About Us
Bindu Kalesan, PhD, MPH, MSc, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Bindu Kalesan is an epidemiologist and public health expert with over two decades of experience in data-driven research and program evaluation. As the founder and CEO of Tury Research Institute, she leads a mission to advance health equity and deliver innovative solutions to complex public health and biomedical challenges. Dr. Kalesan’s work has been instrumental in shaping evidence-based policies, leveraging real-world evidence, and driving impactful outcomes for underserved communities. With a strong commitment to scientific rigor, collaboration, and social justice, she fosters a culture of excellence and purpose within the institute. An accomplished researcher, mentor, and advocate, Dr. Kalesan is dedicated to creating a legacy of meaningful change in healthcare and public health systems.
Email: kalesan@turyresearch.com
Brian Wolter, Founder and Chief Operations Officer
Brian Wolter brings extensive expertise in organizational leadership and operational strategy to his role as Chief Operations Officer at Tury Research Institute. With a strong background in managing complex projects and optimizing business processes, Brian ensures that the institute operates efficiently and effectively to achieve its mission of advancing health equity through innovative research.A dynamic and solutions-oriented leader, Brian is dedicated to fostering collaboration, streamlining operations, and building a strong foundation for sustainable growth. His commitment to excellence and impactful results supports the institute’s mission to address public health and biomedical challenges with precision and purpose.
Promise Tewogbola, PhD, MS, Sr. Healthcare Scientist
Dr. Tewogbola has a passion for applying behavioral economics to improve public health outcomes. He brings a multidisciplinary perspective to his work, drawing on his Ph.D. in Applied Psychology and M.S. in Health Sciences to design and evaluate impactful programs that address critical societal issues. Promise assesses evidence-based programs aimed at preventing gun violence and promoting equitable public safety. Leveraging his expertise in mixed methods research, he combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to deliver comprehensive program evaluations that inform policy and practice. Promise’s diverse research background includes positions at CORE Institute and Applied Research Consultants, where he contributed to projects ranging from broadband access in rural communities to alcohol and drug use behaviors among college students. His international experience includes collaborating on research projects with Johnson & Johnson MedTech China and managing USAID-, PEPFAR-, and Chevron-funded HIV/AIDS programs in Nigeria as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. Promise has authored several peer-reviewed publications and presented at regional and national conferences. He also founded PROMISE Labs Africa, a scientific non-profit organization based in Africa that conducts behavioral economic research to inform evidence-based policies on the continent. When not engaged in research or writing, Promise enjoys drawing, taking long walks and watching FC Barcelona play.
Sydney Miller, PhD, Healthcare Scientist
Dr. Miller is a public health researcher, focused on understanding the complex socio-ecological and structural drivers of inequalities in public health outcomes. Her background includes working with diverse teams of academic, government, and community partners to develop and tailor evidence-based public health research projects and intervention programs. Sydney's goal within these projects is to combine rigorous analytic and scientific methodologies with a community-centered approach, to develop evidence-based and culturally-tailored solutions to reduce social and health inequities.
Adrian J. Mack, PhD, MBA, Advisory Committee Member
Dr. Adrian J. Mack, PhD, MBA is a transdisciplinary academic, business developer, strategist, and business operator with a background in social impact. His doctoral research centered on media, technology, and society. He is also engaged in the criminal justice space, exploring issues of equity, reform, and community engagement. His interests also extend to national security. This intersection of criminal justice and national security allows Dr. Mack to examine complex societal challenges from multiple perspectives. He is deeply curious about human behavior, social dynamics, and understanding different cultures and groups, which is crucial in both the criminal justice and national security domains.
Dr. Mack has experience in both the public and private sectors, including the Department of Defense, Amazon, tech startups, nonprofits, universities, and R&D companies. He serves in board and advisory roles for different startups and community organizations, such as NASA’s Astrophysics Division’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Council, the Lucy Daniels Center, and Peak Beginnings, and previously served as a Commissioner on the Durham City Council's Human Relations Commission. Dr. Mack has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia, a Master of Arts from Duke University, a Master of Arts from Liberty University, a PhD from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, and is currently a candidate for a Master of Science in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Advanced Counterterrorism and Homeland Security from Southern New Hampshire University.
Bonaventure Dzekem, MD, MA, Public Policy Specialist
Dr. Bonaventure "Bona" Dzekem is a physician, entrepreneur and public health policy specialist with a deep commitment to advancing global health equity and leveraging technology for impactful healthcare solutions. Originally from Cameroon, Dr. Dzekem earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D) from the University of Buea, and a master’s in public health policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. With extensive experience working in diverse, multidisciplinary teams across the non-profit, private, and public sectors, Bona has developed a strong background in research, community outreach, and program management.
Dr. Dzekem began his career as a practicing physician in Cameroon. There, he established the Keafon Health, an innovative initiative focused on improving healthcare access through telemedicine and enhanced prehospital transport. His multifaceted expertise also includes leadership roles and has served as the program manager at the University of Chicago’s Center for Global Health, a consultant for the Task force on patients’ perspective for the World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension and currently serves a two-year term on the Training Advisory Committee for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. In 2018 Bona was named an Inaugural Obama scholar. These roles have allowed him to expand his impact on health policy and research.
Dr. Dzekem is currently completing his internal medicine residency at the University of Chicago and is set to begin his cardiovascular disease fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.
Fruitful Hamilton, Executive Assistant
Fruitful Hamilton is the Executive Assistant to the CEO at Tury Research, where she supports executive operations and strategic initiatives. She works closely with the CEO to keep priorities moving, coordinate internal and external communications, and ensure projects are executed with clarity and follow-through by liaising with Project Manager and staff on different projects.
She manages scheduling and coordination, documents workflows, builds internal systems and training resources, and helps maintain operational structure across teams. Her work brings order, accountability, and steady momentum to the organization’s day-to-day execution. She also manages the LMS and documentation of SOPs.
Matthew Oyeniran, Quantitative Healthcare Researcher and Database Engineer
Matthew Oyeniran is an interdisciplinary Data Scientist and Machine Learning Engineer with a proven track record of developing and deploying data-driven solutions across healthcare, education, and technology sectors. He holds a Master of Science in Data and Information Science and a First-Class Bachelor's degree in Pure Mathematics, providing a strong foundation in both computational methods and theoretical principles.
As a Quantitative Healthcare Scientist at Tury Research Institute, Matthew leads the design and implementation of data science initiatives that advance the institute’s mission to promote health equity through rigorous, evidence-based research. His work sits at the intersection of advanced analytics and public health, ensuring that research findings are reproducible, methodologically sound, and actionable for policymakers and practitioners.
Matthew’s research includes peer-reviewed publications applying machine learning to diverse fields, from cardiovascular health diagnostics to aquaculture and energy optimization. His technical expertise spans the full research data lifecycle: statistical analysis, predictive modeling with TensorFlow and Scikit-learn, deployment of scalable tools via Docker and cloud platforms, and creation of interactive dashboards for data exploration and stakeholder communication.
He is adept at translating complex research questions into rigorous quantitative study designs, managing and analyzing large-scale health datasets, and employing explainable AI techniques to ensure transparency and trust in model-driven insights. Through close collaboration with researchers, implementing partners, and community stakeholders, Matthew ensures that quantitative analyses are grounded in real-world contexts and aligned with programmatic and policy priorities.
Matthew is particularly committed to research at the intersection of population health, social determinants, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on strengthening the use of real-world evidence in public health decision-making. He is actively expanding his expertise in causal inference, advanced epidemiologic methods, and the integration of machine learning into disease surveillance and health systems research driven by a goal to produce equitable and sustainable health impact through rigorous quantitative science.
Matthew Oyeniran, Quantitative Healthcare Researcher and Database Engineer
Mrithyunjay (MJ) A. Vyliparambil is a Project Manager and Research Associate at Tury Research Institute, where he supports survey implementation, interview coordination, project management, and the drafting of reports and manuscripts across multiple public health and evaluation projects. He manages a portfolio of large and small projects, including work related to gun violence prevention and equitable public safety, and brings a strong interest in mental health, research, and community-centered care to his role.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston and has experience spanning research, healthcare support, and social entrepreneurship. His background includes community outreach and wellness programming at Bay Cove Human Services, research and teaching support at Columbia University, and co-founding Tury Health to help address health disparities. He has also contributed to peer-reviewed scientific publications and brings strengths in collaboration, documentation, literature review, and multilingual communication.
