Our Scholars | NCSP National Clinician Scholars Program

Our Scholars

Gillian Adynski, RN

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Investigating the role of nurses in building a strong global health workforce to provide high quality and cost-effective health services to populations around the world.

Etsemaye Agonafer, MD, MPH

UCLA

Exploring the impact of health care delivery systems on underserved communities' health outcomes and patients' perception of quality of care.

Sallie Allgood, PhD(c), RN

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Examining how the integration of community health workers into primary care systems affects patients’ health outcomes and primary care utilization as well as population level health disparities and chronic disease risks.

Shoshana Aronowitz, FNP-BC, MSN, RN

Penn

Investigating the intersection of criminal justice and healthcare, the health effects of incarceration, re-entry after incarceration, substance abuse, and the impacts of racism and bias on health and healthcare.

Lilanthi Balasuriya, MD, MMS

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Addressing health policies and SDOH that contribute to disparities in health for patients with serious mental illness. Strategies in diversity, equity, and inclusion to retain the future leaders of healthcare.

Nicolás E. Barceló, MD

UCLA

Examining structural barriers to health and healthcare in marginalized and rural communities; healthcare work force development.

Dana Beck, FNP-BC

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Exploring solutions to the provision of person-centered comprehensive sexual and reproductive health rooted in culturally relevant community strengths.

Colleen Bennett, MD

Penn

Improving healthcare delivery and care coordination for children in foster care; identifying trends in healthcare utilization for children in foster care; reducing child maltreatment through community prevention strategies.

Nicholas Berlin, MD, MPH

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Improving decision-making and incentivizing value in surgical care with decision support tools, telemedicine, and health policy.

Amanda Bettencourt, MSN, RN, CNS, CCRN-K, ACCNS-P

Michigan

Evaluating the factors influencing the research-to-practice gap in critical care settings, and testing implementation strategies targeting the interprofessional team to improve the uptake of evidence-based care.

Ish Bhalla, MD

UCLA

Understanding the ways in which systems can address psychosocial and legal consequences of addiction and serious mental illness.

Jessica Billig, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Investigating avenues to improve surgical outcomes for plastic surgery patients at lower costs and eliminating disparities. Finding drivers for healthcare variations to provide high-value healthcare.

Eric Brandt, MD

Yale

Improving identification of patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease and barriers to their treatment, evaluating cardiovascular risk of various lifestyle and nutrition choices, and exploring the implications of mortality and readmission measures

Eric Bressman, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Examining the impact of Medicare policy and health system initiatives targeted at keeping patients out of the hospital, with a particular focus on innovation surrounding transitions of care

Dominique Bulgin, PhD(c), RN

Duke

Investigating the influence of stigma on sickle cell disease self-management and identifying interventions to improve the health and quality of life of individuals with sickle cell disease

Melissa Burnside, MD, MHS

Duke

Investigating the role of racism and implicit bias on health care, medical education, and health policy.

Morine Cebert, MSN, FNP-C

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Investigating biological, clinical, and sociocultural factors that influence disparities in reproductive endocrinology decision-making among African American women; developing interventions and policy aimed at eliminating barriers to infertility treatment access and utilization.

Marcelo Cerullo, MD, MPH

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Investigating lung cancer screening guidelines and surgical referrals, imaging in oncologic decision-making, and insurance market and expansion and consolidation.

Grace Chao, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Investigating how policy affects disparities in bariatric and general surgery and identifying barriers to accessing obesity management and treatment in order to design effective change and to advocate for patients

Kevin Chen, MD

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Investigating human-centered design and behavioral economics in healthcare delivery, community-participatory social entrepreneurship, and digital technology in medicine.

Katherine Chen, MD

UCLA

Examining the effects of urban planning and public policy on population health; understanding how neighborhood development affects health disparities in populations vulnerable to displacement.

Karan R. Chhabra, MD

Michigan

Focusing on optimizing the quality and value of care health systems delivery to populations of surgical patients. Pursuing the effects of healthcare changes on surgical access and quality.

Rushina Cholera, MD, PhD

Duke

Improving health outcomes and access to care for children in Spanish speaking immigrant families through identifying and mitigating psychosocial barriers to healthcare engagement

Christina Cutter, MD, MSc

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Analyzing the integration of decision systems, prescriptive analytics, and innovative delivery models to enhance capacity and achieve more efficient, higher-value care at lower cost across the acute care continuum.

Anna Darby, MD, MPH

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Investigating the cradle-to-prison pipeline and identifying the most high-impact areas of intervention in order to prevent incarceration, reduce recidivism, and promote community health.

Elias Dayoub, MD, MPP

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Investigating the effects innovations in cardiovascular medicine have on patient outcomes, health care utilization and costs, access to care, and health disparities.

Ana De Roo, MD

Michigan

Investigating enhanced recovery pathways in surgery for older adults and vulnerable patients to improve outcomes and care.

Jeanne Delgado, MD

UCLA

Identifying the role of social determinants of health in HIV transmission and developing methods to address sexual and reproductive health needs in immigrant and global health.

Adrian Diaz, MD, MPH

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Investigating the intersection of health, delivery systems, geography, and policy to optimize access, quality, and value to surgical patients

Mia Djulbegovic, MD

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Investigating comparative efficacy of oral anticoagulants for prevention of recurrent VTE, and also conducting research studies on ownership of patient care in trainees.

Vidya Eswaran, MD

UCSF

Investigating how social determinants of health impact patients’ Emergency Department visits, specifically those with primary psychiatric diagnosis, and studying how workforce diversity impacts clinical care for vulnerable patient populations.

Alex Fauer, BSN, RN, OCN®

UCLA

Examining the influences of health policies and innovative models of care on access, quality, and patient-centered outcomes in the contexts of cancer care and cellular therapy.

David Flood, MD

Michigan

Addressing disparities in non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries, evaluating self-management interventions; and applying tools of implementation science

Cameron Gettel, MD

Yale

Evaluating healthcare delivery and care coordination of geriatric patients in the emergency department to improve system-wide quality, efficiency, and access to care.

Nichole Goodsmith, MD, PhD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Building, evaluating, and improving systems of care to disrupt the cycles of homelessness, trauma, and incarceration faced by many individuals with serious mental illness.

Ravi Gupta, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Exploring how health policy and systems can better serve vulnerable populations by eliminating health disparities and improving access to affordable medicines

José I. Gutierrez Jr., MSN, FNP-BC

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Identifying preference factors and relationships predictive of acceptability and uptake for HIV/HCV interventions by at-risk and/or marginalized populations.

Yuan He, MD, MPH

Penn

Harnessing cross-sectoral collaboration to address social and structural determinants of health; identifying and evaluating community-based interventions to prevent child maltreatment

Aliya Hines, MD, PhD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Using technology and health policy to improve access to dermatologic care. Providing tele-dermatology as a tool to increase access to underserved veteran and Medicaid insured patient populations.

Louisa Holaday, MD

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Exploring how the concentration of poverty contributes to adverse health outcomes, and translating that research into concrete policy change.

Ryan Huerto, MD, MPH

Michigan

Investigating the health impact of workforce diversity, examining the best practices of pipeline programs, and disaggregating the health outcomes of understudied racial and ethnic minorities.

Alison Hwong, MD, PhD

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Examining disparities in medical care for persons with serious mental illness and developing effective, scalable interventions to close the mortality gap.

John David Ike, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Exploring the contemporary and historical intersection between the arts and health, specifically as it relates to medical education and the promotion of health equity.

Kimon Ioannides, MD

UCLA

Assessing the discriminatory impact of artificial intelligence in healthcare, and using "big data" tools to narrow health disparities and improve the quality of emergency department care for underserved populations.

Jin Jun, PhD, RN

Michigan

Interested in occupational and environmental health, organizational management, and complementary and alternative methods of stress management. Developing healthy and strong healthcare workforce in the US and globally.

Tiffany Kenison, MD, MPH, MTS

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Exploring health policy, health disparities, and access to care, and pursuing research on social determinants of health for individuals with chronic diseases.

Utsha Khatri, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Improving the quality of medical care and social service delivery for vulnerable populations, with a focus on individuals with a history of incarceration and those with substance use disorder.

Austin Kilaru, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Expanding the value of emergency care through better integration with ambulatory care and social services.

Rachel Kishton, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Designing novel models of health care provision which intergrate mental health and primary care for vulnerable populations both domestically and internationally.

Polina Krass, MD

Penn

Investigating how policy and funding structures impact reproductive health outcomes in adolescents

Natalie Lee, MD, MPH

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Investigating drivers of excessive health care costs, particularly among high utilizers, and designing interventions and policies to address them as a means of improving quality and access to care.

Rachele Lipsky, MSN, PMHNP-BC

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Investigating gene-environment interactions that increase one’s susceptibility to psychopathology, and identifying targeted pharmacotherapies to treat such illnesses.

Charles Liu, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Exploring surgical outcomes and disparities at safety-net hospitals, access to surgical care in underserved communities, and the impact of insurance expansion and payment reform on surgical care.

Leo Lopez III, MD

Yale

Investigating health disparities, access to healthcare for low-income families, indigent care programs, Medicaid, and the social determinants of health.

Avital Ludomirsky, MD, MPP

Yale

Analyzing innovative health care delivery models and their impact on socially complex populations; utilizing value-based health care methods to develop delivery system reform that also addresses social determinants of health.

Kimberly Lynch, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Improving transitions of care and advance care planning of medically and socially complex patients through implementation science.

Kirstin Manges, PhD, RN

Penn

Developing interprofessional team-based interventions to ensure safe patient-centered care transitions.

Lisa Mansfield, RN

UCLA

Developing, implementing, and evaluating multi-level interventions addressing social determinants of health, with a focus on reducing disparities in HPV-associated cancers and HPV vaccination among racially and ethnically diverse populations.

Adrienne Martinez, MSN, RN, PHN

UCLA

Streamlining care delivery systems using a scope-sensitive, multidisciplinary model to improve treatment experiences among Latino and African American older adults living with co-occurring physical and mental illness.

Angela Martinez-Strengel, MD

Yale

Evaluating child welfare programs, domestic minor sex trafficking and how child victims interface with social and health services, healthcare workforce diversity, and racial inequities in health outcomes.

Elliott Miller, MD

Yale

Investigating clinical outcomes as well as the organization structure and delivery of care in the modern cardiac intensive care unit.

Samuel Miller, MD

Yale

Improving the processes of informed consent and preoperative assessment for geriatric surgical patients so that we can help them to understand what to expect before, during and after surgery.

Kara Mizokami-Stout, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Exploring the gender-specific differences in diabetes mellitus complications, particularly the disproportionate cardiovascular mortality in women. Focusing on how psychosocial factors impact diabetes care and outcomes.

Elizabeth Moore, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Improving access to mental health care through health system redesign and informatics initiatives; investigating care delivery for people who are homeless with mental illness and/or substance use disorders.

Alicia Morehead-Gee, MD

UCLA

Examining the rates of PrEP use among at-risk populations to address issues impacting PrEP initiation and improve future prevention efforts within public health systems.

John Morgan, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Understanding behavioral, structural and social determinants of ambulatory care utilization in order to inform the design of delivery platforms that effecitvely allign payer, provider, patient and public interests.

Jennifer Morone, MA-ATR, BS-RN

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Investigating the influence of social determinants on family and self-management of pediatric chronic illness and exploring root causes of ethnic and racial disparities in pediatric illness.

Antonio Moya, MD, MPH

UCLA

Using quantitative and qualitative research methods to understand stroke and other neurological disease disparities, leveraging telehealth platforms to increase neurological care for immigrant, non-English speaking patients.

Katie Nash, MD

Yale

Developing and evaluating equity-oriented quality measures, evaluating the impact of racial justice education, implicit bias training and quality reporting on systems change, physician behavior and health equity.

Pooja Neiman, MD, MPA

Michigan

Building data-driven assessments of the largest current and proposed health care programs, assessing the positive and negative consequences of those programs with specific focus on their impact on America's most vulnerable populations.

Carlos Irwin Oronce, MD, MPH, MSc

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Understanding the effects of health reform on access to care, quality, and outcomes for marginalized populations and the impact of payment policy on safety net health systems.

Robin Ortiz, MD

Penn

Identifying how childhood experiences and lifestyle factors influence health and chronic disease outcomes throughout the life course by studying biomarkers and epigentics and demonstrating how to mitigate risk by interventions that build resilience.

Alex Peahl, MD

Michigan

Exploring new modalities of care delivery to improving outcomes and patient centeredness, increasing clinical consistency and efficiency in pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Jennifer Brazier Peralta, MD, MST

UCLA

Exploring effective care delivery models, community partnerships and equity and value-based payment models that address health disparities and unmet social needs among Children with Medical Complexity (CMC)

Jaclyn Portanova, PhD

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Investigating ways to reduce pain and symptoms by developing aging-friendly technologies and uncovering how persistent pain is linked to the social determinants of health.

Jacob Quinton, MD, MPH

UCLA

Improving the value of care delivery by exploring high needs high cost care and spreading innovation within Medicaid.

Reshma Ramachandran, MD, MPP

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Evaluating the role of medical professionalism including financial conflicts of interest on treatment guidelines, prescribing behavior, and patient outcomes.

Alisha Ranadive, MD

UCLA

Investigating disparities in the identification and management of developmental delays and the ensuing impact on school readiness.

Angelico Razon, MD, MPH

Penn

Designing patient- and community-centered systems and policy interventions to promote patient self-efficacy and to address social determinants of health

David Richards, MD, MA

UCLA

Understanding school-based health centers, climate change and health, and adverse childhood experiences related to housing, lived environment, and neighborhood characteristics.

Ashley Z. Ritter, PhD, MSN, CRNP

Penn

Examining the interplay of the laws, economics, and care delivery models that shape the health of communities with a specific interest in nursing professionals and older adults.

Julia Rosenberg, MD

Yale

Performing research on immigrant and refugee health, access to healthcare for patients with low English proficiency, and the medical-legal issues affecting these populations.

Michelle Salazar, MD

Yale

Analyzing current cancer care to find interventions that improve outcomes and quality; and to identify factors impacting disparities of care amongst minorities.

Rama Salhi, MD, MHS

Michigan

Evaluating existing systems of care for time-sensitive conditions, including ways in which they influence and are influenced by social determinants of health.

Garrett Salzman, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Examining perioperative factors impacting geriatric patients undergoing surgical procedures, and how they can be augmented to produce better outcomes, while reducing morbidity and mortality, particularly in the VA system.

Christopher Scannell, MD, PhD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Examining Medicaid expansion, single payer healthcare systems, and emergency room utilization, and evaluating the cost and financial impact of targeted cancer therapies.

Justine Seidenfeld, MD

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Identifying and characterizing frequent users of the emergency department, and developing tools to better meet their complex health and health-related social needs in the emergency department setting.

Hafifa Shabaik, PhD, MSN, RN

UCLA

Exploring resilience, long-term health outcomes and preventive health behaviors of resettled refugees and asylum seekers in the US and abroad; how health systems may utilize quality measures that capture social determinants of health in low-income and uninsured populations.

Rivfka Shenoy, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Examining the use of narcotics used in the perioperative settings. Understanding how to decrease excess prescriptions through standardization and patient and physician education, and gaining a deeper perspective into the decision making processes used for prescribing habits.

Laura Sinko, PhD, RN, CCTS-I

Penn

Investigating socio-cultural influences of gender-based violence, the impact of trauma-informed care, and sexual violence healing and recovery.

Patricia Soderlund, MSN, PhD

UCLA

Focusing on the use of healthcare services and interventions for underserved individuals at risk for comorbid physical and mental illness, and improving the quality and appropriateness of care to affect systems to improve health care access and equity.

Rachel Solnick, MD, MSc

Michigan

Examining how Medicaid access and community resources impact health disparities in terms of women's reproductive health outcomes and utilization of emergency care.

Leslie Suen, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Investigating implementation solutions and healthcare interventions to better serve the needs of patients with substance use disorders.

Kathryn Taylor, MD

Michigan

Exploring how policy influences disparities in access to surgical care and outcomes for underserved populations. Leveraging surgical systems strengthening to improve overall healthcare delivery in low-resource settings.

Daniel Teixeira da Silva, MD

Penn

Addressing healthcare policy gaps that reinforce inequity in HIV infection, and implementing healthcare services that improve engagement in primary care among marginalized populations living with HIV or at increased risk for HIV infection

Keitra Thompson, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Understanding the role of policy, structural violence, and adverse childhood experiences in shaping health disparities across the lifespan and exploring equitable interventions, particularly as it relates to incarceration and health.

Anthony Tolentino, MA, RN-BC

Michigan

Developing technology-based interventions to manage Type-2 diabetes in Filipinx-/Americans by exploring the impact of health behaviors, cultural values, health disparities; examining informatics data to identify care outcomes in vulnerable populations.

Destiny Tolliver, MD

Yale

Understanding and addressing the drivers of health inequities, examining justice and educational systems on child health to develop collaborative solutions, educating physicians about implicit bias and structural racism

Jason Tong, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Investigating the clinical and financial impact of bundled payments on socioeconomic minorities in America undergoing surgical oncologic care in order to identify opportunities for improvement.

Jesus R. Torres, MD, MPH

UCLA

Investigating the intersection of Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA ) and migrant health, disparities in emergency medicine and infectious disease.

Jasmine Travers, PhD, AGNP-C, RN CCRN

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Investigating aging, health policy, health disparities, and access and utilization of long-term services and supports for older adults related to financing, planning, and health outcomes.

Valeria Valbuena, MD

Michigan

Investigating the barriers to organ transplantation in minority populations. Creating community-based educational interventions to increase awareness around altruistic organ donation. Exploring solutions to systematically improve workforce diversity in healthcare.

Ashlee Vance, MA, RN, RNC-NIC

Michigan

Improving infant and parent outcomes by reducing health disparities and optimizing the care environment.

Aditi Vasan, MD

Penn

Developing, implementing, and evaluating innovative population-based strategies aimed at screening for and addressing social determinants of health across healthcare settings, in order to improve child health outcomes and reduce health disparities.

Ana Velázquez Mañana, MD, MSc

UCSF

Investigating factors associated with racial disparities in cancer outcomes and evaluating the quality of care delivered to underserved and racial minority cancer patients.

Jasmine Weiss, MD

Yale

Understanding the intersection between health and education for children from underrepresented communities. Exploring innovative strategies to increase diversity in the physician workforce.

Abigail Wilpers, PhD, WHNP-BC

Yale

Improving health services and outcomes in the care of women and families undergoing fetal diagnosis and treatment; developing evidence-based, person & family-centered health policy for fetal therapy.

Yuqi Zhang, MD

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Studying the trends of rural/community hospital closures, the policies driving the phenomenon and its effects on access to surgical care.