Working Group Members

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

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.

  • Christine Colvis, Ph.D.
    Director, Drug Development Partnerships Programs
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) 
     
  • Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., M.A.C.P.
    Director
    National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Leadership Team & Points of Contact:

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

Working Group Coordinators: 

  • Karlie Sharma, Ph.D.
    IDG Coordinator
    Program Officer, Resource Dissemination and Outreach Center (RDOC)
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
     

Common Fund Program Leader:

  • Becky Miller, Ph.D.
    Program Leader
    Office of Strategic Coordination
    Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
    Office of the Director
    National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Points of Contact:

  • David Dzamashvili
    Business Operations and Analysis Contact
    Program Analyst
    Office of Strategic Coordination
    Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
    Office of the Director
    National Institutes of Health (NIH)
     
  • Brionna Hair, Ph.D.
    Strategic Planning, Evaluation, and Communications Contact
    Health Science Policy Analyst
    Office of Strategic Coordination
    Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
    Office of the Director
    National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Members:

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

  • Sam Ananthan, Ph.D.
    Chief, Chemistry and Pharmacology Branch
    National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
     
  • Steve Benowitz, M.A.
    Communications Coordinator
    Office of Communications
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
     
  • Mark Caprara, Ph.D.
    Scientific Review Officer
    Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
     
  • Marc Charette, Ph.D.
    Health Science Administrator
    National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
     
  • Hemin Chin, Ph.D.
    Program Officer
    Division of Neuroscience
    National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
     
  • Severn Churn, Ph.D.
    IDG Project Scientist, Data and Resource Generation Centers (Ion Channels)
    Program Director
    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

  • David Dzamashvili
    Operations Team Program Analyst
    Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC)
    Office of the Director

  • Colin Fletcher, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Knock Out Mouse Program
    National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
     
  • Zorina Galis, Ph.D.
    Chief, Vascular Biology and Hypertension Branch (VBHB) DCVS/NHLBI
    National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 
     
  • Bobbie Gardner
    Public Affairs Specialist
    Office of Communications
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
     
  • Brionna Hair, Ph.D., M.P.H.
    Health Science Policy Analyst
    Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC)
    Office of the Director
     
  • Pascal Laeng, Ph.D.
    Program Manager
    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
     
  • Jerry Li, Ph.D.
    IDG Project Team Leader, Knowledge Management Center (KMC) and Cutting Edge Informatics Tools (CEITs)
    Program Director
    National Cancer Institute (NCI)
     
  • Chris Lindsey, Ph.D.
    Program Officer
    Contraception Research Branch (CRB)/Division of Extramural Research (DER)
    National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
     
  • Abir Malik
    IDG Program Analyst 
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
     
  • Tristan McClure-Begley, Ph.D.
    Branch Chief, Integrative Neuroscience
    Division of Neuroscience & Behavior
    National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 
     
  • Mehdi Mesri, Ph.D.
    IDG Project Scientist, Data and Resource Generation Centers (Kinase Group)
    Program Director, Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research
    NCI Office of the Director 
    National Cancer Institute (NCI) 
     
  • Enrique Michelotti, Ph.D.
    Molecular Biology Program Director
    Division of Neuroscience & Basic Behavioral Science
    National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 
     
  • Laurie Nadler, Ph.D.
    Chief, Neuropharmacology Program
    Division of Neuroscience & Basic Behavioral Science
    National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 
     
  • Antonio B. Noronha, Ph.D.
    Director
    Division of Neuroscience & Behavior
    National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) 
     
  • Michael O'Neil, Ph.D.
    Preclinical Drug Discovery Program Officer
    Parasitology and International Programs Branch
    Division of Microbiology and Infections Disease
    National Institute of Allergy and Infections Disease (NIAID)
     
  • Aaron Pawlyk, Ph.D.
    Chief, Obstetric and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics Branch (OPPTB)
    Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
     
  • Suzana Petanceska, Ph.D.
    Program Officer
    Division of Neuroscience
    National Institute on Aging (NIA
     
  • Ajay Pillai, Ph.D.
    IDG Project Scientist, Knowledge Management Center (KMC) and Cutting-Edge Informatics (CEITs)
    Program Director, Computational Science
    National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
     
  • Steven Pittenger, Ph.D.
    IDG Program Officer, Resource Dissemination and Outreach Center (RDOC)
    Program Officer
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
     
  • Karlie Sharma, Ph.D.
    IDG Project Scientist, Resource Dissemination and Outreach Center (RDOC) 
    IDG R03 and SBIR/STTR Initiative Lead
    Program Officer
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
     
  • Lu Wang, Ph.D.
    Director, Translational Genetics & Genomics Program
    Chief, Translational Genomics Research Branch
    National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
     
  • Ashley Xia, Ph.D.
    IDG Program Officer, Data and Resource Generation Centers (DRGCs)
    Program Director
    Common Fund Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity
    National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK)
     
  • Zuoyu Xu, Ph.D.
    Program Officer, Therapeutics Division
    Bacteriology and Mycology Branch
    National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID)
     
  • Yong Yao, Ph.D.
    Program Director
    Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science
    National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) 
     
  • Xin (Jean) Yuan, Ph.D. 
    Portfolio Analyst
    Office of Portfolio Analysis
    Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives 
    Office of the Director
    National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
     

This page last reviewed on March 2, 2023