b'PALLIATIVE CARE RETREAT & RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM19Raegan W. Durant, MD, MPH,is a Professor of Medicine and the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the Heersink School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. An internist by training, Dr. Durant focuses on health disparities research in multiple contexts, including advanced care planning, minority participation in clinical trials, and cardiovascular disease outcomes. He also leads multiple NIH-funded projects aimed at increasing the diversity of the health care and clinical research workforces.Dr. Durant is a co-mentor of Deborah Ejem, PhD, MA, a 2021 NPCRC award recipient. [email protected] Julie Eche, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC,is a nurse scientist within the Phyllis Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Patient Care Services at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Her research focuses on reducing cancer-related palliative care disparities and improving psychosocial outcomes through developing and testing culturally congruent psychosocial interventions for parents of children with cancer, especially those from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. Dr. Eche is arecipient of the 2022 National Palliative Care Research Center Kornfeld Scholars Program. [email protected] Ejem, PhD, MA,is a medical sociologist and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Ejems research focuses on seeking ways to address disparities that result from inadequate attention to cultural, spiritual, and family values influence on palliative care communication. Dr. Ejem is a 2021 NPCRC [email protected] El-Jawahri, MD,is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Director of Digital Health, Director of the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivorship Program, and Associate Director of the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Dr. El-Jawahris research focuses on developing and testing palliative and supportive care and digital health interventions to enhance patient-centered decision-making and improve the quality of life and care of patients with blood cancers and their caregivers. [email protected]'