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NIH Working Group

This is the trans-NIH Working Group that oversees the development, implementation, communication, and assessment of the Common Fund program.

Contact us: [email protected].

Co-Chairs:

Co-Chairs are Institute or Center (IC) directors or IC senior staff who lead the Working Group and have the authority to approve major activities and funding actions.

  • Gary Gibbons, M.D.
    Director
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 
  • Jill Heemskerk, Ph.D.
    Deputy Director
    National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
  • Robert Star, M.D.
    Director
    Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases
    National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Leadership Team and Points of Contact

Coordinators, Program Leaders, and Project Team Leaders serve as the day-to-day leadership for the program and Working Group.  Also included here are points of contact for areas of program management.

Common Fund Program Leader: 

  • Richard Conroy. Ph.D., M.B.A.
    Program Leader
    Office of Strategic Coordination
    Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
    Office of the Director (OD), National Institutes of Health

Working Group Coordinator:

  • Zorina Galis, Ph.D.
    Branch Chief
    Vascular Biology and Hypertension
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Initiative Leaders: 

Initiative 1. Transformative Technology Development

  • Pothur Srinivas, Ph.D.
    Program Officer
    Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program
    National Cancer Institute (NCI) 

Initiative 2. Rapid Technology Integration

  • Jerry Li, M.D., Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Structural Biology and Molecular Applications Branch 
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Initiative 3. Human Tissue Mapping

  • Zorina Galis, Ph.D.
    Branch Chief
    Vascular Biology and Hypertension
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 
  • Richard Conroy, Ph.D., M.B.A.
    Program Leader
    Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
    Office of the Director (OD), National Institutes of Health

Initiative 4. Data Coordination, Integration, and Analysis

  • Ajay Pillai, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Computational Science
    National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
  • Zorina Galis, Ph.D.
    Branch Chief
    Vascular Biology and Hypertension
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Initiative 5. Demonstration Projects

  • Ajay Pillai, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Computational Science
    National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Additional NIH Office of Strategic Coordination Representation:

  • David Bollweg
    Business Operations and Analysis Contact
    Management  Analyst 
    Office of Strategic Coordination
    Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
    Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health 
  • Dena C. Procaccini, M.A.
    Strategic Planning, Evaluation, and Communications Contact 
    Scientific Program Manager
    Office of Strategic Coordination
    Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives
    Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health

Other Working Group Members

The Working Group Members are staff from multiple NIH Institutes and Centers who provide input from their Institute or Center's perspective

  • Bishow Adhikari, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Heart Failure and Arrhythmias Branch
    National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • Brian Bai Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Molecular, Cellular, and Systems Blood Science Branch
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • Lawrence Baizer, Ph.D. 
    Program Director
    Division of Lung Diseases
    National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 
  • Andrea Beckel-Mitchener, Ph.D.
    Acting Director
    Office for Research on Disparities and Global Mental Health
    National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  • Francesca Bosetti, Pharm. D., Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Neural Environment Cluster Group
    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) 
  • Katarzyna Bourcier, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Immuno-oncology Branch
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • Marishka Brown, Ph.D.
    Program Director, Sleep Disorders
    National Center on Sleep Disorders, Research Division of Lung Diseases
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • Eric Brunskill, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Division of Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases
    National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
  • Robert Carter, M.D.
    Deputy Director
    National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • Marc Charette, Ph.D.
    Program Officer
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • Ricardo Cibotti, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Skin Immunology and Diseases, Skin Microbiome Program
    National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • Jennifer Couch, Ph.D.
    Chief
    Structural Biology and Molecular Applications Branch
    Division of Cancer Biology
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • Sarah Dunsmore, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Division of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry
    National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
  • James Gao, Ph.D.
    Informatics and Data Science
    National Eye Institute (NEI)
  • Dan A. Gilchrist, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Computational Genomics and Data Science
    Division of Genome Sciences
    National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
  • Patricia Greenwel, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition
    National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
  • Lucy Hsu, Ph.D.
    Program Officer
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • Shannon Hughes, Ph.D.
    Deputy Director
    Division of Cancer Biology
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • Cashell Jaquish, Ph.D.
    Program Director 
    Genetic Epidemiology
    National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • Halonna Kelly, Ph.D.
    Scientific Program Analyst
    Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation
    National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
  • Lillian S. Kuo, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Cancer Immunology, Hematology, and Etiology Branch
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • Timothy LaVaute, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
  • Sara Lin, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Lung Biology and Disease Branch 
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • Su-Yau Mao, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Arthritis Biology Program
    National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  • Sofia Martin
    Scientific Program Analyst
    Division of Genome Sciences
    National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
  • Daniel Miller, Ph.D. 
    Program Director
    Division of Neuroscience
    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
  • Viviana Perez Montes, Ph.D.
    Cell Biology Program
    Division of Aging Biology
    National Institute on Aging (NIA)
  • Jill Morris, Ph.D. 
    Program Director 
    Division of Neuroscience
    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
  • Stefanie Nelson, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Genomic Epidemiology Branch
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • Asif Rizwan, Ph.D.
    Program Officer
    Molecular, Cellular, and Systems Blood Science Branch
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  • John Satterlee, Ph.D.
    DNB Coordinator for Trans-NIH Programs and Activities
    National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  • Salvatore Sechi, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases
    National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
  • Kentner Singleton, Ph.D.
    Program Officer
    Basic Immunology Branch
    National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
  • Susan Taymans, Ph.D.
    Branch Director
    Fertility and Infertility Branch
    National Institute of Child Health and Human Development(NICHD)
  • Candace Tingen, PhD
    Program Officer
    Gynecologic Health and Disease Branch
    National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
  • Reiko Toyama, Ph.D.
    Health Scientist Administrator
    Developmental Biology and Structural Variation Branch
    National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
  • Wendy Wang, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Cancer Biomarkers Research Group
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • Dan Xi, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  • Yong Yao, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science
    National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

This page last reviewed on December 4, 2024