Our Scholars | NCSP National Clinician Scholars Program

Our Scholars

Samia Abdelnabi, PhD, MSN, FNP-C, CNM

Michigan

Developing and implementing interventions using traditional Arabic and Islamic medicine to reduce Infertility-related stress and improve psychosocial well-being among Muslim couples experiencing infertility.

Alice Abernathy, MD

Penn

Exploring the links between restrictive abortion legislation and maternal mortality, evaluating the impact of preconception and postpartum insurance coverage on maternal mortality rates, and integrating discussion of pregnancy-associated risk into preconception counseling.

Harry Adynski PhD(c), RN

UCSF

Investigating the interactions between social and biological drivers of child health, well-being, and developmental outcomes and their families to inform intervention development, clinical care, and policy.

Doreen Agboh, MD

Yale

Optimizing emergency department utilization in underserved communities by examining health disparities that preclude timely access to preventative healthcare; investigating methods to increase equitable access to care in urban health settings.

Charisse Ahmed, PhD, RN

UCLA

Exploring culturally sensitive and trauma-informed models of care to improve mental health outcomes among socially and economically disadvantaged adolescents and young adults.

Adesuwa Akhetuamhen, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Utilizing cross-cultural education, implementation science, and community-based participatory research methods to improve disparities in emergency medical care, specifically for patients with cardiovascular disease

April J. Ancheta, MPhil, BS, RN

Penn

Investigating the impacts of social and school-based policies on violence victimization and weight-related health disparities among sexual and gender minority adolescents.

Abigail Arons MD, MPAff

UCSF

Advancing the next generation of social determinants of health interventions through translating science to policy.

Vivek Ashok, MD

Penn

Investigating applications of restorative justice to clinical medicine to repair harm from inequitable care and racism, and to improve trust and trustworthiness.

Edgar Asiimwe, MD

UCSF

Using epidemiologic methods to investigate the drivers of disparities in oncologic outcomes and to design effective interventions.

Sydney Axson, PhD, MPH

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Evaluating changes in opioid prescribing and elucidating the impact of health policies on patient outcomes, public health, and harm reduction efforts.

Lurit Bepo, MD, MPH

UCSF

Identifying policies to increase access to care for vulnerable populations by understanding effects of COVID-19 on unemployment, Medicaid enrollment, and healthcare utilization and increasing education in diversity, equity, and inclusion

Mariah Blegen, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Expanding uptake of lung cancer screening in vulnerable populations using implementation science approaches.

Sidra Bonner, MD

Michigan

Investigating multi-level interventions to address social determinants of surgical patients to improve access to timely surgery and transitions of care at discharge. Exploring hospital and population level variation in lung transplantation outcomes.

Zoe Bouchelle, MD

Penn

Investigating practice-based programs and broader policy interventions to alleviate poverty and reduce its negative impacts on the health and well-being of children and families.

Lilian G. Bravo, PhD, RN

UCLA

Investigating how to improve adolescent mental healthcare access and delivery, especially as it relates to suicide prevention services for racial-ethnic minorities.

Elizabeth Broden, PhD, RN

Yale

Leveraging health systems to improve children and families’ end-of-life experiences through nurse-led interventions.

Michele Buonora, MD

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Exploring multidisciplinary approaches for treating chronic pain, and working to develop patient-centered and equitable approaches to opioid risk mitigation.

Alissa S. Chen, MD, MPH

Yale

Investigating health care delivery and access within primary care, with a focus in the treatment of obesity in older adults.

Arina E. Chesnokova, MD, MPH

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Investigating mechanisms to effectively un-silo OBGYN care for the poor and underserved, trialing interventions to support providers caring for the underserved, and researching patient trust to increase patient engagement.

Caitlin Clason, PhD(c), WHNP-BC

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Investigating the healthcare needs of female service members and veterans to include healthcare access, disparities in care, medical mistrust, and gender-related health concerns.

Jeylan Close, MD

Duke

Implementing evidence-based mental health treatments in nontraditional settings, such as schools and primary care, with a focus on increasing overall access and equity in access to mental health care for youth.

Cherie Conley, PhD, MHS, RN

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Designing and disseminating community-based interventions that promote cardiometabolic health equity using systems and implementation science

Leon Cushenberry, MD

Penn

Exploring interventions to address the impact of racial trauma and intersections of structural oppression within community, academic, and institutional settings as well as developing historically informed models for organizational change.

Hannah Decker, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Understanding barriers in access to high-quality surgical care in vulnerable populations; exploring the ways that housing impacts surgical outcomes, including surgery for cancer.

Ashley Demory, MD

Yale

Identifying characteristics of healthcare workplace environments that impact diverse clinician recruitment and retention; investigating the relationship between workforce diversity, equitable patient outcomes, and high value care.

Tammy Eaton, MSN, RN, FNP-BC

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Improving the quality and delivery of care for critical illness survivors and their families. Developing interventions to decrease overall symptom burden and improve quality of life for critical illness survivors.

Thomas Elliott, MD

UCLA

Investigating community based innovations in pediatric mental healthcare delivery to alleviate socioeconomic barriers to health in vulnerable urban populations.

Edna Esquer, PhD, FNP-BC

UCSF

Identifying cardio-metabolic risk factors, high-risk health behaviors, health policy and equity, health outcomes research focusing on the social determinants of health that adversely affect the well-being of vulnerable minority populations.

Jessica Faiz, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Increasing workforce diversity in healthcare and assessing and combating the effects of racism on patient health outcomes in emergency medicine.

Frederick Ferguson, MD

UCLA

Investigating pediatric obesity, local school practices, and disparities in access to community services with coordination of current and new services to address long term health outcomes

Natalia Festa, MD

Yale

Investigating disparities in the ascertainment, incidence, and prevalence of diseases and syndromes of advanced age, including dementia and frailty. Evaluating opportunities to prolong functional independence for older adults.

James S. Ford, MD

UCSF

Investigating pivotal clinical challenges for patient care and patient/staff safety, at the intersection of emergency medicine and infectious diseases.

Rachel French, BSN,RN

Penn

Improving the quality of care individuals with substance use disorders receive by determining the best strategies to successfully implement evidence-based practices in hospital and community settings.

Ilana Garcia-Grossman, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Investigating interventions to improve health outcomes of vulnerable populations, including LGBTQ individuals and individuals impacted by carceral systems

Cody Gathers, MD

Penn

Investigating racial and socioeconomic disparities in pediatric cardiac arrest, designing and implementing interventions to mitigate disparities in pediatric critical care.

Stefanie Gillson, MD

Yale

Utilizing community-based research, partnership, and culture to address mental health disparities for Indigenous Youth.

Tyra Girdwood, RN, PhD

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Investigating structural barriers to successful transitions to adult health care in young, vulnerable populations and exploring health policy innovations to enhance transitional care outcomes.

Kamal Golla, MD, MPH

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Developing value-based care redesign pathways for urologic oncology patients and investigating targets for financial toxicity mitigation.

Josephine Granner, PhD, RN

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Exploring the experiences and intervention needs of new fathers who are survivors of child maltreatment to break intergenerational cycles of child maltreatment and psychiatric vulnerability.

Justin Grischkan, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Exploring and implementing innovative health care delivery models to provide high value-care and improve patient outcomes

Geoff Gusoff, MD, MBA, MTS

UCLA

Exploring how healthcare institutions can radically transform the social determinants of health, particularly through supporting community ownership strategies such as food buying clubs, community land trusts, and worker-owned cooperatives.

Anand Habib, MD

Yale

Interrogating the political economy of pharmaceutical development and the financial toxicity of current pharmaceutical provisioning with the aim of designing new regulatory frameworks that align price, value, and healthcare equity.

Safraz Hamid, MD

Yale

Understanding how the patient experience surrounding surgical complications can help inform changes to the pre-operative counseling session prior to breast cancer surgery.

Ceshae Harding, MD

Duke

Optimizing chronic disease management prior to pregnancy; improving postpartum follow-up care; establishing the healthcare infrastructure needed to provide comprehensive care for women of childbearing age.

Melissa Harris, PhD, RN

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Improving the quality of life and care for older adults living with dementia and their family caregivers by examining innovative, non-pharmacologic interventions to better manage challenging symptoms of dementia

Stephanie Hart, PhD, NP-C

Duke

Improving quality of stroke care and stroke outcomes by examining and addressing health disparities and social determinants of health through policy and community-engaged approaches.

Meghan Hewlett, MD, MS, MPH

UCSF

Investigating the interplay of physical health, mental health, and social services needs to improve care for vulnerable patient populations.

Caroline Hogan, MD

Michigan

Investigating the sociopolitical underpinnings of childhood vaccine hesitancy, including concerns regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, as well as novel communication strategies to promote vaccine uptake.

Hattie Huston-Paterson, MD, MA

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Developing interventions to reduce rural-urban disparities in surgically-treated cancers; improving access to the highest quality breast, endocrine and melanoma cancer care; and mitigating the impact of racism and structural violence on surgical outcomes.

Nadir Ijaz, MD

Yale

Investigating implementation strategies to sustainably adapt evidence-based practices and technologies in pediatric acute care to resource-diverse settings.

Erin Isenberg, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Improving health disparities and equity in surgical populations, reducing low value care via quality improvement and policy change, and addressing financial toxicity of the healthcare system

Kortney James, PhD, RN, PNP-C

UCLA

Exploring postpartum mental health disparities which affect Black birthing persons, develop policies, and identify interventions that increase their access to care and enhance their mental well-being.

Alexander Janke, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Integrating diverse data sources and research methods to better understand the U.S. acute care system and advocate for the people who use it.

Catherine Jensen, MD

Michigan

Investigating the impact of emotions on cancer-related decisions with a focus on identifying unmet psychosocial needs, enhancing communication, and improving patient-centered outcomes.

Florence Johnson, PhD(c), RN

Michigan

Examining disparities in community support services use and how it affects the mental health of Black caregivers of people living with dementia in the community.

Salmaan Kamal, MD

UCLA

Investigating evidence-based policy solutions for people experiencing homelessness and substance use disorder.

Ryan Kane, MD, MPH

Duke

Utilizing community engaged research methods, health system integration, and political advocacy to address inequities in socially derived metabolic diseases with a particular focus on co-occurring obesity and food insecurity.

Hazar Khidir, MD

Yale

Identifying gaps in health care access and outcomes of vulnerable populations, and investigating how social service interventions delivered in the ED can improve the health outcomes of socially vulnerable populations.

Jasmine Khubchandani, MD

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Investigating health disparities with a focus on women’s health, equitable access to surgical care, and health policy, and utilizing community based participatory research to create an anti-racist healthcare system.

Olivia Killeen, MD

Michigan

Eliminating avoidable blindness by investigating barriers to eye care, designing interventions to strengthen the delivery of ophthalmic services, and advocating for policies that improve vision health around the world.

Matthew Klebanoff, MD

Penn

Examining obstacles to prescription drug access, affordability, and adherence.

Jaime La Charite, MD, MPH

UCLA

Improving health equity with a focus on issues relevant to the Latinx community including pediatric obesity, mental health and adverse childhood experiences, trauma and building resiliency.

Megan Lane, MD

Michigan

Investigating the effects of health policy on gender-affirming surgery and patient decision-making, examining value and financial toxicity in trans* healthcare

Terrence Liu, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Investigating innovative primary care delivery models for vulnerable populations in clinic-based and non-clinic based settings through multidisciplinary care teams.

Jocelyn Lo, MD, MS

UCLA

Investigating health disparities in chronic disease outcomes within primary care; identifying cost-effective, community-partnered approaches to managing chronic diseases in underserved communities.

Allison Mak, MD

Penn

Characterizing pediatric trauma and the multifaceted approach necessary for its prevention and treatment, with a focus on gun violence, injuries and their care in urban versus rural settings.

Jennifer May, PhD, MSN, RN, ANP-BC

Duke

Investigating the role of healthcare workers' implicit bias (i.e., prejudice and stereotyping) toward sexual and gender minority older adults in long-term care/assisted living facilities, health outcomes, and health policy.

Sean McClellan, MD

UCSF

Understanding the distinct ways chronic conditions affects different populations with an emphasis on global health and disparities and a specific focus on Mexico and immigrant populations in the United States

Kerry Meltzer, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Improving outcomes for uninsured and underinsured populations through systems-level healthcare reform that also reduces costs and lowers barriers to care.

Michael Mensah, MD, MPH

Yale

Identifying, elucidating, and implementing equity in medicine and health for and in partnership with BIPOC, women, LGBTQI, and identity intersections therein.

Stephen Miranda, MD

Penn

Advancing neuro-palliative care, implementing care pathways to support shared decision-making, and developing patient-centered quality metrics in neurosurgery

Fabiola Molina, MD

Yale

Examining structural determinants of health among vulnerable populations with a focus on immigrant and refugee communities and exploring equitable health delivery models tailored to promote the health of these populations.

Melanie Molina, MD

UCSF

Identifying and addressing social needs within the emergency department, reducing disparities in access to care, and promoting health equity

K. Jane Muir, PhD, RN

Penn

Investigating interventions to transform healthcare work environments to retain a diverse health workforce for the provision of equitable and cost-effective care.

Nicolas Muñoz, MD

Penn

Implementing interventions to address healthcare inequities in transplantation for patients with liver disease.

Deanna Nardella, MD

Yale

Using CBPR-based methods to mitigate racial and ethnic health disparities with a focus on infant/child nutrition, maintenance of maternal lactation, and food insecurity.

Thye Peng Ngo, RN, MSN, FNP, CNE, CHSE

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Exploring cognitive biases impacting healthcare professionals' clinical decision-making and collaboration in caring for underrepresented groups, including LGBTQ and immigrants, using healthcare technology.

My Hanh (Theresa) Nguyen, PhD, PMHNP-BC

UCLA

Investigating health inequities in mental health and substance use during the perinatal period and addressing gaps in data disaggregation in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders mental health research.

Vanessa Niba, MD

Michigan

Exploring the impact of health care policy reform on access to specialized surgical care by historically marginalized patient populations; investigating community-based interventions in targeting unmet social determinants in vascular surgery patients.

Margaret Nkansah, MD, MS

UCLA

Investigating the barriers and alternatives to traditional housing and exploring community-based interventions that improve the health of individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Rachel Odes, PhD, RN

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Understanding patients' and their family members' experiences of community-based mental health crisis interventions; improving safety for patients and staff in psychiatric treatment settings

Kenechukwu Ojukwu, MD, MPP

UCLA

Designing inclusive curricula and collaborating in a multi-disciplinary manner to disseminate innovative methods of medical education for healthcare providers, medical trainees, patients, and community members.

Dalia Owda, MD

Yale

Evaluating emergency services utilization by marginalized communities; developing medical education curriculum to improve health equity and exploring solutions to advance workforce diversity.

Deborah Oyeyemi, MD

UCLA

Investigating how contextual factors like race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status intersect with dementia outcomes, and strategies for increasing representation of ethnoracially diverse older adults and caregivers in clinical research

Lucero Paredes, MD

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Exploring healthcare disparities across marginalized communities, focusing on public health initiatives and policy change to address health inequity of the surgical patient.

Aaron Parzuchowski, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Evaluating health systems reform and health policy effects in achieving reduced costs and improved patient outcomes for our most vulnerable populations.

Maria Patanwala, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Engaging with local government and community organizations in order to improve health outcomes of individuals experiencing homelessness and examining the effects of urban planning on health outcomes of vulnerable populations.

Gabriela Plasencia, MD, MAS

Duke

Assessing the impact of community engagement in decreasing health disparities in access to COVID-19 resources and COVID-19 health outcomes.

Griffin Plattner, MD

UCSF

Quantifying the impact of social determinants of health with the goal of guiding and evaluating policy and resource utilization designed to reduce inequities through innovative and equitably accessible primary care.

Carri Polick, PhD, BSN, RN, CEN

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Investigating the impacts of social determinants of health, such as trauma and adversity, on biopsychosocial health outcomes and healthcare service disparities spanning the general population, veterans, and multiple sclerosis populations.

Andrea Quiñones-Rivera, MD, MPH

UCSF

Designing social determinants of health interventions that address health disparities and drive health policy innovation.

Joshua Rager, MD, MA

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Using ethics-informed approaches to examine and enhance preventive health interventions and shared decision-making in adult primary care with patients of low socioeconomic status.

Rohan Rastogi, MD MPH

UCSF

Strengthening the healthcare safety net through evidence-based policy interventions and advancing health equity for socially disadvantaged populations in the US, particularly by improving access to insurance among immigrants.

Katherine Reeves, PhD, PMHNP-BC

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Investigating suicide risk and how the assessment of symptoms, behaviors, and environment, on the individual level using innovative technologies, may improve the efficacy and equity of psychiatric triage and treatment.

Diana Ceballos Robles, MD

UCSF

Exploring the intrinsic strengths of immigrant communities that facilitate engagement in perinatal health services and identifying interventions to improve perinatal outcomes for this patient population.

Robert Rock, MD

Yale

Advancing health equity in interdisciplinary health professional education and evaluating community accountability in hospital community benefits spending.

Jordan Rook, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Investigating the impact of high-deductibles on health outcomes and access to care for low-income and minority populations; exploring the impact of providers' implicit biases on patient care.

Kathleen E. Fitzpatrick Rosenbaum, PhD(c), RN

Yale

Identifying and engaging healthcare change agents to improve patient-centered care, patient experience, and patient outcomes by leveraging nursing.

Victor Roy, PhD, MD

(VA Scholar)

Yale

Building systems of accompaniment to improve health for structurally vulnerable patients in the U.S. and globally; investigating the political economy of care infrastructure and access to health technologies.

Aminah Sallam, MD

UCLA

Leveraging community based participatory research to identify root causes for disparities in outcomes of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, including identifying reasons for underrepresentation of minorities undergoing minimally invasive cardiac surgery.

Karen Scherr, MD, PhD

Duke

Examining the use of clinic-community partnerships to empower individuals, families, and communities to improve their health and wellbeing, with a focus on reducing disparities in obesity and obesity-related illness.

Luis E. Seija, MD

Penn

Investigating patient-centered information exchanges, early childhood literacy, and voting as a social determinant of health.

Rishi Sekar, MD

Michigan

Investigating the impact of health policy and health care delivery model innovation in fostering high-value care in urologic oncology and leveraging patient/community centered outcomes in designing targeted interventions.

Michelle Shankar, MD

Yale

Exploring the role of education and justice systems on child health outcomes; investigating the role of school-based health centers in improving child and adolescent health.

Brian Stamm, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Investigating hypertension related stroke disparities and designing more equitable systems of stroke care.

James Stewart, MD

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Addressing disparities in heart transplantation tied to accessing donor organs, as well as pre- and post- transplant care. Developing community-based programs to better support minority populations with end-stage heart failure.

Crystal Taylor, MD

Michigan

Investigating the utility of preoperative testing for low risk procedures and the de-implementation of low-value treatments in older women with breast cancer.

Ashish Thakrar, MD

(VA Scholar)

Penn

Implementing and improving evidence-based treatment for addiction using principles of harm reduction and patient-centered care

Joshua Tiao, MD

UCLA

Working with local communities to research and develop sustainable solutions that reduce firearm injuries.

Rebecca Tsevat, MD, MS

UCLA

Improving the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults with chronic medical conditions as they transition from pediatric to adult-centered healthcare; developing interventions to mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences throughout the lifespan.

Eleanor Turi, MPhil, BSN, RN, CCRN

Penn

Applying implementation science methodology to improve the quality of nurse practitioner care for rural populations with mental health conditions.

Judith Vick, MD, MPH

(VA Scholar)

Duke

Understanding and intervening upon the frictions of health care to design a more user-friendly system and coproduce goal-concordant care, particularly for older adults and their families in the inpatient setting.

Hurnan Vongsachang, MD, MPH

UCLA

Addressing disparities in access and referral to care related to mental health, substance use disorders, and homelessness from the emergency department

Catherine Wagner, MD

Michigan

Investigating outcomes disparities in cardiac surgery and improving diversity within cardiac surgery.

Mary Jue Xu, MD

UCSF

Aiming to improve care of head and neck cancer patients in resource-constrained health systems.

Cecile Yama, MD

UCLA

Evaluating clinical and economic impacts of inadequate housing; exploring how housing policy and urban planning shapes patient outcomes; addressing housing inequities through multidisciplinary collaborations to support pediatric health and development.

Mignote Yilma, MD

(VA Scholar)

UCSF

Investigating barriers to solid organ transplantation as well as exploring the role of primary language, educational level, and social support on transplant waitlist evaluations and transplantation outcomes

Mackensie Yore, MD, MS

(VA Scholar)

UCLA

Investigating neighborhood-level differences in health outcomes; using thoughtful urban and regional planning, public policy, and community engagement to mitigate health inequities; surveilling public health from the emergency department.

Alan Zambeli-Ljepović, MD, MHS

UCSF

Making surgical care more accessible and equitable, at home and abroad.

Jessica Zhang, MD

UCLA

Understanding health disparities using behavioral economics, identifying modifiable factors associated with patient-centered outcomes in transitions of care, and designing health system interventions that incentivize long-term health.

Daniel Zheng, MD, MHS

Penn

Examining how poverty-related disparities develop across the pediatric cancer care continuum and developing interventions to mitigate these disparities in long-term survivors.

Hashem Emad Zikry, MD

UCLA

Economically quantifying and thinking about acute care health system readiness and disaster preparedness.

Sarah Zollweg, MPhil, BSN, RN

UCLA

Conducting research on the influence of social and structural determinants of adverse substance use outcomes to advocate for meaningful policy change and reduce health inequities