LIMBIC-CENC SITES STAFF BIOS & PICTURES
William C. Walker, MD, is the Ernst and Helga Prosser Professor and Associate Chair of Clinical Care in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, Virginia. Dr Walker is board-certified in PM&R with over 30 years of experience performing clinical care and clinical research in persons with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and other neurologic disorders. His research interests include TBI outcomes, concussion assessment, post-traumatic headaches, pain, and other comorbidities. Dr Walker, was raised in a military family with his father being a career Army officer with three separate year-long combat deployments (Korean War and two in Vietnam War). His maternal grandfather was also a career service member and WW2 combat Veteran. This upbringing led him to a special interest and dedication to clinical research seeking to improve lives of military service members and Veterans. Dr. Walker has published well over 100 peer reviewed original research manuscripts, garnered multiple researcher awards, and won multiple federal research grants. His research leadership positions include Study Chairman for the Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium (LIMBIC) multicenter prospective longitudinal study (PLS) of U.S. military personnel and Veterans with combat exposure and long-standing VCU site Medical Director and Investigator on the NIDILRR funded TBI-Model Systems of Care. Dr. Walker also remains active as a clinician and strives to provide a holistic, patient-centered care for persons with brain injuries at the VCU Health System outpatient clinics and collaborating inpatient rehabilitation facility (Sheltering Arms Institute, A collaboration with VCU Health)
Randall Scott Scheibel, Ph.D., is a Professor with the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Baylor College of Medicine and a Research Health Scientist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas. He received his doctorate in Clinical Neuropsychology from the University of Houston and completed postdoctoral fellowships through the Henry Ford Medical Center in Detroit and the University of California, Lost Angeles. Dr. Scheibel’s research career has focused on the study of traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic stress disorder, and neural networks associated with attention and executive functions. This work has often involved the use of structural and functional neuroimaging techniques to study brain-behavior relationships and track alterations associated with neuropathology and treatment. Dr. Scheibel is currently the Houston site Principal Investigator for the Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury/Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC). He has been a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on research grants funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, and private foundations.
Risa Nakase-Richardson Ph.D., is the Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development at the Tampa VA. She has a dual appointment at the University of South Florida where she is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in the Morsani College of Medicine, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Division. Dr. Richardson has worked in neurorehabilitation in both clinical and research capacities since 1998. She is a Fellow of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and National Academy of Neuropsychology.
Dr. Miles is a clinical psychologist at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. Her research and clinical work focus on the interplay between mental and physical health after polytrauma (i.e. injury to more than one organ system). She assists Veterans and Service Members in their recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI). She specializes in the treatment and study of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and challenging comorbidities such as emotion dysregulation and aggression after TBI. She has been principal investigator (PI) or Site-PI on 5 Veterans Affairs and 1 Department of Defense grants.
Valerie Larson, MA, CCRC is an Air Force Veteran with a strong project management background. She has been with the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital for over 17 years. Ms. Larson started with the VA working on research projects examining methods to allow elderly Veterans with dementia to stay in their homes safely and has worked on a variety of Veteran health-based projects since then. Ms. Larson was one of the original LIMBIC-CENC team members, when the study was known as the CENC Study 1: Observational Study on Late Neurologic Effects of OEF/OIF/OND Combat. She currently works as a primary site Project Managers on LIMBIC-CENC studies examining the long-term effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injuries. Valerie is also a member of the James A Haley Integrated Ethic Committee.
Jennifer Boyce is a nurse and research coordinator who is employed by the Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence (TBICoE). She has been based at James A. Haley VA Hospital, in Tampa, Florida, since 2007. She joined the LIMBIC-CENC team in November 2014, when the study was known as the CENC Study 1: Observational Study on Late Neurologic Effects of OEF/OIF/OND Combat. Her duties include the following: screening and sending recruitment letters to the active-duty service members and veterans who are followed at the hospital’s outpatient TBI clinics; managing and scheduling follow-up visits; processing and routing publications through the LIMBIC-CENC, VA and TBICoE approval committees; tracking participants who have become difficult to contact and performing various study required measures during in-person study visits.
Deveney Ching, MA, CRC is a certified rehabilitation counselor and Doctoral Candidate at the University of South Florida who will complete her PhD in Behavioral and Community Science in 2023. She obtained a Master of Arts degree in Rehabilitation and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. She has worked on the Long-term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium-Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC) since 2020 but has been a part of Research and Development Service at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital since 2018. Her research work has centered around community and health outcomes for Veterans with brain and spinal cord injuries and adults with autism spectrum disorder, specifically barriers and facilitators to community reintegration, return to work and employment.
Michelle Gaudet, MS, CCC-SLP is an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certified, Florida-licensed Speech Language Pathologist. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Florida and Master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology from the University of South Florida. She specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of cognitive-communication and swallowing disorders in the adult and geriatric population. She has extensive experience working as a medical speech-language pathologist in acute care settings, with a focus on acquired brain injury rehabilitation.
Illiana A. Suarez, B.A., is a research assistant at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, Florida. In May of 2021 she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Aging Sciences from the University of South Florida. Her experiences as a military dependent have greatly contributed to her passion for serving veterans and their families. It is her ambition to earn a doctorate degree in clinical neuropsychology. Her interests include dementia, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, sleep disorder, caregiver, and post-traumatic stress disorder research.
Alicia Swan PhD currently serves at the Director of Polytrauma Research at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System with the Department of Veterans Affairs. She leads the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Center of Excellence research program for the Polytrauma System of Care in Texas. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Purdue University and both her Master of Arts and PhD from Southern Illinois University Carbondale while studying functional recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) in aged rats. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at UT-Austin and UT-Health San Antonio. She currently maintains research affiliations with the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC). Her program of research centers on functional recovery and well-being following TBI among military service members and veterans.
Ms. Mellanie Medina has served as a Nurse Practitioner at the Intrepid Spirit Center (ISC) at Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center (formerly, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital) since December 2013. Mellanie received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at George Mason University in 2005 with honors, and completed her Master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner at George Mason and George Washington University in 2009. She is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and Alpha Chi International Honor Society since 2004. Mellanie has expertise and familiarity in treating critically-ill and trauma patients. She pursued her Master’s degree as a nurse practitioner to focus on neurotrauma patients, and to address disease prevention, wellness and health promotion for the community. As a Nurse Practitioner in ISC, she is currently seeing patients who have traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders and chronic pain. She served as the Research Monitor for the MAGNUS project: Acute and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Study in a Military (and Civilian) Population Using Advanced Microstructure Imaging in Novel Ultra-High Performance System from January 2020 to 2022. She became the Principal Investigator (P.I.) for the MAGNUS study in April 2022.cShe is the Principal Investigator (P.I.) of the Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC) since November 2022.
Caitlin graduated from The George Washington University with a Master’s of Science degree in 2011 and began her career working in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, where she developed a love of working with and caring for the aging population, many of whom were veterans. She has always had the utmost respect and admiration for our United States military service members, as both of her grandfathers served their country. In her final semester in graduate school she earned her American College of Sports Medicine Clinical Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-CEP) certification. She has worked within the Military Healthcare System in the National Capital Region since July 2011, leading studies at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Joint Base Andrews (JBA), and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital (FBCH). She assisted with standing-up the Fort Belvoir CENC research site in 2015 and with establishing the Fort Gordon LIMBIC-CENC site at DDEAMC in 2020. She oversees all of The Geneva Foundation research projects currently being conducted at the Intrepid Spirit Center, a specialized medical facility located at Fort Belvoir, that is designed around a patient-centered interdisciplinary model of care and comprehensive treatments for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). She has worked for The Geneva Foundation for more than 10 years and has worked at the Intrepid Spirit Center for 8 of those. Caitlin is grateful to all of our U.S. service members, veterans, and their families and is passionate about continuing these very important research endeavors.
Dr. Carlson’s research examines the spectrum of injury prevention and control, from the epidemiology of intentional and unintentional injuries to the rehabilitation of military Veterans with combat injuries. Her current research grants examine firearm-related injuries, opioid and other medication-related injuries, and short- and long-term functional outcomes of Veterans’ traumatic brain injury. Dr. Carlson leads the OHSU-PSU Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue workgroup, an effort initiated in 2016 in response to the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Florida that summer. Her leadership roles with national injury prevention organizations include serving on the Board of Directors for the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research and with the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services section of the American Public Health Association. Dr. Carlson directs the VA health services research post-doctoral fellowship program at the Portland VA and teaches/advises MPH and PhD students in epidemiology at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health.
Stephanie is a Research Biologist and has been at the Portland VA since 2006. After graduate school, she started her career at the Portland VA and Oregon Health Science University (OHSU) in Behavioral Neurogenetics focusing on mapping the genes of drug and alcohol addiction where she perfected her skills in immunohistochemistry and intracranial surgical techniques in rodent models. In 2014 she was recruited to work with the Portland VA’s Chief of Neurosurgery focusing on subarachnoid hemorrhage and vasospasm research. Stephanie transferred her skill set from wet lab research to clinical research in 2017 when she took the position of Research Coordinator for the Portland LIMIBIC-CENC team. Prior to working at the VA, she was a Herpetologist, specializing in wetland/riparian zone reptiles, working with local government and non-government agencies. In addition to working as a Herpetologist, she managed the Northwest Ecological Research Institute’s turtle rehabilitation center for displaced and injured native and non-native turtles and tortoises.
Cody is in his 18th year of federal service: 14 years as a Portland VA researcher, and 10 years supporting Dr. Kathleen Carlson’s injury research projects. Prior jobs include, Financial Advisor, Mortgage Broker, Dot-com startup Customer Support Rep, and U.S, Navy sailor. Naval service includes assignment to aircraft carrier USS Independence, the first carrier to enter the Persian Gulf since 1974, and the Navy’s only permanently forward-deployed carrier. The Indy was the most battle experienced ship in the active Navy fleet–the first carrier in history to hold that distinction. After two Gulf deployments on the Indy, Cody participated in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. Cody is a graduate of Marylhurst University. He met his wife of 20 years, Jessica, on a blind date two weeks after 9/11. They live with their dog, Cooper, in Prescott, Arizona. Fun longevity fact: the average age of Cody’s grandmothers is 100 years.
Dan has been a research Audiologist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for 27 years. Over that span of years, Dan’s contributions regarding the role diabetes, multiple sclerosis, chemotherapeutics, concussion, and blast exposure have on auditory function, aging, and hearing loss have been many. Dan is the longest tenured Audiologist at the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR), a “Center of Excellence” with a broad range of professionals who work together with a focus on delivering rehabilitative therapeutics to improve the quality of life of our Veterans.
Dr. Davenport is a full-time researcher at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System and holds faculty appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Minnesota. The majority of his research over the past two decades has been focused on the role of brain structure, function, and circuitry in the development of, and recovery from, mental health conditions. By integrating neuroimaging methods (e.g., EEG, MRI) with clinical characteristics (e.g., symptom profiles, neuropsychological performance), Dr. Davenport’s research has contributed to improved understanding of a range of conditions, including schizophrenia, ADHD, PTSD, and TBI. Dr. Davenport is currently conducting studies investigating long-term effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) on measures of cognition, brain connectivity, and somatic symptoms.
Terri K. Pogoda, PhD is an experimental psychologist and core investigator at the Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), located at the VA Boston Healthcare System. She has worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2005 and is also a Research Associate Professor of Health Law, Policy & Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. Her health services research focuses on return to civilian life and long-term outcomes among Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She is also the local principal investigator of the LIMBIC-CENC Prospective Longitudinal Study at VA Boston. Dr. Pogoda studies the individual, health, and policy factors that influence a Veteran’s decision-making on whether to seek employment and experience of returning to work. She has a special interest in VA and other programs that can help a Veteran return to work and has conducted research on the implementation of Supported Employment for Veterans with TBI and PTSD.
Katelyn Marchany, MPH is a Senior Project Manager at the Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), located at the VA Boston Healthcare System. She has been with the LIMBIC-CENC Prospective Longitudinal Study since its start at Boston in 2017, and has been with the VA since 2012.
Jared A. Rowland, PhD is a Research Psychologist and Clinical Neuropsychologist at the W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Healthcare System in Salisbury North Carolina and an Assistant Professor at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His research examines the health and mental health of service members and veterans following deployment, with a specific focus on the chronic and long-term effects of traumatic brain injury and blast exposure. He is particularly interested in associated changes to brain networks and the connectome as a mechanism leading to long-term problems. As of 2023 Dr. Rowland has published more than 110 scientific articles, 55 conference presentations and given more than 25 lectures and presentations. He has mentored over 20 medical and allied health trainees. Dr. Rowland currently serves as the Director of the Study of Post-Deployment Mental Health with the Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MA-MIRECC), a multi-site longitudinal study of over 3,800 service members.
Sarah L. Martindale, PhD is a Research Scientist at the W. G. (Bill) Hefner VA Healthcare System in Salisbury, North Carolina and an Assistant Professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is a neuroscientist with advanced training in Neuropsychology. Her research broadly focuses on evaluating biological and behavioral mechanisms that affect both clinical and functional outcomes in Veterans. Dr. Martindale’s primary research interest is to identify how exposure to blasts during military service affects service members and Veterans as they age.
John L. Rigg, M.D., FAAPMR, is the Traumatic Brain Injury Program Director for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, Ga. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and did his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation/University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He completed his fellowship in Traumatic Brain Injury at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center where he also served as an instructor for the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. Dr. Rigg is a member of the Central Nervous System Rehabilitation Council of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Rigg is actively involved in research and his current projects include investigating the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen to improve function after brain injury, developing a method of obtaining objective sleep data, and the use of omega-3 fatty acids to accelerate and improve recovery. He also has published on the use of nutritional supplementation and nutriceuticals to improve brain function. Recent publications include an article on concussion issues specific to military personnel in the journal of the American Academy of PM&R and a book chapter on mTBI and PTSD in War Trauma and Its Wake: Expanding the Circle of Healing recently released by Routledge Publishing.
Danielle Cooper is the Clinical Research Coordinator at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, Ga. She received her Master’s in Applied Clinical Psychology from The University of South Carolina Aiken. She is a member of the National Association of Psychometrist working towards her Advanced Clinical Research Coordinator Certification (ACRCC) and Specialist in Psychometry Certification (CSP).
Amy J. Jak, Ph.D. is the San Diego site PI for the LIMBIC-CENC Consortium. She is a Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego and Program Manager of Neuropsychological Services at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System. She is also the Associate Director of the Clinical Research Unit of the VISN 22 Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (CESAMH) She has extensive experience in the neuropsychology of traumatic brain injury in Veterans and active duty personnel, particularly among Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans. Dr. Jak’s research interests are in novel treatments for mild TBI as well as in cognitive aging and mild cognitive impairment. Her work has been funded by VA, DoD, NIA, and/or the Alzheimer’s Association since 2007 and she has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles.
Danielle Cooper is the Clinical Research Coordinator at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, Ga. She received her Master’s in Applied Clinical Psychology from The University of South Carolina Aiken. She is a member of the National Association of Psychometrist working towards her Advanced Clinical Research Coordinator Certification (ACRCC) and Specialist in Psychometry Certification (CSP).
Grant F. Collier, B.A. is a research assistant for the LIMBIC-CENC Consortium. He is currently working in the Jak Lab as an R.A.. Some of his tasks include administration of neuropsychological testing as well as test scoring, data entry, screening and eligibility.
LTC Kevin Sickinger (ret) enlisted in the Army in 1987 and graduated from Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a 2LT in the Military Police Corps in 1988. Kevin led units from Platoon to Battalion level to include commanding Joint Task Cerberus in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from February 05-06. His last assignment culminating a 23-year career in the Army was as the Professor of Military Science at University of North Dakota. Prior to joining the Army, Kevin received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from University of Richmond and later earned his Master’s degree in International Relations from Troy University. Upon retirement from the Army, Kevin moved back to Richmond, VA with his family and taught JROTC for five years before joining the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (CENC) in 2015. Kevin now serves as the Director of the Coordinating Center for the Long-term Impact of Military-relevant Brain Injury Consortium – Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC).
Joe Montanari served in the United States Army for over 9 years, both active duty and National Guard, as a Weapons Specialist. He repaired, modified, and fired all U.S. Military weapons, from the M-9 pistol to M777A2, at a direct support level. During Joe’s military service, he was deployed to Kosovo from 2000-2001, while he was stationed in Germany with 1st Armored Division. He then deployed to Iraq from 2004-2005 with the 101st Airborne Division. Additionally, he accepted a civilian contract overseas providing weapons support to US Army and Marines throughout Iraq. Currently, Joe works at Virginia Commonwealth University as a Military/Research Coordinator for the Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC). His primary duties are aiding study sites in all aspects of recruiting and retaining participants. He is also a participant within the study, so this gives him a unique view when preforming his duties. Joe has a true passion for his work. He has sustained two mTBI’s during his military service and knows the affects of what it has on his life. Although he cannot serve in the military any more, he feels that working in the field of mTBI research is a way to still support current and future brothers and sisters.
Jaiden Semple is an Administrative Research Assistant at LIMBIC-CENC. She is one of the newest members of the Coordinating Center, having joined in September of last year. Her primary responsibilities include maintenance of recordings and minutes for site calls; disseminating minutes and other documents to necessary LIMBIC-CENC personnel; systems testing; assisting the Data and Biostatistics Core with QA/QC; as well as any other administrative tasks assigned to the Coordinating Center. She is a recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, earning her Bachelors of Science in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Ms. Semple loves the LIMBIC-CENC team and hopes to use this job as a stepping-stone towards her career goal of being an established researcher not only within the Virginia Commonwealth University community, but in the psychology community overall.
Yasmonia Mack is a Clinical Program Manager at LIMBIC CENC. She oversees operational excellence for the PLS remote data collection within the Call Center. Her key areas of focus include data collection operations and reporting; supervision, quality control and training; as well as development of survey procedures, instrumentation, and preparing project materials. Ms. Mack joined LIMBIC-CENC in 2019. Before joining the LIMBIC CENC team, Ms. Mack served as a Lead Research Assistant on a NIH, and DOD project adapting and improving internal processes and strategies for community based participatory research.
Santia Ramos is a Clinical Research Supervisor at LIMBIC CENC Call Center. Santia earned a Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences at James Madison University. She is a recent addition to the team as of April 2023 with a background in medical equipment sales and leadership. Oversees remote data collection within the Call Center. Primary tasks include supervision, auditing research assistants, and being a liaison between the Call Center and Site locations. Santia uses her positive attitude and organizational skills to motivate her team to work hard and succeed. Santia is new to the Richmond, Virginia area and loves to crochet and garden outside of work.
Avani has earned both a BS in Biology and BIS Health Psychology and Spanish Translation from Virginia Commonwealth University. Avani is a Clinical Research Assistant at LIMBIC CENC. She administers research tests to veterans for the telephone portion of the study.
Dr. Elisabeth Wilde is a Health Research Scientist in the US Veterans Affairs Health System (VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System) and Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Utah. She also holds an appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Wilde is the Director of the Neuroimaging Core for the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs co-funded Long-term Impact of Military Relevant Brain Injury Consortium (LIMBIC) – Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (CENC). Her research interests include the use of advanced forms of neuroimaging to enhance diagnosis and prognosis, monitor recovery and neurodegeneration, evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic intervention, and elucidate aspects of neuroplasticity in traumatic brain injury(TBI) and associated comorbidities. As a clinical neuropsychologist, she has an interest in brain-behavior relationships involving cognitive, neurological, and functional outcome and clinical trials in traumatic brain injury. For the last 23 years, she has worked with patients with traumatic brain injury and concussion across a spectrum of age, severity, and acuity, with a particular interest in Veteran and Active Duty Service Members with concussion or traumatic brain injury. She has participated in over 45 federally-funded clinical projects in TBI, and has authored over 185 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Wilde has also been actively involved in the International Common Data Elements (CDE) initiative and co-leads the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics Meta-analysis (ENIGMA) Working Groups for TBI.
Naomi Goodrich-Hunsaker, Ph.D. is a research associate with the TBI and Concussion Center in the Department of Neurology at the University of Utah. She is also a part of the Neuroimaging Core of the Long-term Impact of Military-relevant Brain Injury Consortium-Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC-CENC). Her work with LIMBIC-CENC involves evaluating and developing novel pipelines and analytic neuroimaging methods and integrating those outcome variables into larger multidisciplinary datasets.
Dr. Dismuke-Greer currently holds the position of Research Health Science Specialist in Health Economics Resource Center (HERC), VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Her methodological areas include economic evaluation, statistical modeling, disability research and analysis of vulnerable population disparities. Currently, Dr. Dismuke-Greer is PI on the Health Economics Study for the DoD/VA funded Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium (LIMBIC) Award. She is also currently funded on other NIH, VA and DoD grants. She is currently conducting analyses on Department of Defense (DoD) as well as VA health system databases. She has served as a researcher on detail to the Chief of the VA Office of Health Equity, engaging in evaluation and policy-making to reduce inequity in health services and outcomes among U.S. veterans. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Carla Garcia, MPH is a Research Health Science Specialist with Health Economic Resource Center (HERC) at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. She primarily works on managing the administrative side of research and operations projects and has experience working with participants in research studies. She supports research at VA that focuses on traumatic brain injury, medication for opioid used disorder, and women’s health. Ms. Garcia created, spearheads, implements, and evaluates the VA Health Services Research Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Internship. The internship was nominated for the VA Annual Secretary’s Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Award. Her prior work experience consists of administrative support in primary care and specialty medical clinics. Additionally, she’s been a part of research teams at UCLA, University of Iowa, and UCSF. Ms. Garcia’s previous research includes, but is not limited, to benefit-finding in cancer, generational status and its effect on ethnic self-identity, sexual risk behavior and HIV transmission, and the impact of immigration policies on Latino and immigrant health.
Mary Jo Pugh Ph.D., R.N., is a retired Air Force nurse and Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine. She is an investigator at the Informatics, Decision-Enhancement and Analytic Sciences Center of Innovation (IDEAS COIN) and the VA Salt Lake City where she leads the LIMBIC Phenotype study and co-leads the LIMBIC Data and Biostatistics core. Integrating her training as a Veteran, a nurse, and a developmental psychologist, she developed a research program to examine the long-term sequelae and outcomes of military exposures. Early in her career she focused on outcomes associated with suboptimal quality of care in older Veterans. Over the past decade she has targeted her work using VA data to identify phenotypes in populations with complex comorbidity such as those with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and complex multi-symptom illness. Dr. Pugh’s current work related to TBI includes longitudinal observational and prospective studies to identify the emergence of distinct neurodegenerative conditions such as cognitive impairment and epilepsy, and clusters of multimorbidity that may have similar or networked biological underpinnings. The longitudinal observational studies of approximately one million Veterans currently link Department of Defense (DoD) combat theatre and health system data with VA health system data and will further link with DoD serum repository data. These studies aim to understand which individuals are at highest risk of neurodegeneration, mental health conditions, and deficits in functional outcomes after mild TBI.
LCDR J. Kent Werner, Jr., MD PhD, is a physician-scientist in the Navy Medical Corps serving as Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology and in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, MD. He is a neuroscientist who is board certified in sleep medicine and neurology. Clinically, he treats patients with sleep and related neurological disorders at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) while also serving as the Director of Research of the WRNMMC Sleep Disorders Center. His research focuses on the impact of traumatic brain injury on sleep physiology and cognitive performance. After graduating from the US Naval Academy, he deployed as a Surface Warfare Officer onboard the USS MAHAN (DDG-72), earning his Surface Warfare qualification. Upon entering the Medical Corps, he completed his medical degree, cellular and molecular neuroscience doctorate, and neurology residency at Johns Hopkins University, where he serves currently as Adjunct Assistant Professor. He previously served as Chief of Neurology at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital before completing his fellowship in sleep medicine at WRNMMC.
COL Vincent F. Capaldi, II, MC, USA, is the Vice Chair of Psychiatry (Research), Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD and Senior Medical Scientist, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, MD. He is a professor in the departments of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Capaldi is also the program director of the National Capital Consortium combined Internal Medicine and Psychiatry residency training program and chair of the Biomedical Ethics Committee at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. COL Capaldi completed dual residency training in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry and fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. COL Capaldi holds board certifications from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Internal Medicine to practice General Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, and Sleep Medicine. COL Capaldi is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He is a past president of the Society of Uniformed Services Psychiatrists – the Military District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association.
The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 839 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the awarding and administering acquisition office. This work was supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs endorsed by the Department of Defense, through the Psychological Health/Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium (LIMBIC) Award/W81XWH-18-PH/TBIRP-LIMBIC under Awards No. W81XWH1920067 and W81XWH-13-2-0095, and by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Awards No. I01 CX002097, I01 CX002096, I01 HX003155, I01 RX003444, I01 RX003443, I01 RX003442, I01 CX001135, I01 CX001246, I01 RX001774, I01 RX 001135, I01 RX 002076, I01 RX 001880, I01 RX 002172, I01 RX 002173, I01 RX 002171, I01 RX 002174, and I01 RX 002170. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense. / Created by VCU University Relations