Policies

Short Biography

Meghana Avula is the Director of Global Technology for the department of  Global Pediatric Medicine.

In her role she will capture requirements; define, plan and coordinate the execution of the technical projects; administer the project management solution; help with the overall planning and design of the services required to achieve department goals; and lead the design and implementation of the dashboard, reporting and analytical platforms and solutions.

Short Biography

Wendy Archibald is an administrative specialist in Global Pediatric Medicine.

Wendy has been with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since 2005, serving in Human Resources and Information Services. She’s originally from Louisiana and lived in many states in the southern U.S. until moving to the Memphis area in 1997. Wendy currently lives in Brighton, Tennessee, with her husband, David, their dog Miss Ruby and cat Poppy, both shelter rescues. They have five adult children, four of whom have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military (U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force).

In her spare time, Wendy is an artist. She draws, paints and creates things from cut paper, incorporating fine glitter whenever possible. Other favorite activities include gardening and home decorating.

Short Biography

Desireé is an international development professional with over six years of experience in project management, monitoring and evaluation, and data analysis, specializing in initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion. She has worked across non-profits, government agencies, and multilateral institutions to strengthen data-driven decision-making and enhance program effectiveness.

Before joining St. Jude, Desireé was an Impact Associate at Slingshot Memphis, where she supported over 12 non-profits in evaluating their effectiveness through research and benefit-cost analysis. Previously, she was a researcher at the Inter-American Development Bank, focusing on integrating gender perspectives into transportation policies across Latin America. She also contributed to project monitoring and implementation efforts across more than 20 countries at CAF – Development Bank of Latin America.

Her expertise includes data analysis, program evaluation, and spatial econometrics, which she has applied to assessing and improving social programs. Desireé holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, a Master’s in Local Economic Development from the London School of Economics, and a Master’s in Public Management from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores en Administración (IESA) in Venezuela.

Short Biography

Sherri Blackburn is a Senior Business Analyst 1 in the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine.

Sherri is a native Memphian, who has had the fortunate opportunity to be educated and to expand her professional career within her hometown of Memphis.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Christian Brothers University in Information Systems Management. She has over 20 years of leadership, systems and business analysis experience, working for industry leaders to deliver IT solutions that maximize stakeholder value.

Prior to joining St. Jude, Sherri served as Lead IT Analyst at Smith and Nephew within its Global Quality and Compliance Department. Her previous experience also includes time as an IT Senior Product Manager within the Supply Chain division at Williams-Sonoma, a contractor role as an IT Business Analyst with ALSAC, an IT Logistics Senior Business Analyst at Medtronic and a Senior Production & Process Manager for Discover Financial Services. 

She considers the opportunity to work for St. Jude to be one of the most rewarding and meaningful endeavors of her career, including the opportunity to contribute to the development of new technology and solutions that bring value to the staff and patients of St. Jude and its partner institutions.

During her spare time, Sherri loves to travel but remains very busy caring for her three rumbustious Fur Babies (dogs) and taking them on long walks. Sherri stretches her time by participating in local charities, including Race for the Cure, FedEx St. Jude golf tournament and Juvenile Diabetes.

Short Biography

Yichen Chen, PhD, MSc, is a Senior Biostatistician, Global Analytics for the department of Global Pediatric Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in biostatistics from the University of Florida in 2019 and M.Sc. in statistics in China in 2014.

While a student at Florida, she worked as a statistician and graduate assistant at the Children’s Oncology Group Statistics and Data Center (COG SDC) for 3.5 years. Under the supervision of senior statisticians, she supported clinical trials on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Her job responsibilities included monitoring the ongoing studies on study accrual, data collection and toxicity, and generating regular study reports to study committee, data safety monitoring committee and institutional review board. In addition, Yichen served as a resource to senior statisticians in data analyses, ad-hoc analysis, protocol amendments, abstracts and presentations at conferences and manuscript preparation.

In her spare time, Yichen enjoys reading, playing music, swimming, cycling and fitness dancing.

Short Biography

Minh Doan is a dedicated professional with an extensive background in public health and epidemiology. She has a passion for health and data analytics and believes in the power of data to inform and drive meaningful change. Prior to joining St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Minh worked as a Program Specialist in cancer registry and as an Epidemiologist in infectious disease.

Drawn by the mission and values of St. Jude, Minh is excited to contribute to the fight against life-threatening diseases affecting children. As a mother to a young child, she deeply empathizes with the hardships that families with sick children face. Minh is eager to bring her knowledge and expertise to the department and looks forward to making impactful contributions.

Short Biography

Heather Fosburgh has over 20 years of experience working in international development and global health. Her primary focus is strengthening health systems in countries throughout the world. 

Heather has provided technical experience and support in human resources for health; leadership, management and governance; infection prevention and control; global health security; financial management; monitoring and evaluation; and advocacy and policy development, among other areas, for both infectious and chronic diseases. She has also led capstone projects, advised, and taught health care professionals and master's students about financial management, qualitative research methods, and strategic problem solving.  

Heather received her MPH in Health Policy and Global Health from the Yale School of Public Health and her MS in Applied Community and Economic Development from Illinois State University. She has worked in applied research and project management for non-profit and academic institutions, including Rotary International, the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute, and ICAP at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. Heather is excited to join the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine and the Health Systems Unit.

Heather is excited to join the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine and the Health Systems Unit and begin to learn more about the different projects and initiatives. Heather was looking for a position that involved strengthening health systems outside of an academic setting. 

While Heather enjoys living in New York City, she was looking for a change. She feels fortunate that this position strongly aligned with her interests, the outdoor activities and climate are more plentiful in Memphis and most importantly, she was very impressed with everyone and the work.

Short Biography

Melissa is a dedicated public health advocate with over nine years of program and project management experience, who has specialized in oncology, epidemiology, behavioral science and public policy. 

Effective at leveraging strategic partnerships, using quality improvement methodologies and harnessing data to create impactful solutions, Melissa has most recently served as the American Cancer Society’s Program Manager on the Interventions and Implementation team and as the Cancer Control Strategic Partnerships Manager. She has managed a portfolio of 80 grant-funded projects while engaging with collaborators including CDC, alongside ministries, non-governmental organizations, industry partners, state coalitions, health systems, and payors.

Melissa has also served as a Cancer Control Committee Member in the Health Council of South Florida, contributing strategic input to the Governor of Florida and to legislation on cancer control, research, and health equity.

In her new role, Melissa will help strengthen interventions and partnerships, such as the Nexus of Policies and Systems (NexPoS) global network, including activities in essential diagnostics and medicines, national cancer control planning, referral systems, and ongoing work as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Childhood Cancer and harnessing data to create impactful solutions.

Melissa holds dual Masters in Public Administration and Public Health from the University of Miami and is deeply committed to advancing health equity and improving health outcomes.

Currently living in Atlanta, Georgia, Melissa enjoys an active lifestyle. In her free time, she can often be found playing tennis, exploring new destinations and hiking new trails.