

Alissa Myrick, Ph.D.                         Watch Video!

Alissa Myrick is a postdoctoral scholar in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. Working at the interface of public health and molecular biology, she is utilizing molecular and field-based approaches to study the mechanisms of drug resistance in malaria.

Dr. Myrick obtained her Ph.D. in biological sciences in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health in the summer of 2003. The major component of her thesis project was the characterization of the Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance gene at the transcriptional level. During her dissertation, she was given the opportunity to conduct molecular biology training and field research in Dakar, Senegal. She was elected to serve on the Harvard Graduate Council as well as the Student Coordinating Committee at the School of Public Health. She also served as co-chair of the Minority Biomedical Scientists of Harvard and was actively involved in efforts to increase diversity in the sciences.

Dr. Myrick obtained her bachelor's degree in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkeley in 1996. Her experience at Berkeley was enriched by her membership in the Biology Scholars Program, where she became a member of the Student Advisory Committee. Her work with BSP laid a foundation for her commitment to the idea of excellence through diversity. She was an HIV/AIDS peer educator and received a grant to study HIV in Lusaka, Zambia. This experience led to Myrick's interest in interdisciplinary research combining public health and molecular biology.

Marcus Lorenzo Penn, M.D.           Watch Video!

 

A published researcher, recognized scholar, and youth protégé, Marcus Lorenzo Penn is an advocate for culturally competent health-care and administration. Dr. Penn serves as a specialist in this capacity for ethnic and immigrant populations. He is also a community health consultant associated with Health Pact, Inc., whose purpose is to build healthier communities through communication and coordination with health-care service providers and consumers.

Dr. Penn has worked and promoted his strategies for improved health-care quality for the disadvantaged throughout the eastern and northwestern United States, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in Frankfurt, Germany. He has also worked in the northeastern and southeastern United States, creating and implementing science and health education programs targeting underrepresented minority children. Dr. Penn is native to and currently resides in San Francisco, California. He received his medical degree in 2003 from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington D.C, and received his bachelor of science degree in biology in 1999 from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He is fluent in German and has a working knowledge of Portuguese.

In 1997, Dr. Penn served as Health Careers Society president for Morehouse College, promoting awareness for minorities in health care. His academic honors and awards include the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area Scholar of the Year Award, the Ronald McDonald House Charities/UNCF Health and Medical Scholar Award, Phi Beta Kappa, Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) Scholar, and the Sinkler Miller Medical Association Scholarship. Dr. Penn attributes much of his successes to his late mother, Margaret L. Penn, Ed.D., and his father, Michael L. Penn Sr., M.P.A., for instilling within him the values of faith, family, perseverance, education, culture, and community. In his leisure time, Dr. Penn is a writer, photographer, and world traveler. He identifies himself as spiritually grounded and experientially connected to all those around him.

Michael L. Penn Jr., M.D., Ph.D.     Watch Video!

Michael L. Penn Jr. is committed to diversifying the landscape of science and medicine. Born and raised in San Francisco, Dr. Penn attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, and then went on to complete a combined M.D./Ph.D. program at the University of California, San Francisco, in May 2003. Spending time with students is his passion. Dr. Penn has devoted countless hours advising hundreds of students during his career. In 2001, he cofounded a nonprofit organization, Brothers Building Diversity in the Sciences (BBDS), with his UCSF colleague Dr. Frederick Moore. The mission of BBDS is to utilize science as a platform to empower underrepresented minority students. Dr. Penn is also dedicated to preserving and promoting public health, having served as a health commissioner in San Francisco from 2002 to 2004. Currently, he is a product manager in BioOncology marketing at Genentech. He feels grateful for the ability to impact his community positively through his employment at Genentech, Inc., his former tenure on the San Francisco Health Commission, and community service through BBDS.

Brandee L. Waite, M.D.                     Watch Video!

Brandee Waite is a California native, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She attended Stanford University, where she received a bachelor's degree with honors in human biology. She attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, and completed her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Stanford University Medical Center. Following residency, she joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute for a fellowship in sports medicine. She is a contributing author on several musculoskeletal/sports medicine research projects and texts. Aside from pursuing her medical career, Dr. Waite also spent a year teaching fitness classes at a resort in Mexico and on an international cruise ship. She is an avid dancer and continues to teach weekly kickboxing and step aerobics classes in addition to working full time as a physician. The second of five children, Dr. Waite enjoys spending time with her family, watching football, and traveling. She loves Mexican food, a good laugh, and scary movies. She attributes her success to the grace of God, a supportive network of friends and family, and her predisposition to approach every task with enthusiasm and optimism.

Malik White, M.D.                              Watch Video!

Malik White spent his formative years in a small city in Northern California. After attending San Jose State University and earning a B.S. degree in the biological sciences, he went to New York City to matriculate at Cornell University Medical College, from which he received his M.D. degree. He then returned to the Northern California area to complete internship and residency training in general pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco.

For the past six years, Dr. White worked as a general pediatrician in several large hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, and Los Angeles. He cared for patients from numerous ethnic backgrounds and all rungs of the socioeconomic ladder. His work focused on treating patients in the neonatal intensive care unit, the general pediatric hospital setting, and the pediatric trauma emergency room. Desiring to work with extremely sick children, Dr. White is currently enrolled in a training program at the University of California, Los Angeles, to specialize in pediatric critical care medicine. He plans to eventually join the faculty at a major medical school, teaching medical students and providing care for children in the intensive care unit.

Chad Womack, Ph.D.

Dr. Chad Womack is the chief executive officer and chief scientific officer of NanoVec, a privately held biotechnology company that is developing novel gene delivery vectors for the next generation of vaccines and immunotherapeutics. Most recently, Dr. Womack was a senior research fellow at the NIH Vaccine Research Center (VRC), where he was the head of the HIV section of a viral pathogenesis laboratory. At the VRC, Dr. Womack's research concerned the immunopathogenesis of HIV/AIDS in developing countries and HIV/AIDS vaccine development. Dr. Womack was the first Ph.D. graduate student to matriculate at the Morehouse School of Medicine, where he earned his doctorate in 1998. His dissertation research was titled "Molecular Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in Rural Georgia." He received his B.S. degree at Morehouse College in 1988, graduating cum laude in biology. Dr. Womack's research program has involved both domestic and international research collaborations with scientists in India and Africa (Nigeria, Botswana, and South Africa). Outside of his research activities, Dr. Womack is cofounder of the National Association for Blacks in BIO (NABB), and serves as a member of the International Scientific Advisory Board for the Gede Foundation/Gede AIDS and Infectious Diseases Research Institute; the board of directors of the Women's Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the specific needs and improving the lives of HIV-infected women in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area; and the board of directors of the Black AIDS Institute, a nonprofit organization that serves as an African-American think tank on HIV/AIDS. In addition, Dr. Womack is a past president of the NIH Black Scientists Association (BSA), and a member of the Office of AIDS Research Planning Group for Racial and Ethnic Minorities; and a member of the joint NCRR/NIAID/OAR working group for RCMI faculty working on HIV/AIDS and health disparities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).