DISC Team and Community
Executive Leadership Team
Meet the Team

Gregory Aarons, Ph.D.
Co-Director
Professor, Psychiatry
Health Sciences gaarons@ucsd.edu

Borsika Rabin, Ph.D., M.P.H., Pharm.D.
Co-Director
Associate Professor
Public Health
Health Sciences barabin@ucsd.edu

Lauren Brookman-Frazee, Ph.D.
Director of Education and Training
Professor, Psychiatry
Health Sciences lbrookman@ucsd.edu

Nicole Stadnick, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Director of Dissemination and Evaluation
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Health Sciences nstadnic@health.ucsd.edu
DISC Management
Kera Swanson, M.P.H.
DISC Manager
knswanson@health.ucsd.edu
DISC Trainees
DISC currently offers undergraduate internships for course credit through the UC San Diego Family Medicine and Public Health Department (Course Number: FMPH199 and FMPH198). E-mail DISC Manager, Kera Swanson, for application instructions at knswanson@health.ucsd.edu.
Olivia Fang is currently a part of UCSD Extension's Post Baccalaureate Pre-Health Program. She is an alumni of UC Berkeley where she majored in Psychology and minored in Creative Writing. She is interested in psychiatry and wants to learn about the interdisciplinary nature of D&I research and how such research can guide and improve the implementation of interventions in healthcare.
Laura Sheckter is a first-year MPH student concentrating in Health Behavior and Health Policy. She hopes to learn how to help populations improve their overall well-being during her time at UCSD. More specifically, Laura is interested in learning about the process of writing D&I research and gaining the tools to apply that research through experiential learning.
DISC Consultation Team
Due to limited staff capacity, the DISC Consultation services are currently only available to those from ACTRI-affiliated institutions listed here.
To request DISC Consultations, please complete the Consultation Request Form. The form will ask questions about you and your D&I project. It will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. The information that you share will be reviewed by the DISC Consultation team on a rolling basis. Please note that the DISC Consultation Team requires 7-10 business days to review and respond to consultation requests. Please review the Triage for Grant-related and Manuscript requests below for more detailed information about timeline and allowable requests. Consultations are not a guarantee for the consultant being able to serve as a Co-Investigator on the grant proposal. As part of our consultation services we provide resources, initial guidance for models, measures, and designs and we can make recommendations to connect you with others who could serve as Co-Investigators on your proposal, if needed.
Who can request a DISC Consultation?
Due to limited staff capacity, the DISC Consultation services are currently only available to those from UC San Diego ACTRI-affiliated institutions listed here. You must also be a current DISC Member to request DISC Consultation. To become a member, please join here.
Current D&I Science Center Consultation Team
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Organizational Chart
The DISC Organizational Chart illustrates our shared leadership model and how the DISC works with advisors, stakeholders and community partners to achieve Center goals.
Data Dashboard
DISC Investigators
Name |
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Affiliation |
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Investigator Specialty Area |
Matthew Aalsma |
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Indiana University |
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Adolescent, behavioral health, criminal justice |
Gregory Aarons |
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University of California San Diego, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) |
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Leadership, organizational climate, organizational culture, EPIS Framework, scale-up strategies, scaling-out, measures, provider attitudes, community-academic partnerships, mixed-methods |
Wael Al-Delaimy |
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University of California San Diego |
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Mental health, global health, epidemiology, public health |
Tala Al-Rousan |
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University of California San Diego |
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Epidemiology, hypertension, aging, health disparities, Community-based research, Global health |
Jennifer Anger |
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University of California System, VA San Diego, County Health Department |
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Health services research, urology, robotic surgery, transgender care |
Heather Angier |
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Oregon Health & Science University |
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Primary care, preventive services, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, healthcare disparities |
Robert Anthenelli |
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University of California San Diego |
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Addiction, alcohol use disorder, tobacco use disorder, substance use disorder, comorbidity, stress axis, sex differences |
Elva Arredondo |
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San Diego State University |
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Health disparities research, chronic disease prevention, Latino health, multilevel interventions |
Yuka Asada |
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University of Illinois Chicago |
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Nutrition, health policy, qualitative methods, school wellness policies, sugary beverage taxes, nutrition policy |
Roman Ayele |
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Colorado University Anschutz |
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Implementation science, Adaptations, Qualitative research, Veterans health, Dementia, Health services research |
Laura Balis |
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Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) |
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Physical activity, community, implementation science, low to middle income countries, policies, built environment |
Miya Barnett |
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University of California Santa Barbara |
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Lay health workers, mental health disparities, consumer engagement, Latinx, Measuring adaptations, Fidelity measurement, Parenting |
Angela Bazzi |
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University of California San Diego |
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HIV, substance use, injection drug use, sexual health, epidemiology, qualitative methods, mixed methods |
Theresa Betancourt |
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Boston College |
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Implementation Science, Mental Health, Trauma, Early Childhood Development, Family Strengthening, Violence Reduction, Global Health, Public Health |
Erika Borkoles |
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Griffith University |
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Implementation science, public health - political and social determinants of health, obesity, sport and exercise, qualitative methods, climate action |
Maya Boustani |
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Loma Linda University |
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Mental health, youth, community, child, implementation, services research |
Sarabeth Broder-Fingert |
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University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School |
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Pediatrics, Autism, Health Services, Public health, Mental health |
Lauren Brookman-Frazee |
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University of California San Diego, Rady Children's Hospital |
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Children's mental health services, community-partnered research, autism, early intervention services, hybrid implementation-effectiveness trials, provider training, implementation strategies, disparities |
Alicia Bunger |
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Ohio State University |
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Organizations, Collaboration, Community-Engagement, Behavioral Health, Social Networks |
Alan Card |
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University of California San Diego |
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Safety, Quality, Risk management, Patient safety, Improvement science, Intervention design, Toolkits, Burnout, Well-being, Organizational change |
Morgen Chalmiers |
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University of California San Diego |
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Ethnography, qualitative methods, gender, reproductive health, sexual health |
Erika Crable |
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University of California San Diego |
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D&I Frameworks, Models, Theories, Implementation Outcomes, Hybrid Designs, Substance use treatment, Justice-involved populations, Medicaid, Safety-net settings/populations, Health services research |
Margaret Crane |
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Temple University |
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Dissemination, mental health literacy, evidence-based practices, child anxiety |
Colin Depp |
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University of California San Diego |
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Mobile technology, Research training, Serious mental illness, Suicide prevention, Healthy aging |
Kelsey Dickson |
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San Diego State University |
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Autism, executive functioning, mental health, youth |
Parambir Dulai |
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University of California San Diego, VA San Diego |
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Inflammatory bowel disease, Disease monitoring, Comparative effectiveness |
Andrea Duran |
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Columbia University |
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Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Implementation Science, Telehealth, Exercise Physiology, Cardiovascular Disease, Obesity Prevention |
Jessica Elia |
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University of California San Francisco |
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Chronic disease, physical therapy, physical function, telehealth, inflammatory bowel disease, rehabilitation, prehabilitation, prevention, post-operative care, patient-centered decision making |
Mark Ettenhofer |
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University of California San Diego, VA San Diego |
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Traumatic brain injury, neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, technology development, eye tracking, aging, concussion, military |
Danielle Fettes |
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University of California San Diego, Rady Children's Hospital |
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Child welfare, implementation science, evaluation research, youth mental health & substance use, community-academic partnerships, medical sociology, child trauma, family violence |
Karen Fortuna |
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Dartmouth University |
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Digital peer support, Community engagement, Mobile technologies, Patient engagement, older adults, Serious mental illness |
Bryan Garner |
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RTI International |
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Maryam Gholami |
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University of California San Diego |
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Cancer prevention, Health behavior intervention, Health promotion, Chronic disease prevention, D&I |
Marybel Gonzalez |
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University of California San Diego |
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Neurocognitive development, Bio-psycho-social models, Brain development, Adolescent substance use, Family relationships, Neighborhood environment |
Rachel Haine-Schlagel |
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San Diego State University |
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Parent engagement in services, direct to consumer marketing/consumer pull interventions, provider training |
Syed Usman Hamdani |
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Global Institute of Human Development, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Pakistan |
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Global Mental Health, Public Mental Health, Child and adolescent mental health, Task-shifting, Trans-diagnostic interventions, Health applications of technology, Scaling up mental health services in low resource settings |
Taylor Harris |
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Greater Los Angeles VA |
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Homelessness, Housing, Mental Health, Substance use, Tobacco use, Community integration, Care coordination |
Allison Harvey |
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University of California Berkeley |
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Mental illness, sleep and circadian problems/disorders, community mental health |
Sarah Haynes |
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University of California Davis |
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Epidemiology, telehealth, mixed methods, chronic disease management, adherence, telemonitoring, telemedicine |
Eric Hekler |
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University of California San Diego |
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Behavior change, human-centered design, research methods, adaptive interventions, self-study, N-of-1 research methods, Small Data, Precision Health, community-driven design |
Charlotte Hobbs |
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Rady Children's Hospital |
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Genomics, precision medicine, rare disease, pediatrics, neonatology |
Cole Hooley |
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BYU |
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Scale-up, Mental health services |
Samantha Hurst |
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University of California San Diego |
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Qualitative methods, mixed methods research design, vulnerable populations, cross-cultural theory, community-based participator research, academic-community partnerships |
Kathryn Hyzak |
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Ohio State University, County Health Department |
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Health promotion, Health services research, Traumatic brain injury, Behavioral Health, Mixed methods research |
Cheedy Jaja |
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University of Southern Florida |
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Sickle cell disease, Pharmacogenetics, Implementation science, Global health, health systems building |
Allison Jobin |
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California State University San Marcos |
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Autism spectrum disorder, parent-mediated interventions, evidence-based practice for ASD, community-based effectiveness, treatment individualization |
Lisa Juckett |
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Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center |
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Geriatrics, Physical rehabilitation, Home- and community-based services, Implementation frameworks, Fall prevention, Scoping review methodology |
Bonnie Kaiser |
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University of California San Diego |
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Global mental health, Global implementation science, Task shifting, Adaptation, Qualitative research, Mixed methods, Haiti, Kenya, Anthropology |
Patrick De Marie Katoto |
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County Health Department |
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Epidemiology, Tuberculosis, HIV, COVID-19, Air pollution, Tropical medicine, Quantitative skill |
Bo-Kyung (Elizabeth) Kim |
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University of Southern California |
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Juvenile justice, mental, emotional, behavioral health, school-to-prison pipeline, services research, quantitative methods, trauma and resilience |
Gwendolyn Lawson |
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Children's Hospital of Philadelphia |
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Mental health, children, school, teacher, ADHD, socioeconomic status, teacher consultation, implementation, behavioral interventions |
Daisy Le |
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George Washington University |
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Cancer Prevention and Control, Health Disparities, Tobacco Prevention and Control, HPV and Cervical Cancer, MHealth and Digital Technology, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Underserved Populations, Team Science, Mixed Methods Research, Women Living with HIV |
Susan Lee |
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University of California San Diego |
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Long COVID, inflammatory arthritis, autoimmune connective tissue disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, osteoarthritis |
Rebecca Lengnick-Hall |
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Washington University in St. Louis |
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organizations, bridging factors, qualitative |
Teresa Lind |
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University of California San Diego |
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Child maltreatment, early adversity, preventative interventions, EBP sustainment, parenting |
Teresa Lind |
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San Diego State University |
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Trauma, child development, early experiences, implementation science |
Laurie Lindamer |
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VA San Diego |
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Mental health, evidence-based interventions, implementation |
Sarah Linke |
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University of California San Diego |
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Physical activity promotion, health promotion, health systems implementation, behavioral medicine, clinical psychology |
Nadia Liyanage-Don |
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Columbia University |
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Health behaviors, Preventive medicine, psychological distress, Healthcare disparities, Remote patient monitoring, Telemedicine, Cardiovascular disease |
Kate Lovero |
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Columbia University |
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Global mental health, adolescent mental health, implementation science |
Rebecka Lundgren |
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University of California San Diego |
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Social norms, gender, adolescence, sexual and reproductive health, scale up, adaptation, prevention of gender-based violence, male engagement |
Katelyn Luu |
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University of California San Diego |
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Empathy, inquisitive, detailed, basic epidemiology, basic statistics, remote research |
Patricia Maritim |
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University of Zambia- School of Public Health |
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Implementation Science, Neglected tropical diseases, Sexual and Reproductive health, Health equity |
Kassandra Martinez |
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University of California San Diego, San Diego State University, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) |
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Autism Spectrum Disorder, Community Based Participatory Research, Children's Mental Health Services, Disparities, Access to Care, Integrated Care |
Gabriella McLoughlin |
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Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC), Washington University in St. Louis |
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Charles Meliska |
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University of California San Diego, County Health Department |
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Mixed methods, qualitative, school wellness, physical activity, obesity prevention, organizational capacity, nutrition, food insecurity, implementation science, translational research |
Laura Milko |
|
University of North Carolina |
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clinical, depression, research |
Sheila Mody |
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University of California San Diego, County Health Department |
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Genomic, Sequencing, Screening, Precision, Medicine, Genetic, Testing, Clinical, Actionability |
Jessica Montoya |
|
University of California San Diego |
|
Contraception |
Ann Marie Moraitis |
|
University of Utah |
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HIV, substance use disorders, aging, physical activity, everyday functioning, mobile health, adherence |
Frances Nedjat-Haiem |
|
San Diego State University |
|
Young adult, Cancer, Survivorship, Physical activity, Exercise physiology, Wellbeing, Symptom science |
Frances Nedjat-Haiem |
|
San Diego State University, County Health Department |
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Palliative Care, Social Justice, Health Services Research, End of Life Care, Medical or Health Social Work, Oncology/Cancer Care, Chronic Disease Management, Patient Navigation, Veterans |
Jesse Nodora |
|
University of California San Diego, County Health Department |
|
Cancer Prevention, Cancer Disparities, Cancer Screening, Women's Bladder Health, Underserved Populations, Multilevel Interventions, Multicultural Research, Community-based Research, Public Health Evidence Based Practice |
Elizabeth Painter |
|
BroderickHaight Consulting |
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ASD, DD, ADHD, ID |
Lawrence Palinkas |
|
University of Southern California, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) |
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Implementation science, mental health services, health services research, health policy, community engaged research, social determinants of health |
Barbara Parry |
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University of California San Diego, VA San Diego, County Health Department |
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Mood disorders, Women’s health, Circadian rhythms, Sleep, Light treatment, Endocrine, Melatonin, Premenstrual syndrome, Peripartum, Menopause |
Monica Perez Jolles |
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University of Southern California |
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Federally Qualified Health Centers, Patient-centered care, ACE state policy, complex health interventions, health services research, health disparities |
Rebecca Phillips |
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Ohio State University |
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Context-Process-Outcome Evaluation, Health & Human Service Systems, Occupational Health & Well-Being, Participatory Action Research, Multi-level Theory-based Implementation |
Bobbi Pineda |
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University of Southern California |
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NICU, Preterm, Therapy, Access, Intervention, Uptake, Sensory, Development, Outcomes, Environment |
James Pittman |
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University of California San Diego, VA San Diego |
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electronic screening, mental health, PTSD, trauma, social work |
Byron Powell |
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Washington University in St. Louis |
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Mental Health Services Research, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Qualitative Research, Mixed Methods Research, Implementation Research, Implementation Strategies, Theories and Frameworks |
Borsika Rabin |
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University of California San Diego, VA San Diego, County Health Department |
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Dissemination, implementation, adaptation, pragmatic measurement, designing for dissemination and implementation |
Sally Rafie |
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University of California San Diego |
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contraception, pharmacists, pharmacy, community pharmacy, emergency contraception, medication abortion, family planning |
Serena Rajabiun |
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County Health Department, University of Massachusetts Lowell |
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HIV/AIDS, community health workers, health services research, cost, social determinants of health |
Hanna Reich de Paredes |
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Depression Research Center |
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Mental health, Depression, Migration, Transcultural psychology, Psychotherapy, Implementation, Digital health, Ecological momentary assessment, Measurement equivalence, Health care utilization |
Sarah Rojas |
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University of California San Diego |
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HIV, Prep, HCV, trans, LGBT, health disparities |
Laurel Sarfan |
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University of California San Diego |
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Transdiagnostic treatments/mechanisms, Sleep and circadian dysfunction, Anxiety disorders, Treatment evaluation, Cognitive and behavioral therapies |
Cynthia Schairer |
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University of California San Diego |
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Qualitative research, community and stakeholder engagement, technology, public health, ethics |
Melody Schiaffino |
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San Diego State University |
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HSR, Systems and data science, Organizational Theory, Health disparities, Cancer and aging |
Gregory Seibert |
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University of California San Diego, County Health Department |
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Self-Regulation, Dyadic Regulation, Burnout, Open Dialogue, Behavioral Interventions, Addiction |
Rebecca Selove |
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Tennessee State University |
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Psychology, Public health, Implementation science |
Argentina Servin |
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University of California San Diego |
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Adolescent health, Sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, STIs, Gender-based violence, Gender Equity and Health, Migrant Health, Female sex workers |
Marisa Sklar |
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University of California San Diego, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) |
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Mental health, integrated primary care, Research design, Psychometrics, Quantitative methods, Qualitative methods, Mixed methods, Quasi experimental design |
David Sleet |
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San Diego State University |
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Injury, prevention, accidents, behavioral science, health promotion, disease prevention, drowning, concussion, traffic injury |
David Sommerfeld |
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University of California San Diego |
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Behavioral health services, intervention development, intervention implementation, treatment engagement strategies, community-based collaborative research, evaluation |
Dara Sorkin |
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University of California Irvine |
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health disparities, social support, behavioral health, health promotion, social network |
Nicole Stadnick |
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University of California San Diego |
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implementation science, mental health services, community academic partnerships, integrated care, cross-system implementation, autism, pediatrics, evidence-based practice |
Irene Su |
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University of California San Diego |
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Reproductive health, Cancer survivorship, Reproductive epidemiology, Clinical trials, Infertility |
Jessica Suhrheinrich |
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San Diego State University |
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Rajat Suri |
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University of California San Diego |
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Asma Taha |
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California State University Fullerton |
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Children, Disability, Quality of life, Global health |
Ming Tai-Seale |
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University of California San Diego |
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Learning health system, patient experience, practice of medicine, physician wellness, chronic disease management, population health, patient engagement, shared decision making, technology, innovation |
Jonathan Tobin |
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Rockefeller University |
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PBRN, practice-based research network, community engaged research, comparative effectiveness research, implementation science, cardiovascular epidemiology, primary care |
Kiyomi Tsuyuki |
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University of California San Diego |
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HIV, Substance use, Violence, Mental Health, STIs, Youth, Racial and ethnic disparities, Brazil, HIV testing |
Pamela Valera |
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County Health Department, Rutgers University |
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Cancer health disparities, smoking cessation, criminal justice, men, misinformation, COVID-19, substance abuse, sexual and gender minority groups, HIV |
Jennifer Velloza |
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University of Washington |
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Global mental health, HIV prevention, adolescents and young adults, Sub-Saharan Africa, implementation science frameworks, CFIR, hybrid trials, pragmatic trials, mHealth |
Gabriel Wardi |
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University of California San Diego |
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Sepsis, cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, machine learning, critical care, emergency medicine, resuscitation |
Paul Watson |
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Global Action Research Center |
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Community, Engagement, Community Facilitation, Participatory Action Research, Data Collection, Empirical Knowledge, Community Consensus, Bi-directional Learning, Theory of Change, Appreciative Inquiry |
Douglas Ziedonis |
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University of New Mexico |
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Addiction, Tobacco, Mental Illness, Schizophrenia, Psychosocial interventions, Organizational Change, Mindfulness, Obesity, Opioids, Wellness |
* This information was obtained from the DISC Annual Survey
The DISC publishes a DISC Data Dashboard highlighting the number of DISC Consultations to date, Twitter followers, and DISC Membership count.