ºÚÁÏÍø

Bio: I’m a clinical psychologist by training and have spent much of my career specializing in eating disorders. I’m a Korean American adoptee who would be happy to connect with folks who are looking for mentorship around the culture in the larger School of Medicine, psychology, and/or other professional development-related issues.

Bio: Alice Chuang was born in Taipei, Taiwan but moved to Memphis, TN at the age of 5 months. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Applied Mathematics at Harvard and then returned to her hometown of Memphis to attend medical school and residency at the University of TN. She accepted a faculty appointment at ºÚÁÏÍø SOM in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2003. She has been fortunate to have served as a course director in all phases of the curriculum and to have served as a student advisor before shifting to a formal role in Student Affairs. She currently serves as the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

She is grateful for having the opportunity to serve the students at ºÚÁÏÍø and credits her career achievements to her extraordinary mentors, particularly Dr. Frank Ling who steered her towards a career in medical education as a resident. She credits her career satisfaction to a community, both local and national, of amazing colleagues and friends. She credits her sanity and insanity to her two children, ages 16 and 13, the menagerie of animals in their home: Memphis (Aussiedoodle) Luna (Westiepoo), Yoshi (chiweenie), Cooper (box turtle) and Upendo (artic albino Western hognose snake) and her partner, who is coincidentally also an obstetrician.

Bio: Dr. Dave is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Director of Abacus Evaluation, and the Associate Director of the Center for Health Equity Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (ºÚÁÏÍø). Dr. Dave is an emergency medicine physician with a master's and a doctorate in public health, and has over 20 years of experience in clinical, public health and evaluation research. Dr. Dave is a co-Investigator and the Director of Evaluation for the National Institutes of Health’ Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP). The RADx-UP Program provides critical findings to inform ongoing SARS-CoV-2 public health efforts to improve the reach, acceptance, uptake, and sustainability of COVID-19 testing and prevention in marginalized and vulnerable communities across the United States. Dr. Dave is a Principal Investigator for two NHLBI-funded R01 studies that aim to address adverse social determinants of health associated with chronic disease risk. He is also a site Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on multiple grants funded by the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Dave’s research interest focuses on mitigating adverse social determinants of health to eliminate health inequities associated with chronic conditions in historically marginalized and rural communities.

Bio: I joined ºÚÁÏÍø in July 2015. Prior to this, I went to undergraduate at Brown University where I served as a Residential Counselor and held leadership roles in Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE). I then attended University of Virginia for both medical school and graduate school as part of the Medical Scientist Training Program. I completed residency and fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. I currently serve as the Program Director for the ºÚÁÏÍø Adult Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program. I enjoy having the opportunities to work with undergraduates, medical students, residents and fellows (who are all subject to my encouragement to pick Rheumatology as a medical specialty!)

Bio: Dr. Itano is a cellular biophysicist, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology and Director of the Neuroscience Microscopy Core at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, where she develops and customizes state-of-the-art optical imaging and analysis applications for a wide range of scientific research. She utilizes innovative fluorescence microscopy methods—including super-resolution and simultaneous multi-plane imaging—to investigate how viruses, such as HIV-1, infect cells. Dr Itano’s early training in biomedical research was centered on genetic and genomic analyses using Drosophila as a model system at both the University of Colorado at Boulder and at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Itano's postdoctoral research was conducted at The Rockefeller University in cellular biophysics and virology. In 2019, she was selected as a CZI Imaging Scientist, in recognition of her investment in facilitating collaborations between researchers, software and infrastructure engineers and computing specialists to design and disseminate efficient bioimaging pipelines.

Dr. Itano currently serves on the Faculty Committee on Research, as a BBSP First-Year Group Faculty Leader, and as a STAHR Program Faculty Mentor at ºÚÁÏÍø. Dr. Itano is a Primary Faculty member of the Cell Biology & Physiology Department, the Neuroscience Center, and the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD) Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC).

Bio: I am an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with added certifications in Geriatric Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. I have a Master’s degree from UCSF in clinical research and am a health services investigator with a focus on improving the appropriateness of medical decision-making for older adults. My work has examined the appropriateness of care that older adults receive, in a range of topics from infection control to cancer screening to pharmacogenomics. I am a co-investigator on several grants, including the ºÚÁÏÍø site Principal Investigator of the PREVENTABLE trial and a study of triggered palliative care consults in hospitalized patients with advanced dementia. I serve on the Research Committee of the American Geriatrics Society and I am a committee member for the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee. I am particularly focused on improving care at the bedside for clinicians and older adults and their families.

Bio: I am a first-generation Indian-American that grew up in Charlotte, NC. I completed my BS in Biomedical Engineering at NC State University before attending medical school at ºÚÁÏÍø-Chapel Hill. I then completed my Internal Medicine residency at University of Virginia and return to ºÚÁÏÍø Chapel Hill for my gastroenterology fellowship. I then did my Transplant Hepatology year at Vanderbilt University before finally returning to ºÚÁÏÍø-Chapel Hill to become faculty. My clinical interests revolve around transplant and transplant outcomes. In particular I study patients with alcohol-related liver disease as well as frailty/sarcopenia. My education endeavors include teaching positions with the medical school, PA school and also within the Academy of Educators here at ºÚÁÏÍø as part of their programming committee.

Bio: Dr. Shen is a developmental neuroscientist and Assistant Professor at ºÚÁÏÍø, with appointments in Psychiatry, Neuroscience Center, and the CIDD. studies the infant brain development of autism, fragile X syndrome, and Angelman syndrome — in order to detect the earliest disorder-specific symptoms and identify biomarkers for symptom progression and treatment response – with the goal of designing the most effective clinical trials. Prior to his research career, he worked for 6 years as a clinician with young children and adults with developmental disabilities — where the extraordinary abilities of these individuals first inspired him to help them achieve their greatest potential and quality of life.

Bio: I am the Co-Director of ºÚÁÏÍø Project-China and the Advisor of SESH Global. My background training is in the field of epidemiology, with an emphasis on HIV/STI epidemiology, study design, and data analysis. My research focuses on promoting HIV/STI testing and healthy behavior change among key populations. Specifically, I am interested in using crowdsourcing and other participatory methods to enhance health services. In addition, I am also interested in digital health/telemedicine, especially in the evaluation of digital health. I have co-authored more than 260 peer-reviewed publications.

Bio: I was born in China but moved with my family to Illinois in early grade school. I attended Penn State for undergrad (We Are!), Jefferson Medical College for medical school, and moved to DC to complete pediatric residency at Children’s National Medical Center. I then moved back to Philly to complete my Allergy and Immunology Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Having had enough of the brutal winters of the Midwest and Northeast, I was fortunate enough to have found a position here and joined the ºÚÁÏÍø family in 2019. I currently serve as an Associate Program Director for our fellowship training program and have had the opportunity to teach and mentor trainees at all stages of their medical careers – medical students, residents, and fellows.

I have faced many challenges and setbacks during my career that was closely tied to my mindset and beliefs as a first-generation Asian American. What we hear, see, and absorb from those around us directly shapes the way we think, act, and how we view ourselves. Reflecting on the ways that my experiences have shaped me has been very transformative. I am excited at the opportunity to mentor and coach Asian American students and trainees!

Bio: I chose primary care because I value the lasting relationships I build with my patients. I believe in partnering with them to find care plans that meet their goals. My academic interests include transition medicine, Quality Improvement, Health Equity and access to care. I am engaged in medical education in the UME space and I co-direct the core primary care clerkship. Outside of work I enjoy reading, spending time with family, hiking and cooking.