Our children
are the future, and it is our responsibility to ensure that cancer doesn’t rob them of that future.
Our Board
Meet our Board members, a team of highly qualified medical specialists and professionals at the head of the Keira Grace Foundation. First is our Leadership team, which consists of our founders and leaders that guide our efforts in the communities we serve. Following this, we have our Advisory Board, which serves our foundation by bringing exciting and innovative ideas to our projects. Finally, our Medical Board is our team of expert oncologists that ensure our medical knowledge is efficient and up to date.
Leadership
Michael Lauzardo, MD
MSc - President and Co-Founder
I’m Dr. Michael Lauzardo, one of the co-founders of the Keira Grace Foundation and its president. I’m a physician trained in pulmonary medicine and public health, and I’ve been involved in Global Health for the last 20 or so years. Outside of my work with our foundation, I’m also a faculty member of the College of Medicine at the University of Florida.
Eileen Lauzardo, MD
Vice President/Treasurer and Co-Founder
I’m Dr. Eileen Lauzardo, one of the co-founders and a physician trained in Family Medicine. I’m an expert in adolescent and child health working at the University of Florida’s Student Health Care Center, as well as as the foundation’s vice president and treasurer.
Stephen Hunger, MD
Medical Director
I’m Dr. Stephen Hunger, a world-renowned expert in childhood cancer and leukemia. I’ve served as the foundation’s medical director since its inception in 2005, as well as the author of over 300 medical/scientific articles and the Chair of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Medical Board
Paula Aristizabal, MD, MAS
I’m Dr. Paula Aristizabal, a hematologist-oncologist at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego and an associate professor of pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of California (UC) San Diego. I’m also an advisor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Global Pediatric Medicine Department and the director of Rady Children’s International Outreach Program, which has partnered with St. Jude to establish pediatric oncology programs in Mexico and Colombia. My research interests include health disparities, implementation science, global health, and pediatric cancer inequities to better help underserved children with cancer.
Paul C. Ribeiro, MD
I’m Dr. Paul Ribeiro, the founding director of the St. Jude International Outreach Program, which has led the development of models that improved the care and survival of children with cancer throughout Latin America, Asia, and Africa. After completing my residency at the U Parana School of Medicine in Brazil and my fellowship in Pediatric Hematology Oncology at St. Jude, I’ve been working in the expansion of care and research of childhood cancer in low-resource settings.