Briana Last is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University, specializing in Clinical Psychology. She holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania (2022) and focuses on improving mental health service accessibility and quality through interdisciplinary research. Her research emphasizes three core domains: social determinants of mental health, implementation strategies for service improvement, and structural factors influencing clinician decision-making. She employs mixed methods and community-based participatory approaches, prioritizing marginalized populations affected by systemic inequities. Key interests include behavioral health workforce development, policy analysis, and dismantling barriers to equitable mental healthcare. Her lab, the Mental Healthcare for All Lab, collaborates with governments, agencies, and clinicians to translate research into actionable policies. Notable projects address clinician burnout interventions, public mental health system gaps, and anti-transgender policy impacts. Recent work critiques scientifically unfounded bans on gender-affirming care and evaluates federal loan repayment programs for mental health workforce retention. Publications span topics like AI chatbots in mental health, state policy effects on LGBTQ+ populations, and trauma therapy implementation. Her work highlights how clinician work conditions directly shape patient care quality, advocating for systemic changes to enhance both provider well-being and patient outcomes.
Mor Armony is the Vice Dean for Faculty and Research, Harvey Golub Professor of Business Leadership, and Professor of Technology, Operations & Statistics at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University. She has been a key faculty member since 1999 and is a leading researcher in stochastic modeling and service operations. Ph.D. in Operations Research, Stanford University (1999) M.S. in Operations Research, Stanford University (1997) M.S. in Statistics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1996) B.S. in Mathematics and Statistics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1993) Her research focuses on large-scale service systems, particularly in healthcare and contact centers. She investigates patient flow in hospitals, optimization of customer experience, and control of stochastic processing systems using advanced queueing models and operations research techniques. Her work bridges theoretical rigor with practical applications in service operations management. The recent articles reflect a strong trend toward integrating behavioral aspects into operations models, such as customer impatience, strategic patient behavior, and the impact of online reviews on physician demand. Her research spans healthcare operations, call center optimization, and dynamic routing in heterogeneous systems, consistently published in top journals like Management Science , Operations Research , and Production and Operations Management . Scientific recognition includes being named the Harvey Golub Professor of Business Leadership, a distinguished title at NYU Stern. Harvey Golub Professor of Business Leadership She actively advises research projects and collaborates with scholars on topics including staffing, routing, and capacity management. Her work has been supported by ongoing academic engagement and publication, with recent projects addressing appointment scheduling with no-shows, strategic capacity withholding, and co-sourcing in call centers. She leads research in data-driven queueing science applied to hospital operations and is involved in empirical studies on digital health platforms. Her research group, the Operations Management Group at Stern, focuses on developing analytical models for complex service systems. She contributes to interdisciplinary efforts in healthcare operations and collaborates with medical researchers on improving critical care delivery and outpatient scheduling.
David Wainwright is a Senior Lecturer in the Department for Health at the University of Bath, where he convenes the cross-faculty Work, Health and Wellbeing Research Group and serves as Director of Studies for Professional Doctorate in Health programmes. University of Bath, Department for Health Former affiliations: University of Kent (School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research), University of Bristol (Social Medicine Department, MRC Collaboration) Research Focus : Intersections of work, health, and wellbeing, emphasizing: Medicalization of occupational stress Extended working life and pension policy Psycho-social drivers of illness behavior Management of medically unexplained illnesses Recent Projects include: Behavior change interventions for extended working life (DWP-funded) Sickness certification for chronic pain Community-based support for intellectual disabilities Health seeking behavior among homeless populations Collaborations span healthcare policy, chronic pain research, and interdisciplinary studies with institutions like Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust and MRC Health Services Research Collaboration.
Gavin Schwarz is a Professor and Head of School at the School of Management and Governance within the UNSW Business School . He specializes in organizational change , organizational failure and inertia , and the dynamics of virtual teams , with a focus on how organizations fail during change processes and how to develop applied strategies for change management . His work spans diverse sectors including healthcare, technology, and education, with publications in leading journals such as Academy of Management Learning and Education and Administrative Science Quarterly . Education : PhD in Management (University of Queensland), MPhil (Hons) in Management (University of Auckland), BA in Management and English (University of Auckland). Grants : 2020 Brock University grant for "University communication in times of COVID-19" , 2020 UNSW Medicine grant for "Translation and change: Embedding effective change management in health" , and earlier Australian Research Council and Gordon J. Samuels Fellowship awards. His research explores the development of knowledge in organizational theories , with an emphasis on collective responses to change , HR management during crises , and technology strategy . He has contributed to understanding organizational communication , team innovation , and structural inertia . His 15 most recent publications cover topics from AI’s role in organizational change to pandemic-driven research adaptation, with keywords spanning management science , behavioral economics , and digital transformation . Scientific Awards 2021-2023 : Outstanding Reviewer Awards (Academy of Management Review) 2017-2020 : Best Reviewer Awards (Journal of Organizational Behavior) 2019, 2013, 2011 : Best Paper Finalist/Awardee (Academy of Management divisions) 2007, 2006 : Editorial Board Excellence (Academy of Management Journal) and Gordon J. Samuels Fellowship As an active supervisor in organizational change and HR development , his work supports healthcare innovation and digital transformation. He serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science and is on the editorial boards of Academy of Management Review , Journal of Management , and Journal of Organizational Behavior . Contact: g.schwarz@unsw.edu.au
Nabil M Issa is a Professor in the Department of Surgery (Trauma and Critical Care) and Medical Education at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. He is a general and acute care surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, with a focus on minimally invasive techniques including robotic and laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Issa is also a Master Surgeon Educator and holds leadership roles in national surgical education organizations. Dr. Issa's educational background includes: MD: Al Mustansiriya University College of Medicine (1988) FRCS: Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (1997) FACS: Fellow of the American Board of Surgery with additional qualification in Surgical Critical Care (2007) FCCM: Fellow of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (2007) MHPE: Master's in Health Professions Education, University of Illinois at Chicago (2016) Dr. Issa's research focuses on surgical education , particularly in creating innovative curricula and assessing technical and cognitive skills acquisition. His work spans simulation , team science , and outcome measures in trauma and critical care. He investigates evidence-based practices for surgeon credentialing and emphasizes patient education and quality improvement in acute care settings. His recent publications reflect a strong commitment to diversity in surgical training , trauma outcomes research , and sustainability in surgery . Dr. Issa examines disparities in fellowship training, morbidity in vulnerable populations, and the validation of injury severity metrics. His work bridges clinical care with educational innovation and systems-level improvements in surgical practice. Dr. Issa has received numerous honors and awards, including: Excellence in Teaching Award, Northwestern University Department of Surgery (2023) Professorship in Surgery, Northwestern University (2023) Academy of Master Surgeon Educators, American College of Surgeons (2022) Member in the National Committee on Trauma (COT), American College of Surgeons (2022) Presidential Citation, Surgical Critical Care Program Directors Society (SCCPDS) (2021) Excellence in Teaching Award, Feinberg School of Medicine (2019) Best Trauma/SICU Teacher Award, Department of Emergency Medicine (2019) Presidential Citation, Surgical Infection Society (2012) Excellence in Teaching Award, Feinberg School of Medicine, Surgical Residency Program (2011) Excellence in Teaching Award, Northwestern University (2011) Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence, Feinberg School of Medicine (2011) Presidential Citation, Society of Critical Care Medicine (2010) Excellence in Teaching Award, Feinberg School of Medicine, Surgical Clerkship (2010) Excellence in Teaching Award, Feinberg School of Medicine, Surgical Residency Program (2010) Excellence in Teaching Award, Feinberg School of Medicine, Surgical Clerkship (2009) Excellence in Teaching Award, Feinberg School of Medicine, Surgical Residency Program (2009) Excellence in Teaching Award, Feinberg School of Medicine, Surgical Residency Program (2008) Dr. Issa serves as a faculty mentor for the Surgical Education Research Fellowship (SERF) and has held leadership roles in surgical education committees. His leadership includes: Chair, Association for Surgical Education (2024-Present) Co-chair, Association for Surgical Education (2023-Present) Chair, Development Committee at ASE (2019-Present) Member, Executive committee for ASE Foundation (2019-Present) Chair, Awards Committee- Association for Surgical Education-ASE (2018-Present) Vice President, Chicago Committee on Trauma (2015-Present) Dr. Issa has developed and leads simulation-based educational initiatives at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, focusing on acute care and surgical skills. He collaborates with multidisciplinary teams in trauma, critical care, and surgical education to design curricula that address the continuum of surgical training.
Truong Q. Nguyen is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), affiliated with the Jacobs School of Engineering. He holds positions at the Center for Wireless Communications and the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology. His research focuses on image/video processing, wavelets, 3D video technology, and applications in healthcare and robotics. He has authored influential textbooks like Wavelets & Filter Banks and pioneered low-power video processing algorithms for mobile devices. Nguyen earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology (1985–1989). He held roles at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Boston University before joining UCSD in 1998. His honors include the IEEE Signal Processing Paper Award (1992), NSF Career Award (1995), IEEE Fellow (2005), and UCSD’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2019). His research interests span 3D video processing, machine learning for health monitoring, and biomedical imaging. Notable contributions include wavelet-based compression techniques and AI-driven medical image analysis. He leads the UCSD Video Processing Lab, exploring computer vision, robotics, and generative AI applications. Nguyen is committed to educational innovation, co-creating programs like the Hands-on Curriculum, Summer Research Internship Program (SRIP), and Project-in-a-Box (PIB) for K-12 students. Nguyen’s work bridges academia and industry, with patents in wavelet design and signal analysis. Recent projects include NSF-funded initiatives to develop inclusive engineering curricula and collaborate on graduate pathways programs through the Inclusive Engineering Consortium (IEC).
Craig W. Hedberg is a Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota. As Co-Director of the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence , he focuses on enhancing public health surveillance and collaboration between agencies to improve foodborne illness detection. Education: PhD in Epidemiology (1993), MS in Environmental Health (1984) from the University of Minnesota, BS in Biology (1976) from the University of Connecticut. His research integrates epidemiology , food safety , and outbreak investigation , with recent work on Salmonella risk frameworks and SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in grocery workers. Over his career, he has received awards like the Frozen Food Foundation’s Freezing Research Award (2023) and the Excellence in Advising Award (2019) . His publications span foodborne disease surveillance, regulatory compliance, and historical epidemiology studies. Scientific Awards: 2023 - Frozen Food Foundation’s Freezing Research Award 2022 - President’s Recognition Award, International Association for Food Protection 2022 - LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH HERO AWARD, City of Minneapolis 2021 - Ewen C.D. Todd Control of Foodborne Illness Award 2019 - Excellence in Advising Award, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Dr. Suman Adhikari is a Conjoint Lecturer at the School of Clinical Medicine , University of New South Wales (UNSW), focusing on Infectious Diseases , Antimicrobial Stewardship , and Clinical Pharmacology . He has contributed to advancements in antibiotic management, sepsis diagnostics, and e-learning tools for healthcare professionals. University: University of New South Wales School: School of Clinical Medicine Email: suman.adhikari@unsw.edu.au Research Interests: Dr. Adhikari’s work spans antimicrobial stewardship in tertiary care, therapeutic drug monitoring of antibiotics like linezolid, and educational technology for vancomycin use. He also explores pharmacokinetics in parasitic infections and contributes to sepsis pathway optimization . Publication Trends: His recent articles (2017–2023) highlight antibiotic safety , digital education , and infection control . Notable studies include multimodal stewardship in ICU, qSOFA criteria validation, and e-learning tool efficacy for vancomycin training. Contact: Phone: 0411817996 | Location: Gray Street, Kogarah 2217 NSW
Prof. Fedde Scheele holds the position of Full Professor at the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Faculty of Science's Athena Institute, and the Network Institute. His research focuses on healthcare workforce dynamics, medical education innovations, and global health leadership development. He has supervised 25 PhD theses, contributing significantly to academic mentorship. Key research interests include nurse power structures in healthcare, non-clinical staff engagement, physician leadership in rural Indonesia, and student learning patterns through e-learning platforms. His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to quality education and good health. Recent studies explore qualitative insights into hospital hierarchies, comparative analysis of clinical/non-clinical worker resilience, and transformative pedagogical strategies in medical training. Scheele's interdisciplinary approach bridges healthcare management, medical education technology, and global health policy. Advising: 25 supervised PhD theses (e.g., leadership development models, healthcare workforce studies). Collaborations span institutions in Indonesia and the Netherlands. Active in Athena Institute's interdisciplinary research networks and the Network Institute's digital health initiatives.
Professor Jill Milroy is a Palyku woman from the Pilbara region and holds dual roles as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Education) and Head of the School of Indigenous Studies at The University of Western Australia (UWA). She directs UWA’s Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and leads the University’s Indigenous Education Strategy and Aboriginal Employment Strategy. Her academic leadership extends to key university committees including Academic Board and the Vice-Chancellor’s Advisory Group. Her research focuses on Aboriginal knowledge systems, storytelling, and Indigenous health equity. Notable contributions include children’s books co-authored with her mother, Gladys Milroy, and leadership in national grants addressing chronic disease disparities and mental health. She is recognized with the 2011 Order of Australia for services to Indigenous education. Research Interests: Aboriginal storytelling and knowledge preservation Indigenous higher education policy Mental health equity in Indigenous populations Health professional education reform Recent Research Trends: Her work addresses pandemic impacts on Indigenous communities, culturally responsive healthcare systems, and global Indigenous health equity. Collaborations span Australia, Canada, and New Zealand through projects like the NHMRC International Indigenous Health Research Partnership. Awards: Member of the Order of Australia (2011) Grants & Leadership: Chief Investigator in a $2.8M Medical Research Future Fund project on Indigenous-centred mental healthcare Co-leads the National Suicide Prevention Leadership and Support Program Labs/Teams: Directs the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and contributes to the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health & Wellbeing initiative.
Niall Winters is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford's Department of Education, previously serving as Professor of Education and Technology and an Official Fellow. His research focuses on socially-just technology innovations, particularly in healthcare and education, supported by over €7 million in funding. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin. Key roles include co-convenor of the Critical Digital Education Research Group, director of the MSc Education (Digital and Social Change), and mentor to Kellogg students. Prior to Oxford, he was a Reader in Learning Technologies at UCL Institute of Education and Deputy Head of the Department of Culture, Communication and Media. His research integrates global health challenges with digital solutions, emphasizing community health workers' training in low-resource settings. Collaborations include the Global Centre on Healthcare and Urbanisation at Kellogg and projects with UNESCO, WHO, and the NHS. He has held fellowships at institutions like Sciences Po and MIT Media Lab Europe. Publications span mobile health technologies, gamification in medical education, and policy frameworks for digital equity. His work bridges theory and practice, advocating for ethical technology design that addresses systemic inequalities in education and healthcare systems.
Patricia K. Tong is an economist at RAND and a Professor of Policy Analysis at the RAND School of Public Policy. She specializes in public finance and labor economics, with a strong focus on military and civilian personnel policy, compensation, and health economics. Her research addresses critical issues in military personnel retention, family caregiving, retirement benefits, and access to mental and behavioral health services. Research Interests: Tong’s work combines qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate monetary and nonmonetary compensation policies, labor market outcomes, and social welfare impacts. Her expertise spans economic policy, health economics, military personnel systems, and family support structures. She has led studies on Social Security survivor benefits, tax policy anti-poverty effects, and nurse staffing standards. Publication Trends: Her recent research centers on military compensation, health care access for service members and families, and financial inclusion. Articles reflect a consistent policy-oriented focus, often supporting governmental reviews such as the Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation, and addressing timely issues like pandemic caregiving and unbanked populations. Scientific Contributions: Published in top journals including American Economic Review and Health Economics Key contributor to national policy discussions on military pay, retention, and health care Research used to inform federal and state-level policy decisions Advising and Grants: While specific students are not listed, her leadership in major research projects indicates a supervisory and mentoring role. She has led federally funded studies on military compensation, health care access, and financial inclusion, demonstrating sustained grant support from defense and public policy agencies. Labs and Teams: Tong conducts research within RAND’s interdisciplinary policy teams, particularly those focused on defense, health, and economic security. Her work often involves collaboration with military stakeholders, federal agencies, and public health experts to develop actionable policy solutions.
Sara Shostak is a Professor of Sociology and Health: Science, Society & Policy at Brandeis University, where she also serves as the inaugural director of the Vic '63 and Bobbi Samuels '63 Center for Community Partnerships and Civic Transformation (COMPACT). Her work bridges sociology, public health, and environmental studies, focusing on health inequalities, urban agriculture, and community partnerships. She holds affiliations across multiple departments including the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Environmental Studies. Shostak earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco, an M.P.H. from UCLA, and a B.A. from Reed College. Her research emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to understanding how social structures and environmental factors shape health outcomes, particularly through projects involving marginalized communities and stakeholders like farmers, healthcare providers, and policymakers. Her research interests include medical sociology, science and technology studies, environmental racism, and food justice. She has pioneered studies on urban agriculture’s role in addressing health inequities and explored ethical dimensions of genetic testing in epilepsy families. Her work often integrates community engagement and participatory methods to ensure research impacts policy and practice. Awarded the Eliot Freidson Outstanding Publication Award and the Robert K. Merton Book Award, Shostak has secured grants from the National Science Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Merck Family Fund. Her teaching innovations have been recognized with the Michael L. Walzer '56 Award for Teaching. She leads COMPACT to foster civic engagement and partnerships between Brandeis and local communities, emphasizing transformative change through collective action.
Linda A. Hill serves as the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and is Faculty Chair of the Leadership Initiative. She is widely recognized as one of the top experts on leadership and innovation globally, with her work shaping how organizations approach creative problem-solving and organizational development. Dr. Hill earned her B.A. summa cum laude in psychology from Bryn Mawr College, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences from the University of Chicago. After completing a post-doctoral research fellowship at Harvard Business School, she joined the faculty where she has remained a prominent figure in organizational behavior research. Her research focuses on leadership development, building agile innovative organizations, implementing global strategies, and digital leadership. Hill is particularly known for her work on collective genius—the concept that innovation emerges from the right organizational conditions rather than individual brilliance alone. Her research has evolved to address scaling innovation across organizations and ecosystems, with increasing emphasis on digital leadership in contemporary business environments. Dr. Hill's scholarly output reveals consistent themes of practical leadership frameworks that help organizations navigate complex challenges while fostering creativity. Her recent work shows a progression toward understanding how innovation can be systematically scaled across organizational boundaries and through digital transformation initiatives. Thinkers50 top ten management thinker (2013, 2021) Thinkers50 Innovation Award (2015) Warren Bennis Prize for Excellence in Leadership (2015) Leadership Axiom Business Book Award Gold Medal (2015) #5 in Top 20 MIT SMR articles of 2020 Included in Thinkers50 since 2011 Named to Inc. 2025 Female Founders 500 List Shortlisted for 2025 Thinkers50 Innovation Award Beyond academia, Hill has extensive advisory and consulting experience with major global organizations including Google, Microsoft, IBM, and numerous Fortune 500 companies. She has chaired numerous Harvard Business School Executive Education programs and developed innovative online learning platforms for leadership development. Her practical experience spans leadership development, innovation strategy, global implementation, and diversity initiatives across multiple industries. Dr. Hill serves on the Board of Directors of Relay Therapeutics and the Board of Trustees of The Kresge Foundation, ArtCenter College of Design, and Brigham and Women's Hospital. She also serves on advisory boards for the American Repertory Theater, Aspen Institute programs, Calit2, and several other organizations, demonstrating her commitment to applying leadership principles across diverse domains.
Maarten Renkema is an Assistant Professor at the University of Twente, specializing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its intersection with Human Resource Management (HRM) , Healthcare , and Organizational Innovation . His research explores how AI transforms work design, employee autonomy, and HRM practices in formalized contexts. Key Research Themes: Algorithmic HRM and Digitalization Human-AI Collaboration in Healthcare Self-Managing Teams and Organizational Structures AI Literacy in Education Scientific Awards: Best Dissertation Award (2019) from the Dutch HRM Network Research Trends: His recent work focuses on AI adoption in HRM, ethical implications of algorithmic management, and redefining professional roles in AI-integrated environments. Articles from 2024-2025 highlight practical applications of AI in healthcare workflows, employee-driven innovation, and the evolving responsibilities of HR professionals. Collaborations: Active in cross-sector partnerships, including projects on AI literacy frameworks and talent management in sports. Regularly contributes to professional discourse through invited talks and media commentary on AI's societal impact.
