Leadership
Acting Director, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
Areas of expertise: behavior change interventions, mechanisms/processes of behavior change, implementation science, and obesity and diabetes research.
Associate Director
Areas of expertise: clinical pain research, complementary and alternative medicine, research methodologies, patient reported outcomes, public private partnership development.
Staff
Farheen Akbar, M.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst
Areas of expertise: portfolio analysis, policy and evaluation, public health, population health, behavioral and social science research in aging.
Deshirée Belis, M.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst
Areas of Expertise: global health, implementation research, non-communicable diseases, portfolio analysis, evaluation, public health, health inequities.
Dara R. Blachman-Demner, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator
Areas of expertise: dissemination and implementation research, community based-participatory research, multi-level prevention and intervention research, developmental psychopathology.
Kristin Brethel-Haurwitz, Ph.D.
Social & Behavioral Scientist Administrator
Areas of expertise: empathy, social decision making, cognitive neuroscience.
Alyssa Dolge, M.P.H.
Public Health Analyst
Areas of expertise: budget, contracts, cancer control research, health care delivery research
William Elwood, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator
Areas of expertise: basic social and behavioral mechanisms and processes, community-engaged research, cultural and communication processes, health literacy and numeracy, management of chronic conditions, minority health issues.
Dana Greene, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator
Areas of expertise: behavioral neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, circadian biology, radiation biology, animal models.
Beth Jaworski, Ph.D.
Social & Behavioral Sciences Administrator
Areas of expertise: digital health interventions, health experience design and equity, public mental health, media framing, dissemination and implementation science.
Priyanka Joseph, MPA, MFA
Scientific Writer
Areas of expertise: researching/writing/editing technical information in a variety of formats, survey design, cross cultural communication, front-facing outreach, proofing, cross-checking, documentation support, updating and maintaining style guide consistencies.
Jessica Gowda, M.S.
Health Science Policy Analyst
Areas of expertise: reporting and portfolio analysis, policy and evaluation, interested party engagement
Erica Moore
Communications Director
Areas of expertise: health communications, strategic planning, traditional and digital media, stakeholder engagement, branding, media relations, crisis communications.
Kathryn (Katie) Morris, M.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst
Areas of expertise: global health, portfolio analysis, policy and evaluation, public health, maternal and child health intervention research, reproductive health research.
Sydney O’Connor, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator
Areas of expertise: Theories of health behavior, mHealth and ecological momentary assessment methodologies, environmental and social determinants of health, obesity and cancer prevention, 24hr behavioral patterns, climate change and health.
Sarika Parasuraman, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst
Areas of expertise: health services research, child and adolescent health, policy and evaluation, social determinants of health, health systems, portfolio analysis.
Paula Roberts
Program Specialist
Areas of expertise: budget, Co-Funding, Personal Property, procurement.
Michael Spittel, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator
Areas of expertise: innovative methodology and statistics, survey and data systems, and population health.
Erica Spotts, Ph.D.
Health Scientist Administrator
Areas of expertise: behavior genetics, developmental psychology, interpersonal relationships, family systems, depression.
Deborah Young-Hyman, Ph.D., CDE
Health Scientist Administrator
Areas of expertise: bio-psychosocial interventions, psychosocial treatment of diabetes, adherence to prevention/treatment behaviors, clinical trial design in BSSR.
