Valerie Cotton

Valerie Cotton is the deputy director of ODSS, where she works closely with ODSS Director Dr. Rebecca Rosen to coordinate and promote the sharing of scientific data and biospecimens through developing technical infrastructure, communicating data science best practices, and implementing policies in support of NICHD’s mission.

Previously, Ms. Cotton served as the program manager for the NIH Common Fund’s Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First), working under NICHD program staff to coordinate the Kids First Working Group and the Kids First sequencing program. She also helped coordinate development of the cloud-based Kids First Data Resource Center, facilitating collaborations among multiple institutes and centers, research communities, and other stakeholders to promote data sharing, empower researchers, and accelerate discovery in pursuit of improving the lives of children and their families.

Ms. Cotton earned her B.Sc. in neuroscience from McGill University. Afterward, she served in AmeriCorps, taught community-based sexual health education in rural Utah, and was a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.