Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He oversees the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, spanning the spectrum from basic to clinical research. Dr. Collins is a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the international Human Genome Project, which culminated in April 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book. You can read more blog posts by Dr. Collins at the NIH Director's Blog.
Michael M. Gottesman, M.D., is the NIH Deputy Director for Intramural Research and Chief of the Laboratory of Cell Biology at the Center for Cancer Research of the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Gottesman and colleagues pioneered the characterization of molecular mechanisms that result in failure to cure cancer with chemotherapy.
Alex Szatmary, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Ralph Nossal at the NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Alex uses mathematical models to study how cells get to places in the body, in particular how endothelial cells direct neutrophils to inflammation sites and how migrating cells can coordinate their motion by generating chemical gradients. He teaches Survey of Biomedical Physics through FAES and facilitates a writing group. He is a coffee snob, an avid podcast fan, and a reader of postmodern fiction.
Alison Jane Martingano, Ph.D., is a social psychologist specializing in empathy and communication. Her postdoctoral research in the Social and Behavioral Research Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is focused on how to effectively communicate genomic concepts and improve empathy in physician-patient interactions. She is also a passionate educator and science communicator. In her role as outreach liaison for the NIH Fellows Committee (FELCOM), she writes profiles of postdoctoral researchers investigating the mysteries of human biology in NIH labs.
Andy Baxevanis, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), where his research focuses on the use of phylogenetic and comparative genomic techniques to study developmental proteins that play a fundamental role in the specification of body plan, pattern formation, and cell fate determination during metazoan development. In addition, Dr. Baxevanis is the Assistant Director for Computational Biology in the NIH Office of Intramural Research (OIR), where he has responsibility for addressing a wide range of bioinformatic and computational issues of importance to the NIH Intramural Research Program. He is currently leading a number of strategic planning initiatives aimed at improving the IRP’s computational infrastructure and high-performance computing capabilities, in an effort to meet the ever-growing scientific computing needs of all IRP investigators.
Angie Abraham, M.P.H., M.S., is a health communications fellow at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) within the Office of Communications and Public Liaison and the Surveillance Research Program under the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences. Angie received her masters degree in public health from California State University, Fresno, and a masters of science in regulatory affairs for drugs, biologics, and medical devices from Northeastern University. She is interested in new media as a lens for communicating health research.
Ashleigh LoVette is a Health Communications Fellow at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She is part of a team within the NCI Office of Communications and Public Liaison working to visually communicate the story of cancer research. Ashleigh received her master’s degree in health and risk communication from Michigan State University and enjoys using diverse mediums to engage others in conversations around health and science.
In 2011, I began meeting people at the NIH Intramural Research Program with stories to share — scientists, clinicians, patients, and administrators. My first day involved voting on competing designs for this irp.nih.gov website, with several awesome humans who generously shared their mentorship over the years. Working with our team and colleagues around the NIH, we help people explore IRP research and what it means for human health.
Brandon Levy is a Health Communications Specialist for the NIH’s Intramural Research Program, where he works to increase the IRP’s public profile and ensure IRP scientists get the recognition they deserve. He particularly enjoys writing about the cutting-edge research performed at NIH but also produces videos, podcasts, and content for social media. Before joining the IRP, he worked as a science writer in the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and as a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) fellow in the NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), spending his days putting people inside giant magnets and sending magnetic waves into their brains to shed light on the mysteries of learning and memory. When he’s not hunched over a computer keyboard, Brandon enjoys singing in his acapella group, reading, honing his skills as an amateur chef, and over-obsessing about college basketball.
Brooke Worthing is a healthcare communications professional working with the NIH’s Intramural Research Program. Brooke partners with individuals at the IRP to promote the innovative work being done within the organization to both internal and external audiences. Brooke has experience in many areas of the healthcare industry including disease state awareness communications, product communications, corporate communications, and patient advocacy. She particularly enjoys learning and writing about breakthrough innovations with the potential to make a real difference in the lives of patients suffering with serious diseases. When she isn’t busy reading and writing about what’s new in the healthcare and science, Brooke enjoys listening to podcasts, trying new restaurants and traveling.
