Common Fund Staff Biographies
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Douglas Sheeley, Sc.D.
Acting Director, OSC
Dr. Douglas M. Sheeley is currently the Acting Director of the NIH Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC). This Office is a component of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) in the NIH Office of the Director and is responsible for management of the NIH Common Fund. Dr. Sheeley joined OSC in 2019 as a program leader and has served as OSC Deputy Director since 2022. As a Program Director and Senior Scientific Officer at the former National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and NIGMS (2000-2017), he led programs developing new technologies to catalyze scientific advances in structure determination, proteomics and metabolomics, and informatics, including several Common Fund programs. Dr. Sheeley served in multiple leadership roles at NCRR and NIGMS, and as the Deputy Director of NIDCR. Before coming to NIH, Dr. Sheeley was a researcher at Glaxo Wellcome Research & Development, where he gained an industry perspective on project management and the value of diverse multidisciplinary teams. He earned his doctoral degree in nutritional biochemistry from Harvard University and his BS in chemistry from Dickinson College. His primary research experience is as a bioanalytical chemist, with expertise in biomedical mass spectrometry and the structural analysis of both proteins and carbohydrates.
Angela Ambrosi, M.P.A.
Management Analyst
Angela Ambrosi joined OSC in December 2021 as a management analyst contractor, assisting with the management and implementation of Common Fund programs. Prior to joining the office, Angela was a program coordinator at the University of Maryland, College Park Graduate School for seven years. During this time, she oversaw the Graduate School Information Desk, managed official graduate school policy and operational documentation, and supported the management and implementation of graduate programs. Angela earned her M.P.A. from the University of Baltimore in 2019 where she studied public and nonprofit management.
Sara Amolegbe
Health Science Policy Analyst
Sara Amolegbe joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in November 2022. Prior to joining the Common Fund, Amolegbe was a Health Specialist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), where she facilitated the communication of scientific accomplishments by NIEHS grantees and improved translation of scientific program findings to a broad audience. Prior to NIEHS, Amolegbe was an environmental health communications specialist, providing science communication, program analysis, and research support to government agencies including NIH and the Environmental Protection Agency. She has a Bachelor of Science in environmental health sciences and a Master of Science in Public Health in environmental sciences and engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Tyler Best, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Dr. Tyler Best joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2019 to serve as a Program Officer for the Human Biomolecular Atlas (HubMAP) and the Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) Programs. He recently came from Booz Allen Hamilton where he was a contractor with DARPA from 2013-2019. While a contractor at DARPA he supported program development and management of DARPA funded research activities including the ElectRx, TNT, and SIMPLEX programs. Dr. Best earned his Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2007 from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), studying the impacts of overexpression of a potassium channel on synaptic physiology in a mouse model of Down syndrome. As a postdoc at Northwestern University from 2007-2010, he explored the mechanisms by which a subset of hippocampal interneurons undergo spontaneous action potential firing initiated in the distal axon. From 2010-2012, while at Urogenix Inc. a subdivision of Astellas pharmaceuticals, Dr. Best evaluated the functional properties and circuitry controlling motoneurons in the lumbar spinal cord which elicit ejaculation.
Raymond Bisogno
Program Specialist
Raymond Bisogno joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in September 2022 as a Program Specialist supporting the Transformational Science and Discovery Team. Prior to joining the Common Fund, he was with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security working on violence prevention. He was also an analyst and Senior Policy Advisor for the New Jersey State Police for 20 years focusing on strategic planning and interdisciplinary initiatives and served as a Chief Hospital Corpsman in the Navy. Raymond received a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Rutgers University and a Master of Arts in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey.
Rebecca Black, Ph.D
Health Science Policy Analyst
Dr. Rebecca Black joined the Office of Strategic Coordination as a Health Science Policy Analyst in October 2022. She received her B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Johns Hopkins University in 2017 and her Ph.D. in Biological Engineering from MIT in 2022, where she used bioinformatics analyses to study corticosteroid effects on post-traumatic osteoarthritis in human ex vivo models of early disease progression and to identify potential disease biomarkers. At MIT, she served on the executive board of the MIT Science Policy Initiative, promoting the importance of scientific research and educating graduate researchers about the federal policy process.
David Bollweg
Program Analyst
David Bollweg joined the Office of Strategic Coordination as a contractor program specialist in May 2016 and moved to a contractor management analyst position in 2018, before transitioning to a federal Program Analyst position in 2023. Prior to joining OSC, David attended Yale University and received his bachelor’s degree in the history of science, medicine, and public health. David went on to obtain a master’s degree in public administration and policy from American University. David’s past work has focused on process management, budget analysis, and chairing the OSC’s Process Committee. As a member of the Operations team, David’s responsibilities include award tracking and management, program evaluation and analysis, and budget reporting activities. Additionally, David coordinates major Operations Team process that occur as part of the yearly cycle of OSC’s scientific programs (e.g., the annual progress report process).
Cheryl Anne Boyce, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for
Re-engineering the Research Enterprise
Dr. Cheryl Anne Boyce joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in May of 2021 to lead the Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity program. Previously, she served as Chief of the Implementation Science Branch within the Center for Translation Research, and Implementation Science (CTRIS) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Before joining NHLBI, she held scientific program and policy leadership positions at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH), NIH Immediate of the Director, and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. She completed doctoral studies in clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and fellowships at the Children’s National Medical Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine, before she began her federal career as a Society for Research in Child Development/American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Executive Branch Policy Fellow.
George Bramhall, B.A.
Budget Analyst
George Bramhall is a contractor providing budget consulting services within the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC). These services include primary oversight of the NIH Common Fund appropriation during all phases of the budget cycle: execution, formulation, and presentation. Mr. Bramhall is a 1990 graduate of Bridgewater College, in VA, with a B.A. in business administration. He comes to the OSC with over 17 years of budgeting experience at the NIH. His NIH experience began as an accounting technician in the NIH Office of Financial Management, progressed as a budget analyst at both the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and ultimately as the budget officer for the NINDS from 2005-2006.
Rachel Britt, Ph.D.
Strategic Planning, Evaluation, and Communications Team Leader & Communications Director
Dr. Rachel Britt is currently a Health Specialist and Communications Director in the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC). She helps to ensure awareness and maximum impact of NIH Common Fund programs through communication and evaluation. Dr. Britt joined OSC in 2013 as Science & Technology Policy Fellow through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Prior to her fellowship, she studied DNA repair processes in B-lymphocytes of the human immune system as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Southern California from 2010-2013. She began her studies of DNA repair as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 2010.
Alexandria Burns
Other Transactions Specialist
Alexandria Burns joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) within the Division of Other Transactions Management (DOTM) as an Other Transaction Agreement Specialist in November 2022. Prior to joining DOTM, Alexandria served as a Grants Management Specialist for HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing where she managed Native American housing programs. Prior to that, she served as a Transportation Program Specialist and Program Analyst at the USDOT’s Federal Transit Administration where she managed and analyzed transit grant programs and coordinated oversight reviews. Alexandria brings over 9 years of federal government grants management experience. Alexandria received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Governors State University and Master in Public Administration (MPA) from Walden University.
Yuping Burr
Other Transactions Specialist
Yuping Burr joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC)-Division of Other Transactions Management (DOTM) as an Other Transactions Agreement Specialist in August 2022. Prior to joining OSC, Yuping worked at Department of Commerce (DOC)/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a Grants Management Specialist and Grants Officer. There she managed a complex portfolio of research programs to universities, non-profit entities and for-profit small businesses. Prior to working at NOAA, she worked more than ten years in non-profit and university settings in various capacities such as program manager, proposal specialist and grants specialist. She has been a Certified Research Administrator since 2011 and completed her Grants Management Certificate Program-Federal Track from Management Concepts in 2022. She received her master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of the District of Columbia.
Tony Casco
Operations Team Program Analyst
Tony Casco joined OSC in January 2015 as a program analyst contractor, assisting with the management and implementation of Common Fund programs. Mr. Casco has served NIH in a variety of capacities since he first joined the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) as an intern in 2004. After completing his bachelor's degree in economics from Boston College in 2008, Mr. Casco returned to NINDS to serve under the assistant director for science administration. During that time, he helped run the NINDS Summer Internship Program and earned his Certificate of Accounting. He transitioned to National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as a budget analyst and then had a brief tenure at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) within the Office of Planning and Operations Support before joining OSC. In his decade-plus service to NIH, Mr. Casco has contributed to critical systems programs including QlikView - a data visualization tool that has since been adopted by multiple institutes. He received an NIH 2014 Director's Award for his contributions to the QlikView data visualization administration team.
Renée Collins
Division of Other Transactions (DOTM) Executive Assistant
Renee is a contractor with Rose Li & Associates. From 2016 to 2021, Renee worked as an Executive Assistant with American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). Prior to her time at ASBMB, she worked for ten years supporting Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She has a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary and a Bachelors from the University of Southern California.
Richard Conroy, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Program Leader
Dr. Richard Conroy joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2017. Prior to joining the Office, Dr. Conroy was the director of the Division of Applied Science and Technology at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), where he oversaw the institute’s portfolio of programs in biomedical imaging. While at NIBIB, he also served as a coordinator for the Common Fund Single Cell Analysis and 4D Nucleome Programs. Dr. Conroy received his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews and M.B.A. from the University of Maryland University College.
Stephanie Courchesne-Schlink, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor to the OSC Director
Dr. Stephanie Courchesne-Schlink earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University. Her research focused on neurotrophin signaling in the development of sensory and motor neurons, as well as pathological disease states that occur when neurotrophin signaling and downstream cellular responses are altered. Dr. Courchesne-Schlink was a Science and Technology Policy Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in the Office of Strategic Coordination from 2010-2011. In 2011, she joined the Office of Strategic Coordination as a Health Science Policy Analyst. From 2014 to 2019, Stephanie was the Team Leader for Policy, Planning, Evaluation, and Communication. In 2019, she became the Senior Advisor to the OSC Director.
Lisa Debnam
Lead Management Analyst
Lisa Debnam began her NIH career in the Clinical Center, Office of the Director, Office of the Chief Financial Officer in 2009. She served as Senior Program Manager in the Office of Management Analysis and Reporting (OMAR); with oversight of the Executive Information System (EIS); an on-line business intelligence tool conducting and distributing analysis on hospital utilization, cost and patient quality measures. In August 2022, she joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) as the Office Management (OM) Team Lead. She received her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from North Carolina A&T State University. Prior to joining NIH, she worked in Federal Systems for Verizon Communications.
David Dzamashvili
Operations Team Program Analyst
David Dzamashvili joined the Common Fund in the Office of Strategic Coordination as a program analyst contractor in February 2020. Prior to joining the Common Fund, Mr. Dzamashvili worked with The World Bank Group’s BPSPS (Budget, Performance Review and Strategic Planning). He brings years of experience in the financial industry. David received a Master’s in Financial Management and a Master’s in World Economy and International Relations.
Kristina Faulk, B.S.
Health Specialist
Ms. Kristina Faulk joined the NIH in 2001 as a research assistant in the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. Her research focused on pathogenesis and immunogenicity of Hepatitis C and E viruses, and GB virus B. Prior to joining NIH, Ms. Faulk was a research assistant in DuPont’s Agricultural Biotechnology division working on insect and disease resistance of rice plants, and a contractor in DuPont Merck’s Pharmacokinetics unit, which focused on HIV therapeutics. Ms. Faulk received her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Delaware and her certificate in technology transfer from the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences. She is currently pursuing dual master’s in biotechnology management and business administration through the University of Maryland University College. Ms. Faulk joined the Office of Strategic Coordination as a Health Specialist in 2013.
Yvonne Owens Ferguson, Ph.D., M.P.H
Program Leader
Dr. Yvonne Owens Ferguson joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2021 as Program Leader with the Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity program. Previously, Dr. Ferguson served as a Scientific Review Officer (SRO) with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) where she facilitated the peer review of contracts and many complex, high-profile grant reviews. At the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), Dr. Ferguson served as the SRO for the Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (DIRH) Study Section from 2017-2019. Prior to joining NIH, Dr. Ferguson conducted large-scale regional and program evaluations as a senior global health research consultant with non-profits, governments and civil society organizations in the United States, Switzerland, and the Caribbean. Dr. Ferguson completed her post-doctoral training conducting community-engaged research as a Kellogg Health Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) Gillings School of Global Public Health. Dr. Ferguson received her Ph.D., with a certificate in International Development conducting research in sub-Saharan Africa, and received her MPH in Health Behavior, also from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Brionna Hair, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst
Dr. Brionna Hair joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2020. Prior to joining the Common Fund, she served as a Health Statistician for the Health Resources and Services Administration, where she managed and conducted research on federally qualified health centers. Previously, she was a Cancer Research Training Award Fellow at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Hair received a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, focusing on gene methylation in breast tissue. She also holds an MPH in epidemiology from Emory University and a BA in environmental studies from Brown University.
Michelle R.J. Hamlet, Ph.D.
Program Leader
Dr. Michelle Hamlet joins us from the NIH All of Us Research Program, where she served as a Branch Director for the Healthcare Provider Organization (HPO) Branch within the Division of Cohort Development. In this capacity, she led a team responsible for enrollment and retention of All of Us cohort participants. Her career started at NIH as the first Training Program Coordinator at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). She oversaw the NHGRI Intramural Training Office, developed the NHGRI Health Disparities Research Fellowship and developed the first NIH Community College Day and Community College Summer Enrichment Program. Dr. Hamlet then served as Program Director at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) for basic research and postdoctoral training portfolios in cell cycle regulation in the Division of Genetics and Developmental Biology and undergraduate and graduate student development programs in the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity. Next in her career, she worked as a Program Director at the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) in the Symptom Science and Genetics Branch overseeing clinical and pre-clinical portfolios focused on symptom biology, symptom assessment, and symptom clusters. Dr. Hamlet earned a BSLA in French from Georgetown University, a Master’s degree in zoology at Howard University, and a Ph.D. in cell and developmental biology from Harvard University. She conducted postdoctoral research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Andréa Harris, Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
Health Science Policy Analyst
Dr. Andréa Harris joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in July of 2022. Prior to joining The Common Fund, Dr. Harris was an Analyst in the Center for Tobacco Products. She has broad experience in evaluation, communication, social policy, and public health across sectors. Dr. Harris earned a Ph.D. in health & social policy as well as an M.A. in social policy from Brandeis University, where she was a T32 NRSA trainee supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. She also received a M.S.P.H. in health policy and management from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and completed her undergraduate studies in public health and English at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Harris has profound interest in health equity and social determinants of health, and has received academic and professional certifications in Health Disparities & Health Inequalities from Johns Hopkins, and Advanced Project Management from Stanford University.
Tanya Hoodbhoy, Ph.D.
Program Leader
Dr. Tanya Hoodbhoy joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where she managed tissue engineering and regenerative medicine grants. Before that, she spent a decade at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) at the NIH managing several grant portfolios in developmental biology for the Division of Genetics and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She also managed postdoctoral research fellowships for the Division of Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity at NIGMS. She spent an initial six years at OSC prior to NIGMS overseeing several Common Fund programs. Dr. Hoodbhoy received her Ph.D. in biology from the University of California at Riverside and conducted postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the NIH.
Scott Jackson, M.P.A.
Chief Operating Officer
Scott Jackson received his bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from Georgia Tech, focusing on information systems and industrial/organizational psychology. He received a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Georgia. Mr. Jackson came to the NIH in 2005 as a Presidential Management Fellow and worked in various offices within NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of that fellowship. He began working in the precursor to the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) in 2006. Following his fellowship, he was hired into the OSC as the Process Manager, and later served as the Team Leader of the Common Fund Operations Team and Acting Team Leader of the Policy, Planning, Evaluation, and Communication (PPEC) Team. From 2020-2022, he was a Fellow in the White House Leadership Development Program where he managed the federal-wide Strategic Planning Working Group to help all federal agencies create FY 2022-2026 strategic plans. He also provided support to Equity Executive Orders (EOs 13985, 14035) and led a team to launch the first federal-wide employee pulse survey. Mr. Jackson now serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the NIH Common Fund, overseeing the Operations Team; the Strategic Planning, Evaluation, and Communication Team; and the Office Management Team.
Kristin(Christy) Kano, Ph.D.
Common Fund Data Ecosystem (CFDE) Coordinator and Project Manager
Dr. Kano joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2021, where she helps integrate data from multiple common fund programs with the Common Fund Data Ecosystem. Previously, Dr. Kano worked as a program manager with the Department of Veterans Affairs where she provided strategic program management support to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Innovation Ecosystem. In that role, she managed a large and complex support team and worked closely with program leadership to shape and execute strategic priorities. Christy received her Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from the George Washington University.
Karen Kellton, B.S.
Program Specialist
Karen Kellton joined the Common Fund in the Office of Strategic Coordination as a contractor Executive Assistant to the Director in March 2019 before transitioning to a federal Program Specialist position within the Office Management Team in September 2021 and moved to be the Program Specialist for the Catalytic Data Resources Team in August 2022. Before joining our office, Karen worked at the NIH Center for Scientific Review since 2016 as an administrative assistant, doing program management support, administrative operations, meeting logistics, and application tracking/processing. Prior to that, she served in several roles that focused on physical activity and personal training. Karen earned dual bachelor degrees in Athletic Training and Exercise Science from Towson University.
Chris Kinsinger, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Catalytic Data Resources
Dr. Kinsinger joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2020, where he helps integrate data from multiple Common Fund programs with the Common Fund Data Ecosystem. Previously, Dr. Kinsinger worked as a Program Director of the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) in the National Cancer Institute, where he led operations for data management and biospecimen processing for the proteogenomic characterization program. In this role, he oversaw development of the CPTAC Data Coordinating Center and the Proteomic Data Commons, a node of the Cancer Research Data Commons. He also managed the CPTAC biospecimen collection pipeline, consisting of over 30 tissue source sites and served as a scientific mentor for the American Association of Cancer Research’s Scientist Survivor Program for patient advocates. Chris received his Ph.D. in computational chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 2004, studying oxidation mechanisms of bioinorganic complexes. He then completed a postdoc at the National Institute of Standards and Technology where he investigated potential energy surfaces of gas-phase dissociation of peptides.
Anthony (Tony) Kirilusha, Ph.D.
Program Leader
Dr. Anthony (Tony) Kirilusha joined the Catalytic Data Resources Team at the NIH Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) in 2022. He helps to integrate data from multiple OSC programs into the Common Fund Data Ecosystem and manages the HIVE component of the HuBMAP program. Tony also serves as a member of the steering committee for the NIH Cloud Platform Interoperability Program (NCPI). Previously, he was a program director at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). In this role, he managed research and training grants and cooperative agreements for the cartilage and connective tissue program. Concurrently, Dr. Kirilusha served as the director of the high-throughput laboratory component of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative (RADx-ATP) from October 2020 until April 2022. Before becoming a program director, Tony’s research focused on transcriptional regulation of skeletal muscle differentiation, genetic risk factors of complex disease, and computational biology. Dr. Kirilusha holds an M.S. in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Biology, both from the California Institute of Technology. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Human Genome Research (NHGRI).
Kristen Kreuter
Other Transactions Specialist
Kristen Kreuter joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) within the Division of Other Transactions Management (DOTM) as an Other Transaction Agreement Specialist in November 2022 as an Other Transaction (OT) Agreements Specialist. Prior to becoming an OT Specialist, Kristen served as a contract and grants management specialist for the Department of Navy. Kristen is certified as a Level II Contracts Professional and brings over 6 years of industry and federal government contract experience. Kristen received her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland and an Associates Degree in Business management from the College of Southern Maryland.
Patricia Labosky, Ph.D.
Program Leader
Dr. Patricia (Trish) Labosky joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2012. She earned her Ph.D. from Wesleyan University studying the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, and did her postdoctoral training at Vanderbilt University where she furthered her interest in stem cells and early development generating some of the first germ line competent embryonic germ cell (EG cell) lines. After her postdoctoral work, she was an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania from 1997 - 2006. In 2006 she moved to Vanderbilt University where she was a tenured associate professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the Center for Stem Cell Biology. She was also a scientific co-director of the Vanderbilt Transgenic Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Core and the faculty director of postdoctoral affairs. Dr. Labosky's research focused on studying genes that control normal development of the mammalian embryo and mediated cell lineage decisions in multiple disparate stem cells. Her lab was funded by multiple NIH awards and foundation grants and resulted in many publications.
Nicholas (Nick) Leake, M.S.
Program/Management Analyst
Mr. Nicholas (Nick) Leake received his master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Florida State University, where he worked on gene expression, chromatin formation, and DNA conformation in early Drosophila embryogenesis. Shortly after graduation, he joined the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He performed health inspections on private companies with an emphasis on laboratories, hospitals, and explosions. He joined NIH in January 2016 at the Division of Occupational Health and Safety overseeing programs such as oxygen monitoring and respiratory protection as well as performing inspections at NIH’s Biosecurity Level 4 laboratories in Frederick, MD and Hamilton, MT. Mr. Leake joined the Management Intern program within NIH where he learned several administrative areas including budget, human capital, evaluation, and program management. He joined OSC as an Operations Team member.
Nikeya Macioce
Scientific Program Analyst
Dr. Nikeya “Nike” Macioce joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) as a Scientific Program Analyst in March 2023. Prior to joining OSC , Nikeya served as a Scientific Management Analyst for the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH). She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from College of Charleston and her doctorate in Biomedical Science from the University of South Carolina. She completed her post-doctoral training at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Robyn Martin, P.h.D
Division of Other Transactions Management (DOTM) Analyst
Dr. Robyn Martin is a contractor who joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) within the Division of Other Transactions Management (DOTM) as an Management Analyst in October 2022. Prior to OSC, Robyn served two years as a Program Management Analyst on a contract with NIH’s Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research. Dr. Martin is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and brings over 20 years of experience in health policy and data analysis. Robyn received a Bachelors of Social Work from Appalachian State University, a Masters of Social Science and a Masters of Law and Social Policy from Bryn Mawr College, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University.
Michelle McKinney
Executive Assistant to the Director
Michelle McKinney joined the Common Fund in the Office of Strategic Coordination as an Executive Assistant to the Director. Before joining our office, Michelle worked as an Executive Assistant at Otsuka Pharmaceutical in Rockville, MD. She supported the Early Development and Translational Medicine Group and the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Group. While there, she partnered with business leaders and their teams to understand business strategy, products, processes, and systems and to support the day-to-day operations of their departments. Michelle earned her B.A. in Public Relations from Simmons University in Boston.
Becky Miller, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Dr. Becky Miller joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2014. She serves as the program officer for the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award and assists in programmatic management and outreach for the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. She did her postdoctoral work at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) studying mosquito transmission of drug-resistant malaria. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame studying genomic variation in malaria parasites and was a GLOBES NSF IGERT fellow. She studied population genetics and phylogeography of mountain whitefish for her M.S. in molecular biology and received a B.S. in zoology, both from Brigham Young University.
Katelynn Milora, Ph.D.
Health Specialist
Dr. Katelynn Milora joined the Office of Strategic Coordination as a Health Specialist in February 2022. She transitioned to a permanent employee following her time as a Science & Technology Policy Fellow through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) from August 2020 to February 2022. Prior to her fellowship, Dr. Milora studied immunological responses to neuron-specific measles virus infection in the brain and central nervous system as a postdoctoral fellow at Fox Chase Cancer Center from 2017 to 2019. She received her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Temple University School of Medicine in 2017, where she researched the effects of IL-36 cytokine signaling during homeostasis and inflammatory stimuli in epidermal models of autoimmunity and infectious disease.
Michael Morse, B.S.
Operations Team Leader & Grants Management Advisor
Mr. Michael Morse the Operations Team Leader and a grants management advisor to the Director of the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC). He facilitates the communication of funding decisions from OSC to the grants offices of the administering NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) and provides grants guidance and support to both the OSC and the IC Grants Offices. Mr. Morse earned a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Maryland. He spent 14 years in the banking industry before joining NIH. In 1990, he went to work for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) as a grants management specialist. He worked there for over a decade before moving to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) as the deputy chief for their grants office. He was involved in training for grants specialists and seminars for the Society of Research Administrators. He left the government for a brief period, and returned to grants management work, this time on the NIH Roadmap, now known as the Common Fund.
Ellie Murcia, M.Ed.
Operations Team Program Specialist (NIH Guide Liaison)
Ms. Ellie Murcia received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Goshen College. She received a master’s degree in international education from the University of Massachusetts. Ms. Murcia came to the NIH in 2000 as a program analyst in the Office of the Director at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). She began working with the NIH Roadmap since its inception in 2004 and stayed when it transitioned into the Common Fund with the NIH Reauthorization in 2006. Ms. Murcia is a program specialist and serves as the NIH Guide Liaison for the Common Fund and is part of the Operations Team supporting the four programs of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research initiative and the Transformative High Resolution Cryo-Electron Microscopy program.
Mark Murdock, M.B.A.
Program Analyst
Mark Murdock joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) in March 2023. He serves as a Program Analyst. Prior to joining OSC, he worked for the NIMH as a Management Analyst. He earned his B.S. in Psychology-Counseling and MBA from Washington Adventist University formerly known as Columbia Union College.
Sonynka Ngosso, M.S., M.B.A.
Scientific Program Analyst
Ms. Sonynka Ngosso serves as a Scientific Program manager for Common Fund programs related to bionformatics and big data, somatic cell genome editing, social and behavioral sciences, undiagnosed diseases, and data science applications in Africa. She joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) in 2017 as a scientific program analyst for the Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) program. Prior to joining the OSC, she served as a scientific program analyst for BD2K in the Office of the Associate Director for Data Science. She obtained her B.S. and M.S. in biology from Towson University, where she studied the visual orientation of gypsy moth larvae to emissive colors to provide a basis for the development of safer biocontrol measures, such as light traps, to control the destructive effects of this pest on crops and vegetation. Ms. Ngosso also holds a M.B.A. in health care management from the University of Baltimore Merrick School of Business.
Concepcion (Marie) Nierras, Ph.D.
Program Leader
Dr. Concepcion (Marie) Nierras joined the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) from JDRF International (previously Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), where she was in charge of international partnerships. She served as program officer for JDRF’s portfolio in genetics, including genetics of susceptibility to type 1 diabetes, and genetics of diabetic nephropathy. As part of the program team representing funders of the International Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium, Dr. Nierras had extensive interactions with colleagues at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Dr. Nierras received her Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and did postdoctoral research at Oxford University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Margaret Ochocinska, Ph.D.
Program Leader
Dr. Margaret Ochocinska joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in November of 2022 as Program Leader with the Re-engineering the Research Enterprise. Previously, she served as Program Director in the Translational Blood Science and Resources Branch in the Division of Blood Diseases and Resources at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), where she launched the Trans-Agency Blood-Brain Interface Program, a partnership between NHLBI and the Department of Defense Joint Program Committee-6 (JPC-6) Combat Casualty Care Research Program (CCCRP), to support collaborations between hematologists/vascular experts, neuroscientists, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) tissue chip developers for high risk/high reward research to create enhanced/modified platforms that more closely model the human BBB. Prior to joining NHLBI, Dr. Ochocinska was a Health Program Specialist in the Office of Translational Research, at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), supporting both the Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Program and the Anticonvulsant Screening Program (ASP). Dr. Ochocinska received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), where she worked on identifying mediators of photoreceptor degeneration.
George J. Papanicolaou, Ph.D.
Common Fund Data Ecosystem (CFDE) Program Leader
Dr. Papanicolaou joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2021, where he helps integrate data from multiple Common Fund programs with the Common Fund Data Ecosystem (CFDE). Previously, Dr. Papanicolaou worked as a Research Geneticist in the Epidemiology Branch in the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences in the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute (NHLBI). While a Program Director at NHLBI, he led efforts in genomics and omics in diverse programs such as Candidate Gene Resource (CARe), SHARe (SNP Health Association Resource), Omics in Latinos (OLa), Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed), and TOPMed’s Centralized Omics Resource (CORE). He was also the Program Officer for the Framingham Heart Study. George also drafted standards and pipelines adopted by TOPMed for its omics resources. In addition, he served on the Steering Committee of Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE). George received his Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the University of Michigan, studying and mapping tumor suppressor effects of regions of chromosome 6 on melanoma in Dr. Jeffrey Trent’s Laboratory of Cancer Genetics at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). He then completed a postdoc and fellowship in statistical genetics in Dr. Alec F. Wilson’s group at the Inherited Disease Research Branch at NHGRI. He also lectured and served as a discussant at Johns Hopkins University.
Erna Petrich
Other Transactions Agreements Officer
Erna Petrich joined the Division of Other Transactions Management (DOTM) within the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC) as an Other Transactions Agreements Officer in September 2022. Prior to joining DOTM, Erna worked as an Agreements Officer and Grants Management Specialist at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and as a Contracting Officer at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Prior to joining NIH, Erna worked in a variety positions and locations within the Department of Defense. Erna holds a master’s degree in the International Administration from the University of Denver.
Dena Procaccini, M.A.
Scientific Program Manager
Dena Procaccini, M.A., joined OSC in November of 2018 as the Scientific Program Manager for the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP). Ms. Procaccini received her B.S. from Ursinus College in 1995, and her M.A. from the College of William and Mary in 1997, both in the field of Biology. In 2011, she joined the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as the Scientific Program Analyst for the Epigenomics program. While at NIDA, Ms. Procaccini assisted in the coordination and management of the Roadmap Epigenomics program, the Extracellular RNA Communication program, and the International Human Epigenomics Consortium. In 2017, Ms. Procaccini became the Scientific Program Manager for the Translator Project, where she coordinated the workgroups and liaisons within the program, until she joined OSC.
Felicia Qashu, Ph.D.
Other Transaction (OT) Officer
Dr. Felicia Qashu joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2016 to serve as other transaction (OT) officer in the Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) Program. Dr. Qashu earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2009 from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), studying neuroanatomical and electrophysiological changes in the amygdala in a rat model of epilepsy. In 2010, she joined the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) as a scientific advisor, and then became the DVBIC deputy director of research in 2013. At DVBIC, Dr. Qashu was responsible for overseeing a clinical research program on traumatic brain injury (TBI) in military service members and veterans. She maintains active collaborations in TBI, focusing on concussion assessment, acute clinical management, and recovery.
Haluk Resat, Ph.D.
Common Fund Data Ecosystem (CFDE) Data Coordinating Center Engagement Director
Dr. Haluk Resat joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in 2020, where he helps to integrate data from multiple Common Fund programs within the Common Fund Data Ecosystem. Previously, Dr. Resat was a program director in the Division of Biophysics, Biomedical Technology, and Computational Biosciences (BBCB) at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). In this role, he managed research and training grants in bioinformatics, computational biology, data science, mathematical biology, systems biology, and biotechnology areas. Before joining NIGMS/NIH, Dr. Resat was an associate professor in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at Washington State University. He has also worked as a senior research scientist at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and was an associate professor at Koç University in Turkey.
Dr. Resat earned a B.S. in physics and electrical engineering from Bogaziçi University in Turkey and a Ph.D. in physics from Stony Brook University. He was a postdoctoral fellow both at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York and the University of California, San Diego.
Ananda Roy, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Transformational Science and Discovery
As the Assistant Director for TSD, Ananda will oversee multiple Common Fund programs. Ananda has been at the OSC/NIH for seven years and during this time, he has led several Common Fund programs and written commentaries describing the outcomes of these programs, providing the OSC/NIH perspective on program management as well as the science of the programs. He maintains his scientific credentials in part through continued work in the lab as an Adjunct Investigator in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology at the National Institute on Aging, focusing on transcriptional signatures associated with immune-cell activation. He also serves on the editorial board of multiple journals related to his research. Prior to joining the NIH, Ananda was an Associate Professor at Tufts University where he maintained his lab and directed the Biomedical Program in Genetics. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska and did postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University. He is also committed to OSC/DPCPSI efforts to foster diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in our workplace.
Melody A. Salcedo, J.D.
Other Transactions Agreements and Policy Specialist
Melody A. Salcedo joined the Division of Other Transactions Management (DOTM) within the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC), in October 2022. She serves as an Other Transactions Agreements and Policy Specialist contractor. She earned her Juris Doctorate at St. Thomas University School of Law and her B.A. from State University of New York at Albany. Prior to joining the Common Fund, she worked for The Department of Off-Street Parking of the City of Miami and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in their respective legal and enforcement departments.
Linda Shariati, MBA
Director: Division of Other Transactions Management
Ms. Shariati has 36 years of experience in the Federal Government working on contracts, grants, and other transactions. She has an MBA from the University of Scranton.
Jason Shockey, Ph.D.
Program/Management Analyst
Dr. Jason Shockey earned his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied the ethylene signal transduction pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana. After a post-doctoral fellowship at George Washington University, he joined the NIH in 2007 as an Administrative Lab Manager with the National Eye Institute. In 2019 he was accepted into the NIH Management Intern Program, where he learned several administrative areas including budget, grants management, evaluation, and program management. Dr. Shockey joined the Office of Strategic Coordination as a Program/Management Analyst in 2021.
Veronica Taylor, Ph.D.
Health Science Policy Analyst
Dr. Veronica Taylor joined the Office of Strategic Coordination in July of 2020. Prior to joining the Common Fund, Dr. Taylor was an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow within the U.S. Department of Justice. Dr. Taylor received BA degrees in chemistry and biochemistry from Gustavus Adolphus College, and she received a Ph.D. in Biophysics from University of Michigan for work focusing on structural biology and signal transduction pathways in cardiovascular disease. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at University of Michigan, studying small-molecule modulation of opioid receptors.
DeShawn Thomas
Management Analyst
DeShawn Thomas joined the Office Management Team (OMT) within the Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC), in January 2023. She serves as an Management Analyst. Prior to joining the Common Fund, she worked for USDA APHIS as an Lead Permit Examiner and FDA as an Resource and Information Specialist. She earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Strayer University.
CDR Nadra Tyus, Ph.D.
Program Leader
Dr. (Commander) Nadra Tyus joined the Office of Strategic Coordination as a Program Leader with the Transformative Research to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity program. Previously, CDR Tyus was a Program Director at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Her role focused on promoting research to understand the various domains of influence and biopsychosocial factors contributing to health disparities in the areas of population health, behavioral health and well-being. She provides her 15-year expertise to this Program in the areas of implementation science, evidence-based behavioral health and substance-use interventions, community-based participatory research (CBPR), program evaluation, and health innovation. CDR Tyus earned her Dr.P.H. in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, an M.P.H. from the Medical University of Ohio, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Ohio University. Her postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute focused on addressing health disparities using CBPR.
Esther L. Young
Other Transactions Agreement Specialist, Team Lead
Esther Young serves as an Other Transactions Agreement Specialist Team Lead in the Office of the Strategic Coordination (OSC) where she manages a diverse portfolio of other transactions (OT) awards. Her experience includes project management and financial administration of private and federal awards and contracts. During her tenure at NIH, Esther has also held grants management positions at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Prior to joining the federal government, Ms. Young worked for prominent academic and non-profit institutions in Florida. She possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and holds a Level III NIH Grants Management Officer (GMO) certificate.
This page last reviewed on May 15, 2023