CHEF - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Member of the Technical Advisory Committee
• Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the University

B. Michelle Harris is Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences. A Native Washingtonian and a product of the District of Columbia Public Schools, Dr. Harris earned a BA degree in Chemistry from Holy Cross College, an MS in Nutrition and Food Science from Framingham State College, and an MPH from Harvard. She earned a PhD in Nutrition from the University of Maryland. Through a resident-led Health Committee initiative, she currently is engaged in collaborative relationship building among various organizations, including the University of the District of Columbia, the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), and various health-related agencies across the District of Columbia to encourage the active participation of DCHA residents in conducting research and surveillance that will contribute to reducing health disparities, especially in the area of obesity-related diseases. Dr. Harris continues to explore the metabolic syndrome and will examine various approaches to reducing its negative impact on the health of minority populations. She is working to expand research opportunities among undergraduate students in the areas of nutrition and related sciences. Her past research includes a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Active Living Research-funded project titled, "The Availability of Healthy Foods, BMI, and Dietary Patterns in Urban Adolescents." This project examined the associations among adolescents' perceived and objective availability of healthy foods, the physical environment, and BMI. She also completed a study titled, "The Relationship of Low Birth Weight and Current Obesity to Diabetes in African-American Women." Dr. Harris' professional career at the community and public health levels has taken her to Boston, Massachusetts; Guatemala, Central America (as a Peace Corps Volunteer); Alexandria, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland and; Washington, D.C. She celebrates diversity and has trained professionals and paraprofessionals in the area of cross-cultural nutrition counseling and nutrition education.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Technical Advisory Committee
• ScM

Job Titles:

• Member of the Technical Advisory Committee
• Associate Professor of Nephrology at the University of Washington

Dr. Bessie Young is an Associate Professor of Nephrology at the University of Washington and staff nephrologist at the Seattle VA Puget Sound Health Care System.. She completed her Internal Medicine and Nephrology training at the University of Washington where she also received her MPH in epidemiology. In addition, she completed a Health Services Fellowship in General Medicine. She received an American Diabetes Association Career Development Award to study racial and ethnic differences in diabetes and diabetic kidney disease and currently has an active NIH R01. She conducts research on racial and ethnic differences in chronic kidney disease (CKD), endstage renal disease (ESRD), and transplantation.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Technical Advisory Committee
• Chief of Nephrology at the Department of Medicine, University
• Director of the Centre for HIV / AIDS Research
• Professor

Dr. (Professor) Everard Barton is the Chief of Nephrology at the Department of Medicine,University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jamaica. He chaired the Department of Medicine from 2001 to 2010, founded the Caribbean Institute of Nephrology and initiated the Annual International Conference on Nephrology and Hypertension. He developed the first survey on Chronic Kidney Disease in the Caribbean and established the Caribbean Renal Registry. Through the University of the West Indies, Dr. Barton organized the Clinical Fellowship Programme from which the first four Nephrology Fellows graduated in 2012. Dr. Barton is the Director of the centre for HIV/AIDS Research and Social Service at the University Hospital of the West Indies, and a member of various International Societies. Through the International Society of Nephrology (ISN), he obtained associations at the Caribbean Institute of Nephrology, the Department of Medicine, UWI, Mona and in the ISN Sister Programme at the Department of Nephrology, University of Michigan. In 2010, Dr. Barton was awarded the Unsung Heroes Award, Jamaica, for public health work in the prevention of kidney disease and voluntary outreach clinics for patients with renal disease. In addition, he was awarded National Honours, the Order of Distinction, by the Government of Jamaica for service in medicine and public health work in nephrology.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Technical Advisory Committee
• Assistant Professor of Medicine / Nephrology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Dr. Kirk Campbell is an Assistant Professor of Medicine/Nephrology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board
• Vice President of the Board
• Consultant in Public Health Medicine With NHS
• Public Health Physician

Dr. Lincoln Sargeant is a Consultant in Public Health Medicine with NHS, Cambridgeshire, England, since 2008. He currently leads health protection for the county of Cambridgeshire and led the implementation of the H1N1 vaccine program during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic. He is also an affiliated lecturer with the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge and a Recognised Clinical Teacher at the University of Cambridge Clinical School. He was previously Clinical Lecturer in Public Health at the University of Cambridge and Honorary Clinical Epidemiologist with the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge, UK. A medical graduate of the University of the West Indies (1992), Dr. Sargeant has practiced in Trinidad and Jamaica. He did his residency in Internal Medicine at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Jamaica between 1994 and 1998. He was a lecturer in Clinical Epidemiology at the Tropical Medicine Research Institute, University of the West Indies and honorary consultant in Internal Medicine at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Jamaica between 2000 and 2003 before starting a career in public health medicine. Dr. Sargeant has worked as a public health physician in Cambridgeshire since 2003 where he has led the development and implementation of strategies to promote physical activity and healthier eating habits in the local population. Dr. Sargeant has also been active in helping to identify and address disparities in health provision in this area. He has postgraduate degrees in Epidemiology and Public Health and is a member of the UK Faculty of Public Health. His research interests have concentrated on chronic disease epidemiology, and in particular, the epidemiology of diabetes and obesity, the subject of his PhD studies at the University of Cambridge. His current interests in diabetes research focus on identifying potentially modifiable risk factors and the effectiveness of screening strategies to detect people at increased risk of diabetes. He has co-authored over 40 articles in scholarly journals as well as numerous other research abstracts and book chapters.

Job Titles:

• Attorney
• Legal Advisor

Gerald Katz is an attorney whose practice, since 1975, has been devoted to the construction industry and construction projects in the Caribbean, Bermuda and the United States. He has extensive experience in representing owners, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, sureties and designers in complex construction litigation and contract matters. In addition to his legal practice, Jerry lectures and speaks frequently to owners, contractors, public building officials, subcontractors, suppliers, design professionals, sureties and others involved in construction. He covers such topics as construction risk management, construction contract negotiation, construction claims and claims prevention, liability of the design professional and construction insurance issues. He has also conducted seminars for numerous construction trade associations.

Job Titles:

• Director
• Member of the Board

Ingrid Brown Dawkins has been serving corporate America professionally for more than 25 years. As Senior VP at Wells Fargo Bank, she was responsible for spearheading and implementing customer experience strategic initiatives. Previously, she was VP of Mortgage Operations at Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase, responsible for Retail and Wholesale Mortgage Operations, and led multiple revenue-producing/cost-saving process improvement projects. More recently, Ingrid has been redirecting her professional energy and experience as a Senior Change Management Consultant to various financial services and other institutions. In addition to her professional life, Ingrid has been a catalyst for change at her children's school, one of the premier schools in Charlotte, NC. As founding chair of FOCUS, she initiated a forum to support students, families and faculty members related to diversity/multicultural concerns. Ingrid is also a member of the Multicultural Taskforce, providing support for the school's Board of Trustees' strategic priorities and initiatives surrounding diversity/multiculturalism. Among Ingrid's passions is her involvement in community service programs and activities. As a volunteer for various non-profit organizations, she has been involved with feeding the homeless, and supporting Doctors Beyond Borders fundraising programs. She has also been a volunteer with: Junior Achievement, a partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers, helping young people to dream big and reach their potential. Susan G. Komen organization, which focuses on breast cancer awareness, education and finding a cure. As an active supporter, Ingrid has participated in several fundraising/awareness activities/events. Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint venture of the American Heart Association and William J Clinton Foundation. As a parent volunteer, Ingrid supported her son, an inaugural board member of the foundation, focusing attention on reducing childhood obesity and promoting other healthy lifestyle choices for youth in the North Carolina region. Ingrid received her BS from Washington Adventist University, MD and her MBA from Hood College Graduate School, MD. She has also earned certifications in various business process improvement and change management methodologies, including Six Sigma, Continuous Process Improvement, Total Quality Management and Baldrige National Quality Program. Ingrid's wealth of experience has provided her with beneficial skills which will be a tremendous asset to CHEF and will impact, not only Nevis and fellow Nevisians, but citizens in other Caribbean territories as well.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Technical Advisory Committee

Dr. Lesley Ann Roberts, a native of Trinidad and Tobago is an experienced nephrologist,administrator and strategic thinker. She graduated from the University of the West Indies with an M.B., B.S., in 1978. In her continuing quest for self-development, she pursued postgraduate studies in North America, and completed a four-year residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton. In 1983, she achieved the American Board Certification in Internal Medicine and the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada the following year. She practiced Internal Medicine in Trinidad for four years but recognizing a need for Nephrologists, returned to pursue additional training . After completing a two-year fellowship in Nephrology at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, she was certified with Special Competency in Nephrology in 1991. Dr. Roberts has been a practicing physician for more thirty years and a Nephrologist for twenty years. In addition to practicing in Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua, she has advised doctors in other Caribbean countries, such as Grenada, St. Vincent and St. Lucia, on the management of patients with Renal problems. Dr. Roberts has been instrumental in establishing and managing several dialysis units in Trinidad and Tobago, most notably the Unit at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences. She has served as Clinical Director of the Department of Medicine and, on numerous occasions, as Acting Medical Chief of staff at EWMSC. At present, she is the Medical Director of the National Organ Transplant Unit and an Associate Lecturer at the University of the West Indies. In addition, Dr. Roberts has authored and co authored several publications in peer review journals and given numerous lecturers to health professionals in several islands in the Caribbean. Dr. Roberts's goal is to improve the lives of patients afflicted with Renal Disease in the Caribbean through education.

Job Titles:

• Founder
• Member of the Board
• President
• CEO of Beyond Office Furniture Solutions

Odell Bussue is the primary founder of CHEF. Born in the Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis, Odell immigrated to the United States to pursue post-secondary education. He subsequently graduated from The American University in Washington D. C.and embarked upon an inspiring and accomplished career as a computer systems analyst and entrepeneur. He began his storied journey at the World Bank where he developed action plans and recommendations for product selection and facilitated the development of several software applications including Advanced Lotus Notes and Domino training for end users. Later he served as a systems analyst at Potomac Electric Power Company. Here again, he demonstrated remarkable skill and acumen as a computer systems professional. He developed eight user interfaces and executed test plans for the company's Meter Inventory Data System, and designed desktop applications training tools for users. Beyond his professional pursuits, Odell has held key positions in a variety of community organizations. In his home country of Nevis, he directed the church-based youth and community service organization, The Pathfinder Club, at Mannings Seventh Day Adventist Church. In the United States, he served as the Director of Promotion and Program Coordinator of the Metropolitan Symphony Steel Orchestra. In this capacity, Odell negotiated event contracts, evaluated marketing proposals, and collaborated with major corporations, including Target, and Potomac Electric Power Company to develop promotional and advertising plans. Consistent with his extensive community service involvement and professional accomplishments, Odell has received numerous honors and awards including an academic scholarship from the Organization of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Association of the World Bank and IMF outstanding service award, and an outstanding sales representative award from AT&T. Currently, Odell serves as CEO of Beyond Office Furniture Solutions (BOFS), Inc., an independent office/medical furniture and equipment dealer in the Maryland/D.C. area. He has been recognized for notable success in managing multiple large-scale projects for his clients. As CEO of BOFS, he has cultivated and maintained productive business relationships with major organizations including National Institutes of Health, Children's National Medical Center, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Job Titles:

• Member of the Technical Advisory Committee