Health through engineering and analytics.
RCHE Staff
Pavlos Vlachos
Director, Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering
St. Vincent Health Professor of Healthcare Engineering
Dr. Vlachos received his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens (1995) and his MS (1998) and PhD (2000) in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Virginia Tech. He joined the department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech as assistant professor (2003) and he was promoted to associate (2007), and full professor (2011). In August 2013 he joined the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue, and he currently serves as President’s Fellow for Research Development. He is also associate editor for the International Journal of Multi-Phase Flows. Dr. Vlachos was appointed Director of the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering in February 2021.
Dr. Jerome Adams
Presidential Fellow
Executive Director of Health Equity Initiatives
Dr. Jerome Adams joined RCHE in October 2021 and his home department is Pharmacy Practice and Public Health. Prior to becoming the 20th U.S. surgeon general, Adams served as Indiana state health commissioner from 2014 through 2017. Dr. Adams also has served as an associate professor of anesthesia at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis. Adams received his Master of Public Health with a focus on chronic disease prevention from the University of California, Berkeley, and his medical doctorate from Indiana University School of Medicine. His postgraduate internship was at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis and he completed his anesthesiology residency at the Indiana University Department of Anesthesia in 2006.
Petros Drineas, PhD
Professor and Associate Head, Computer Science
RCHE Associate Director, Health Data Science
Dr. Drineas' research interests lie in the design and analysis of algorithms to analyze modern, big-data datasets, with a particular emphasis on the analysis of health data integrating patient records with genomics. His work explores genetic variation to inform the risk of disease, characterize health conditions, and improve medical interventions and therapeutics.
Nan Kong, PhD
Professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering
RCHE Associate Director, Health Systems
Dr. Kong applies his research expertise in operations research and systems analytics to design and operations optimization problems arising in health systems, ranging from trauma care network design to nursing home staff planning and EMS vehicle dispatch and redeployment. He has developed computer models and conducted model-based analysis in population health research for preventing colorectal cancer and heart diseases. He is increasingly working in the realm of digital health by leading community-health solution development projects on mental health and paramedicine.
Sonak Pastakia, PharmD, MPH, PhD, BCPS, FCCP
Professor, Pharmacy Practice
Pharmacist, Indiana University Kenya Partnership
RCHE Associate Director, Population Health and Health Equity
Dr. Pastakia's research focuses on implementation science and improving population health worldwide, including diabetes, HIV, and non-communicable diseases, to supply chain infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries.
Natalia Rodriguez, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Public Health
Assistant Professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering
RCHE Associate Director, Population Health and Health Equity
Dr. Rodriguez's research lies at the intersection of Public Health and Biomedical Engineering and takes a community-based participatory approach to health technology design and implementation. Her current work focuses on developing new point-of-care cancer detection tools and innovative deployment strategies to address cancer disparities. Dr. Rodriguez's research engages underserved communities in designing and implementing innovative technologies to address health disparities.
Evan Perrault, PhD
Associate Professor, Brian Lamb School of Communication
RCHE Assistant Director, Health Education, and Communication
Dr. Perrault is interested in translational research, finding ways to distill complex information for the public, and researching the best ways healthcare systems can design more effective physician biographies on their websites.
Alissa L. Russ-Jara, PhD
Darr-Chaney Associate Professor, Pharmacy Practice
RCHE Assistant Director, Health Systems
Dr. Russ-Jara is an expert in human factors engineering, usability, and human-computer interaction. Her career is devoted to advancing health information technologies to better support clinicians' cognitive work and improve medication safety for patients.
Allison Bryan Jungels
Assistant Director - Operations, Outreach and Partnerships
Allison Bryan-Jungels, MS, serves as the Assistant Director- Operations, Outreach and Partnerships of Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering (RCHE) and Purdue Healthcare Advisors (PHA). In these roles, she oversees the daily operations at RCHE and connects the university with healthcare providers interested in improving processes within their respective organizations as well as manages an internal team of subject-matter experts who collaborate to develop innovative service offerings. Allison received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University.
Holly Wood
RCHE Senior Director of Health Equity Initiatives for Purdue
I-HOPE Program Director
Holly Wood serves as Senior Director for Purdue's Health Equity Initiatives, reporting to the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering (RCHE) and serving on Purdue's Health Equity Initiatives team led by Executive Director Dr. Jerome Adams. With the aim of bringing the community voice back to campus and amplifying it nationally through Dr. Adam’s framework, she interfaces with faculty to raise interest in health equity projects; coordinates the Purdue Health Equity Council; drives health equity funding applications; gathers and provides the latest health equity data/information to better inform faculty work; and connects individuals across campus whose roles address diversity, equity and inclusion.
Milad Alucozai
RCHE/Bindley Entrepreneurship Fellow
malucoza@purdue.eduMilad is head of Bio and Deep Tech at BoxOne Ventures, a privately held investment firm that focuses on early-stage companies. He is also a Venture Partner at Entrepreneur First, a global fund with a portfolio value of over $5 billion. In 2021, he was appointed as a Strategic Advisor to LifeOmic, and as an External Advisor to AstraZeneca in 2020, working on initiatives to partner more closely with startups. Milad began his career as a bench scientist working in translational neuroscience and multiphysics labs and transitioned into founding roles at multiple healthcare and bio startups. He was a National Science Foundation Scholar and Macklin Fellow at Johns Hopkins Medicine and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Neuroscience from Purdue University’s Honors Program. As a George J. Mitchell Scholar, he completed graduate school in Immunology & Public Health.
Oscar Moralez
RCHE/Bindley Entrepreneurship Fellow
omoralez@purdue.eduOscar Moralez is a serial entrepreneur, university lecturer, mentor/coach, and venture capital investor based in Indiana. In 2020 he founded Boomerang Ventures, a venture studio and venture fund that provides a funding and resource platform for entrepreneurs to bring their healthcare ideas to life. He is also the founder and managing director of VisionTech Partners (VisionTech), which he formed in 2009. In addition to his experience in startups, investing and capital formation, Oscar’s background includes over twenty years of technical, operations and management experience in healthcare and life sciences sectors. Oscar received his Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology from the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and an MBA from the University of Colorado in Denver.
Steve Ruberg
RCHE Fellow
Dr. Ruberg has published and presented extensively on a wide variety of statistical topics related to preclinical and clinical drug development. His current research interest include estimands, subgroup identification and Bayesian methods for clinical drug development. Steve received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Thomas More College, an MS in Statistics from Miami of Ohio, and a PhD in Biostatistics from the University of Cincinnati.
Lauren Johannigman
Research Operations Administrator
Lauren Johannigman serves as a Research Operations Administrator for Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering (RCHE). In this role, she is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations of research activities, centers, or sponsored programs. She has ten years of previous IT experience within the university where she discovered her love of problem solving and finding solutions that make work lives better for those she supports. Lauren earned bachelor’s degrees from Purdue University in English and psychology, and plans to pursue her master's degree in project management.
Michelle Pearson
Research Operations Administrator
Michelle Pearson, Research Operations Administrator, Eli Lilly Strategic Partnership and Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering (RCHE) has been at Purdue since 2017. She was hired to lead the financial responsibilities of the Eli Lilly Strategic Partnership. She now has oversite of the day-to-day operations and research activities for both the Lilly Strategic Partnership and RCHE. She facilitates communication among multiple departments, faculty, research teams, and external constituents. She approves sponsor required fiscal and management reports and makes recommendations to facilitate effective processes and procedures in collaboration with leadership.
Gustavo Valencia, PHD
Lead Data Scientist
Dr. Valencia was named Lead Data Scientist in May 2022. He comes to RCHE with nearly 18 years of experience in statistics/data analytics. Gustavo holds a B.S. in Electronic Engineering and a Graduate Certificate in Management at Univ. Pontificia Bolivariana, a M.Sc. in Statistics at Univ. Nacional de Colombia, and a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Purdue University. He has an extensive background in research and industry data analysis, which range from security and fraud prevention to user behavior analysis and digital agriculture. Gustavo specializes in developing and implementing predictive models, data mining techniques, and machine learning algorithms to solve complex business needs and engineering problems, as well as the underlying challenges associated with data quality and visualization.
Cynthia Bennett
Senior Health Equity Analyst
Cynthia Bennett serves as a Senior Health Equity Analyst for Indiana Healthy Opportunities for People Everywhere (I-HOPE) initiative, a statewide opportunity designed to address the effects of health disparities for better health outcomes. As part of a regional Field Implementation Team, she brings voices to the table to talk about innovative ways to better connect people with the support they need to get healthy and stay healthy. Cynthia earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health Administration from the IU Richard Fairbanks School of Public Health and a Master’s in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University. She serves (as of November 2021) on the board of Women & Hi Tech as its K-12 Outreach Director.
Jennifer Goad
Training and Project Coordinator
Jennifer is responsible for scheduling and coordinating projects, training sessions, and organizing training webinars. She works with internal and external organizations to coordinate participant registrations and evaluations.
Korey Jackson
Senior Health Equity Analystjacksonk@purdue.edu
Korey Jackson, MS, serves as a Senior Health Equity Analyst for I-HOPE, a statewide opportunity designed to address the effects of health disparities for better health outcomes. He works with stakeholders to reach communities who are at higher risk for health disparities and those who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Korey earned two Bachelor's degrees from Purdue University in Occupational and Environmental Health and a Master’s degree from Indiana University in Health and Safety Management.
Casey Kinderman
Lead Project Manager
Cassondra "Casey" Kinderman serves as a Lead Project Manager for I-HOPE, a statewide opportunity designed to address the effects of health disparities for better health outcomes. In this role, she manages one of five regional Field Implementation Teams, engaging and building relationships across a diverse landscape of partner and community-based organizations. Casey earned a Bachelor of Science in Community Health with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health.
Tisha Reid
Senior Health Equity Analyst
Tisha Reid serves as a Senior Health Equity Analyst for I-HOPE, a statewide opportunity designed to address the effects of health disparities for better health outcomes. As part of a regional Field Implementation Team, Tisha brings voices to the table to talk about innovative ways to better connect people with the support they need to get healthy and stay healthy. She works with stakeholders to reach communities who are at higher risk for health disparities and those who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Tisha holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Administration from Indiana University.
Patty Rose
Lead Project Manager
Patty Rose, CPHP, serves as a Lead Project Manager for I-HOPE, a statewide opportunity designed to address the effects of health disparities for better health outcomes. In this role, she manages one of five regional Field Implementation Teams. Patty earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in health care administration. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and a certified Strategic Doing Workshop Leader.
Sylvia Saxena
Senior Health Equity Analyst
Sylvia Saxena, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, serves as a Senior Health Equity Analyst for I-HOPE, a statewide opportunity designed to address the effects of health disparities. As part of a regional Field Implementation Team, Sylvia brings voices to the table to talk about innovative ways to better connect people with the support they need to get healthy and stay healthy. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in nursing as well as a Master's Degree from Purdue as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Angela Washburn
Senior Health Equity Analyst
Angie Washburn serves as a Senior Health Equity Analyst for I-HOPE, a statewide initiative designed to address the effects of health disparities for better health outcomes. As a part of the I-HOPE South Field Implementation Team, Angie brings voices to the table to talk about innovative ways to better connect people with the support they need to get healthy and stay healthy. Angie is a registered respiratory therapist and certified community healthcare worker (CHW) with a bachelor's degree in business administration.