Justin Knox, Ph.D., M.P.H., Columbia University

Justin Knox, Ph.D., M.P.H., is an Associate Professor of Clinical Implementation Science and Intervention in Psychiatry and Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University. An epidemiologist by training, Dr. Knox has more than 17 years of research experience across domestic and global settings. His work spans a range of health topics, with a particular focus on HIV and substance use. In addition to his research, Dr. Knox is dedicated to teaching and mentoring the next generation of researchers and practitioners.

Violeta J. Rodriguez, Ph.D., M.S.Ed., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Violeta J. Rodriguez, Ph.D., M.S.Ed., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology (Clinical/Community Division) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on identifying mechanisms that contribute to, maintain, and exacerbate health disparities among racially and ethnically minoritized youth and their families. By examining both youth and parents, she investigates how parenting and family processes intersect with broader social and structural inequities to either mitigate or exacerbate disparities, with particular attention to understudied and underserved populations (e.g., Global South countries, immigrant families, Spanish-speaking caregivers and youth, LGBTQIA+ families, families disproportionately affected by chronic illness). Dr. Rodriguez is committed to improving the assessment of parenting and health outcomes to ensure validity across diverse cultural, research, and clinical contexts. Through the development of culturally responsive and psychometrically rigorous tools, her work aims to enhance the accuracy of research and the effectiveness of interventions. She also emphasizes the translation of evidence-based health promotion strategies into underserved settings, guided by community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles and implementation science frameworks (e.g., MOST, CFIR).

NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR)

Geri Donenberg, Ph.D., Director, NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR)

Geri Donenberg, Ph.D., is the NIH Associate Director for AIDS Research and Director of the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR). In this role, she works closely with NIH Institutes and Centers to coordinate the NIH HIV research program, with the goal of achieving pandemic control, preventing new transmissions, and improving the health of people with HIV. A clinical psychologist specializing in adolescent mental health and HIV prevention, Dr. Donenberg brings more than 25 years of HIV research experience focused on addressing health disparities, achieving global impact, and exploring the structural determinants of health. Prior to joining NIH, she served at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) as Chair of Scholarly Activities in the Department of Medicine, Associate Dean of Research in the School of Public Health, and a tenured professor of medicine, psychology, and epidemiology and biostatistics.

Rachel Anderson, Ph.D., NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR)

Rachel Anderson, Ph.D., is Acting Chief of Staff at the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR). In this role, she oversees development of the NIH Strategic Plan for HIV and HIV-Related Research and coordinates OAR’s internal strategic and operational planning. Dr. Anderson joined OAR in 2022 after serving as a health science policy analyst in the Office of Science Policy and Planning at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and in the Office of Science Policy and Communication at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). In these roles, she coordinated legislative activities, contributed to reporting and strategic planning, and prepared briefing materials and presentations for NIH leadership.

Elisabet (Lis) Caler, Ph.D., NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR)

Elisabet (Lis) Caler, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist Administrator at the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR), where she oversees crosscutting areas of research including vaccine development, microbicides and MPTs, HIV-associated comorbidities, coinfections and complications, and research toward an HIV cure. Before joining OAR in 2019, Dr. Caler was a Program Director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), where she led the Lung Response to Pulmonary Infections, Microbiome, AIDS, and Tuberculosis area. Her research oversight included studies on cellular and molecular lung responses to HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and non-TB mycobacterial infections, as well as viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens that cause pneumonia. Dr. Caler is a dedicated advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and for supporting the next generation of HIV investigators. She leads the OAR Early Career Investigators in HIV Initiative, of which this Workshop is a part.

David Chang, Ph.D., NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR)

David Chang, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist Administrator at the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR). He received his Ph.D. from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where he studied connections between the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein, broadly neutralizing antibodies, and disease progression. He also developed a novel replication-competent alphavirus expression vector based on Fort Morgan virus. Dr. Chang then joined the U.S. Military HIV Research Program at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, where he investigated the molecular epidemiology of HIV in Asia and Africa, developed full-genome infectious molecular clones of HIV, and contributed to characterizing central nervous system compartmentalization during acute HIV infection. He subsequently worked in biotech, focusing on pre-clinical viral vaccine development, and later served as a Scientific Review Officer at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) before coming to OAR. He leads the OAR Signature Programs on HIV and Aging, and Early Career Investigators.

Leslie Marshall, Ph.D., NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR)

Leslie Marshall, Ph.D., is Acting Deputy Director of the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR), where she provides management and scientific leadership in support of OAR’s role in shaping NIH HIV research priorities and coordinating the NIH HIV research program. She also leads OAR’s HIV clinical research portfolio and the NIH HIV and Women Signature Program. A molecular virologist and product developer by training, Dr. Marshall brings broad experience from academic, government, and industry settings. For nearly a decade, she served as a contracting officer’s representative in the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where she contributed significantly to HIV research strategy and program development.

Susannah Allison, Ph.D., National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Susannah Allison, Ph.D., is a Program Officer in the Division of AIDS Research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), where she also serves as Training Director for the division and for the Center for Global Mental Health Research. She oversees a portfolio of research and training grants focused on innovative strategies to prevent HIV among adolescents and young adults, as well as interventions to enhance the well-being of youth living with HIV. Prior to joining NIMH, Dr. Allison worked directly with children and families affected by HIV in Baltimore, Miami, and Washington, D.C. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology, with an emphasis in child health psychology, from George Washington University. 

Kathleen Borgmann, Ph.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Kathleen Borgmann, Ph.D., is a Program Officer in the Genetics, Epigenetics, and Developmental Neuroscience Branch at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She oversees a portfolio focused on the intersection of HIV and substance use disorders, with an emphasis on the molecular regulation of glial dysfunction and its role in HIV neuropathogenesis. Her portfolio also includes research on gene expression regulation via extracellular vesicles, mitochondria and ER-associated signaling, dysregulated oral and nasal microbiota, and neuroinflammation. Dr. Borgmann supports innovative studies on health disparities among people aging with HIV, women’s health, and the development of complex human-relevant models of neuroHIV. She has a strong interest in advancing cell-type and spatially resolved multi-omic approaches to investigate cellular function, neuroinflammatory responses, and HIV reservoirs in the context of chronic substance use.

Geraldina Dominguez, Ph.D., National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Geraldina Dominguez, Ph.D., is Director of the AIDS Malignancy Program in the Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy (OHAM) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She received her B.S. in Applied Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her Ph.D. from Georgia State University. Dr. Dominguez completed a Resident Research Associateship from the National Research Council at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she studied the genetic and genomic structure of human herpesviruses 6, 7, and 8. She then joined the Yerkes National Primate Center at Emory University, conducting studies on signal transduction pathways and transcriptional regulation of the CART gene. Dr. Dominguez joined NCI in 2004, first as an International Project Officer in the Office of International Affairs and later as a Program Director in OHAM. In her current role, she develops and manages HIV and AIDS malignancy initiatives, including efforts to build research capacity in resource-constrained settings. She has received two NIH Director’s Awards and an NCI Award of Merit for her leadership in expanding research capacity globally.

Richard Jenkins, Ph.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Richand A. Jenkins is a Program Officer and Senior Advisor for HIV/AIDS Research in the Division of Epidemiology, Services & Prevention Research at NIDA. Rich’s portfolio focuses on domestic and international HIV prevention among key populations where substance use is a primary or contributing risk. Rich also represents NIDA to the Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR), the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) and the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study. His prior experiences include epidemiology and implementation research at CDC, vaccine preparation research in the Department of Defense Retrovirology Program as well as research and teaching positions in academia.

Li (Woody) Lin, MD, Ph.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Li (Woody) Lin, M.D., Ph.D., is a Program Officer at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), where he oversees training, mentoring, and neuroscience research programs. He has been a member of the NIDA Research Training Committee and the K99/R00 Program Committee since 2007, managing a portfolio that includes fellowships, mentored K awards, and institutional T32 awards. His neuroscience portfolio emphasizes clinical and translational research in pain and HIV/AIDS, including studies on neuroplasticity and endogenous homeostatic mechanisms in patients with chronic pain, HIV/AIDS, or opioid misuse disorder. Dr. Lin has been a NIDA Program Official since 2001. Prior to joining NIH, he practiced as an anesthesiologist and physician-scientist in pain medicine, complementary and integrative health, and neuroscience research. He is a member of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the NIH Pain Consortium.

Deepak Nihalani, Ph.D., National Institute of Digestive and Diabetes and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Deepak Nihalani, Ph.D., is a Program Director in the Kidney, Urology, and Hematology Division at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). He oversees the George M. O’Brien Kidney Centers, which conduct interdisciplinary investigations in renal and genitourinary physiology and pathophysiology, as well as the O’Brien Urology Centers, the Kidney Precision Medicine Project, and the ReBuilding a Kidney consortium. Dr. Nihalani’s research interests include disease mechanisms that cause glomerular damage leading to end-stage renal disease, as well as translational studies to develop diagnostic procedures and therapeutic drug candidates for renal diseases.

Vasudev Rao, MBBS, M.S., National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Vasudev Rao, MBBS, M.S., is a physician-scientist and Program Portfolio Director at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). With more than 20 years of experience in neuroinfectious disease research, Dr. Rao completed his fellowship in neuroimmunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. At NIMH, he oversees a diverse research portfolio focused on HIV neuropathogenesis, therapeutics, eradication strategies, and small business innovation. In this role, he provides scientific leadership and strategic direction to advance cutting-edge clinical and translational research, fostering collaborations among academic institutions, industry partners, and federal agencies.