Global Health Research Interests: Cancer

Country: Ethiopia

Eden Biltibo, MD, MS, is a Hematology/Oncology clinical fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is passionate about developing strategies to bridge the differences in health care in multiple myeloma care. he focuses on equitably utilizing immunotherapeutics in Multiple Myeloma care and improving the pool of clinical trial participants in the same field.

Dr. Biltibo experienced health care disparities firsthand during her time in medical school in Ethiopia and her residency at Meharry Medical College. After realizing the disproportionately widening care gap in this field, she decided to pursue her fellowship in Hematology/Oncology. Dr. Biltibo completed a master's in Clinical and Translational Science at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is a post-doctoral fellow at Vanderbilt Integrated Molecular Oncology Research program. She is a recipient of the 2022 American Society of Hematology Minority Hematology Award.

Dr. Biltibo received recognition from her residency program and the Veterans Affairs Hospital for her excellent clinical service during her residency and chief residency. 

Global Health Research Interests: Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Countries: Brazil, Viet Nam

Dr. Digna Velez Edwards is a genetic epidemiologist, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Biomedical Informatics, Director of the Division of Quantitative Sciences in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Director of Women's Health Research Center, Investigator of the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, and a member of the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center. She has doctoral training in human genetics and has a master's degree in statistics. She started as faculty in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2010, pursuing research focused on exploring the the genetic differences and the role of gene interactions in the risk of complex diseases, with a specific interest in fibroproliferative disorders that include uterine fibroids and keloids and diseases that disproportionately impact women's reproductive health. 

Global Health Research Interests: Anthropology, Community Health, Education and Training (Capacity Building), Global Health Diplomacy, Global Health Policy, Global Health Systems/Delivery, Global Water Supply and Safety, Implementation Science, Infectious Diseases, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Public Health, Refugee and Immigrant Health, Traditional Medicine, Public Health Communication, Risk Communication, Practitioner-Patient Communication

Country: Guatemala

Dr. Harvey, trained in medical and linguistic anthropology, focuses on expanding scientific partnerships and developing technologies to address global public health challenges affecting populations in various settings. His research spans topics such as cross-cultural doctor-patient communication, waterborne diseases, disaster management, and community resilience. This interdisciplinary approach stems from over a decade of collaborative research and capacity-building efforts.

Global Health Research Interests: Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Informatics, Cancer, Clinical Trials, Dermatology, Engineering and Technology, mpox

Country: Congo

Dr. Tkaczyk is a physician-scientist with research interests in biophotonics for the diagnosis and treatment of skin diseases. He graduated with an MD/PhD from the University of Michigan, where he earned his PhD in electrical engineering from the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science (CUOS). During his time at CUOS, he had the opportunity to work with his academic grandfather, Gerard Mourou, the 2018 Nobel Laureate who founded the lab. Dr. Tkaczyk completed his post-doctoral training in medical device design at the University of Tartu, which was supported by Fulbright and Whitaker awards. Since 2016, he has served as the founding Director of the Vanderbilt Dermatology Translational Research Clinic (VDTRC.org). Dr. Tkaczyk is also actively involved in the leadership of several conferences and international working groups focused on artificial intelligence and dermatologic imaging technologies, which are key areas of his research.

Expertise: Dermatology; GVHD; Clinical skin measurements; Sclerosing and inflammatory skin diseases; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome; Artificial Intelligence; Biophotonics; Noninvasive imaging; Intravital microscopy

As a Senior Population/Public Health Manager at VIGH, Chelsea will manage Dr. Aliyu's training grants, work with partners, and support training and capacity-building projects in Nigeria. She came to VIGH from the VUMC Department of Pediatrics, where she coordinated community- and clinic-based clinical trials for children and families. Before joining VUMC, Chelsea lived in South Africa for three years as a Princeton in Africa fellow with mothers2mothers and then as a graduate student at the University of Cape Town, where her work focused on the role of communities in strengthening health systems and health systems research.

Chelsea received her B.A. in Political Science from Vanderbilt University, with a minor in Human and Organizational Development. She also holds an MPH (Health Systems) from the University of Cape Town. Chelsea enjoys baking, knitting, and making pottery in her free time.