Benjamin Packer is a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) fellow in NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA), where he works with cell colonies to understand the role of mRNA transport and local translation in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Benjamin received his B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, during which he studied the effects of high alcohol intake and stress on a part of the brain called the locus coeruleus. He enjoys writing about the work produced by NIH’s Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD) and creating videos to help showcase the many different opportunities in science. Outside of the lab, Ben can be found running, intensely practicing piano, or at one of the Smithsonian Museums in the heart of Washington DC.
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.
Bruce Tromberg, Ph.D., is the Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he oversees an approximately $400 million per year portfolio of research programs focused on developing, translating, and commercializing engineering, physical science, and computational technologies in biology and medicine. Dr. Tromberg specializes in the development of optics and photonics technologies for biomedical imaging and therapy. He has co-authored more than 450 publications and holds 23 patents in new technology development as well as bench-to-bedside clinical translation, validation, and commercialization of devices.
Christophe Marchand, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist Administrator at the NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Research Strategy. Previously, as an intramural researcher in the Developmental Therapeutics Branch at NCI's Center for Cancer Research, he developed novel high-throughput screening assays and new classes of antiviral and anticancer drugs. Dr. Marchand led the Professional Development Committee of the NCI Staff Scientists and Staff Clinicians Organization from 2011 to 2016 and has been involved in capacity building ever since.
Christopher Steven Marcum, Ph.D., is a staff scientist and methodologist at the NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) within the Social Network Methods Section of the Social and Behavioral Research Branch. Chris received his doctoral degree in sociology from the University of California-Irvine and completed his postdoctoral training in economics and statistics at RAND. His program of research focuses on network dynamics of health communication and social behavior within families challenged with heritable disease. He is an advocate for plain language communication of social science to broad audiences. Outside of work he enjoys photography, software development, and playing out the fantastical adventures of his young son's imagination while hiking through the forest.
Craig Myrum, Ph.D., is a post-doctoral IRTA fellow at NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) in the Neurocognitive Aging Section (NAS) of the Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience (LBN). His work focuses on how a key memory-related gene, Arc, is disrupted in a well-established rat model of cognitive aging. Craig is a member of FelCom and is the current Outreach Officer, aiming to disseminate the activities of NIH fellows. Outside of the lab, he enjoys marathon running, traveling, and most things that get him outdoors.
Dianne Lee, Ph.D., is a biologist at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). She graduated in 2010 from Stony Brook University in New York, where she studied the neurobiology of addiction in animal models using positron emission tomography (PET). In her spare time, she enjoys writing about topics such as brain science, diversity and inclusion in STEM, and health disparities.
Elizabeth Burke, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program. She investigates the potential causality of patients’ genetic variants by utilizing zebrafish as a model organism. When not working in the lab, she spends her time caring for and playing with her new baby boy at home.
Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., was the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 2009–2021. In that role, he oversaw the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, spanning the spectrum from basic to clinical research. Dr. Collins is also 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. He continues his genetics research as an IRP senior investigator leading the Center for Precision Health Research at NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
Gabrielle Barr, B.A., M.S.I., is the archivist at the Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum, where she is responsible for making physical and digital collections accessible to researchers, answering reference requests, and assisting with outreach endeavours. She has also taken an active part in trying to capture and preserve NIH’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, including spearheading the initiative “Behind the Mask: Real Stories from NIH Staff About Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
This page was last updated on Friday, January 14, 2022
