Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) is welcoming two new board members who bring a wealth of knowledge and professional expertise to our team: gastroenterologist Dr. Fola May and Senior Equity Analyst Daniel Bloomgarden, who is also a stage III survivor.

Folasade (Fola) May, M.D., Ph.D., M. Phil., got involved at  Fight CRC by joining the distinguished Medical Advisory Committee. In 2020, she was asked to become one of the charter members of the Health Equity Committee, a team formed to help shape Fight CRC’s diversity and inclusion culture and better engage employees, survivors, patients, and caregivers.

"Colorectal cancer is common, which is most devastating because it is largely preventable,” said Dr. May. “But until we address the lowest screening rates in the most disadvantaged communities in the United States, we can not win the battle against colorectal cancer."

Dr. May is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and a staff physician in Gastroenterology in the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System. Dr. May graduated from Yale University with a degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and then attended the University of Cambridge (UK) to obtain a Masters in Epidemiology. She attended Harvard Medical School and trained in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital before joining the UCLA Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program, where she completed her gastroenterology fellowship and a Ph.D. in Health Policy and Management from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. 

Currently, she is the Director of Quality Improvement in Gastroenterology for UCLA Health and the Director of the May Lab at UCLA Health, which performs epidemiological studies, health services research, and implementation science to address suboptimal cancer screening rates overall and among racial and ethnic minorities. Read more about Dr. May.

Daniel Bloomgarden is a stage III colon cancer survivor diagnosed in 2014 and one of Fight CRC’s 2020 Ambassadors, an experience that he says has introduced him to a whole new world and transformed him into a passionate advocate.

"My desire to help other patients and caregivers has been building since I finished treatment, but I needed more time to raise a young family, grow in my career, and better understand the reverberations of survivorship,” said Bloomgarden. “I walked away with goosebumps after learning what Fight CRC is all about during Ambassador Training. Part of our mission is that ‘No one fights alone,’ and I’m now in a place where I’m ready to fight for others."

Bloomgarden has worked as an investor for over 15 years. He currently works as an Executive Director and Senior Analyst for Growth Equities at JP Morgan and invests in consumer/consumer tech companies in the small to midsize capitalization range.  

He holds an MBA degree from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and an undergrad degree from the University at Albany. 

“We are so proud and honored that Dr. May and Daniel have joined our Board of Directors and will be pouring their talents, passion and vision for fighting colorectal cancer into our organization,” said Anjee Davis, president of Fight CRC. “We’re fortunate to have them on our team and we’re excited to serve even more relentless champions of hope with their leadership.”

To meet everyone on the Fight Colorectal Cancer Board of Directors, visit FightCRC.org/about/our-team/.

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