Jai N. Patel, PharmD
Dr. Patel is Associate Vice President of Translational Research and Director of Cancer Pharmacology & Pharmacogenomics at Atrium Health Levine Cancer and Associate Director for Shared Resource Management at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also an Associate Professor at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Dr. Patel received his Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy and completed an oncology pharmacogenomics postdoctoral fellowship at the UNC Center for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy.
Sarah Morris, PharmD
Dr. Morris is a Clinical Pharmacogenomics Specialist in the Division of Cancer Pharmacology & Pharmacogenomics at Atrium Health Levine Cancer. Dr. Morris received her Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of California San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She completed her PGY1 residency training at Stanford Health Care and her PGY2 in Clinical Pharmacogenomics at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Grace Nguyen, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Nguyen is a Clinical Pharmacogenomics Specialist in the Division of Cancer Pharmacology & Pharmacogenomics at Atrium Health Levine Cancer. Dr. Nguyen received her Doctorate in Pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy. She completed her PGY1 pharmacy residency at Ascension SE Wisconsin St. Joseph Hospital and PGY2 residency in Clinical Pharmacogenomics at University of Chicago Medical Center.
Ahmed Salem, PharmD
Dr. Salem is a Clinical Trials Pharmacist and supports the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Phase I team. He also oversees the development of investigational drug order sets in collaboration with the Clinical Trials Office and Investigational Drug Services Pharmacy. Dr. Salem also serves as a part-time clinical pharmacist and researcher in the Sickle Cell Disease clinic.
Simeon Kwange Owuor, MB (ASCPi) CM
Simeon is a Senior Research Associate and supports a range of translational research projects with a focus on pharmacogenomics. His roles include maintaining databases across multiple pharmacogenomics studies, collaborating with molecular and genomic laboratories to ensure sample collection, DNA extraction for downstream genotyping as well as clinical validation of the Infinium Global Diversity Array (GDA), with ongoing efforts to expand actionable SNPs for broader pharmacogenomic testing and improve the accuracy of predicting drug toxicities.
Samantha Sims, Senior Research Technician
Samantha is a Senior Research Technician in Pharmacogenomics at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Center. Samantha completed a B.S in Biology at Winston-Salem State University. Her roles include managing multiple databases, DNA extractions, and collaborating with different labs and clinics to collect samples. She supports and contributes to research that aims to improve treatment outcomes and reduce adverse drug reactions.
Neha Deshpande, PhD
Neha is a post-doctoral research fellow focusing on the discovery, validation, and translation of novel genetic predictors of drug metabolism and response in patients with hematologic malignancies. She completed a Masters of Science, Biochemistry from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, followed by a PhD in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University. She completed a post-doctoral research fellowship in gastrointestinal cell biology and biochemistry at Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center.
Nkenge Edwards, BS
Nkenge is Research Lab/Office Coordinator for the Levine Cancer Institute Translational Research Labs. She received a Bachelors of Science in Biology and previously served as Lead Gross Technician at Carolinas Pathology Group. In her current role, she manages the daily administrative tasks to ensure the smooth functioning of the office. This includes organizing schedules, maintaining office supplies, coordinating communication and maintenance of equipment, supporting staff, and overseeing lab/office operations.