Dr. Sadhana Jackson, M.D.

Dr. Sadhana Jackson is a driven clinician-scientist with 1) an enthusiasm for research, 2) a commitment to inspiring youth to pursue careers in STEM, and 3) a passion for achieving racial equity within the biomedical field. Her passion for science stems from an early love of astronomy and chemistry linked with her personal journey as a thyroid cancer survivor. This experience deeply influences her empathy towards patients/patient families, motivates her cancer research studies and compels her to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion is paramount within STEM. When not working in the lab or devoting time to her patients, she engages in community service aimed at inspiring youth to pursue STEM careers. She has publicly addressed the need for diverse faces and voices in science and medicine. Her zeal for mentoring is seen with ongoing participation on panels at the middle school, high school, undergraduate and medical school levels. She has extended her outreach by discussing her scientific/medical journey via Facebook Live, Cancer patient advocacy panels, social media posts/engagements and the Karen Hunter Show on SiriusXM radio guest appearances. She has even engaged her two young children on why diverse representation matters by having them participate with her in an NINDS sponsored science literacy event. With their help, Dr. Jackson conducted a Youtube recorded science experiment entitled “How hot is it?”- detailing changes in sensation between hot and cold liquids. This outreach effort helped the public to see the diversity of researchers at the NIH and further encouraged representation in the sciences amongst the black community. In addition, her professional photograph, title and favorite quote has been showcased, along with other accomplished black scientists at the NIH over the last 3 years in a highly trafficked NIH building - for all NIH staff, trainees and visitors to view.

Within her field of neuro-oncology, she serves a leadership role in the Women and Diversity committee of the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO). In this role, she led the charge of organizing the new Diversity Metrics Survey to over 1600 SNO members/affiliates. This 2020 survey focused on evaluating diversity in the neuro-oncology field as well as the make-up of their international societies - addressing factors of biases, mentoring opportunities, burnout, and developing plans to improve the field. She presented these results during a recent SNO virtual webinar entitled, “Diversity in Cancer Care: Does it Matter?” with additional panelists of Black Lives Matter co-founder, Alicia Garza and American Society of Clinical Oncology president, Lori Pierce. These efforts led to a recent publication within the NeuroOncology Journal, outlining survey findings and a path forward to make the neuro-oncology field more inclusive, diverse and equitable.

Within the NIH, Dr. Jackson remains passionate about enhancing scientific workforce diversity, as well as ensuring racial equity is achieved within the entire biomedical field. As such, she serves as a leader amongst the self-assembled 8 Changes for Racial Equity (8CRE) group. 8CRE wrote an open letter in June 2020, to the NIH Director, Dr. Francis Collins; proposing 8 changes aimed at achieving racial equity and inclusion at the NIH. The open letter was well received, resultantly Dr. Collins, admitted remorse for the role NIH played in perpetuating structural racism and resultantly NIH launched the UNITE initiative focused on ending structural racism and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the NIH and academic institutions in which it funds/supports. Additionally, Sadhana holds a leadership role amongst the NIH UNITE initiative, specifically in helping to communicate the racial equity work amongst all the committees and in changing NIH portraiture/digital campaigns to reflect the diversity of the American public. 8CRE achievements to date include 1) Organization of 3 agency wide listening sessions, 2) Creation of racial equity tool kits for use by varied NIH institutes, 3) Engagement in interviews and selection of new NIH leadership with a history of diversity and inclusion, 4) Active participation in NIH policy amendments to include anti-racism language, 5) Leadership roles amongst NIH UNITE efforts to ensure transparency, accountability and sustainability, 6) Mentoring local elementary children about STEM - conducting virtual science experiments, 7) Advocating amongst the local Montgomery County school board for changes in the slavery curriculum (imploring the school board to not discuss slaves as “joyful and with resilience”), 8) Organizing a recurring discussion series highlighting prominent STEM professionals of color about their success journeys and 9) Partnering with another biomedical government group centered on ensuring racial equity - 7 Acts of Change from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a result of her groups continued, thoughtful engagement with NIH leadership, Supporters of 8CRE have been named as an advisory council to the NIH Director and recently been awarded a 2021 NIH Director’s Award. Collectively, these efforts have helped to hold leadership accountable for making transparent, meaningful and sustainable changes in workplace culture at the NIH and the entire biomedical enterprise.

Dr. Jackson attended Hampton University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology. She then obtained her MD from Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS). Dr. Jackson subsequently completed a residency in Pediatrics at Orlando Health and then completed a three-year fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Additionally, she completed a two-year joint fellowship in pediatric neuro-oncology and clinical pharmacology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute before being selected as an NCI Assistant Clinical Investigator in the Clinical Investigator Development Program in 2015 and then promoted to a tenure-track investigator in 2020.

Dr. Sadhana Jackson is a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric hematologist/oncologist with clinical expertise and research efforts related to the blood-brain barrier and malignant glioma. Dr. Jackson’s clinical practice focuses on drug delivery of systemic agents for pediatric malignant brain tumor patients. She has extensive experience with use of intracerebral microdialysis to evaluate optimal drug entry in malignant tumors

Sub-specialties:
Pediatric Oncology
Pediatric Neuro-Oncology
Neuro-Oncology
Oncology
Cancer care-giver
Pediatrics
Health equity
Racial equity in the health field
Speaking up in the workplace to enhance inclusive culture