Wendy Pizarro

Chief Legal Officer
and Chief Diversity Officer
Calidi Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Wendy Pizarro, chief legal officer and chief diversity officer at Calidi Biotherapeutics, is committed to incorporating historically underrepresented communities in cutting-edge clinical trials in order to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. She works closely with medical staff on the front lines to remove bias in screening protocols and integrate essential wraparound services, such as translation services, transportation and child care, so that marginalized patient populations, based on race, national origin, income or rural demographics, can have access to innovative health care programs. One example relates to breast cancer. In Los Angeles County, for example, non-Hispanic and Black women have the highest mortality rates in breast cancer at 18%+ but represent less than 3% of women participating in clinical trials. Pizarro is passionate about changing the paradigm and is working with nonprofits and big pharma organizations to improve these rates.