• Built from ground-up, leads, and actively monitors a nationwide ~106 grant program (committing over $42 million) that is focused on patient-centered, evidence-based solutions addressing the opioid crisis in the United States• Works closely with the President and COO to develop and execute program’s strategic plan, including assessments of gaps and needs for patients, to ensure fiscal responsibility and that annual goals are met• Executes grants cycle from start to finish, identifying and developing new ideas, collaborating with prospective grantees to refine proposals, managing project budgets, drafting grant recommendations for Board review, and preparing grant agreements.• Aids with communication strategy to amplify FORE and grantee's work and impact, including through developing and leading webinars, promotion using social media strategies, and helping draft articles for publication and media releases.• Collaborates with funders, government agencies, and scientific/academic partners to support the broader patient community, conducts site visits with grantees, and represents FORE at convenings with external stakeholders

• Worked closely with senior staff to develop, implement, and advance program strategy focused on filling the needs of patients living with Crohn’s disease• Directly helped manage a ~30 grant portfolio (worth ~$83 million), and monitored the program’s overall $44 million/year payout budget• Identified and developed new projects/funding ideas that represent high-impact, high-reward opportunities• Represented Helmsley at meetings to build strong working relationships with existing and prospective grantees• Performed research and drafted reports/presentations to brief communications and senior leadership on program’s efforts

Science Advisor to the Governor for the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis• Principal author of and point person for the Commission’s federal report and recommendations to the US President• Conducted research and collaborated with federal, state, and local agencies on substance misuse-related initiatives• Worked closely with senior staff to identify new initiatives to curb substance misuse with a budget of $200 million• Acted as the Governor’s liaison in meetings focused on the opioid crisis with political and public health leaders

Dissertation: Development of predatory bacteria as a novel treatment for antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections• Designed/led original experiments for a 7-man team, exploring new therapies to treat antibiotic-resistant infections• Closely collaborated with 3 Rutgers laboratories to perform innovative research funded by DARPA • Analyzed a wide range of data: from high-throughput immunological assays to large-scale genomic sequence data• Interpreted and summarized results for talks, poster presentations, and 5+ peer-reviewed publications• Represented Rutgers University at the 2016 Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) workshop at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Fellow in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) and the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (OS/IEA)• Identified and informed leadership of promising state-led initiatives and policies aimed at curbing the opioid crisis• Performed research and drafted reports for public health projects, such as the opioid crisis, infectious disease, and health disparities• Participated in meetings focused on public health issues with congressional members, political appointees, and various stakeholders and leaders in the public health arena• Assisted in the preparation of communications and briefing materials for use by HHS senior political leadership

• One of only 27 Rutgers graduate and professional students selected as a fully-funded fellow• Attended semester-long 'Eagleton Seminar in American Politics,' a graduate seminar conducted by former elected officials and political practitioners, and designed to increase political understanding and sophistication • Attended monthly sessions with current political appointees and practitioners at the New Jersey State Legislature

• Awarded an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Fellowship “in recognition of scientific achievements”• Developed a simple, inexpensive method for preparing cell lysates suitable for downstream reverse transcription quantitative PCR.• Developed a rapid, sensitive, automated microneutralization assay to detect antibodies that inhibit infectivity of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in vitro using qPCR as the readout.

• Worked in Research & Development group helping develop novel techniques and protocols for various US Government-sponsored projects• Aided the US Department of Homeland Security to develop new detection methods of bio-threat bacteria in complex environmental samples.• Supported research efforts in a dental caries study investigating the inheritance patterns of the oral microbiome in Brazilian twins.• Continued to work on various projects ranging from antimicrobial resistance in bio-threat pathogens and the human microbiome.• Produced aminosilane glass-slide DNA microarrays for many pathogens for distribution across the USA.

• Awarded two Summer Fellowships at JCVI for Summers 2007 and 2008.• Performed high-throughput gene expression studies on antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in Bacillus anthracis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

• Supervised by Martin Blaser, M.D., Chairman and Professor of Internal Medicine.• Constructed a complete library of pXO1 PAI promoters cloned into B. anthracis, used fluorescence measurements and microscopy to determine the expression level of promoters at various environmental conditions.