Thomas McDade, PhD

Carlos Montezuma Professor, Northwestern University

Thomas McDade, PhD, is the Carlos Montezuma Professor of Anthropology and Faculty Fellow of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University. He is a biological anthropologist and population health scientist, and has conducted research on how social and ecological contexts shape human biology and health in diverse community-based settings around the world, including Bolivia, Ecuador, Kenya, Mexico, Samoa, the Philippines, and the US. Much of this work focuses on the developmental origins of social inequities in health, and advancing understanding of the complex associations among environments, inflammation, and disease over the life course. The development and application of minimally-invasive biomarker methods for studying human physiology in non-clinical settings has been central to this effort. McDade's work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and he was a 2002 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). In 2021 he was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.

Eileen Condon, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC

Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut School of Nursing

Dr. Eileen Condon, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC is an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. Dr. Condon’s research is focused on understanding intergenerational transmission of childhood adversity and protective factors among socioeconomically marginalized families. Inspired by her background as a family nurse practitioner working with underserved communities, the goal of Dr. Condon’s program of research is to identify novel targets for intervention to promote heath and reduce health inequities among marginalized families. Dr. Condon incorporates biological, behavioral, and genetic approaches, including examining the roles of sleep, mental health, parenting, inflammation, and gene-environment interactions in the intergenerational transmission of toxic stress. Dr. Condon is currently funded by a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) of the National Institutes of Health. Her past research has also been funded by NINR, the American Nurses Foundation, the NAPNAP foundation, and numerous other foundation grants. Dr. Condon earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Villanova University in 2008, and a Master of Science from the Yale School of Nursing in 2012, and PhD in Nursing from Yale University 2018. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Yale School of Nursing in 2021.

Sara Jacoby, PhD, MPH, MSN, FAAN

Associate Professor of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania

Sara F. Jacoby, PhD, MPH, MSN, FAAN is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Health and the Calvin Bland Faculty Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Her research is focused on understanding the structural context of urban built and social environments which become embodied as risks for violence exposure, traumatic injury and opportunity for recovery. This includes the ways in which patients are impacted by under-interrogated intersections between the policies and practice norms that guide emergency trauma care and law enforcement in healthcare contexts. The goal of this continuum of research is to build public health interventions and clinical strategies that create greater health equity and improve the policies and resources most needed to prevent injury and to support people who live in the aftermath of trauma. Dr. Jacoby is a Senior Scholar of the University of Pennsylvania’s Injury Science Center (PISC), and a Senior Fellow of the Center for Public Health Initiatives and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. She received her BA from Rutgers College, MPH from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, and BSN, MSN, and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.

Veronica Barcelona, PhD, MSN, RN, PHNA-BC

Assistant Professor, Columbia University School of Nursing

Dr. Veronica Barcelona is Assistant Professor at Columbia University School of Nursing. Dr. Barcelona’s research interests include understanding risk factors and mechanisms underlying preterm birth through the study of epigenomics, machine learning, and stressors such as racism and discrimination. She completed her K01 study funded by the National Institutes of Nursing Research investigating DNA methylation, preterm birth and high blood pressure among African American children. Using a lifecourse approach and diverse methods, she hopes to reduce inequities in pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes for pregnant people and families of color. Dr. Barcelona graduated with a BSN from the University of Michigan, Masters degrees in public health and community health nursing at Johns Hopkins University, and PhD in reproductive and perinatal epidemiology from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She completed postdoctoral studies at Yale University School of Nursing in epigenomics. Dr. Barcelona has a current R01 study entitled “Epigenomic pathways from racism to preterm birth” funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Mercy Mumba, PhD, RN, CMSRN, FAAN

Associate Professor & Director, Center for Substance Use Research and Related Conditions, University of Alabama

Dr. Mercy Ngosa Mumba is an award-winning scientist and philanthropist. She is a published author in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and her research is widely funded by various agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with over $25 million in grant funding. She is an Associate Professor and Founding Director of the Center for Substance Use Research and Related Conditions in the Capstone College of Nursing at the University of Alabama. She is also a Sigma Liaison to the United Nations. Dr. Mumba serves as the current Director of Membership on the Southern Nursing Research Society Board of Directors. She graduated with her PhD from the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation in December 2016 and with her Honors Bachelor of Science in Nursing in December 2010. She is the author of the award-winning book “A nurses step-by-step guide to transitioning to an academic role: Strategies to jumpstart your career in education and research”. Dr. Mumba is the substance use and related disorders section editor for the Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services and serves on the American Academy of Nursing’s Psychiatric, Mental Health, and Substance Use Expert Panel. Her research focuses on substance use disorders, addictive behaviors, and their comorbid mental health conditions. She is particularly interested in the impact of social determinants of health and the role of health disparities in preventing, treating, and managing these conditions. Dr. Mumba is passionate about improving the human condition through evidence-based initiatives and interventions, and is a strong advocate for increasing research productivity, infrastructure, and human capital globally. She is personally involved in many initiatives that improve health care outcomes and promote holistic wellness and quality of life among individuals and communities, worldwide.

Kavita Radhakrishnan, RN, PhD, MSEE, FAAN

Associate Professor, The University of Texas Austin School of Nursing

Dr. Kavita Radhakrishnan is an Associate Professor in The University of Texas Austin and is the inaugural Director of the Luci Baines Johnson and Ian J. Turpin Center for Gerontological Nursing. Dr. Radhakrishnan’s research applies current and emerging technologies such as telemonitoring, connected sensors, and digital gaming to facilitate cardiovascular disease self-management. The long-term goal of her research is to develop affordable and scalable health interventions that enable ‘aging in place’. Dr. Radhakrishnan's research projects studying digital games for self-management in adults with cardiovascular diseases have been funded for over $6.8 million by the National Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health. These trials aim to address health disparities in heart failure in southern U.S. and among Hispanic Spanish-speaking adults as well as in hypertension outcomes in a south-eastern Native American tribe. She has authored more than 50 articles on the subject which have been cited in publications from more than 30 countries. Dr. Radhakrishnan has served as an expert advisor on the American Heart Association’s policy task force on implementation of telehealth in cardiovascular and stroke care and is a member of the American Heart Association’s Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing Committee. She serves on national committees for the National Institutes of Health and the Expert Panel on Informatics and Technology of the Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). She also served as the Board Commissioner for the City of Austin Asian American Quality of Life Commission (2016-2020).

Bei Wu, PhD, FGSA, FAAN

Dean's Professor in Global Health and Vice Dean for Research, New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing

Dr. Bei Wu is Vice Dean for Research and Dean’s Professor in Global Health at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing and affiliated faculty at College of Dentistry. She is also Co-founder of the NYU Aging Incubator, a university-wide aging initiative. Prior to joining NYU, Dr. Wu was the Pauline Gratz Professor of Nursing and Director for International Research at Duke University School of Nursing, and Professor of Global Health at Duke Global Health Institute. As a Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Wu has led a significant number of studies supported by federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is currently leading several NIH funded projects including a clinical trial to improve oral health for persons with cognitive impairment. She co-leads the NIH/NIMHD-funded Rutgers-NYU Center for Asian Health Promotion and Equity. Through this center, she leads a 5-year intervention study that focuses on supporting Chinese and Korean dementia caregivers who are at increased risk for high blood pressure and diabetes due to the physical and emotional demands of caregiving. Dr. Wu is a PI on the NIA-funded Asian Resource Center for Minority Aging (RCMAR). Her extensive publications (including 330 peer reviewed manuscripts) cover a wide range of areas on aging and health, with particular focus on risk factors related to cognitive impairment, dementia caregiving, and geriatric oral health. Dr. Wu is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, and the New York Academy of Medicine. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and Honorary Member of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. She was honored as the 2017 Distinguished Scientist in Geriatric Oral Research by the International Association for Dental Research. She was the recipient of the 2022 Inspiration Award from the China Health Policy and Management Society. Dr. Wu received her bachelor of law degree from Shanghai University, and PhD in gerontology from University of Massachusetts Boston Department of Gerontology. She received a distinguished alumni award from both institutions.

Denise Christina Vidot, PhD

Associate Professor, University of Miami

Dr. Denise C. Vidot is an epidemiologist certified in cannabis + psychedelics patient care and tenured associate professor at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies. Dr. Vidot was selected as a NIH T32 Fellow in Behavioral Medicine Research in Cardiovascular Disease and trained in advanced biostatistical methods at the University of Miami Behavioral Medicine Research Center. Her program of research focuses on the biological, psychosocial, and societal implications of cannabis/cannabinoid use across the lifespan via the endocannabinoid system. She incorporates a multidisciplinary approach to address health disparities in 5 of the 10 leading preventable causes of death by serving as the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator to four NIH-funded cannabis and chronic disease-related studies where her team seeks to characterize selected health outcomes by blood and urine quantified cannabinoids (8-THC, 9-THC, CBD, CBN) and route of administration. Specifically, the Herbal Heart Study is an ongoing NHLBI-funded cohort study of 400 healthy cannabis users and nonusers in South Florida aimed to examine the impact of blood and urine quantified cannabinoids on subclinical cardiovascular disease by route of administration (R01HL153467). The CannHeart Study is an ongoing NIDA Avenir Award-funded cohort study (N=300) that seeks to examine the impact of blood and urine quantified cannabinoids on HIV disease severity and vascular function by route of administration (DP2DA056065). Dr. Vidot is also PI of the COVID-19 Cannabis Health Study, an international multi-site study that seeks to collect epidemiologic data on physical and mental health behaviors among cannabis + psilocybin users with chronic disease. Responses were obtained electronically via REDCap (the same data collection system to be used in this application’s proposed study) using our COVID-19 Cannabis Health Questionnaire (Vidot et al, 2020; CCHQ). Notably, during the pandemic, Dr. Vidot was Project Director of an NCI-funded administrative supplement to examine cannabis use in cancer patients. Her team collaborated with 11 other NCI-designated cancer centers to design and administer a harmonized survey with biospecimen collection sub-study to provide details on cannabis use among cancer patients within our catchment areas (P30CA240139).