2021 NIH VIRTUAL SEMINAR ON PROGRAM FUNDING AND GRANTS ADMINISTRATION

Dr. Rajeev K. Agarwal is a Senior Research Program Officer (Health Scientist Administrator) in the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), NIH. Dr. Agarwal leads two ORWH signature programs: (1) the Specialized Centers of Research Excellence (SCORE), a disease-agnostic research program, focused on sex differences and major medical conditions affecting women in the US, and (2) the administrative supplement program to support research highlighting the impact of sex (as a biological variable) and gender (as a social construct) influences in human health and illness. He is also the Senior Scientific Lead/Coordinator for all COVID-19 related activities and is a co-chair of COVID-19 working group of Coordinating Committee on Research on Women’s Health (CCRWH). Dr. Agarwal, is a project scientist in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, and represent ORWH in the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) initiative, and the Knockout Mouse Phenotyping Program (KOMP). In addition, he is a liaison for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), the NIH Guide, and the NIH Office of Strategic Coordination - the Common Fund. He works collaboratively with representatives of 28 NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices. He also participates in other NIH-wide committees and working groups.

Before joining ORWH, Rajeev was a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, overseeing a translational research portfolio known as Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) for different organ sites (brain, cervical, endometrial, gastrointestinal, ovarian, pancreatic, and skin cancers) funded as P50 and U54 mechanisms.

Dr. Agarwal holds M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Lucknow, Lucknow, India. He performed his research at India’s one of the premier institutes, the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, India. In the US, he worked at the Tufts University, MA; the State University of New York Health Science Center, Syracuse, NY; and in the intramural program of the National Eye Institute, NIH. He also worked as a director of Research and Development in the Immunosciences Lab., Beverly Hills, CA.

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Marie A. Bernard, M.D. is the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD). As COSWD, she leads NIH thought regarding the science of scientific workforce diversity, assuring that the full range of talent is accessed to promote scientific creativity and innovation, both intramurally and extramurally. Dr. Bernard also co-leads NIH’s newly announced UNITE initiative to end structural racism.

Prior to being selected as the COSWD in May 2021, she was deputy director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA). As NIA’s senior geriatrician, she served as the principal advisor to the NIA director. She also led a broad range of activities, including co-chairing two Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020/2030 objectives – 1) Older Adults, and 2) Dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease. She co-led the NIH-wide Inclusion Governance Committee that ensures appropriate inclusion of individuals in clinical studies, including by sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and inclusion of children and older adults. She also co-chaired the Women of Color Committee of the NIH-wide Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers. Her national leadership in geriatrics research, teaching, and clinical practice has been recognized by the Clark Tibbits award from the Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education (2013), and the Donald P Kent award from the Gerontological Society of America (2014). Her work within NIH has been recognized with NIH Director’s awards (2018 and 2019), including the NIH Director’s award for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in 2020.

Until October 2008 she was the endowed professor and founding chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, and Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics and Extended Care at the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She has held numerous national leadership roles, including chair of the Department of Veterans Affairs National Research Advisory Committee, chair of the Clinical Medicine (now Health Sciences) Section of the Gerontological Society of America, board member of the American Geriatrics Society, president of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and president of the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs. She has lectured and published widely in her area of research, nutrition and function in older adults, with particular focus on underrepresented minority populations.

National Institute of Aging (NIA), NIH

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Dr. Jade Blevins is the Customer Relationship Manager and Product Owner for several grants administration services and eRA projects including, Request for Additional Materials (RAM), Certificate of Confidentiality, Federal Financial Report transition to use of the Payment Management System and Partner Agency functionalities within the National Institutes of Health’s division of electronic Research Administration (eRA). Jade began her career with OER as a Scientific Information Analyst in the Division of Categorization and Analysis. She moved to eRA as a product owner for the Research Condition and Disease Categorization team and from there was reassigned to the Human Subjects System and now the Commons team where she is a liaison between end users and development teams defining and implementing system requirements. Jade is an alumna of the University of Maryland Baltimore where she holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Ericka Boone, Ph.D. is the Director for the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce (DBRW) within the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER). She recently served as the Director of the NIH Division of Loan Repayment. In that role, Dr. Boone was responsible for administering and providing leadership for the NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRP) as well as representing NIH on matters related to the operations, policy development and evaluation of the LRP. Previous to this position, Dr. Boone served as a Health Scientist Administrator in the Office of Science Policy and Communications at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. There she developed and targeted science-based publications, outreach initiatives and other activities to educate a variety of audiences about the science of drug use, abuse and addiction. For her role in these efforts, Dr. Boone has won several NIDA Director’s Awards of Merit and an NIH Director’s Award. Prior to coming to NIH, Dr. Boone conducted research at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Emory University. Dr. Boone’s academic background includes a B.A. in Biology from Talladega College and a Ph.D. in Biobehavioral Health from The Pennsylvania State University.

Ms. Rosalina Bray is the NIH Extramural Staff Training Officer and leads the activities of for Extramural Staff Training Programs. Prior to accepting a position in the NIH Office of the Director, she was a Senior Health Science Policy Analyst for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development; and a Program Analyst for the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. She serves on several trans-Agency and trans-NIH committees and working groups. Bray has led several national and global collaborative efforts. She has a passion for leadership development and transforming organizations.

At the NIH, she co-chairs the OD Staff Training Advisory Committee (STAC). While serving as the NIH Extramural Staff Training Officer, Ms. Bray led efforts to design the NIH Training 365 Programmatic Framework; redesigned the NIH Integrated Core Curriculum for extramural staff; established partnerships and collaborations with NIH Training Partners award the agency; and improved the coordination of training activities within the Office of Extramural Research. Ms. Bray is considered one of the nation’s foremost thought leaders in executive leadership, science policy, technological innovation, business development, and education reform. In addition, she is a leading voice for diversity and inclusion, capacity building, pipeline development, and workforce development.

Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH

Alesia Brody has been with NIH for over 10 years and currently serves as an Assistant Compliance Officer in the Division of Grants Compliance & Oversight where she provides policy and compliance guidance to both internal and external stakeholders and manages a variety of projects including the Grants Management Professional Certification Program. Before joining OPERA, she served as a Senior Grants Management Specialist at Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) where she managed a diverse and complex grant portfolio.

Prior to joining NIH, she worked in various aspects of grants and program management including as a program officer at the American Legacy Foundation and program manager at Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools. Before relocating to the Washington metropolitan area, she worked to expand educational opportunities for domestic and international students of all ages holding positions such as: Comprehensive Support Program Tutor at Lynn University; Academic Director for Score Educational Centers; and Manager for International Fulbright Preacademic Programs at the Institute of International Education. Ms. Brody has gained invaluable experience working closely with students of various academic levels, university faculty and administrators, and government agencies throughout her professional career.

Ms. Brody received her Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Boston after completing her undergraduate studies in sociology and economics. She also holds a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Georgetown University.

Division of Grants Compliance and Oversight (DGCO)
Office of Policy for Extramural Research (OPERA)
Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH

Michelle G. Bulls is the Director of the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA) with policy and compliance oversight for the 24 Institutes and Centers grants management offices within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Michelle provides national leadership and oversight in the business and financial management of the federal assistance biomedical research programs supported by NIH. Michelle has over 20 years of grants administration experience and is well respected Federal-wide for her grants policy expertise. She continues to lead HHS and Federal-wide efforts in drafting and implementing financial assistance regulations and policies. She currently serves on the Council of Financial Assistance Reform working group where she champions grants management streamlining and reformation efforts across the Federal government.

Liza Bundesen is the Deputy Director in the Office of Extramural Research (OER). In OER, Dr. Bundesen works on a variety of issues, such as collaborating with NIH colleagues on developing and implementing extramural policies and procedures; protecting the integrity of NIH-funded research; and communicating the value of NIH-supported research to NIH’s wide range of stakeholders. Prior to joining OER, Dr. Bundesen was Chief of the Science Policy and Evaluation Branch within the Office of Science Policy, Planning, and Communications at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). At NIMH, she oversaw a range of policy and planning activities for the institute, including Congressional reporting, strategic planning, and program evaluation. Dr. Bundesen joined NIMH in 2004 as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow. Before coming to NIH, she was a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies, where she worked at the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Liza received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Georgetown University and her B.S. in molecular biology from Lehigh University.

Dr. Noni Byrnes is Director of the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this capacity, she leads a staff of about 600 personnel, and is responsible for overseeing the majority of the NIH peer review process as CSR handles the review of ~76% of grant applications submitted to NIH.

Prior to being appointed Director in 2019, Dr. Byrnes served in a variety of roles at CSR in positions of increasing responsibility―beginning as a scientific review officer and eventually serving as Acting Deputy Director and Acting Director of CSR, before being named Director.

Dr. Byrnes has a deep understanding of NIH peer review, a history of engagement with the scientific community, and a track record of innovation and leading change. She provides leadership and oversight of the peer review of high-profile trans-NIH initiatives and has led the development of recommendations to strengthen peer review across NIH. This includes facilitating the development of recommendations to strengthen the peer review of research project grants through a simplified review framework and a separate set of recommendations to ensure that the peer review of NRSA fellowship applications is fair and effective.

Under her leadership, CSR has increased the diversity of scientific review groups. In addition, she has taken many actions to address bias in peer review, including the development of bias awareness and mitigation training for reviewers. This training is to be adopted by all of NIH and made mandatory for reviewers.

Prior to joining CSR, Dr. Byrnes worked in the pharmaceutical industry, where she conducted research to support Investigational New Drug submissions, among other responsibilities. Dr. Byrnes earned a B.S. in chemistry from Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Latarsha Carithers, Ph.D., is chief of the Training, Mentored Research, and Diversity Section within NIGMS’ Scientific Review Branch. She oversees the review of a wide range of grant mechanisms, including institutional training grants (T32/T34), career development awards (K99), and education projects (R25). Prior to joining NIGMS, Latarsha served as a Program Officer at the National Cancer Institute and a Scientific Review Officer at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. She earned a B.S. in biology from Spelman College and a Ph.D. in pathobiology and molecular medicine from Columbia University. Latarsha also completed a Science and Technology Policy Fellowship at the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine).

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As Communications Director, Ms. Megan Columbus is responsible for leading strategic planning and communication activities pertinent to the management of NIH’s extramural program. She enjoys connecting scientists and administrators to information and tools in support of their research programs, helping the broader public learn how NIH-supported research contributes to health advances, and supporting the ongoing dialog between NIH and the research community. Ms. Columbus’ office is responsible for the NIH Grants and Funding website, the NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts, the Extramural Nexus newsletter and “Open Mike” blog, eRA system communications, the Grants Info service desk, and a host of other resources. She especially enjoys her outreach responsibilities, which includes putting on events like the NIH Regional Seminars.

John F. Connaughton, Ph.D., Chief, Scientific Review Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health. Dr. Connaughton supervises Scientific Review Officers (SRO) who carry out duties related to the oversight and administration of scientific peer review activities for grant applications, cooperative agreements, and contract proposals assigned to the NIDDK. He serves as a resource for questions related to the law, regulation, and policy that frame the peer review process. He is the NIDDK representative to the trans-NIH Review Policy Committee (RPC) serving as a Principal Member. Dr. Connaughton also serves as an SRO when needed organizing peer review committees that evaluate applications submitted to Funding Opportunity Announcements issued by the NIDDK.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH

Sheri Cummins joined NIH in 2008 as a Customer Relationship Manager for the electronic Research Administration (eRA) program focusing on eRA’s external services including eRA Commons and Electronic Application Submission. While working in eRA, she led many projects including the implementation of NIH's web-based ASSIST system for grant application preparation and submission. In 2013, she moved to the Division of Communications and Outreach for the NIH Office of Extramural Research where she is responsible for grants process communications and outreach. Prior to coming to NIH, she worked for GE Global Exchange Services for 13 years in various roles including people and project management, communications, customer support and client advocacy. She was also the owner/operator of a small retail business. Ms. Cummins is an alumna of the University of Maryland, where she received a B.S. in Computer Science.

Cindy Danielson is a Health Science Policy Analyst in the Division of Data Systems and Data Quality, which is part of the Office of Extramural Research (OER) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Cindy supports the development of reporting tools and databases used for program management and analysis by NIH staff and members of the public, including NIH RePORT and RePORTER. She first joined NIH in 2013 as an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) Office of Science Policy and Legislation, where she analyzed and reported on NINR’s portfolio of research. She received her Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from Northwestern University, where she focused on the cell biology of HIV and host cell defenses, and her undergraduate degree in psychobiology from the University of Southern California.

Office of Extramural Research, NIH

Diane Dean is Senior Advisor in the NIH Office of Policy for Extramural Research (OPERA). Previously, Diane served as the Director of the Division of Grants Compliance and Oversight (DGCO) in OPERA, a component of the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER). She joined OPERA in 1998 and became the first director of DGCO in January 2002. The DGCO provides a focal point for the NIH extramural research program to promote compliance and enhance compliance oversight by recipient institutions. Diane’s extensive career at NIH encompasses over 25 years of compliance experience in extramural research, including 16 years reviewing allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse, the basis for her keen interest in compliance

Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)

Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH

Ms. Dolores Doherty earned a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama. She earned her Masters of Management with Research Administration from Emmanuel College. She began her career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a Grants and Contracts Accountant in the Grants and Contracts Accounting Department. She performed primarily post award duties in that capacity. She went on to serve in several positions ranging from Accountant to Financial Officer for different schools and departments at UAB over an 11 year period of time. Ms. Doherty then relocated to Purdue University and served as an Account Manager in the Sponsored Programs Office for 2 years. During her time with Purdue University her duties consisted of pre-award and post-award functions for all DHHS and NASA grants. Ms. Doherty came to the NIH in 2002 as a Grants Management Specialist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. She served as a specialist and achieved Senior Grants Management Specialist with NHLBI. She was hired as a Senior Grants Management Specialist at NIDDK and now serves as the Deputy Grants Management Officer at NIDDK since 2007.

Teraya Donaldson, M.S., Ph.D., serves as the research training policy officer in the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce (DBRW) in the Office of Extramural Research (OER).

Dr. Donaldson earned her doctorate from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Microbiology investigating malarial chemotherapeutic targets. After completing a post doctorate in biophysics at Oberlin College and serving as visiting faculty fellow at University of Richmond, Dr. Donaldson led graduate and KL2 training initiatives as the Assistant Director of Education for the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In that capacity, she was faculty for the Center and administrative liaison for students, faculty, scholars, and other participants in educational programs in CCTR. Additionally, Dr. Donaldson was the graduate director for the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) R25 award where she provided mentoring and guidance for predoctoral students. As an AAAS S&T fellow in Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) from 2018-2020, she developed training and workforce initiatives including the NIH Prize for Enhancing Faculty Gender Diversity. Previously Dr. Donaldson was a health science policy analyst in the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and a Health Scientist Administrator in ORWH.

Ms. Cynthia Dwyer serves as a coordinator of the NIH Regional Seminars on Program Funding and Grants Administration for the Office of Extramural Research’s Division of Communications and Outreach. In addition, she is responsible for coordinating other OER outreach activities and the development of resources for the extramural research community.
Ms. Dwyer began her career with NIH in 2000 as a Grants Management Specialist for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where she served for five years. In 2005, she moved to the NIH Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA) where she served as a Grants Policy Officer prior to joining OER’s communications office. Ms. Dwyer obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of North Texas, her teaching degree from University of Missouri-St Louis, and Master of Arts in School Administration from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. Prior to her career with the NIH, Ms. Dwyer taught grade school, wrote grants for her school district, served as a regional customer service trainer and manager for a major retail chain, and published a travel magazine of Central Missouri.

Dr. Luis Espinoza oversees the Clinical, Treatment and Health Services Research Study Section at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. He has been a Health Scientist Administrator at the Center for Scientific Review where he managed the evaluation of applications that focus on disease of the blood and blood components. He also managed the evaluation of grant applications focusing on the integration of Big Data and data science into biomedical research, basic to clinical and translational investigations in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. His leadership skills include directing, managing, and working with internal and external stakeholders to troubleshoot and deliver innovative solutions for the fair evaluation of grant applications.

Dr. Espinoza is also experienced in planning, organizing, and directing projects for individuals and teams. He has worked in academic and federal arenas to direct diverse interdisciplinary teams and to implement several successful research programs in toxicogenomics, cancer chemotherapy, and stem cells. Dr. Espinoza obtained his M.Sc. and PhD. degrees from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and was a faculty member at Georgetown University, Washington DC and a Senior Scientist at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.

Ms. Stephanie J. Fertig is the HHS Small Business Program Lead in SEED (Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She currently oversees the Health and Human Services (HHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, which includes the NIH SBIR and STTR programs. The HHS SBIR and STTR programs are congressionally mandated set-aside programs that provide over $1.2 billion dollars per year to small business concerns. Prior to joining SEED, she managed the SBIR and STTR Programs at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). During her over 15 years at NIH she has led the development and implementation of multiple programs focused on small businesses and translational research. Ms. Fertig has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a major in Physics from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Office of Extramural Research (OER)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Kasima Garst is a Systems Policy Analyst in the OER’s Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA) Systems Policy Branch. She represents NIH on systems policy initiatives at the HHS and Federal-wide levels and works with key NIH stakeholders to ensure successful implementation of critical systems, policies, and compliance requirements across the NIH. Prior to joining OPERA in 2019, Mrs. Garst was a Grants Management Officer at the NIH Fogarty International Center and a Grants Management Specialist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Middlebury College and a Master of Forensic Sciences degree in Forensic Molecular Biology from the George Washington University.

Dr. Anna Ghambaryan is currently a Scientific Review Officer (SRO) at National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) which supports and conducts research on the impact of alcohol use on human health and well-being. Prior coming to NIAAA, she was a Health Scientist/Epidemiologist at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where she was responsible for assessing clinical data on implantable medical devices. In addition, Dr. Ghambaryan had worked as DoD contractor for over 10 years in areas of monocycle fatalities and problematic behaviors among service members. Prior to joining FDA, Dr. Ghambaryan was a junior service fellow at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) where she was responsible for coordinating research portfolios for multimillion research grants in cardiovascular disease. She earned her M.D. degree in general practice from Yerevan State Medical University, Armenia, an M.S. in Psychology from Brigham Young University, and a Ph.D. in Medical Psychology from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Kenneth Gibbs, Jr., Ph.D. is director of the NIGMS Postdoctoral Research Associate Training (PRAT) Program, and is a program director in the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity, where he manages the Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) program and oversees predoctoral T32 biostatistics grants. He also manages research grants in the areas of stem cell biology and regeneration in the Division of Genetics and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.

Gibbs was previously a program analyst in the Institute’s Office of Program Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation. Before joining NIGMS, he was a cancer prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute and an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation. Gibbs earned a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in immunology from Stanford University.

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), NIH

Anastasiya Hardison is the Customer Relationship Manager and Product Owner for several grants administration services including, Prior Approval, xTrain, and Financial Conflict Of Interest (FCOI), in the National Institutes of Health’s division of electronic Research Administration (eRA). Anastasiya began her career with eRA at the service desk providing support for eRA Commons and eSubmission users. She was quickly promoted to become a liaison between end users and development teams defining and implementing system requirements. Anastasiya is an alumna of Towson University where she holds a Bachelor of Science.

Dr. Nonye Harvey is a Health Science Policy Analyst in the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Implementation Office housed within the Immediate Office of the Director, Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH Office of the Director. She works across NIH, on trans-NIH groups and committees, to support central coordination, harmonization and standardization of systems and processes for optimal implementation of NIH data sharing policies across NIH Institutes and Centers, and the broader scientific community. Previously, Dr. Harvey held various positions and roles throughout her 15-year tenure at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She worked as a Program Director, Team Lead, Public Health Advisor and Program Analyst in the Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program of NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, and in the NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship.

Dr. Harvey was the Executive Director of the NCI Cohort Consortium from 2006-2020 and co-authored several peer-reviewed publications on consortium pooling studies, and more recently a CEBP commentary on the Consortium’s strategic planning process. She was also involved in the development and management of other cancer epidemiology cohort research and consortia, including the Breast Cancer and Environment Research Program initiative, jointly funded by NCI and NIEHS. Her expertise and interests include span data sharing in biomedical research, policy, evaluation, strategic planning, scientific initiative development, cancer epidemiology consortia research, and global health.

Prior to joining NCI, Dr. Harvey served as the Program Manager of the Mid-Atlantic Region Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at the George Washington University (GWU) Milken Institute School of Public Health where she worked on children’s environmental health research and provider training programs. She earned her M.P.H. in maternal and child health and international health from the GWU Milken Institute School of Public Health and her Dr.P.H. in leadership in public health from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.

Lauren D. Hill, PhD is the Acting Director of the Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity (ODWD) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). ODWD advances NIMH efforts to promote equity in research, to address the mental health needs of individuals and communities negatively impacted by health disparities, and to promote diversity and inclusion for those underrepresented in the research workforce. Prior to joining ODWD, Dr. Hill was the Director of Research Training and Career Development in the NIMH Division of Services and Intervention Research, where she managed a large and diverse program of research training grants and initiatives. Before coming to NIMH, Dr. Hill had faculty appointments in the Departments of Medical and Clinical Psychology (MPS) and Family Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine (USU) and directed the Education Core of the NIH-funded USU Center for Health Disparities Research and Education. Dr. Hill earned a B.S. in Biology-Psychology from Tufts University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at American University in Washington, DC. She completed psychology internship in adult behavioral medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and post-doctoral training at USU in community-partnered health disparities research.

Sean Hine is a Supervisory Grants Management Specialist with the National Cancer Institute at NIH. Prior to his current position, Sean worked at NCI as a Grants Management Specialist and a Team Leader. Through 16 years of experience, he has worked with nearly every mechanism that NCI supports. Sean has a degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton where he majored in business management with concentrations in leadership and management information systems.

Dr. Brian Hoshaw received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology/Neuroscience from Temple University in 2002. He then worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and then Research Associate at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Pharmacology. In 2006, he joined the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) at the NIH as part of the Scientific Review Officer (SRO) internship program. In 2012, he joined the National Eye Institute as an SRO where he reviews clinical trial and other applications.
During his time at NIH, Dr. Hoshaw has served on numerous committees and working groups related to SRO training with a focus on IT aspects of the SRO job. Dr. Hoshaw has been involved in the development and use of Internet Assisted Meetings (IAM). He was one of the first users of this review format, and for 3 years he was the IAM Coordinator at the Center for Scientific Review, and for 2 years he was co-Chair of the SRO Technical and Competencies Subcommittee (STCS). Dr. Hoshaw is currently the Chief of the Scientific Review Branch at the National Eye Institute. His review load covers training grants and clinical trial applications, as well as applications submitted to RFAs for NEI.

Dr. Alfred C. Johnson was appointed as the Deputy Director for Management and Chief Financial Officer for the National Institutes of Health in May 2017. As Deputy Director for Management (DDM), he advises the Director, NIH, and senior officials on all phases of NIH-wide administration and provides oversight for budget and finance; human resources; management assessment and policy; program integrity; contracts, procurement, and logistics; engineering services; safety, space, and facility management; support services; and security operations. Dr. Johnson is the principal NIH contact on administrative and management matters for the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) and other federal agencies.

Prior to taking on the Deputy Director for Management role, Dr. Johnson served as the NIH Associate Director for Research Services and Director of the Office of Research Services (ORS) for ten years. As the ORS Director, he planned and directed service programs for public safety and security operations, scientific and regulatory support, and a wide variety of other program and employee services. In this capacity, he served as the Chief Security Officer, the Designated Agency Safety and Health Official and the Senior Official for Health and Wellness. He managed a staff of over 550 federal employees, over 1400 contract employees and a budget of over $250 million to deliver programs and services to the NIH community.

Dr. Johnson has also served an Assistant Director in the NIH Office of Intramural Research, the Acting Director, Division of Loan Repayment, Director of the NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program and was a Principal Investigator in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the National Cancer Institute. His research was in the molecular biology of cancer arena focused on regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor gene expression.

Dr. Johnson was born and raised in Alabama. He earned a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, in chemistry from Albany State University, Albany, Georgia and a doctorate degree in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Office of Management
Office of the Director, NIH

Mr. J.P. Kim serves as an SBIR/STTR Program Manager and NIH Extramural Data Sharing Policy Officer in the NIH Office of Extramural Programs (OEP), under the Office of Extramural Research (OER), under the Office of the Director (OD), at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). Prior to joining the NIH SBIR/STTR team, J.P. served as Director & Policy Officer of the Division of Extramural Inventions & Technology Resources in OPERA/OER for over 9 years. His responsibilities included working with the extramural community and developing, implementing, and providing policy guidance, oversight, education/training, and day-to-day management on extramural invention reporting, iEdison, and data sharing/management under NIH extramural funding agreements (including under SBIR awards). Prior to joining the extramural program under OER, J.P. worked in the NIH Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) under the Office of Intramural Research (OIR). Among his duties at OTT, J.P. served as a Senior Technology Licensing Specialist and Patent Advisor on inventions arising from the NIH intramural research program, negotiating technology licensing agreements that generated over $300 million in royalties for the NIH. He has over 30 years of experience working with patents and other intellectual property matters for businesses, universities, and other organizations. In addition to J.P.’s duties under the NIH SBIR/STTR programs which includes special expertise on SBIR IP issues, J.P. also works on NIH’s extramural data sharing/management policy and implementation matters. J.P. has also worked as a researcher at private companies and in the academic sector, as well as at national, international, and local intellectual property law firms working on patent, trademark, copyright, and international trade matters. J.P. received his J.D. and M.B.A. in International Business and International Marketing, an M.Sc. in Biotechnology, an M.P.P. in Health Policy with an additional certification in the Nonprofit Sector, and an M.A. in Liberal Studies with a thesis on the bioethics of human cloning, a B.Sc. in Zoology (Chemistry m.), and a B.A. in Psychology, as well as further graduate study in Genetics and Sustainability Leadership for a greener world. He earned degrees from Georgetown University, George Washington University, American University, the University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins University. J.P. is a registered U.S. Patent Attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and is also registered to practice before the U.S. Court of International Trade (USCIT), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), and the U.S. Supreme Court, among other courts.

Peter J. Kozel, Ph.D., is Chief of the Training and Mentored Research Section in the Scientific Review Branch at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the locus of review for all fellowship, mentored career development, training grant, research education, and conference grant applications assigned to NIDDK. Dr. Kozel previously held Scientific Review Officer (SRO) positions at NIDDK, the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). In these positions, he has managed the scientific review of contract proposals and center, clinical trial, research network, coordinating center, conference, fellowship, career development, training, cooperative agreement, loan repayment, and investigator-initiated research grant applications. He also served as a Scientific Program Analyst at NCCIH with responsibilities in training and special populations. Dr. Kozel has served on numerous trans-NIH committees, including the Training Advisory Committee, Review User’s Group, Peer Review Evergreening, Loan Repayment Program Policy Advisory Committee, Scientific Overlap Committee, and SRO Technical and Competencies Subcommittee. He was a Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academies. Dr. Kozel earned his doctorate at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Dr. Alfonso R. Latoniis Chief of the Scientific Review Branch in the Division of Extramural Research and Training at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS/NIH), in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Prior to joining the NIEHS, Dr. Latoni was Deputy Chief of Review in the Scientific Review Branch of the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He has also served in the Center for Scientific Review, NIH, where he was a Scientific Review Officer in the Health of the Population Integrated Review Group, and later in the Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes Integrated Review Group. Prior to joining the NIH, Dr. Latoni was Director of the Minority Affairs Program of the American Sociological Association (ASA) and Director of the ASA’s Minority Fellowship Program. Previously, he was Associate Professor of Sociology, Political Science, and Applied Social Research at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (UPRM), Departamento de Ciencias Sociales y Centro de Investigación Social Aplicada (CISA).

Dr. Latoni’s primary research interests have been at the intersection of social and economic inequities and disparities among underrepresented populations, with particular emphasis on the underclass, the elderly, and the homeless. During his doctoral training, he conducted fieldwork research in Central America and the Caribbean where he explored the delivery of health care services in countries that were undergoing significant social, economic, and political change.

While at the UPRM, he taught courses in sociology, political sciences, and social policy. As a researcher in CISA, his primary projects were dedicated to training undergraduate students in diverse methodologies of applied social research, conducting fieldwork studies, and mentoring CISA’s Research Assistants.

Dr. Latoni received his B.A. in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, his M.A. in Latin American Studies (social and economic development) from Georgetown University, and his Ph.D. in Sociology (Social Economy and Social Policy) from Boston College.

Michael Lauer, M.D., is the Deputy Director for Extramural Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he serves as the principal scientific leader and advisor to the Director of the NIH on all matters relating to the substance, quality, and effectiveness of the NIH extramural research program and administration. He received education and training at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Albany Medical College, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, and the NHLBI’s Framingham Heart Study. He spent 14 years at Cleveland Clinic as Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics. During his tenure at the Clinic, he led a federally funded internationally renowned clinical epidemiology program that applied big data from large-scale electronic health platforms to questions regarding the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease. From 2007 to 2015 he served as a Division Director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), where promoted efforts to leverage big data infrastructure to enable high-efficiency population and clinical research and efforts to adopt a research funding culture that reflected data-driven policy. He has received numerous awards including the NIH Equal Employment Opportunity Award of the Year and the Arthur S. Flemming Award for Exceptional Federal Service in recognition of his efforts to grow a culture of learning and accountability.

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Ms. Emily Linde is the Director of the Grants Management Program for the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). She has been in grants management at the National Institutes of Health for 19 years. Prior to joining NIAID, Ms. Linde worked several other institutes, including in the Office of the Director (OD) in the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA); the National Cancer Institute (NCI); and the Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).

Natasha is a Grants Management Specialist at NIDDK. She has been a specialist for 13 years at NIH. She is manager of a diverse portfolio that include research, NRSA fellowship, SBIR and clinical trial networks.

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Marguerite Matthews, PhD, is a Scientific Program Manager in the Office of Programs to Enhance Neuroscience Workforce Diversity at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. She manages the Research Supplements to Promote Diversity and Re-Entry and Re-integration into Health-Related Research Careers , and addresses inquiries related to the NRSA Predoctoral Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (F31), the NIH Blueprint Program for Enhancing Neuroscience Diversity through Undergraduate Research Education Experiences (BP-ENDURE, R25), the NIH Neuroscience Development for Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce (R25), and "Appropriate Representation" guidance for R13 Conference Grants. Before working at NINDS, Dr. Matthews began her career at the NIH as a 2016-2018 AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the Office of Extramural Research, within the Divisions of Biomedical Research Workforce and Loan Repayment. She earned a BS in biochemistry from Spelman College and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral neuroscience at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), where she also served as director of the OHSU Fellowship for Diversity and Inclusion in Research and the YES! Youth Engaged in Science outreach program.

Dr. Yun Mei is a Scientific Review Officer at NIDCR. She received her medical degree in China and is certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates of the United States. She obtained a master’s degree in immunology working on the development and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against bacterial outer membrane proteins. She served as a clinical pathologist in China for five years before moving to the US in 1995, when she joined Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to study the molecular mechanisms underlying the cytoprotective effects of adenosine receptors. Yun then relocated to the Medical College of Georgia’s Cancer Center to study Wave3 for its role in cancer metastasis. Yun rekindled her interests in immunology at the University of Florida College of Medicine, where she studied the effects of marijuana on cytokine secretion and HIV infection. In addition to her work in academia, Yun spent seven years at the Human Genome Sciences, Inc. performing preclinical evaluation of immunomodulators as potential therapeutics for lymphoma and hepatitis C.

Yun is a registered patent agent with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to joining the Branch of Scientific Review, Yun worked at NIDCR’s Office of Technology Transfer and Innovation Access, where she managed a large portfolio that covered diagnostics, therapeutics, biologics, and medical devices. She reviewed invention reports for their scientific and technical merits, and for compliance with federal regulations. She worked closely with intramural investigators and patent lawyers to file patent applications and with private companies to license out NIDCR technologies. Her work at this institute was recognized with an NIDCR Director’s Award in 2018.

Glen McGugan, Ph.D. is a Program Officer in the Parasitology and International Programs Branch (PIPB) in the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). He oversees a portfolio of research grants focused on various aspects of the biology of medically relevant protozoan and helminth parasites. He also serves as the contracting officer’s scientific and technical representative for the Schistosomiasis Resource Center. He is particularly interested in global health, advising trainees and early career researchers and currently oversees the International Research in Infectious Diseases (IRID) program. Dr. McGugan received a B.S. from the University of South Carolina, Ph.D. from Clemson University, and conducted postdoctoral research as an IRTA fellow in the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases at NIAID..

Matt leads the newly-formed SEED Office to accelerate NIH-funded biomedical innovations from bench to bedside. SEED supports a comprehensive translational research ecosystem that includes a national network of academic proof-of-concept centers and a small business program that invests over $1 billion annually in a portfolio of more than 1500 life science companies. SEED also provides technical and entrepreneurial advisory services and builds relationships with business, finance, and healthcare stakeholders to ensure these innovations will impact patients’ lives. Matt has a diverse background in academia, biomedical small business, congressional policy, and NIH program development and management. He served as the director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Office of Translational Alliances and Coordination and created and led the National Eye Institute’s Office of Translational Research. His previous experience also includes service as the principal scientist for the bionic eye company Second Sight Medical Products and as a staff member on both the United States Senate and House of Representatives committees responsible for science, technology, and innovation policy. Matt holds a B.S. in Optical Engineering from the University of Rochester and a M.A and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of California, San Diego.

Carrie Mitchell is an Assistant Grants Policy Officer for the Grants Policy Division in the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA). She provides guidance and consultation on interpretation and application of grants policy and procedures to NIH staff and the public, as well as identifying areas requiring the development of new policy. Prior to joining OPERA in 2022, Ms. Mitchell was a Grants Program Specialist with the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice for 14 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Faulkner University and a Juris Doctor from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law.

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Dr. Melissa Green Parker is a Scientific Advisor and Research Implementation Monitor from the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Disease Prevention (ODP). In this capacity, she is the Lead Advisor to the NIH-wide Prevention Scientific Interest Groups (SIGs) and to ODP’s Pathways to Prevention Program.

Before joining the ODP, Dr. Green Parker spent many years honing her leadership skills as she excelled as a Program Director in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), as a Program Manager for the Department of Defense (DoD), and as a Division Director at the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation. She’s sought out often as a thought leader in community-based research initiatives that promote the use of evidence-based approaches to address health inequities, as well as subject matter expert in biomedical workforce development and institutional capacity building. Repeatedly recognized for her willingness to share knowledge and encourage others to commit to their own personal growth, Dr. Green Parker seldom misses an opportunity to encourage others or serve as a mentor to scholars or colleagues.

Dr. Tracy Rankin is the program director for career development and training in the Division of Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). She manages a portfolio of career development and fellowship awards encompassing all aspects of renal and benign urologic disease. Additionally, she manages a research portfolio focused on urologic complications of diabetes and molecular endocrinology of the lower genitourinary tract. She also serves as the program director for the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) and the deputy director for clinical sciences within the Division. Prior to coming to the NIDDK, Dr. Rankin served as the program official for the Reproductive Medicine Network and the Specialized Cooperative Centers Program in Reproduction and Infertility Research (now called the National Centers for Translational Research in Reproduction and Infertility) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Dr. Dharm Rathore is Chief of the Scientific Review Branch at National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH where he leads a team of 11 Scientific Review Officers. The team manages the peer review of NIH grant application and contract proposal submissions focused on Substance Use Disorder Research with a mission to advance science on the causes and consequences of substance use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual and public health. Dr. Rathore has 13+ years of experience in managing NIH peer review activities and oversees 60+ peer review meetings annually. Before taking this position, Dr. Rathore was as a Branch Chief for AIDS Research Review Branch at NIAID where he led a team managing the peer review of NIH grant applications focused on developing vaccines and therapeutics for HIV. From 2003-2008, Dr. Rathore was an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech. in Blacksburg, VA.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIH

Dr. Nicole Redmond is a board-certified internal medicine physician who completed her MD/PhD in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, South Carolina. She completed her internal medicine (primary care track) residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her Master of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health as a part of her training in the Harvard Fellowships in General Internal Medicine and Primary Care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to joining NHLBI, Dr. Redmond was Assistant Professor in the Division of Preventive Medicine in the School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

Dr. Redmond’s research portfolio academically, and now as a program official, is focused on intervention research related to the psychological, social, behavioral, and clinical contributors to cardiovascular health and disease. She also has a significant interest in the career development of clinicians and scientists, particularly those who are underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. Her research has been published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Hypertension, and Journal of the American Heart Association.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH

Dr. Laura Roman is the Customer Relations Manager and Product Owner for eSubmissions, Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) and CRIMS at eRA. She received her PhD in Cell Biology at Yale University School of Medicine studying epithelial cell polarity. Dr. Roman also has a MBA from the Sellinger School of Business and Management at Loyola University, Maryland. She did postdoctoral studies at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg Germany, and was a Howard Hughes fellow at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Prior to coming to NIH in 2004, Dr. Roman was on the faculty at Johns Hopkins Medical Institute where her lab focused on understanding the factors controlling neural crest cell development. Before joining eRA in April 2016, she was an Associate Director in the Division of Receipt and Referral at the Center for Scientific Review.

Desirée Salazar, Ph.D. is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator for Extramural Programs at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Dr. Salazar provides leadership in DEI activities across NHLBI and manages a variety of programs including Diversity and Re-Entry/Re-integration Supplements, MOSAIC K99/R00 Postdoctoral Career Transition Awards to Promote Diversity, Short-Term Education Program to Enhance Diversity in Health-Related Research, and the capacity building Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) and SuRE First Award programs. She also serves as a Project Scientist for the NIH Common Fund Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program.

Before joining NHLBI, Dr. Salazar was a program director at the National Institute for General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) within the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity, where she managed a variety of training programs from the undergraduate to postdoctoral level. She also managed research grants in the Division of Genetics and Molecular and Developmental Biology. Dr. Salazar earned a B.S. in Neuroscience from University of California, Los Angeles and a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine. She conducted postdoctoral studies at UC San Diego.

Dr. Sasiela has over a decade of experience providing support and consultation to academic innovators and small businesses engaged in therapeutic, device, and diagnostic development programs. As the Innovator Support Team Lead in SEED (Small business Education and Entrepreneurial Development) in the Office of Extramural Research at the National Institutes of Health, Chris coordinates the activities of a team of seasoned professionals with experience in product and business strategy, business development, fundraising, partnerships, reimbursement, and regulatory affairs. Chris is passionate about enabling NIH’s innovator community to progress their discoveries as far as science and human biology permit. Starting her career as a researcher, Chris worked in basic research at the University of Southern California and the University of Maryland, and in drug discovery, development, and improvement groups at Baxter, the Department of the Army, and the National Cancer Institute. Chris transitioned from a research to a regulatory career path via an Interagency Oncology Taskforce Fellowship at the US Food and Drug Administration. Continuing her regulatory career path at Social & Scientific Systems, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Chris deepened her experience working with product development researchers understand, develop, and execute regulatory plans to get their innovative technologies from ideas to first-in-human and beyond. She regularly conducts project-focused consultations, delivers educational seminars, and develops regulatory resources for internal and external audiences. Dr. Sasiela earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Whittier College, a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy, and has maintained Regulatory Affairs Certification status from the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society since 2011.

Dr. Schauwecker received her Ph.D. in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at the University of Southern California, where she studied age-dependent modulation of lesion-induced axonal sprouting and hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Before joining the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) in 2015, Dr. Schauwecker spent 18 years at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, where her continuously funded NIH-sponsored research program focused on understanding the pathological processes that cause epilepsy and the role of genetic, molecular and cellular modifiers of neurodegeneration using the mouse as a model system. At CSR, Dr. Schauwecker serves as the Scientific Review Officer (SRO) for the Acute Neural Injury and Epilepsy (ANIE) study section managing and directing the scientific review of patient-oriented and pre-clinical research grants investigating injury to the nervous system, acute or chronic, resulting from traumatic brain injury, concussion, stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, spinal cord injury, and epilepsy. Dr. Schauwecker is also a Referral Officer for the NIH, Division of Receipt and Referral at CSR evaluating and assigning grant applications to the most appropriate review group and funding component for consideration.

Dr. Marci Scidmore is a Scientific Review Officer (SRO) and the acting Knowledge Management Coordinator in the Scientific Review Program at the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Prior to joining NIAID in 2021, Dr. Scidmore was an SRO at the Center for Scientific Review for 8 years in charge of the Bacterial Pathogenesis Study Section. She earned her Ph.D. in molecular biology at Princeton University where she studied secretory mechanisms in S. cerevisiae and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIAID studying host-pathogen interactions on Chlamydia trachomatis. From 2001-2013, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine where she continued her NIH-funded Chlamydia-focused independent research.

Dr. Joonil Seog received his Sc.D. in polymer science and Technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then performed his postdoctoral research on conformational regulations of cell adhesion molecules under force at the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Seog joined the University of Maryland as an assistant professor and investigated amyloid self-assembly and DNA condensation for gene therapy. Based upon his work in these areas, he received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He then joined FDA as a lead scientific reviewer and reviewed neurointerventional and neurosurgical devices. Before joining CSR, he worked as a Scientific Review Officer at National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and led a panel that reviewed SBIR applications and cooperative agreements on neural devices. Currently, he runs a special emphasis panel for SBIR/STTR at CSR.

Michael Sesma, Ph.D., is chief of the Postdoctoral Training Branch in the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity (TWD) at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. In this role, Dr. Sesma oversees postdoctoral programs for research training, postdoctoral fellowships, career development programs, as well as the Innovative Programs to Enhance Research Training (IPERT) and research programs in training interventions. Dr. Sesma is also a program officer for the Genetics of Behavior and Circadian Biology research grant portfolio in the Division of Genetics and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.
Dr. Sesma began his NIH career at NIGMS in 1994 as a scientific review administrator in the Office of Scientific Review and as a program director in the institute’s Division of Genetics and Developmental Biology. In 2002, he moved to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), where he was chief of the Research Scientist Development Program in the Office for Special Populations. He returned to NIGMS in 2012 as a branch chief in TWD.
Dr. Sesma earned his B.A. in biology and psychology from the University of California, San Diego, and the Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California, Riverside. He conducted postdoctoral research at Vanderbilt University. Prior to joining NIH, Sesma served on the faculty at the University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Optometry and the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine.

Dr. Elaine Sierra-Rivera serves as Chief of the Endocrine and Metabolic Systems Review Branch (EMS RB) at the Center for Scientific Review.

After receiving her Ph.D. in cancer biology/radiation biology at the University of Iowa, Dr. Sierra-Rivera had postdoctoral training in the pathology department at Brown University. She then went to Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she was an assistant professor. Her initial research focused on the molecular response of GSH to oxidative stress in various tumor models and later on growth factor modulation of human mammary epithelium during oncogenic transformation. She was also involved in investigations to determine how TGF-ß and tie2 receptor tyrosine kinase modulate brain tumor cells survival. Additionally, she participated in studies focused on female reproductive biology.

Dr. Julia Slutsman is a bioethicist and Director of Genomic Data Sharing Policy Implementation in the Office of Extramural Research, NIH. Her work focusses on the operationalization of activities that support genomic data sharing while maintaining research participant confidentiality and data privacy.

Previously, Dr. Slutsman worked as the Director of Research Regulatory Affairs at Children’s National Medical Center and was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She has extensive expertise in implementing human subject protections, clinical research compliance and in developing policy for research oversight of pediatric and adult clinical research programs. Dr. Slutsman has held numerous positions within the National Institutes of Health. She worked as a bioethicist in the NIH Office of Human Subject Protections and in the Department of Bioethics. She served as the bioethicist for the National Children’s Study at the Eunice K. Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

She has conducted and published empirical bioethics research in a number of areas. Her current research interests include the following: informed consent and data sharing in research, ethical and policy implications of single IRB review of research, parental decision-making in research involving children and ethical issues related to the review and conduct of public health emergency research.

Dr. Slutsman earned her Ph.D. from the Program in Law, Ethics and Health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the ethics of public health and cancer prevention at the National Cancer Institute.

Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH

Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH

Joel Snyderman is a Systems Policy Analyst in OER’s Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA), Systems Policy Branch, where he represents NIH on policy initiatives at the HHS and Federal-wide levels to ensure the successful implementation of critical systems and compliance requirements across NIH. He joined OPERA in 2010 as an Assistant Grants Compliance Officer, after working for the NIH Office of Management Assessment, where he investigated allegations of grant fraud, waste, and abuse. Mr. Snyderman began his Federal career as an Analyst with the Dallas Audit Division of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Rochester, and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Manana Sukhareva is the Director of the Office of Scientific Review (OSR) at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. She earned her PhD in Physical Chemistry and spent the rest of her research career in the field of Molecular Biophysics. In 2006, Dr. Sukhareva switched from research to science administration, and joined the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) as a Scientific Review Officer (SRO). Three years later, she moved to the NIBIB OSR, where she oversaw review panels for various NIBIB special programs, joint intra-agency review panels, and non-traditional NIH funding mechanisms. In 2017, she was selected to lead the NIBIB review office, which includes five SROs and two support staff. The NIBIB review office is responsible for managing the peer review of applications covering a broad range of activity codes including and NIBIB programs: Career Development Awards, Institutional Research Training Programs, Support for Development and Implementation of Education Projects and Training, Research Conference Support, NIH Loan Repayment Program (LRP), National Centers for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (P41), and other special initiatives (PARs, RFAs) that fall within the scientific mission of the NIBIB.

Dr. Elyse Sullivan is a Communications Strategist and the Content Development Team Lead in the Division of Communications and Outreach (DCO) within the Office of Extramural Research (OER). Dr. Sullivan works with subject-matter experts to disseminate important grants process and policy information for both external and internal audiences by developing websites, blogs, newsletters, and multimedia training tools. Dr. Sullivan received her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she studied translational electrophysiological biomarkers in schizophrenia.

Mr. Corey D. Taylor has 9 years of HHS grants management and cooperative agreement experience. Corey joined OPERA as an Assistant Grants Compliance Officer in the Spring of 2020 after 8 years of managing Federal grants and cooperative agreements at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a Senior Grants Management Specialist. Corey managed a portfolio of awards involving the Tribal community, State Health Departments, and Colleges and Universities conducting research based activities. Corey also served as the GrantSolutions Branch trainer for CDC contractors onboarding as Grants Management Specialist during his tenure. Corey provided grantee technical assistance which involved the administration of CDC grants and cooperative agreements utilizing the GrantSolutions database. Corey was involved in all aspects of managing CDC portfolio of grants from cradle-to-grave. In addition, Corey provided programmatic and fiscal technical assistance to internal and external CDC stakeholders to ensure Federal funds were safeguarded, Federal grants requirements relating to regulations, policies and legislature mandates are adhered during the performance period.

Prior to joining the Federal sector, Corey worked as a Senior Grants Administrator in the Health and Human Services Department at Fulton County Government. In his role, Corey managed a portfolio of faith-based and 501c3 agencies that received annual grant funds to provide a wide array of programmatic activities and services to citizens of Fulton County, Georgia. Those activities and services ranged from Housing and Homeless wrap-a-round services, Children and Youth after-school activities to providing Workforce Development Training to displaced or under-skilled citizens. Corey conducted site visits to ensure funded recipients were compliant in utilizing awarded funds to provide specific activities and services as indicated in their initial application request for funding. In addition, Corey would provide guidance to assist funded agencies with maximizing their grant dollars that would have the most impact in providing services to citizens of Fulton County, Georgia.

Corey possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with dual concentrations in Finance and Management awarded from Longwood University.

Division of Grants Compliance and Oversight (DGCO)
Office of Policy for Extramural Research (OPERA)
Office of Extramural Research (OER), NIH

Prior to her appointment as Deputy Director, Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA), Kristin Ta was a Senior Policy Advisor and Grants Policy Analyst in the OPERA the Division of Grants Policy. She has been with NIH for over 10 years, formerly a Senior Program Analyst in the Office of Management Assessment, Division of Program Integrity, where she led reviews of allegations of misuse of NIH grant and contract funds and employee misconduct. Prior to that, Kristin worked as a post-award administrator in the Department of Biochemistry at George Washington University. Kristin studied Health and Societies and Environmental Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and has an MPH in Health Promotion from George Washington University.

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Xenia T. Tigno is the Associate Director for Careers at the Office of Research on Women’s Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. Prior to her current position, she was a Program Officer at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH and at the National Institute for Nursing Research. Dr. Tigno has published in the areas of the biophysics of the microcirculation, obesity, diabetes, aging, community-based epidemiology, chaos analysis, herbal medicine, and women’s health. She taught medical physiology for nearly 30 years, including serving as Professor and Chair of the Department of Physiology, the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, and coordinator of the Medical Physiology course at the University of South Florida. A native of Manila, Philippines, Dr. Tigno obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Master’s degrees in both Physiology and Epidemiology from the University of the Philippines, and her Doctorate in Natural Science degree (with high honors) from the University of Wurzburg, Federal Republic of Germany. As a bench scientist, she has worked in various laboratories, including at the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva; at the Physiological Institutes in Wurzburg, Munich, and Berlin; and at the National Cardiovascular Institute in Osaka. She has edited a book for the American Physiological Society on Sex-based Differences in Lung Physiology (2021) and a textbook on integrative physiology. Dr. Tigno’s current efforts are directed toward supporting the advancement of women in biomedical careers and promoting diversity and inclusion in academia.

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Lauren Ullrich received her PhD and MS in Neuroscience from Georgetown University, researching memory in early Alzheimer's disease for her thesis and also published on teaching, pedagogy, and professional development in science. She received her B.A. from Swarthmore College in psychobiology. Prior to coming to NINDS as an AAAS Science & Technology Fellow, Lauren worked for the Society for Neuroscience in a range of policy and programmatic areas, including government and public affairs; scientific rigor and reproducibility; workforce and training; and animals in research. At NINDS, she helps coordinate NINDS’s diversity activities, which span the pipeline from neuroscience education outreach (grades K-12) to funding opportunities and mentoring networks across critical career transition points.

Office of Programs to Enhance Neuroscience Diversity
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), NIH

Dr. Ashlee Van’t Veer is Director of the Office of Research Training and Career Development in the Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In this position, she supports research training at the predoctoral, postdoctoral, and early-stage investigator levels to ensure that a sufficient number of highly trained research investigators will be available to address basic research questions pertinent to mental health and mental illnesses. She also contributes to NIH-wide efforts related to research training and career development including the Blueprint for Neuroscience Research and the BRAIN Initiative. Dr. Van’t Veer received her BA in Cell Biology and Neuroscience from Rutgers University and her PhD in Neurobiology from Harvard Medical School. She received postdoctoral training as a research fellow at McLean Hospital. Prior to her position at the NIMH, she served as a program analyst at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

TBA

TBA

Crystal Wolfrey is the Director of the Office of Grants Administration and the Chief Grants Management Officer for the National Cancer Institute. She joined the NCI in January 1987, and has served in a variety of roles, including as a Grants Management Specialist and a special grants expert for clinical trials. She has also served as a Team Leader and a Branch Chief, as well as the OGA Deputy Director. Prior to joining the NCI, she was a program specialist in the Scholars-in-Residence Program at the Fogarty International Center. Crystal is a graduate of the University of Maryland where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in marketing research.

Leroy Worth is a Scientific Review Officer in the Scientific Review Branch within the Division of Extramural Research Training (DERT) at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). He is responsible for managing and coordinating all aspects of peer review for the NIH and Designated Federal Official (DFO) for the NIEHS/NIH. In addition to these roles he actively engages with Program Officers on programmatic areas including and not limited to DNA Damage Response, Genomics, Epigenomics, and Epitranscriptomics. mitochondrial dysfunction, and health disparities. He has over 20 years of experience within the extramural division. Prior to joining the extramural program Dr. Worth was a senior staff scientist in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Division of Intramural Research at NIEHS where research efforts were focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) in homeologous recombination. Graduate work involved studies determining the rate-limiting step of chemotherapeutics Fe-bleomycin (Fe-Blm/Fenton chemistry 4’-hydrogen abstraction), neocarzinostatin, and other enediynes. Able to elucidate sequence-specific kinetic (2H) isotope effects around the deoxyribose moiety. Post-doctoral training included (Dr. Paul Modrich) studies at Duke University and trying to unravel support for the methyl-directed repair (MMR) system in controlling DNA strand exchange (M13, fd, & F1 bacteriophages).