What happens when lived experience, science, and nonprofit leadership collide? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Eugene Manley, Jr. to discuss health equity, cancer care gaps, and what it truly takes to design programs that serve communities that have been overlooked for far too long. We explore how focus, intentionality, and listening to the people most impacted can turn complex equity challenges into meaningful, measurable action.

Episode Highlights

02:32 Dr. Manley's Personal Journey and Inspiration

04:01 Challenges in the Hospital System

05:24 Launching the STEM and Cancer Equity Foundation

06:18 Addressing Health Disparities and Patient Advocacy

10:11 The Importance of Early Exposure to STEM

11:01 Navigating Academia and Nonprofit Work

11:57 The Lung Cancer Health Equity Summit

16:03 Fiscal Sponsorship for Nonprofits

19:46 Defining and Addressing Health Equity

22:03 Challenges in Lung Cancer Clinical Trials

My guest for this episode is Dr. Eugene Manley, Jr., PhD, MS.

Dr. Eugene Manley, Jr., PhD, MS, is a biomedical scientist-turned-social impact leader and the Founder & CEO of the STEMM & Cancer Health Equity (SCHEQ) Foundation. He brings 20+ years across engineering, molecular and cell biology, nonprofit strategy, and workforce development, with prior leadership at leading cancer organizations. He had worked in development at the AACR, grant system administration at LCRF, and directed national STEM and workforce initiatives and health equity initiatives at LUNGevity Foundation.

Through SCHEQ, he advances STEMM workforce diversity and patient-centered solutions across the cancer care continuum, producing health-literacy resources, convening cross-sector stakeholders, and leading the Lung Cancer Interventions Summit to drive practical, equity-focused outcomes for underserved communities. He serves on local, national, and international advisory boards advocating for Medicaid, rural, and historically marginalized patients. Dr. Manley serves on the Stony Brook Cancer Community Advisory Council, PCORI advisory panels focused on healthcare delivery and comparative clinical effectiveness, and has co-authored a perspective work with the American Cancer Society's National Lung Cancer Roundtable on compassion and stigma in lung cancer care. His lived experience, research background, outreach, and policy engagement inform a pragmatic approach to closing gaps in screening, biomarker testing, trial access, and survivorship.

Connect with Dr. Eugene:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenemanleyjrphd

https://www.linkedin.com/company/stemmcheq

https://www.facebook.com/stemmcheq

https://www.instagram.com/stemmcheq

https://www.instagram.com/manleyeugene

Sponsored Resource

Join the Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Newsletter for weekly tips and inspiration for leading your nonprofit!

Access it here >>

Be sure to subscribe to Inspired Nonprofit Leadership so that you don't miss a single episode, and while you're at it, won't you take a moment to write a short review and rate our show? It would be greatly appreciated!

Let us know the topics or questions you would like to hear about in a future episode. You can do that and follow us on LinkedIn.