Infectious Diseases

Short Biography

Maysam R. Homsi is a program manager for the Infectious Diseases Transversal Program in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine. In this role, she oversees the development, implementation and evaluation of infectious diseases initiatives worldwide. These include team-based mentoring and capacity-building activities, regional and global-focused training and education programs through the St. Jude Global Academy and collaborative multiregional research and quality improvement projects.

Maysam joined St. Jude in 2015, bringing with her a range of field experience working in Latin America, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa with local institutions and governments conducting needs assessments, managing project evaluations and collecting data for research projects.

Having grown up in Memphis, Maysam spent five years in Boston, earning her Bachelor of Health Science and Master of Public Health (concentrating in Global Health, with an emphasis in Health Program Management) from Boston University. She earned her Doctor of Public Health in Implementation Science from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where she focused her dissertation research on immunization practices for children with cancer in resource-limited countries.

Maysam speaks Arabic and French fluently, Spanish conversationally, and brings with her an intimate knowledge of Middle Eastern culture and language.

Short Biography

Milka Vazquez is a program coordinator, Infectious Diseases Transversal Program for the department of Global Pediatric Medicine. She provides support toward the designing, coordination and the implementation of infectious disease initiatives geared to improve the outcome of childhood cancer around the world. She previously served as a project coordinator for the Central and South America Region for St. Jude Global.

Milka is a native of Puerto Rico, relocating to the continental U.S. at the age of 16. Her cultural background is an important asset to the department in its pursuit of increasing pediatric cancer care around the world, a mission Milka is proud to take part.

Her project experience started with Alcoa Inc., the world’s sixth-largest producer of aluminum where she supported the Human Resources project team with strategic personnel deployment. More recently, she gained research environment experience while working for the Office of Research Excellence at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she was responsible for coordinating the collaborative efforts between the National Laboratory and current and perspective partnering universities as well as the oversight of the Postdoctoral Association.

Milka enjoys quiet days on the lake and spending time with her husband and cat.

Short Biography

Vanessa loves learning and assisting with various contract projects. She looks forward to becoming more involved in the logistical and research aspects of the department.

Outside of work, Vanessa enjoys traveling to Mexico and spending time with her family and two dogs.

Short Biography

Vivian Moreno Berrio, MS, is a program specialist in the Infectious Diseases Program for the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine. In this role, Moreno is responsible for providing administrative support in the design, logistics, and implementation of her team’s project portfolio.

A Garden State native, Moreno first gained experience in population health initiatives while working on community nutrition projects across New Jersey. Managing community health projects for over three years, she quickly found her passion as a dedicated advocate for health equity in the communities she served.

Considering herself a lifelong learner, Moreno is thrilled to join her dynamic team and support the Global ID Program’s goals as she embarks on a new role exploring and learning about global health.

Outside of work, Moreno enjoys reading, dabbling in photography, and spending quality time with her family.