People
A group photo taken in Michigan Stadium of the Weil Institute team and attendees of the Joyce Massey TBI Summit.

We're all about the team, the team, the team.

Executive Leadership
kevinward Kevin Ward, MD
Executive Director, Weil Institute
Emergency Medicine
philjacokes Phil Jacokes, MBA
Managing Director, Weil Institute
Emergency Medicine
Robert Dickson Robert Pickett Dickson, MD
Galen B Toews M.D. Legacy Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Associate Fellowship Director, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Kathleen stringer Kathleen A Stringer
Albert B Prescott Professor
Professor of Clinical and Translational Pharmacy
College of Pharmacy and Professor of Internal Medicine
shermanfan Xudong (Sherman) Fan, PhD
Associate Director, Weil Institute
Biomedical Engineering
Heidi Rosanna Flori, MD Heidi Flori
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
Michael D. Maile Michael D Maile, MD, MS
Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
Program Assistant
Assistant Medical Director, Anesthesiology
Najarian Kayvan Kayvan Najarian, PhD
Professor of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics
Professor of Emergency Medicine
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Lena Napolitano Lena Marie Napolitano, MD, FACS, FCCP, MCCM
Joyce and Don Massey Family Foundation Professor
Professor of Surgery
kenoldham Kenn Oldham, PhD
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
SJODING_Michael4x5.jpg Michael William Sjoding, MD, MSc
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
J Scott VanEpps, MD, PhD J Scott VanEpps, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
Associate Professor of Macromolecular Sciences and Engineering
Rodney Daniels Rodney C Daniels, MD, FAAP
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Frederick K. Korley Frederick K Korley
Associate Chair of Research
Professor of Emergency Medicine
Team Leaders
sardar Sardar Ansari, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
Director of Data Science
joeblackmer Joseph Blackmer
Team Lead, Data Operations
jones-headshot.jpeg Justin Jones
Unit Manager, Clinical Research Unit
meaganramsey Meagan Ramsey, PhD
Manager, Proposal Development Team
jaysemerad Jay Semerad
Commercialization Coach
hakamtiba Hakam Tiba, MD, MS
Research Assistant Professor
Director, Pre-clinical Critical Care Laboratory
meganvanstratt Megan VanStratt
Director, Marketing & Communications
Support Team
baur Brittany Baur, PhD
Senior Data Scientist

Brittany Baur is a Senior Data Scientist for the Weil Institute's Data Science Team. She obtained her Ph.D. in Computational Sciences from Marquette University in 2017 and was previously a Postdoctoral Researcher at UW-Madison. Her research interests include integrating different data modalities to predict and improve patient outcomes.
drewbennett Drew Bennett
Licensing Liaison

Drew is the Associate Director of Licensing at Innovation Partnerships. He acts as the interface between the Weil Institute and outside counsel for intellectual property protection matters.
loccao Loc Cao
Data Scientist

Loc Cao is a data scientist working for the Weil Institute Data Science team. Her role is developing machine learning and statistical models to support clinical decisions.
coon Lisa Coon
Special Events Manager

Lisa leads the planning for and execution of all Weil events. She work closely with our Events Coordinator on administration of member retreats, visiting scholar seminars, industry events, and the growing Grand Challenges. In addition, she provides material and outreach support to the greater marketing team.
brandoncummings Brandon Cummings
Senior Data Scientist

Brandon is a part of the Weil Institute's Data Science team. As a specialist in data science and machine learning, he develops big data tools, mines hard to find data, and uses data analytics to validate non-invasive monitoring technologies.
alexis_davis_web Alexis Davis
Research Laboratory Technician

Alexis is a Laboratory Technician in the Weil Institute Pre-clinical Critical Care Lab.
negar_farzenah Negar Farzaneh, PhD
Research Investigator/Data Scientist

Negar Farzaneh is a Research Investigator in the Department of Emergency Medicine as well as a Data Scientist with the Weil Institute’s Data Science team. Her research interest centers on the application of computer science to develop clinical decision support systems and solve medical problems.
nicholasgreer Nicholas Greer
Research Technician Intermediate

Nicholas is part of Weil’s Preclinical Critical Care Laboratory and assists in the operation of protocols, inventory and supplies, and all general laboratory duties.
shalini_kota_massey_web Shalini Kota, MS
Clinical Research Coordinator

Shalini works as a clinical research coordinator on the CRU team at the Weil Institute, implementing multiple clinical study protocols along with their associated responsibilities. She has a background in medicine, as well as specific experience in medical genetics and genomics (MS), cell and molecular biology (BS). Shalini is a co-inventor of the AerosolVE helmet, a Weil-associated medical device, and thrilled to continue to learn about the industry supporting such devices that improve patient outcomes.
Headshot of Panida Khuansanguan Panida Khuansanguan
Clinical Research Coordinator

Panida serves as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Weil Institute, where her responsibilities include screening, obtaining consent, and enrolling patients across a diverse array of studies, ensuring the acquisition of accurate data. Her background is in biochemistry (BS, MS). With her experience as both a CRC and a Nurse Aide/Patient Technician in the PCTU, she is committed to improving patient outcomes in both the clinical and research setting.
kate2bmurphy Kate Murphy
Marketing & Communications Specialist

Kate Murphy is a graphic designer and creative copywriter. She helps with design needs related to proposal development, web design, and event collateral, in addition to supporting the overall work of Weil’s Marketing team through newsletters and other content needs.
connorobrien Connor O'Brien
Data Scientist

Connor is a data scientist at the Weil Institute focused on using data science and machine learning to improve patient outcomes. He’s currently working on multi-modal patient deterioration prediction, as well as model transparency and monitoring in healthcare settings.
erin Erin O'Leary, MS
Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Erin is a Senior Machine Learning Engineer with the Weil Institute Data Science and Operations Team. Erin has two primary responsibilities: 1. Working hand-in-hand with our Machine Learning Specialists and clinical collaborators to mine data needed to build their models. 2. Developing systems needed to get models working in an environment where they can be accessed by clinicians.
mike_ranella Mike Ranella
Business Development Liaison

Mike is the Senior Director of Business Development in the Medical School Fast Forward Medical Innovation program. He works with industry partners to catalyze productive partnerships for Weil research collaborations

riveraheadshot Christy Rivera
Research Laboratory Technician, Intermediate

Christy is a research laboratory technician for the Weil Institute’s Preclinical Critical Care Laboratory who assists in executing experimental procedures and all general laboratory duties.
jaysemerad Jay Semerad
Senior Product Manager

Jay leverages his experience in both commercial and public research sectors to manage projects for the Weil data science team while also focusing on strategic support for bringing emerging and ready-to-license products to market.
sharpe Zachary Sharpe
Research Laboratory Specialist

Zachary is a former critical care paramedic and Army MEDEVAC flight medic who now serves as a Research Laboratory Specialist at Weil’s Preclinical Critical Care Laboratory. His responsibilities include executing experimental procedures, data processing & analysis, and general laboratory duties.
denisepoirier Denise Wieck
Administrative Specialist

Denise is responsible for managing day-to-day operations at the Weil Institute by providing administrative support to the team and directly supports Kevin Ward.
thomas_wineland Thomas Wineland
Clinical Research Coordinator

Thomas is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the Weil Institute. He engages in multiple studies and multiple different aspects within critical care and has a background in the field of pharmacy.
suewozniak Sue Wozniak
Events Specialist

Sue is part of the Weil Institute's office team, specializing in events. Sue ensures that all events, small or large, run smoothly and are executed to a high level. She is also responsible for day-to-day administrative duties for the broader team.
Headshot of Justin Yates Justin Yates
Research Area Specialist Sr

Justin is a Research Area Specialist Sr with the Weil Institute. As part of his role within Emergency Medicine Research, Justin performs research-oriented tasks including screening for potential participants, obtaining informed consent, and collecting data for various studies. Justin is a PhD candidate with a dissertation focused on barriers to treating rural patient populations.