A multi-disciplinary leadership team is responsible for guiding, developing, and evaluating the effort and mentoring the Drexel First cohort of new faculty.
This group of academic leaders is composed of a team of principal investigators, core co-leads, co-investigators, and mentors who provide the Drexel FIRST cohort with essential expertise and guidance as they develop their research efforts and career pathways.
Principal Investigators
Ana Diez Roux, MD, PhD, MPH
Dean Emerita and Distinguished University Professor of Epidemiology
Director of the Urban Health Collaborative
Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health
Director of the Urban Health Collaborative
Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health
Laura Gitlin, PhD, FGSA, FAAN
Dean Emerita and Distinguished University Professor
Drexel College of Nursing and Health Professions
Drexel College of Nursing and Health Professions
Drexel FIRST Core Co-Leads
Girija Kaimal, EdD
Co-Core Director, FIRST Evaluation Core
Assistant Dean for Special Research Initiatives, Interim Chair and Associate Professor, Creative Arts Department
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Assistant Dean for Special Research Initiatives, Interim Chair and Associate Professor, Creative Arts Department
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Jan Eberth, PhD, MSPH
Co-Core Director, FIRST Faculty Development Core
Professor and Chair
Department of Health Policy and Management
Dornsife School of Public Health
Professor and Chair
Department of Health Policy and Management
Dornsife School of Public Health
Loni Tabb, PhD
Co-Core Director, FIRST Faculty Development Core
Associate Professor of Biostatistics
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Dornsife School of Public Health
Associate Professor of Biostatistics
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Dornsife School of Public Health
Drexel FIRST Co-Investigators
Rose Ann DiMaria-Ghalili, PhD, RN, FASPEN, FAAN, FGSA
Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Research
Department of Nutrition Sciences & Graduate Nursing
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Department of Nutrition Sciences & Graduate Nursing
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Erin M. Horvat, PhD
Interim Dean
Senior Vice Provost, Faculty Advancement Professor
Drexel School of Education
Senior Vice Provost, Faculty Advancement Professor
Drexel School of Education
Renee Moore, PhD
Research Professor; Director of Biostatistics Scientific Collaboration Center (BSC); and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Brisa N. Sancheź, PhD
Endowed Professor of Biostatistics and Associate Dean for Research
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Research Development Committee Chair
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Research Development Committee Chair
Drexel FIRST Committee Members
Research Development Committee
Rose Ann DiMaria-Ghalili, PhD, RN, FASPEN, FAAN, FGSA
Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Research
Department of Nutrition Sciences & Graduate Nursing
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Department of Nutrition Sciences & Graduate Nursing
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Margaret Finley, PT, PhD
Associate Professor, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences Department
College of Nursing and Health Professions
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Meera Nair Harhay, MD, MSCE
Associate Professor of Medicine
Drexel College of Medicine
Drexel College of Medicine
Brian K. Lee, PhD
Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Dornsife School of Public Health
Brisa N. Sancheź, PhD
Endowed Professor of Biostatistics and Associate Dean for Research
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Research Development Committee Chair
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Research Development Committee Chair
Professional Development Committee
Erin M. Horvat, PhD
Interim Dean
Senior Vice Provost, Faculty Advancement Professor
Drexel School of Education
Senior Vice Provost, Faculty Advancement Professor
Drexel School of Education
Michele Kutzler, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty, Professor of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology
Drexel College of Medicine
Drexel College of Medicine
Glenn Williams, PT, PhD, ATC
Assistant Dean of Health Sciences, Chair of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, and Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences
College of Nursing and Health Professions
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Drexel FIRST Mentors and Staff
Sharelle M. Barber, ScD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Director of The Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements, and Population Health EquityDornsife School of Public Health
Usama Bilal, PhD, MPH, MD
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
Co-Director of the Urban Health Collaborative
Dornsife School of Public Health
Co-Director of the Urban Health Collaborative
Dornsife School of Public Health
Jane Clougherty, MSc, ScD
Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health
Dornsife School of Public Health
Dornsife School of Public Health
Rose Ann DiMaria-Ghalili, PhD, RN, FASPEN, FAAN, FGSA
Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Research
Department of Nutrition Sciences & Graduate Nursing
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Department of Nutrition Sciences & Graduate Nursing
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Stephanie Krauthamer Ewing, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Department of Counseling & Family Therapy
College of Nursing & Health Professions
Department of Counseling & Family Therapy
College of Nursing & Health Professions
Allison Groves, PhD, MHS
Associate Professor
Department of Community Health & Prevention
Dornsife School of Public Health
Department of Community Health & Prevention
Dornsife School of Public Health
Meera Nair Harhay, MD, MSCE
Associate Professor of Medicine
Drexel College of Medicine
Drexel College of Medicine
Ann C. Klassen, PhD
Professor, Community Health and Prevention
Dornsife School of Public Health
Dornsife School of Public Health
Mariana Elizondo-Lazo, MD, PhD, ScM
Associate Research Professor, Department of Community Health and Prevention and the Urban Health Collaborative
Dornsife School of Public Health
Dornsife School of Public Health
Brent Lagellier, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Health Policy and Management
Dornsife School of Public Health
Department of Health Policy and Management
Dornsife School of Public Health
Brian K. Lee, PhD
Associate Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Dornsife School of Public Health
Felice Le-Scherban, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Dornsife School of Public Health
Gina Lovasi, PhD, MPH
Interim Dean and Dornsife Associate Professor of Urban Health
Dornsife School of Public Health
Dornsife School of Public Health
Ana Martinez-Donate, PhD
Professor, Community Health and Prevention
Dornsife School of Public Health
Dornsife School of Public Health
Lindsay Shea, DrPH, MS
Director of the Policy and Analytics Center at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute
Loni Tabb, PhD
Co-Core Director, FIRST Faculty Development Core
Associate Professor of Biostatistics
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Dornsife School of Public Health
Associate Professor of Biostatistics
Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
Dornsife School of Public Health
Katlyn Wright
FIRST Program Administrative Coordinator
Valeria Montero-Bowden
FIRST Project Manager
