Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Expert Witnesses in Maryland

This expert has nearly 20 years of experience in the epidemiology and behavioral science field, specializing in foodborne outbreaks, worksite health, workplace behaviors, consumer retail behavior, and, most recently, the impact of COVID-19 on human behavior. She earned a BA in math and psychology from Bradley University, an MS in epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of South Florida, and a PhD in public and community health from the University of Maryland. Formerly, this expert served as an adjunct professor in public health at Montgomery College. She then went on to serve as a program analyst for behavioral and social research programs at the National Institute of Aging and National Cancer Institute, along with serving as a deputy director of strategic and innovative programs at the National Institutes of Health. This expert was also the founder and director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, as well as principal epidemiologist and global vice president of research and corporate services at Sodexo. Currently, she is the CEO of an epidemiology and behavioral science consulting firm in Maryland.

This highly-qualified expert has nearly 30 years of experience as an epidemiologist and nurse-midwife, with demonstrated experience in medical device safety including gynecologic surgical mesh, breast implants, hip replacement, cardiovascular and dermatologic devices, post-market surveillance, and pharmacoepidemiology. She received her BS in biology from the University of Illinois and a diploma in nursing from Evanston Hospital School of Nursing before earning her BS in nursing and her MS in perinatal nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She then went on to earn a post-masters certificate in midwifery from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and her PhD in perinatal epidemiology from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. This expert is a certified nurse-midwife and a licensed registered nurse. She is active in her field as a member of several organizations, including the American Nurses Association, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and the American Academy of Nursing. She is also highly involved in research, having authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and spoken at multiple scientific conferences throughout her career. For her work, she has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards. With over 15 years in academia, this expert has formerly served as an assistant professor of child, women and family health at the University of Maryland, and adjunct assistant professor in prevention and community health and an adjunct clinical associate professor of clinical management and leadership at George Washington University, and, most recently, as an adjunct associate professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Clinically, she has served as an maternal child health epidemiologist and a health sciences administrator for the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC and has worked extensively with the FDA as an epidemiologist and branch chief for the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Additionally, she served as the director of women's health, medical ethics and patient advocacy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense. Currently, this expert is the owner and CEO of an epidemiology consulting group based in Maryland.