The NICHD Research Profiles series highlights the efforts and activities of institute-funded grantees and trainees. These profiles also illustrate different paths to research careers and provide insights for those at earlier career stages.
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Pinhas Ben-Tzvi, Ph.D., P.E.
Dr. Pinhas Ben-Tzvi, at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, uses his background in mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering and NICHD funding to develop rehabilitation technology for people with brachial plexus injury.
Rachel Moon, M.D., FAAP
Dr. Rachel Moon, a pediatrician and Harrison Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia, receives NICHD support for her studies on ways to reduce sleep-related infant deaths.
Alexa Freedman, Ph.D.
Dr. Alexa Freedman, a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award recipient at NorthShore University HealthSystem Hospital, studies maternal stress, placental inflammation, and pregnancy outcomes with support from NICHD.
Amar Dhand, M.D., D.Phil.
Dr. Amar Dhand, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, received NICHD support for his postgraduate training through to his current independent research on how social interactions help people recover after a stroke.
Myron Evans II, Ph.D.
Dr. Myron Evans, a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award recipient at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, studies how the brain typically develops to better understand pediatric brain cancer.
Matthew MacDougall, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Matthew MacDougall, a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award recipient at Stanford University, received NICHD support for his Ph.D. work while he was at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Patience Afulani, M.B.Ch.B., M.P.H., Ph.D.
Dr. Patience Afulani, an NICHD Pathway to Independence awardee at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, applies her epidemiology and biostatistics background to explore relationships between health care provider stress and bias and maternal health care experiences in Kenya.
Sook-Lei Liew, Ph.D., OTR/L
Dr. Sook-Lei Liew, at the University of Southern California and the ENIGMA Stroke Recovery Working Group, uses support from NICHD to share open-access datasets and develop data science training for rehabilitation researchers.
Maya Escueta, Ph.D.
Dr. Maya Escueta received NICHD support for her postdoctoral research at the Center for Child and Family Policy, within the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, on the impact of poverty on children’s well-being.
Rachel Hardeman, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Rachel Hardeman, founding director of the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity at the University of Minnesota, uses NICHD funding to look at the effects of community police violence on health outcomes, especially among Black pregnant people and their babies.
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