We seek to achieve significant improvements in metrics of institutional culture and biomedical research workforce diversity.

The FIRST program will test the primary hypothesis that a cohort model of faculty hiring, sponsorship, continual mentoring, and support for professional development, embedded within an institution implementing evidence-based practices to create academic cultures of inclusive excellence, will achieve significant improvements in metrics of institutional culture and biomedical research workforce diversity.

Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC)

The overall objective of the FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center (CEC) at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation grounded in realist evaluation theory, by collaborating with FIRST Cohort awardees to iteratively assess the impact of key institutional culture change strategies and other innovative approaches implemented at FIRST Cohort sites to promote inclusive excellence.

The FIRST CEC Investigators collectively have over 100 years of national consortia management, research and mentoring collaboration with expertise in Coordination and Management of large research networks, Data Management, Evaluation, Dissemination and Communication, including experience leading the Research Centers at Minority Institutions (RCMI) Coordinating Center (CC); the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN); the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance (Georgia CTSA); the Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) and Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (PACHE). These assets and the team’s expertise uniquely position MSM to lead the FIRST CEC.

Elizabeth Ofili, MD, MPH

Morehouse School of Medicine

Contact Principal Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Brian Rivers, Ph.D., MPH

Morehouse School of Medicine

Multi-Principal Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Alexander Quarshie, MD, MS

Morehouse School of Medicine

Director of Informatics/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Mohamed Mubasher, Ph.D., MA

Morehouse School of Medicine

Senior Biostatistician/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Daniel Sarpong, Ph.D.

Yale University

Lead Evaluator/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Yulia Strekalova, Ph.D., MBA

University of Florida Gainesville

Co-Lead Evaluator/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Douglas Landsittel, Ph.D.

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Data Management/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Linda Pololi, MBBS

Brandeis University

Lead, C-Change Faculty Survey/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Hwanseok Choi, Ph.D.

Morehouse School of Medicine

Biostatistician, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Muhammed Idris, Ph.D.

Morehouse School of Medicine

Data Scientist/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Tay McNamara, Ph.D.

Brandeis University

C-Change Faculty Survey/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Doris M. Rubio, PhD

University of Pittsburgh

Evaluator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Jonathan Stiles, PhD

Morehouse School of Medicine

Faculty Development Core Co-Lead, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Priscilla Pemu, MD, MS, FACP

Morehouse School of Medicine

Faculty Development Core Co-Lead, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Ernest Alema-Mensah, PhD, DMin, MS, MDiv

Morehouse School of Medicine

Bioinformatics Unit Data Team, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Adam Townes, PhD

Morehouse School of Medicine

Director of Dissemination and Communication, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Trenese McNealy, DBA, MBA

Morehouse School of Medicine

Project Director, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Tandeca King Gordon, Ed.D. ME.d.

Morehouse School of Medicine

Project Director, RCMI Coordinating Center

Geannene Trevillion, CRA

Morehouse School of Medicine

Director of Budget/Finance,
FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Helen D. Tyree, BSBA

Morehouse School of Medicine

REDCap Administrator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Karunamuni Ruvina Silva, MS

Morehouse School of Medicine

Database Administrator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Morgan Hall, MPH

Morehouse School of Medicine

Program Manager, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Jarmarkus Watson, MPH

Morehouse School of Medicine

Program Coordinator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Kevin Chai, BS

Morehouse School of Medicine

Database Administrator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Ali Aslam

Morehouse School of Medicine

Senior Software Engineer, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Phanesh Ganta

Morehouse School of Medicine

Statistical Analyst, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Kedir Yebre

Morehouse School of Medicine

Database Administrator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Mohamad Malouhi

Morgan State University

Information Security and Technology Integration Activity Leader, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Contact First CEC

FIRST Program Committees

The FIRST Program is governed by an Executive Steering Committee, which has representation by principal investigators from each cohort awardee institution as well as NIH Program Officers and Project Scientists.

FIRST Executive Steering Committee (FESC)

The FESC is the governing body of the FIRST Program. The FESC is composed of the PI/MPI of the FIRST CEC; PI/MPIs of each FIRST awardee institution, and Program Officers and Project Scientists from across NIH institutes and centers (ICs). The FESC has a rotating Chair and Co-Chair elected annually by awardee institutions.

FIRST CEC Steering Committee (SC)

The CEC Steering Committee comprises NIH Project Scientists and NIMHD Program Officers.

FIRST Program Working Groups

The FIRST Program Working Groups have representation from each cohort awardee institution and are organized by the CEC to implement various deliverables of the FIRST Program.

FIRST PI/MPI Working Group (PI/MPI WG)

The PI/MPI WG working group is comprised of the contact PIs and the MPIs of cohort awardee institutions working in collaboration with the CEC on FIRST program policies, including Data Sharing Agreement and Publication policy.

FIRST Data and Evaluation Working Group (DE WG)

The DE WG consists of the evaluators, data scientists, and biostatisticians from the cohort awardee institutions and the CEC. This group collaborates to develop common data elements of the evaluation plan, as well as implementation process. The group provides feedback to the CEC on the REDCap data collection instrument and Dataverse data sharing platform.

FIRST Faculty Development Working Group (FD WG)

The FD WG consists of faculty core directors from Cohort institutions. The CEC MPI works collaboratively with the group to share best practices on faculty career advancement and tenure process. The Health Equity (EQ) Learning Collaboratory will support peer to peer engagement and collaboration among FIRST Cohort faculty.

FIRST Communications and Dissemination Working Group (CD WG)

The CD WG facilitates a community of practice (CoP) in inclusive excellence (IE), both institutionally and nationally. The CD WG will inform and guide the implementation of the FIRST Cohort CoP. FIRST Program publications and presentation policy will encourage and facilitate the development of high-impact, rigorous program products while ensuring the appropriate use of data, timely completion of projects, and adherence to the principles of responsible authorship. The FIRST Program website, and the Consortium wide annual meeting will support dissemination. The Louis W. Sullivan Award to an Institution for Inclusive Excellence, and the Donald E. Wilson Award to a FIRST Cohort scholar, will recognize a sustained commitment to IE and the scientific advancement of health equity.

FIRST Program Governance Model

FIRST Cohort Faculty

Shaila Musharoff, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Stephanie Hernandez, Ph.D., MS

Drexel University

Safiyyah Okoye, Ph.D., MSN

Drexel University

Luis A. Valdez Diaz, Ph.D., MPH

Drexel University

Kofoworola Williams, Ph.D., MPH

Drexel University

Jourdyn Lawrence, Ph.D., MSPH

Drexel University

Josiah Kephart, Ph.D., MPH, CPH

Drexel University

Bertranna Muruthi, Ph.D.

Drexel University

Agus Surachman, Ph.D., MS

Drexel University

Victor A. Buitron, Ph.D

Florida State University

Benjamín Aceves, Ph.D., MPH

San Diego State University

Linda Lara-Jacobo, Ph.D., MSc

San Diego State University

Ariana Stickel, Ph.D., MA

San Diego State University

Nicolas López-Gálvez, Ph.D., MPH

San Diego State University

Kai-Chung Cheng, Ph.D., MS

San Diego State University

Jessica McCurley, PhD, MPH

San Diego State University

Teresa Monkkonen, Ph.D.

San Diego State University

Corinne McDaniels-Davidson, Ph.D., MPH, CHES

San Diego State University

Camila Coelho, Ph.D., MBA

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Igor Bado, Ph.D.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Alfonso Rojas Alvarez, Ph.D.

The University of Texas at El Paso

Amed Ouattara, PhD

University of Maryland School of Medicine / University of Maryland Baltimore County

Ana Bento, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Artur Luz Nunes Queiroz, Ph.D, BSN, MS

Florida State University

Arunika Das, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Ashira D. Blazer, MD MSCI

University of Maryland School of Medicine / University of Maryland Baltimore County

Bibiana Mancera, Ph.D.

The University of Texas at El Paso

Brittanny Polanka, Ph.D.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University

Carli Zegers, Ph.D., MBA, APRN, FNP-BC

Florida State University

Carmen Muñoz-Ballester, PhD

University of Maryland School of Medicine / University of Maryland Baltimore County

Cheng-Yu Li, PhD

University of Maryland School of Medicine / University of Maryland Baltimore County

Clair Kronk, Ph.D.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Demario Overstreet, Ph.D.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University

Diana Elizondo, PhD

University of Maryland School of Medicine / University of Maryland Baltimore County

Diddier Prada, MD, Ph.D.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Enrique Ramos, Ph.D.

The University of Texas at El Paso

Franco Izzo, Ph.D.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Gabriel Schwartz

Drexel University

Gretchen Alicea, PhD

University of Maryland School of Medicine / University of Maryland Baltimore County

Hyeran Chung, Ph.D.

The University of Texas at El Paso

Jessica Jaiswal, Ph.D., MPH

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University

Jose Lemme-Dumit, PhD

University of Maryland School of Medicine / University of Maryland Baltimore County

Julia Sheffler, Ph.D

Florida State University

Karen Hicklin, Ph.D.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Kirsten Schoonover, Ph.D.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University

Kristal Brown PhD, MSPH

Drexel University

Kristen Allen-Watts, Ph.D., MPH

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University

Kyle Wiley, Ph.D.

The University of Texas at El Paso

Leah Habersham, MD, MBA

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Lilianna Phan, PhD, MPH, MS

Drexel University

Lisa-Marie Nisbett, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Madineh Sedigh-Sarvestani, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Marceé Wilder, M.D.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Maria Gabriela Noval, Ph.D.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Matheus Victor, Ph.D.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Monica Cornejo, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Nashira Brown, Ph.D.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University

Neris Michel Enamorado Escalona, Ph.D.

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Rafael Kroon Campos

Cornell University

Rasheda Haughbrook, Ph.D

Florida State University

Rodolfo Flores Garcia, Ph.D.

The University of Texas at El Paso

Sherelle Harmon, Ph.D

Florida State University

Stacy Lloyd, Ph.D.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University

Taylor Taylor, Ph.D., M.Ed.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University

Tyvette Hilliard, Ph.D.

University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University

William Lodge, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Zeribe Nwosu, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Funding Partners

National Institutes of Health Common Fund

FIRST program funding comes from the NIH Common Fund. Common Fund programs address emerging scientific opportunities and pressing challenges in biomedical research that no single NIH Institute or Center can address on its own, but are of high priority for the NIH as a whole. The Common Fund is a unique resource at NIH, functioning as a “venture-capital” space where high-risk, innovative endeavors with the potential for extraordinary impact can be supported.

With a strong level of enthusiasm generated within NIH, additional funding was made available through several additional NIH institutes, centers, and offices.

The FIRST program is funded through the NIH Common Fund and managed in collaboration by the National Cancer Institute; the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities; the Scientific Workforce Diversity office; the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

NIH Fogarty International Center

National Cancer Institute

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

National Institute of Mental Health

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

National Institute on Aging

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

National Institute of Nursing Research

Office of the Director

FIRST cohort awardees are leading the advancement of diversity and inclusion among biomedical faculty.

Meet the Institutions

Elizabeth Ofili, MD, MPH

Morehouse School of Medicine

Contact Principal Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Brian Rivers, Ph.D., MPH

Morehouse School of Medicine

Multi-Principal Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Alexander Quarshie, MD, MS

Morehouse School of Medicine

Director of Informatics/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Mohamed Mubasher, Ph.D., MA

Morehouse School of Medicine

Senior Biostatistician/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Daniel Sarpong, Ph.D.

Yale University

Lead Evaluator/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Yulia Strekalova, Ph.D., MBA

University of Florida Gainesville

Co-Lead Evaluator/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Douglas Landsittel, Ph.D.

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Data Management/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Linda Pololi, MBBS

Brandeis University

Lead, C-Change Faculty Survey/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Hwanseok Choi, Ph.D.

Morehouse School of Medicine

Biostatistician, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Muhammed Idris, Ph.D.

Morehouse School of Medicine

Data Scientist/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Tay McNamara, Ph.D.

Brandeis University

C-Change Faculty Survey/Co-Investigator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Doris M. Rubio, PhD

University of Pittsburgh

Evaluator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Jonathan Stiles, PhD

Morehouse School of Medicine

Faculty Development Core Co-Lead, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Priscilla Pemu, MD, MS, FACP

Morehouse School of Medicine

Faculty Development Core Co-Lead, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Ernest Alema-Mensah, PhD, DMin, MS, MDiv

Morehouse School of Medicine

Bioinformatics Unit Data Team, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Adam Townes, PhD

Morehouse School of Medicine

Director of Dissemination and Communication, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Trenese McNealy, DBA, MBA

Morehouse School of Medicine

Project Director, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Tandeca King Gordon, Ed.D. ME.d.

Morehouse School of Medicine

Project Director, RCMI Coordinating Center

Geannene Trevillion, CRA

Morehouse School of Medicine

Director of Budget/Finance, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Helen D. Tyree, BSBA

Morehouse School of Medicine

REDCap Administrator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Karunamuni Ruvina Silva, MS

Morehouse School of Medicine

Database Administrator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Morgan Hall, MPH

Morehouse School of Medicine

Program Manager, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Jarmarkus Watson, MPH

Morehouse School of Medicine

Program Coordinator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Kevin Chai, BS

Morehouse School of Medicine

Database Administrator, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Ali Aslam

Morehouse School of Medicine

Senior Software Engineer, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Phanesh Ganta

Morehouse School of Medicine

Statistical Analyst, FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center

Kedir Yebre

Morehouse School of Medicine

Director of Budget/Finance,
FIRST Coordination and Evaluation Center