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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Anita S. Hargrave, MD

UCSF

Mitigating the impact of interpersonal violence on health and health equity through conducting research and identifying patient-centered interventions

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

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

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.

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.

Nadir Ijaz, MD

Yale

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

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.

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.

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.

Polina Krass, MD

Penn

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

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

Rachele Lipsky, PhD, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Lisa Mansfield, PhD, MSN, 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.

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.

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.

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

Jennifer Morone, PhD, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Michelle-Linh Nguyen, MD

UCSF

Investigating how time scarcity affects the quality and effectiveness of primary care, and reconsidering the design and allocation of time to foster careful, kind, and effective primary care.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Hideyo Tsumura, PhD, DNP, MSN, RN, CRNA

(VA Scholar)

Michigan

Investigating the association between intraoperative ventilator parameters and the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications.

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.

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.

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.

Catherine Wagner, MD

Michigan

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

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.

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.

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.

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.