Introduction to Clinical and Translational Science (ICaTS)

Anthony Windebank, M.D.

Professor of Neurology

Since 1980, Dr. Windebank has been involved in the design or conduct of more than 50 clinical trials and clinical studies. Dr. Windebank's laboratory coordinates the research activities of a multidisciplinary team with members from several departments. Dr. Windebank has published more than 400 scholarly articles or abstracts, including more than 220 full-length publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Shruthi Naik, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Dr. Naik is an Assistant Professor and investigator in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Mayo Clinic, with educational appointments in the Clinical and Translational Sciences, virology, and Gene Therapy programs. Her PhD is in Biomedical Sciences from the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program, with a focus on Cancer Biology. She has led translational studies to advance new oncolytic virus therapies to clinical trials.

Jessica Hirsch, D. Bioethics, M.A., CIP

Instructor of Biomedical Ethics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science

Dr. Jessica Hirsch is the Senior Education Specialist for the Biomedical Ethics Program and an Instructor of Biomedical Ethics within the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. She received her Doctorate of Bioethics from Loyola Medical School-Chicago and her Master of Arts in Bioethics from the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is CIP certified and has more than 12 years of research administration experience.

Drew Witter, M.S., RAC, CCRP

Regulatory and Compliance Manager, Mayo Clinic Office of Research Regulatory Support

Mr. Witter holds a master's degree from Drexel University in Clinical Research Organization and Management and certifications from the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society and Society of Clinical Research Associates. Drew is the co-director of the Introduction to Regulatory Science offered by the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Sena Christianson, M.H.A., CCRP

Senior Program Coordinator, Mayo Clinic Office of Clinical Trials

Sena Christianson is a Senior Program Coordinator- Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) at Mayo Clinic's Office of Clinical Trials (OCT), working as the project lead in Research Recruitment Services. She holds a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Sena has 15 years of experience at Mayo Clinic in various areas, including the Office of Clinical Trials and the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery.

M. Hassan Murad, M.D.

Professor of Medicine

Dr. Murad is a clinical epidemiologist who studies how evidence is generated, synthesized, appraised and applied. These activities can be collectively called evidence-based medicine or evidence-based healthcare practice. He directs the AHRQ designated Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) at the Mayo Clinic, the fellowship program in Preventive Medicine and Public Health and the Master's Program in translational research. He is a co-founder of the US-GRADE Network and has more than 1,000 scientific publications and has participated in approximately 100 national/international clinical practice guidelines.

Stacey J. Winham, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biostatistics

Dr. Winham is a statistical geneticist interested in the genetic etiology of common, complex diseases. She develops statistical methods to identify genetic risk factors for diseases in high-dimensional data and applies those analysis methods to studies of psychiatric genetics, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Her focus areas include statistical methods development, psychiatric disorders, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and education.

Vivekananda Sarangi, Ph.D.

Principal Bioinformatician

Dr. Sarangi holds a Master's and Ph.D. in bioinformatics and has more than a decade of experience in the field. His expertise lies in DNA sequencing analyses, encompassing both bulk and single-cell sequencing. Currently, he serves as the Principal Bioinformatician at the bioinformatics core, where he leads the DNA analyses team. While he works on a range of disease types, his primary focus is on lymphomas, specifically diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL). Vivekananda also conducts focused research on somatic mosaicism and its role in normal development and various diseases. In addition to his research, he is an educator, teaching a course on bioinformatic concepts.

David R. Holmes, III, Ph.D.

Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Dr. Holmes studies the methods by which healthcare researchers analyze and interpret large data sets. Dr. Holmes is investigating new methods, which attempt to link disparate data sets and build computational models directly from the data. Dr. Holmes also studies the mapping of healthcare questions onto novel computational architecture.

Karla V. Ballman, Ph.D.

Professor of Biostatistics

Dr. Karla V. Ballman, PhD, is a biostatistician with specialized knowledge in clinical trial design, biomarker development, and high-dimensional data analysis. She is focused on oncology research and is the Chair of the Division of Clinical Trials and Biostatistics at Mayo Clinic. She also holds a professorship in biostatistics at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Kellyn Engstrom Pharm.D., R.Ph., M.P.H., BCEMP

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

Assistant Professor of Pharmacy

Dr. Engstrom has dual academic roles as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Assistant Professor of Pharmacy in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. She is passionate about educating all types of learners in the emergency department and is the Assistant Program Director for Mayo Clinic’s Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Residency. Dr. Engstrom has research interests in exploring pain, agitation, and sedation among special populations in the emergency department.

Mike Gionfriddo, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Health Services Research

Dr. Gionfriddo is an Assistant Professor of Health Services Research and works as a Senior Health Services Analyst in the Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. He received his PharmD from Wilkes University and his PhD from Mayo Clinic. His work is focused on evaluating and improving the healthcare system with an emphasis on the clinical encounter. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, which have been cited more than 6000 times, and has an h-index of 36.

Chris Carpenter, M.D.

Professor of Emergency Medicine

Dr. Carpenter is a resident trained in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine, a professor of Emergency Medicine, and vice chair of Implementation and Innovation at Mayo Clinic-Rochester. He is Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Academic Emergency Medicine and Associate Editor for both the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and Annals of Internal Medicine’s ACP Journal Club.

Jennifer Ridgeway, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Health Services Research

Dr. Ridgeway is a health services researcher and implementation scientist with qualitative and mixed-methods research expertise. Dr. Ridgeway is interested in methodological approaches that appreciate the complexity in healthcare and engage patients and care teams to improve care delivery. Dr. Ridgeway's research focuses on using networks, technology and collaboration to increase access to patient-centered, compassionate and evidence-based care close to home, especially for people with cancer and chronic conditions.

Molly Jeffery, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine

Associate Professor of Health Services Research

Dr. Jeffery is a health economist and health services researcher at the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery. Dr. Jeffrey studies how people use healthcare and health insurance. Much of Dr. Jeffery's work involves using large databases of administrative data, including health insurance claims and electronic health records.

Margot Cousin, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medical Genetics

Dr. Cousin aims to individualize therapeutic development and improve clinical trial readiness for people with rare genetic diseases. Her work goes from the bench to the bedside and uses a shared team-science approach to improve outcomes for individuals with rare diseases. Focus areas include disease models taken from individuals, antisense oligonucleotide development, and clinical trial readiness.

Heather Billings, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Medical Education

Dr. Billings is a Mayo Clinic career educator who works with an interprofessional team of educators and social scientists to create, facilitate and assess faculty and mentorship development programming. Her recent work includes referencing conceptual frameworks to guide the creation of team science education and resources to advance multidisciplinary effectiveness and outcomes across disciplines and organizational boundaries.