Dr. Spera graduated from the University of Maryland with a doctorate in human development and quantitative methodology. Dr. Spera leads Arbor Research by providing leadership and overall direction for organizational activities. Dr. Spera has an expertise in health outcomes research, including program evaluation, applied research, and policy analysis. He has served in leadership roles in several contract research organizations and has a track record of expanding the mission impact of an organization. Dr. Spera has served as a Principal Investigator and/or Corporate Oversight role on hundreds of projects within the health policy, public health and epidemiology, and behavioral health areas. Outside of his work at Arbor Research, he continues to serve as a professor of public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School of Public Policy, where he teaches program evaluation. Dr. Spera has published over 20 peer-reviewed publications and over 50 technical published reports.

Mr. Dickinson is Vice President, Information at Arbor Research Collaborative for Health, oversees the intersection of information architecture, analytic, and technology efforts. Mr. Dickinson holds a BA from Haverford College and an MA, Applied Economics from the University of Michigan. His experience bridges econometric training, analytic activities, and software system development in the design of applications and databases for economic and health research. As the lead architect of analytic data systems at Arbor Research, he directs senior managers in data services and application development. Mr. Dickinson was instrumental in the development of the ArborLink system, implemented to support data collection and study management in 20 countries and for multiple NIH- and privately-funded research consortia. For other federal agencies and private funders, he has overseen the adaptation of billing, EHR, survey, and abstracted data into structured analytic files, including the regular adaptation of hundreds of gigabytes of operational data for public release as part of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). He has provided technical and analytic oversight for the design, development, and successful implementation of multiple websites for the dissemination of important health care information to a range of professional and lay audiences, and published these interactive systems in .gov and private environments. Prior to joining Arbor Research in 1998, Mr. Dickinson held analytic and data systems positions with the Urban Institute and the University of Michigan.

Dr. Edward serves as Vice President, Strategic Growth & Chief Growth Officer (CGO) for Arbor Research Collaborative for Health. Dr. Edward is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing a growth ecosystem that both amplifies Arbor Research’s mission impact through new work and supports financial health. This growth ecosystem includes business development strategy and operations; external marketing and communications efforts; and partnership outreach. She also applies her clinical psychology and organizational development expertise to create strategies for sustaining the organization’s high-performance. Dr. Edward has served in leadership roles in a variety of settings including federal contractors, government agencies, and non-profits. Dr. Edward earned her Doctoral and Master’s degrees in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and her Bachelor’s degree in English and Sociology from the University of Western Ontario.

Ms. Boucke is a strategic advisor and thought partner of the Arbor Research Executive Team, responsible for crafting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Leading change initiatives across the organization to optimize organizational potential and achieve strategic business and operational objectives. Overseeing the function, performance, and effective integration of the human resources and organizational operations teams (e.g., administrative support, facilities, compliance, internal communications). Ms. Boucke has served in leadership roles in a variety of industries including professional services, bio-tech, legal, finance and healthcare, public not-for-profit, for-profit and non-profits. Ms. Boucke earned her Master’s degree in Administration – Human Resources from Central Michigan University and her Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy and Psychology from Michigan State University. She is a certified Human Resources Professional, certified Mediator and Crucial Conversations Trainer.

Dr. Roberto Pecoits-Filho is a Senior Research Scientist at Arbor Research and a full professor of Medicine at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) in Brazil, where he is a practicing Nephrologist and Clinical Researcher, acting as a Principal Investigator in multiple multicentric clinical trials. Dr. Pecoits-Filho holds a position as a Scientific Leader in clinical trials for the Americas for George Clinical, affiliated to the George Institute for Global Health. He received an MD degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Parana and Ph.D. from the University of São Paulo. He is currently the Principal Investigator of CKDOPPS, a multinational observational study currently including approximately 11,000 patients across the world. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Society of Nephrology (ISN - 2016-2019) and of KDIGO (2015-2017). He is the Chair of the Education Committee of the ISN. Dr. Pecoits has published his research in over 300 papers in international indexed journals and lectured in over 50 countries around the world.

Dr. Turenne joined Arbor Research in 2010 and has more than 15 years of research experience related to the cost and quality of health care and to health policy design, implementation, and evaluation. He has led several projects in the Health Policy and Practice Program area of Arbor Research. Currently, he directs a project funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide analytic and operations support for the implementation of the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program, and is the principal investigator for a health disparities study funded by the National Institutes of Health. He has also directed projects that provided support to CMS for the development of ESRD quality measures and a prospective payment system for Federally Qualified Health Centers. His research experience includes previous positions at the University of Michigan (UM) and the Urban Institute. He received his PhD in Health Services Organization and Policy, with a concentration in economics, from UM in 2003.

Dr. Smith is a biostatistician with research interests in survival and recurrent event analysis and machine learning. She received her PhD from the University of Michigan in 2016. Her dissertation research focused on methods for assessing time-dependent treatment effects for recurrent event outcomes using the method of sequential stratification. She received a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan in 2007, and an MS in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan in 2012. Dr. Smith joined Arbor Research in 2011 providing statistical support for the Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort Study (A2ALL). She currently provides statistical leadership to several projects in the Scientific and Data Coordinating Centers (SDCC) program area including the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Network (LURN), where she serves as Deputy Program Director, the Cure Glomerularnephropathy Network (CureGN), and the Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE) where she serves as a co-investigator. She has expertise in a variety of statistical methods including regression, longitudinal and survival analysis, missing data methods, and supervised and unsupervised machine learning methods. She has experience with clinical research in urology, chronic kidney disease, and transplantation.

Mr. Albert fulfills diverse strategy, business development, and management functions contributing to the growth and development of the Dialysis and Outcomes Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) Program of Arbor Research. Working with lead investigators and senior staff, he additionally provides high-level oversight to project, analytic, and programming teams to ensure respective work priorities and approaches are consistent within and across the portfolio of projects within the DOPPS Program. Prior to serving as Program Director, Mr. Albert spent five years as a Research Analyst during which time he co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and reports for industry sponsors. Mr. Albert joined Arbor Research in 2001 and possesses two decades of program management and leadership experience across all aspects of research and operations support of DOPPS. Mr. Albert graduated in 1998 from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Biology.

Mr. Pearson provides scientific and administrative leadership in the Health Policy and Practice Program of Arbor Research, leveraging over a decade of experience in federally funded health services research. Much of his work has focused on quality measurement and value-based purchasing for Medicare beneficiaries with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). He currently serves as the Arbor Research project director for the CMS ESRD Services Monitoring and Evaluation where he led the development of a comprehensive interactive dashboard combining various data sources to report timely data on over 60 quality indicators to CMS stakeholders on a monthly basis. He serves in a leadership role on Arbor Researcher’s CMS-sponsored work including across the Research, Measurement, Assessment, Design, and Analysis (RMADA) and the Measure and Instrument Development and Support (MIDS). Previously he served in leadership roles on task orders focused on quality measure development in ESRD, Population Health measure assessment and design, and alignment of quality reporting programs and websites. His areas of expertise include value-based purchasing, health care delivery and payment, program evaluation, quality measurement, public reporting, social determinants of health, and understanding health and health care disparities. He has experience in managing and leading projects and tasks of various sizes, conducting literature reviews, applying statistical and econometric methods, and mixed methods integrating qualitative and quantitative research approaches. He has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, reports for federal sponsors, and over 60 conference abstracts and presentations. In addition to his role at Arbor Research, Mr. Pearson is also currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan in Health Services Organization and Policy with a focus on health economics. He holds an MS in Survey Methodology from the University of Maryland and a BS in Statistics, Computer Science, and Mathematics Central Michigan University.

Dr. Graff received his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health and his MS in Community Medicine from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He has over 25 years of experience in conducting epidemiologic studies of cancer causes, control, and outcomes, with most of his research focusing on quality of care in newly diagnosed cancer patients and treatment outcomes well into their survivorship period. He served as a Principal and Co-Investigator at the State of New Jersey and Metropolitan Detroit NCI-funded SEER Registries, overseeing data collection, data access, data use, and population participation in numerous research studies. Dr. Graff joined Arbor Research Collaborative for Health in 2016, as the Scientific and Data Coordinating Centers (SDCC) Program Director. He currently serves as the Arbor Research Principal Investigator of the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection (PRECEDE) Consortium, an observational longitudinal prospective cohort study, with serial biosample collection and acquisition of standardized clinical and imaging data in defined high-risk groups, at 35 cancer centers worldwide.

Dr. Pozniak is a health services researcher with over 16 years of research experience leading and supporting studies to inform Medicare policy, care delivery, quality, and patient outcomes. Her research interests include the care delivery and health economics of post-acute care settings, measure development, and Medicare payment policies. She has worked on numerous federally-funded projects to address a variety of health policy issues, including the effect of financial incentives on home health agency performance, identifying and defining vulnerabilities in CMS’ hospice program, and the effect of adding a case-mix adjustment to Medicare’s end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system. Dr. Pozniak has also conducted qualitative research to support mixed methods studies, including case studies and interviews with key informants, patients, and medical providers. Dr. Pozniak is currently the Project Director for the CMS-funded project that evaluates the home health value-based purchasing (HHVBP) model on health care utilization, Medicare spending, quality of care, and patient experience of home health patients. Annual Reports that she led and other supporting materials for this evaluation can be found here: https://innovation.cms.gov/innovation-models/home-health-value-based-purchasing-model. Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2015, Dr. Pozniak served as project director and analytic lead for a variety of funders, including CMS, the CDC, AHRQ, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Dr. Pozniak received her PhD from the University of Michigan, School of Public Health’s Health Management and Policy program in 2006.

Dr. Karaboyas provides epidemiologic and biostatistical support for the international Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS). He received his BS in Mathematics from the University of Michigan (UM) – Dearborn in 2008, his MS in Biostatistics from UM School of Public Health (SPH) in 2010, and his PhD in Epidemiology from UM SPH in 2019 with a dissertation focused on identifying best practices in hemodialysis using innovative study designs and statistical methods. Since joining Arbor Research in 2010, he has made extensive contributions to all aspects of DOPPS research, including proposal development, methodology, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. Dr. Karaboyas has represented Arbor Research at many international conferences, contributed to dozens of abstracts, and coauthored over 40 original manuscripts, including several as lead author and most as lead analyst, accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Lammers is a health services researcher studying health care delivery systems, payment policy, and related innovations. His evaluation research work spans a variety of innovations in the delivery of care, including studies of home health care payment policy, emergency department care management, telehealth to enable care access in rural areas, behavioral health care interventions for children, and health information exchange through electronic health records. He has led and contributed to quantitative impact studies of such innovations’ effects on utilization, costs, and quality of care. He currently serves as a Co-Investigator for the CMS-funded project that evaluates the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model. Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2019, Dr. Lammers previously served as a Researcher at Mathematica Policy Research where he helped lead Mathematica's impact evaluation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act programs to stimulate adoption and Meaningful Use of health information technology for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, the results of which he has presented at national conferences and in leading health services research journals. He also served as an impact evaluation leader for three Health Care Innovation Awards from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and has previously led environmental scans and organized Technical Expert Panels to identify new measures to fill gaps in quality measurement of hospitals and other health care organizations. Dr. Lammers specializes in rigorous quantitative research methods and has extensive experience performing analyses and presenting research that uses data from national surveys of health care providers, Medicare and Medicaid claims, as well as integrating quantitative and qualitative research results. He received his PhD in Health Services Organization and Policy, with a concentration in economics, from the University of Michigan in 2012.

Dr. Young graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1981. He went on to clinical training in Internal Medicine and Nephrology followed by masters-level training in research design and statistics from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 1993. After serving on the faculty of Oregon Health Sciences University for four years, he joined the Division of Nephrology at the University of Michigan in 1990, rising to the rank of Professor of Internal Medicine. He served as Chief of Staff at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and Assistant Dean for Veterans Affairs from 2001 to 2018, when he joined Arbor Research. He has been involved with many studies in the areas of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease including the DOPPS (Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study). He has also been involved with multiple projects related to quality improvement, patient safety, clinical efficiency and clinical program evaluation in many areas, including home care, telehealth and medication management.

Mr. McCullough joined Arbor Research in 1998. He uses statistical models and computer simulations to describe interrelationships between patient characteristics, policy, patterns of care, and outcomes. He also investigates methodology issues, including informative censoring, missing data imputation, and measures of model predictive power. Mr. McCullough supported the Kidney and Thoracic Committees of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network with statistical and simulation analyses that informed policy decisions. He has 29 peer-reviewed publications on dialysis patient and transplant recipient survival, hospitalization, and quality of life. At Arbor Research he contributes to the study design and/or analyses for the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), and the Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network (CureGN) project with having previously worked with the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR), the Managed Care Demonstration (MCDemo), and the United States Renal Data System (USRDS). Mr. McCullough received an MS in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Henn received her PhD in biostatistics in 2015 from the University of Minnesota. Her methodological research interests include clustering and the limitations of Bayesian statistical methods and hypothesis tests for complex, high-dimensional data objects. Additionally, she has delineated conditions governing the emergence of multiple maxima in restricted likelihood and posterior distributions as well as the performance of Gaussian copula regression models when applied to non-continuous data. She has broad experience in statistical analysis approaches ranging from causal inference to item response theory. Additionally, she has over 10 years’ experience in the medical device industry as a mechanical engineer in roles spanning research, production, project management, and functional management. Dr. Henn leads operational improvement initiatives and serves as a statistician for the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN), supported by the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. For Medicare’s End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP), she validates measure implementation and conducts methodological research into potential QIP improvements. She also provides analytic support for the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) and as well as methodological support for newly proposed projects. Dr. Henn joined Arbor Research in 2016.

Dr. Mukhopadhyay conducts health outcomes research, performs statistical analyses, and provides support and biostatistical expertise to the Health Policy and Practice Program area. She applies her in-depth statistical knowledge to evidence-based medical research that informs policy and improves patient care. Her areas of expertise include statistical models (logistic regression, generalized linear models, Cox regression, mixed effects models, etc.), biostatistical study design, statistical computing, and data analysis. She has worked on several National Institutes of Health- and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-funded projects. With over 8 years of experience in management of health care research data and observational data analyses, Dr. Mukhopadhyay works with lead investigators to design analytical approaches for answering research questions. She manages and motivates teams of programmers and research analysts while also providing mentorship. Working with investigators, she identifies potential new projects and writes key sections of winning proposals. Dr. Mukhopadhyay has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications, abstracts, conference presentations, and reports for federal sponsors. She received her doctoral degree from Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2008. Prior to joining Arbor Research, she worked as Research Assistant professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Dr. Mandell joined Arbor Research in 2017. She has extensive training and expertise in qualitative and mixed methods research, policy analysis, addressing health inequities through multi-level interventions, and community-based research approaches. Dr. Mandell conducts qualitative interviews, analyses, and environmental scans for an evaluation of value-based purchasing for home health care for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She is also currently part of an evaluation team that is assessing a living organ donor wage reimbursement program for the Health Resources and Services Administration. Prior to joining Arbor Research, she received her PhD from the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. For her dissertation, she used grounded theory to understand how advocates are mobilizing to protect vulnerable communities from toxic exposures harmful to reproductive health. She previously conducted research for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York AIDS Coalition, and the Harvard School of Public Health, including qualitative interviewing, focus groups, survey development and implementation, and training and oversight of research staff. She also served as a health volunteer in the Peace Corps in Niger. She received her master’s degree from the Department of Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health and her bachelor’s degree from the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University.

Robert M. Merion, MD, FACS, is a Distinguished Research Scientist. He served as the third President and CEO of Arbor Research Collaborative for Health from 2009 to 2021. Throughout his research career, he has focused on the intersection between medical practice and high-quality study design and data analytics. He has been the principal investigator of four National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded scientific and data coordinating centers (DCCs) and currently leads the DCC for the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) and the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN). He also conducts research on living organ donors (National Living Donor Assistance Center). From 2000 to 2010, Dr. Merion was the clinical transplant director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-funded Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR). Prior to joining Arbor Research, Dr. Merion was a kidney, pancreas, and liver transplant surgeon for 32 years at the University of Michigan (UM), where his positions included Chief of the Division of Transplantation and Director of the UM Transplant Center. He was elected the 36th president of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons from 2009 to 2010. He retired from clinical practice in 2014 and is now Professor Emeritus of Surgery at UM. Dr. Merion has published over 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters.

Dr. Pisoni is a Senior Research Scientist at Arbor Research, and Deputy Principal Investigator for the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS). He has held key roles in the DOPPS since its international expansion in 1997. He earned a PhD from Wayne State University in biochemistry in 1981, completed post-doctoral studies at the VA Outpatient Clinic, Boston/Harvard Medical School and the University of Michigan (UM), and received an MS in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis from the UM School of Public Health in 1997. Before joining Arbor Research, he served as an assistant research scientist faculty member in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Internal Medicine at UM from 1987-1997.

Dr. Andreev is a mathematical modeler, computational biologist, bioinformatician, and physical chemist with a strong background in mathematics, physics, and analytical chemistry. He received his PhD in Physics from the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and his DSc degree in Physics and Mathematics from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dr. Andreev is experienced in proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, pathway analysis, mass spectrometry, and separation science. He joined Arbor Research in October 2014. Prior to this he was an Associate Professor at the University of Miami, doing systems biology, bioinformatics, and mathematical modeling of complex systems in particular related to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and rejection in transplantation. At Arbor Research, Dr. Andreev is involved in multiple projects that require ‘omics,’ bioinformatics, and complex systems modeling expertise. Dr. Andreev is the author of 83 (52 first-authored) papers and 2 patents. His current scientific interests include development of clustering methods for deep phenotyping of complex diseases as well as multiscale computer simulation of chronic diseases progression and treatment. Dr. Andreev is a Deputy Director of the Data Coordinating Center and a Co-Chair of the Biomarker Workgroup for the LURN project.

Ms. Kapke provides support for the Health Policy and Practice Program area of Arbor Research. Presently she is the managing analyst on the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP) project, which provides validation of final performance scores and payment reductions for over 5,000 Medicare-certified dialysis facilities in the United States, help desk support during the score preview period, and analytic support for the ESRD QIP Final Rule, published yearly in the Federal Register. Ms. Kapke received an MS in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan in 1996. She is also a managing analyst for the U.S. Renal Data Systems project. She previously served as a senior analyst on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ESRD Quality Measure Development and Maintenance contract. Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2010, Ms. Kapke was a biostatistician at Henry Ford Hospital for ten years where she was funded on several National Institutes of Health grants in areas of cancer, stroke, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Parkinson’s disease research. She also was a consulting statistician to physicians and residents at Henry Ford Hospital and served as a statistician on the hospital’s Institutional Review Board from 2007-2009. Ms. Kapke has co-authored several papers accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to many abstracts presented at major scientific meetings.

Ms. Salomonsson joined Arbor Research’s Health Policy and Practice Program (HP3) team in 2022. Her current role primarily supports work on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Quality Reporting (HQR) Quality Incentive Program (QIP). Prior to joining Arbor Research, Ms. Salomonsson supported community health needs assessment and evaluation research projects at the Michigan Public Health Institute. Ms. Salomonsson earned her Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan.

Mr. Bieber earned his MS in Physiology from Michigan State University in 2005 and Master’s in Public Health Epidemiology from the University of Michigan in 2007. He has worked as a bench scientist studying diabetes, and as a public health epidemiologist conducting chronic and infectious disease surveillance. He joined Arbor Research in 2008 and has contributed to the management, study design, and analytics of the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), the Peritoneal Dialysis and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS), and the Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (CKDopps). He has coordinated the DOPPS Practice Monitor to report trends in US dialysis care, worked extensively with Arbor Research clinicians to design and revise study questionnaires, while also collaborating with investigators on projects and publications involving a number of different statistical approaches including Cox proportional hazards models, parametric models, generalized linear models (e.g. logistic and Poisson regression), and linear mixed models.

Mr. Andrews joined Arbor Research in May 2022, and he supports the Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network (CureGN) and the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN). Mr. Andrews graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2020 with a BS in Statistics and in 2022 with an MS in Biostatistics. Prior to working at Arbor Research, Mr. Andrews worked for Priority Health as an analyst. During his time at Priority Health, he completed projects to improve the health care of Children’s Special Health Care Services program members.

Ms. Smerdon joined Arbor Research in 2022 as a member of the Science and Data Coordinating Centers program. Her work is primarily in support of the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN). She received her BS in Environmental Studies from Alma College in 2020. Prior to joining Arbor Research, Ms. Smerdon graduated from the University of Michigan School of Public Health with her MPH in Global Health Epidemiology, where she was involved in research examining the effects of dietary antioxidant consumption on pre-term birth rates among pregnant women exposed to high levels of air pollution.

Mr. Cogan conducts health outcomes research, and provides analytic support and statistical expertise for the Health Policy and Practices Program area. He has excellent experience performing quantitative analyses with Medicare claims, especially through contract work on Measure and Instrument Development and Support (MIDS) and Research, Measurement, Assessment, Design, and Analysis (RMADA) projects. His current contract work through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) includes a project to monitor and evaluate the effects of the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP). He also plays a key analytic role on a RMADA project focused on evaluating how Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) incentives have influenced Home Health Agency (HHA) behavior, quality of care, Medicare expenditures, beneficiary experience, and utilization in selected states. His research additionally includes National Institute of Health (NIH) grant work focused on the ESRD Prospective Payment System (PPS) and health disparities in ESRD. Mr. Cogan’s experience on MIDS contracts has also included validation work supporting the ESRD QIP implementation, and the development of quality measures in the areas of ESRD and population health. Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2012, Mr. Cogan was a biostatistician at Henry Ford Health System where he was funded on NIH grants and served as a consulting statistician to physicians and residents within the hospital. He has co-authored papers accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to several abstracts presented at major scientific meetings. He received his BS in Applied Statistics from Western Michigan University in 2008 and an MS in Biostatistics from Grand Valley State University in 2010.

Ms. Beil oversees the efforts of the team of masters- and doctoral-level biostatisticians, epidemiologists, and economists conducting research in the Science and Data Coordinating Centers program. Ms. Beil received her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan in 2005 and is skilled in study design and a wide variety of statistical techniques, including Cox proportional hazards models, generalized linear models (e.g. logistic and Poisson regression), linear mixed models, and simulation modeling. She has provided statistical analysis and research support for multiple projects, including numerous publications, abstracts, and oral presentations for national audiences.

Dr. Tu joined Arbor Research in 2014 and provides analytical support for the international Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) program, including the Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (CKDopps). She has experience applying various types of statistical models as a means of multivariable data exploration and of subgroups identification for electronic health records from large administrative/claims databases as well as for clinical data from longitudinal/multilevel health services research, comparative effectiveness research, and translational community-based clinical trials. She has been a co-author on several peer-reviewed publications, abstracts, and poster/oral presentations. She received her doctoral degree in Biostatistics and master’s degree in Health Information Systems from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining Arbor Research, she worked as a data manager and biostatistician in the Prevention Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

Ms. Wang joined Arbor Research as a Research Analyst in 2016. With a wide variety of statistical techniques and skills in SAS programming, as well as multi-disciplinary knowledge, she provides analytical support for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP) project and the ESRD Monitoring and Evaluation Program funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She also contributes to the production of the Annual Data Report (ADR) of the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institutes of Health. Ms. Wang received her MS in Analytical Chemistry from Duke University in 2013 and MS in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan in 2015. Prior to joining Arbor Research, she was a statistician for the University of Michigan Health System.

Ms. Schrager graduated from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2015 with a Master’s of Public Health degree, specializing in Epidemiology Methods and Applications. Her graduate thesis research examined the relationship between genetic variation and expression and cognitive function among adults enrolled in two national cohort studies. Ms. Schrager brings her analytical skill set to Arbor Research and provides statistical support to the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Program funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Additionally, Ms. Schrager previously applied her knowledge of statistical analysis and her strong interest in chronic disease health outcomes to the production of the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) Annual Data Report (ADR). Prior to joining Arbor Research’s Health Policy and Practice Program (HP3) area in March 2017, Ms. Schrager worked as the Cancer Genomics Epidemiologist at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, where she focused on state-wide surveillance of hereditary cancer syndromes in cooperation with the CDC Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

Mr. Wiseman joined Arbor Research in 2014 and provides statistical support for the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) as well as the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP). He received his BS in Financial Mathematics and Economics from the University of Michigan in 2008, and his MS in Biostatistics from Grand Valley State University in 2014. Mr. Wiseman has served as lead analyst on several manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to abstracts submitted to national scientific meetings.

Dr. Zhao joined Arbor Research in 2014. She provides analytical support for the international Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), the Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS), and the Empowering Patients on Choices for Renal Replacement Therapy (EPOCH-RRT) Study. Dr. Zhao earned her PhD degree from Beijing Forestry University in China in 2010. She has been an author on several peer-reviewed publications, abstracts, and poster/oral presentations, and she serves as a reviewer and editor board member for many international journals. Before joining Arbor Research, she worked as a research biometrician at Oregon State University.

Mrs. Repeck joined Arbor Research in 2015 as part of the Health Policy and Practice Program (HP3) research team. She works mainly on the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Evaluation project and previously contributed to the production of the Annual Data Report (ADR) and related manuscripts of the United States Renal Data System (USRDS). She earned her BS in Statistics from Grand Valley State University in 2010, and proceeded to earn her MS in Biostatistics in 2012 from the same institution. Prior to joining Arbor Research, Mrs. Repeck worked as a research assistant for a retina specialist in Grand Rapids, followed by working as a clinical research assistant for Detroit Medical Center Sports Medicine and its Orthopedic Surgery Fellowship program.

Mrs. Hanslits joined Arbor Research’s Health Policy and Practice Program (HP3) in 2017. At Arbor Research she uses her statistical knowledge and skill with SAS programming to provide analytic support to the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP), the ESRD QIP Monitoring and Evaluation Program, and the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Program. Mrs. Hanslits earned a BA in biology from Barnard College of Columbia University in 2013 and a MPH in epidemiology from the University of Michigan in 2017. Prior to joining Arbor Research, Mrs. Hanslits was a laboratory research assistant at Oregon Health & Science University where she studied the heritability of cardiovascular disease traits and epigenetic effects of alcoholism.

Kieran joined Arbor Research in 2015 in support of the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN) study, and has since provided additional analytic support on other projects such as Arbor Research’s collaboration with the Pelvic Floor Research Group at the University of Michigan and the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection (PRECEDE) Consortium. They hold a BA in Biology and Quantitative Studies from Bard College at Simon’s Rock and an MSc in Epidemiology from McGill University. Prior to joining Arbor Research, they spent three years at Mayo Clinic as a Statistical Programmer Analyst providing statistical and database support for pancreatic and ovarian cancer research. They have particular experience with survival analysis, logistic regression, genetics, and immunology. They have been a co-author on several peer-reviewed publications.

Ms. Helmuth provides managerial and statistical support in the Science and Data Coordinating Centers program area at Arbor Research. Her current work is primarily in support of two large Data Coordinating Centers funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) and the Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network (CureGN). She previously served as the managing analyst for the Transplant Outcomes Using Generic and Brand Name Immunosuppressants (TOGBI) project and as a lead analyst in the Health Policy and Practice program area working with the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP), and the U.S. Renal Data Systems Project (USRDS). Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2013, she worked a statistician in the Epidemiology and Family Medicine Departments of the University of Michigan, with a primary research focus in women’s health. She holds a BS in Statistics from the University of Michigan and an MA in Applied Statistics from Eastern Michigan University. Ms. Helmuth has served as the lead analyst on several manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to abstracts presented at national scientific meetings.

Mrs. Ji joined Arbor Research in 2015 as part of the Health Policy and Practice Program (HP3) research team. She holds an MS degree in Statistics from the University of Toledo (UT). At Arbor Research she is applying her knowledge in data analysis and skills in SAS programming in order to extract data information for statistical analysis. Mrs. Ji has previous experience in data analysis and SAS programming as a member of the statistical consulting services group at UT. Complementing her experience in statistical analysis, Mrs. Ji achieved certification as a SAS Advanced Programmer in 2014. She is currently providing analytical support for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP) project and the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Program funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). She also contributes to the production of the Annual Data Report (ADR) of the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Mr. Goodrich has over 13 years of experience performing data analysis for health outcomes research as part of the Arbor Research team with extensive focus on pre- and post-liver transplantation outcomes. He earned an MS in biostatistics from the University of Michigan in 2003 gaining a solid foundation in methods of analyzing healthcare data including: linear regression, logistic regression and survival analysis. While providing analytic support to multiple projects at Arbor Research, he has also gained experience in the areas of data collection, data management, missing data imputation and simulation modeling. He has been the primary analyst on many publications using a variety of data sources. Mr. Goodrich is the lead analyst on multiple projects for The Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN) and currently serves as the primary analyst for the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC). He also has extensive experience performing analyses using registry data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR).

Mr. West has more than 25 years of professional experience in health services research, with a special focus on value-based care improvement for Medicare and Medicaid populations, quality measurement and patient outcomes, and alternative payment models. He is proficient in staff leadership, project management, business development, data analysis, report writing, qualitative data collection, evaluation design and mixed methods, and implementation science. As a Principal Healthcare Researcher, Mr. West directs projects and complex research tasks for federal clients, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), that implement and evaluate advanced primary care transformation, alternative payment models in episode-based and bundled payment, quality improvement in post-acute care and long-term services and supports, and state-based innovations in care delivery and value-based payment. Mr. West recently directed the CMS-sponsored Oncology Care Model evaluation and previous to that was a co-director of the Model’s implementation and monitoring contract. He is adept at providing strategic planning and developing new business across the organization for core areas of health policy and program research.

Ms. Juan joined the Health Policy and Practice Program (HP3) team at Arbor Research in 2022. She currently provides analytical support to the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP). Prior to joining Arbor Research, Ms. Juan worked on community health program evaluations, adolescent tobacco surveillance research, and population-based HIV surveys. Ms. Juan earned an MPH in Health Policy & Management with a certificate in Applied Biostatistics & Public Health Data Science from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and a BS in Cognitive Science from UCLA.

Dr. Goyat joined Arbor in 2021. She provides analytical support to End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP) and Home Health Value Based Purchasing (HHVBP) program. She has experience working with several large databases including electronic medical records, claims databases and national health survey databases. She has excellent programming skills in SAS, SQL and STATA. Dr. Goyat is the lead author and co-author of several health disparities and health policies research papers published in peer reviewed journals. She earned her PhD in Health Services and Outcomes Research from West Virginia University in 2018. Prior to joining Arbor Research, she worked as a Health Outcomes Researcher at Allegheny Health Network for over two years, where she led research projects and provided statistical support to clinicians.

Dr. Crawford joined Arbor Research in 2022 as a senior analyst on the Health Policy and Practice Program (HP3) team to provide statistical expertise. She is currently providing statistical support to the Quality Incentive Program (QIP). Dr. Crawford earned a PhD in biostatistics from Emory University and a BA in mathematics and economics from Kenyon College. Prior to joining Arbor Research, she spent several years teaching undergraduate statistics as well as several years working as a statistician for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has experience managing and analyzing a large national database related to infertility as well as other health-related datasets. Dr. Crawford has experience working with health researchers to analyze health-related research questions and has authored/coauthored many peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Ms. Mansfield provides analytic support for the Science and Data Coordinating Centers program area. Her current work is primarily in support of the Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network (CureGN), the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN), and kidney transplant research using registry data from the Scientific Registry or Transplant Recipients (SRTR). She previously supported the Adult-to-Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation Cohort study (A2ALL), the Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE), and the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Research Consortium (PRECEDE). She received her BS in Mathematics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and her MS in Biostatistics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Ms. Mansfield previously worked at Arbor Research from 2011-2015, before rejoining the company in 2017. Ms. Mansfield has served as lead analyst on several manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed to abstracts presented at national scientific meetings.

Mr. Ding joined Arbor Research in May 2018. He previously worked as a research assistant during summer 2017. Mr. Ding provides analytical support for the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Quality Incentive Program (QIP) and the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) Annual Data Report (ADR) project. He received his Bachelor of Medicine from Central South University in China in 2012, and MS in Biostatistics from Tulane University in 2018. Before getting the MS degree, he worked as a resident physician in China for three years. He is also a SAS Certified Base/Advance Programmer.

Alexis graduated from Wayne State University with a Master’s in anthropology in 2022 before joining Arbor Research in 2022. Her role at Arbor Research supports mixed methods and qualitative research endeavors supplemented by her background in medical anthropology, clinical medicine, and environmental health. Her research interests include the intersections of health and chronic illness, environmental degradation, and minority populations.

Ms. Inoue joined Arbor Research in 2008. She holds a BA in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Michigan, and was certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) in 2015. She has worked in the Health Policy and Practice Program area for several years and oversees a number of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded contracts and grants. She currently serves as the Project Manager on the CMS Measure and Instrument Development and Support (MIDS) contract to support the implementation of the following projects: End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program and Alignment of Quality and Public Reporting Programs and Websites.

Mr. Ronski joined Arbor Research in 2010, supporting the End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program (ESRD QIP) project sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Presently he continues to coordinate activities and ensure the completion of deliverables for the ESRD QIP project, which provides support to CMS in assessing policy options and validating performance scores, payment reductions, and associated reports for over 5,000 Medicare-certified dialysis facilities in the United States. Mr. Ronski also assists with the coordination and execution of project activities as part of the Scientific and Data Coordinating Center (SDCC) for the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN) Study. Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this study researches new diagnostic and treatment options for children with liver disease and those who undergo liver transplantation. Additionally, Mr. Ronski has experience supporting the historical Alignment of Quality & Public Reporting Programs (AQPRP) and ESRD Quality Measure Development and Maintenance projects for CMS. Mr. Ronski received a BBA in Management and a BA in French from Eastern Michigan University in 2001, and has prior experience in project coordination, quality assurance, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Ms. Norman originally joined Arbor Research in 2016. During that time, she worked as a Project Associate for the Health Policy and Practice Program (HP3), including the Evaluation of the Home Health Value Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model project. In 2020, she left Arbor Research to pursue her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan, with a concentration in Management of Human Services. Finally, she re-joined Arbor Research in 2022 as a Project Coordinator on the DOPPS Program Area, supporting the DOPPS and CKDOPPS projects.

Giuliana received her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Michigan State University in August of 2020. Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2021, she worked as a data analyst intern to Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s International Marketing department. With a passion for research and data-driven decision making, she is currently pursuing a Master’s in Data Science remotely from Northwestern University. Giuliana provides operational support as a Project Associate for the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) project.

Ms. Durkin joined Arbor Research in May 2022 as part of the Project Management Office. She provides project management support for CureGN and the HRSA National Hypertension Control Initiative. Prior to joining the team at Arbor Research, Ms. Durkin worked as a Project Manager at Wayne State University assisting with grant-funded projects for diabetes, obesity, and asthma. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Central Michigan University as well as a Master of Education in Educational Psychology and a Master of Business Administration, both from Wayne State University.

Julia Nashif graduated from Ave Maria University in 2021 and holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus on research designs. Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2022, she worked at a homeless shelter for pregnant women. Her role at Arbor Research includes developing project timelines and coordinating meetings and logistics.

Mr. Milkovich joined the Health Policy and Practice Program in 2015. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Milkovich managed the administrative, research, and philanthropic activities for the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design, a nonprofit health care policy organization focused on innovative benefit design research and policy recommendations to improve health care quality and reduce costs. Previously, Mr. Milkovich served as a nonprofit manager for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in New York City—a community health center focused on health service provision and licensed outpatient chemical dependency programs. He has substantial experience engaging diverse communities in culturally appropriate health behavior interventions; qualitative research; organizational strategy and significant project administration experience. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Arts in English Literature from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Health Care Policy from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.

Ms. Fava joined Arbor Research in 2015 as part of the Scientific and Data Coordinating Centers team. She holds a BA from the University of Michigan, an MPA in nonprofit management from Eastern Michigan University, Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification, a certificate in Clinical Trials Administration from the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI), and is a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). She has significant experience in managing contracts and grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and industry. Ms. Fava lends her expertise by managing the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN), IMPACT PDA International High-Risk Consortium, HRSA Lost Wages Support for Living Organ Donors Demonstration, and National Living Donor Assistance Center projects.

Ms. Sexton joined Arbor Research in 2009 as part of the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) team. She transitioned to the Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (CKDopps) in 2012 and the Empowering Patients On Choices for Renal Replacement Therapy (EPOCH-RRT) project in 2014. Ms. Sexton received her BBA from Eastern Michigan University in 2010. She earned her Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) certification from the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) in 2016. Ms. Sexton is currently a clinical monitor for the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN), the Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network (CureGN) and the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN). She also provides support to the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Consortium (PRECEDE).

Ms. Goebel joined Arbor Research in May 2013 and works on many projects, including data entry for the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), PDOPPS and CKDOPPS.

Ms. Maxim joined Arbor Research in 2008 after receiving her BA degree from Michigan State University. She provides oversight to the operational project responsibilities of the DOPPS, ensuring that project aims are consistently met across the participating regions. In addition, she is charged with establishing and maintaining project work plans, focusing on budget and contract development as well as resource management. Prior to beginning her role as the DOPPS Project Manager Ms. Maxim served as a Project Associate and the Project Coordinator for the DOPPS.

Mr. Kelly joined Arbor Research in 2022. He holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Arbor Research he spent 11-plus years at the University of Michigan, holding positions with the Center for Managing Chronic Disease, Institute for Social Research, Center for Health and Research Transformation, and Michigan Medicine. He has worked across a number of disciplines including project management, research and evaluation, public health, and health policy. He is particularly interested in creating sustainable, multi-level changes in order to improve opportunities for disadvantaged communities and populations to live healthy and productive lives. He currently manages the End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program Monitoring and Evaluation, Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Research Consortium, and National Living Donor Assistance Center projects.

Ms. Rochotte oversees and coordinates daily activities of projects housed within the Health Policy and Practice Program at Arbor Research, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-funded Evaluation of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model and the Evaluation of the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Model and the Kidney Care Choices Model (ETC-KCC). Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2021, Ms. Rochotte supported expansive research studies centered on behavioral health at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She has ample experience in data collection processes, interacting with diverse populations, and synthesizing data into creative and educational tools. Ms. Rochotte holds a BS in Public Health with a specialization in Community Health Education from Eastern Michigan University, and an MPH from the Health Behavior and Health Education program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Ms. Suda-Wilson joined Arbor Research in 2013. She received her BS in Human Nutrition at University of Maine and is a Registered Dietitian. Ms. Suda-Wilson currently provides support for the Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS) and the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) projects.

Ms. Imboden received her Bachelors of Science in Public Health from Wayne State University in August of 2020, and joined Arbor Research Collaborative for Health in 2021. She held multiple positions throughout her undergraduate career, including internships at Walbridge Construction and World Medical Relief. Currently, she works in the Scientific and Data Coordinating Centers (SDCC) program area with the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChilDReN).

Ms. Schoenberg joined Arbor Research in 2014. She received her BS in Hotel and Restaurant Management at Eastern Michigan University and was a restaurant manager/bartender. She currently provides support for the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) project.

Mr. Rogers originally joined Arbor Research in 2014 and re-joined in 2021. He is supporting and developing for the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS). Prior to re-joining Arbor Research, Mr. Rogers worked for Thomson Reuters as a Database Administrator where he supported the licensing and billing efforts for tax and accounting software. He received his BS in Computer Science in 2005 from the University of Michigan (Flint).

Mr. Simmons joined Abor Research and the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) project in 2020. Prior to joining Arbor Research, Mr. Simmons was a Principal Technical Architect with SAS Institute. He is experienced in Business Analysis, Data Warehousing, Data Integration and Application Development. He has served in multiple roles including Technical Lead and Pre-Sales Support. Mr. Simmons has designed and developed applications for several industries including Automotive, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Finance, Marketing and Telecommunications.

Mr. Bosley joined Arbor Research in February 2020. He received his BA in Computer Science from Wayne State University. He is currently the primary database developer for the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN). He has extensive experience in SQL development, Java, and C#, EDI, data warehousing and reporting and moderate experience with R programming language and Matlab.

Ms. Halbleib is responsible for database design, development and implementation for the electronic data collection and reporting software, ArborLink. Since joining Arbor Research in March 2015, she has been the primary database developer for the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN) observational studies. As of 2020, she is also database developer for the Nephrotic Syndrome Rare Diseases Clinical Research Study Network (NEPTUNE) and the NEPTUNE implementation of Digital Pathology Repository. She has extensive experience in software development, implementation and project management, as well as experience in product management, technical sales support, data warehousing and reporting. She has been an advocate and author of software development and implementation methodologies. She has experience implementing and customizing Microsoft business management and accounting software. She has an AS degree in Computer Technology, and has completed course work in Operations Management and Project Management.

Mr. Wirth joined Arbor Research in 2012. He earned a BS degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland. Presently he supports the electronic data collection software (ArborLink) and manages the database programmers that support and develop the instances for the Scientific and Data Coordinating Centers (SDCC) program and Dialysis Outcome and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) programs. He previously worked as a programmer on the implementations of the three different DOPPS instances of ArborLink. Prior to joining Arbor Research, Mr. Wirth spent six years at General Dynamics providing custom solutions for private insurance companies.

Heather Dudek has over twenty years’ worth of experience working with Business Analytics in a variety of industries. She earned her MS degree in Mathematical Statistics from Purdue University in Indianapolis. Heather joined Arbor Research in 2014 and is currently the lead programmer on End Stage Renal Disease Monitoring and Evaluation (ESRD M&E), as well as the subject matter expert (SME) for the implementation of the Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Network (PSC). She was previously the lead SAS programmer for the Childhood Liver Disease Research and Education Network (ChiLDReN) and the Cystic Fibrosis Liver Disease Network (CFLD).

Ms. Downing joined Arbor Research in 2015. She has extensive experience as a Database Administrator and Architect working with both SQL Server and Oracle. She has specialized in tuning databases and code to allow for better scalability. She has experience supporting and tuning very large databases (VLDBs) and planning for growth for both hardware and software needs. Additionally, she has extensive development experience in health care, manufacturing, and retail. She has worked on medical research including data mining and is one of the authors on several research papers studying anti-depression medications and suicide. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Megan graduated with a BS and MA in Mathematics from the University of Kansas. After graduation, she worked as a Statistical Programmer Analyst and a Statistician at Mayo Clinic for several years, supporting research projects in orthopedics, vaccine research, and cardiology, and gaining experience in statistical programming, statistical analysis methods, and clinical research in general. Her collaborations resulted in her being a coauthor on over fifty peer-reviewed articles. After a short time working as a Data Scientist at Allstate Insurance, Megan returned to the healthcare field by joining Arbor Research in 2022. She is a programmer for the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) and the Hospital Quality Reporting Quality Incentive Program (HQR QIP).

Mr. Arbit holds a master’s in Applied Statistics from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Michigan. He joined Arbor Research in 2020 after stints as a high school math teacher, actuarial data analyst, and education policy researcher. He is the lead programmer for the Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network (CureGN) project and the Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (CKDopps), and provides programming support to the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) project.

Ms. Li earned her MS in Health Informatics with a minor in Health Services Research and Policy from the University of Minnesota. Ms. Li oversees all the database support activity within Arbor Research. She has extensive experience in managing health care data to support large-scale (national and international) research projects and directs the effort of promoting the usage of health care data exchange for outcome research. Since joining Arbor Research in 2002, she has led several National Institutes of Health-funded research projects that used ArborLink software for customized study protocols for the primary data collection, as well as the deployment of a multi-language data collection application for a fifteen-year longitudinal study. She has also led the team to organize the process of using claims data and other analytical data warehouses that are sized in terabytes to support policy-making analysis. Her IT skills and background in Health Informatics and Medicine bring a unique perspective of information technology in the healthcare field.

Dr. Tian got his doctorate degree in Pharmacology from Peking Union Medical College in China in 2012. Then he had been working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Cardiac Surgery in the University of Michigan since 2013 and was promoted to a Research Investigator position in 2018. He joined Arbor Research in April 2022. He has experience in analyzing and interpreting data in preclinical and clinical studies, large scale sequencing, and proteomics. His experience is evidenced by over 30 peer reviewed papers and patents. Complementing his experience in statistical analysis, he has achieved certification as a SAS Advanced Programmer. As a programmer in Arbor Research, Dr. Tian provides programming support for the projects of Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN) and Evaluation of the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Model and the Kidney Care Choices Model (ETC-KCC).

Ms. Li joined Arbor Research in 2016 where she applies her data analysis and programming skills to support the Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE) project, the Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS) project and the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) project. Ms. Li has excellent experience working with statistical models, data mining and processing large volume healthcare data. Ms. Li received her master’s degree in Statistics from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. She is a also SAS Certified Advanced Programmer and has previously worked with a variety of different kinds of data using tools and languages including SAS and SQL.

Dr. Ji graduated from the University of Toledo with a doctorate in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2016. He worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Michigan for one year before joining Arbor Research in 2018. He has experience in analyzing and interpreting data in life sciences. He has published five peer-reviewed papers. Complementing his experience in statistical analysis, he achieved certification as a SAS Advanced Programmer in 2018. As a programmer at Arbor Research, Dr. Ji provides programming support for the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN), Michigan Emergency Department Improvement Collaborative (MEDIC) and Bone Quality in Glomerular Disorders (BoneGN).

Angela graduated from Keller Graduate School of Management with a dual master’s in Project Management and Information Systems Management. She worked in the area of implementations as both a specialist and a project manager before joining the Arbor Research team in April 2022. Angela brings from her previous roles, 10 years of implementation and go-live experience in the healthcare industry as well as the utility industry, in which she successfully trained and converted customers to new billing software. In her current role, Angela is responsible for creating and maintaining project schedules and work plans for information services activities, working with functional managers and project resources, while communicating project progress to stakeholders. She will be utilizing her skills to support the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChilDReN) studies.

Since joining Arbor Research in 2006, Mr. Guidinger has overseen the development and operations of all in-house software engineering projects, as well as the various websites hosted by Arbor Research. Those websites include: the Arbor Research website (ArborResearch.org); the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study website (DOPPS.org); a dialysis facility reporting website for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (DialysisReports.org); various research-related websites sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NCCD.CDC.gov/CKD), Health Resources and Services Administration (LivingDonorAssistance.org), and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (USRDS.org); and all current implementations of the ArborLink suite of data-collection websites. Prior to joining Arbor Research, Mr. Guidinger worked as a lead software engineer at several companies, including United Health Group, Ford Motor Company, and Motorola. Mr. Guidinger received a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Mr. Sutton joined Arbor Research in 2015. He received his BBA in Computer Information Systems from Eastern Michigan University. Prior to joining Arbor Research, he worked within the University of Michigan Health System and at the Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital Quality Institute where he was responsible for creating and maintaining over 30 unique web applications. He has over 20 years of experience with web application development and database design. At Arbor Research, his responsibilities include web application design and development for the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC), Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Surveillance, and DOPPS Practice Monitor (DPM) websites. Additionally, he integrates data visualization tools into various web applications as well as provides database design and support.

Ms. Kirschner joined Arbor Research in 2017. She has over twenty-five years of software experience as a technical manager, project manager, and application developer of enterprise web applications, embedded systems, and industrial automation. In her current role, she is focused on project management of new and existing software across the full software development life cycle, as well as product development of current and future core capabilities. Ms. Kirschner holds a BS in Computer Science from Michigan Technological University.

Mr. Sirich works to build and support customized web-based applications and content management systems. Over the past years, Mr. Sirich has successfully designed and implemented numerous software solutions for many healthcare related projects such as SRTR, USRDS, LURN, DOPPS, ChiLDReN, MEDIC, PRECEDE, and NLDAC. He holds various IT certifications and MS/MBA degrees from the University of Toledo. Prior to joining Arbor Research in 2009, he worked for Dana Corporation and Shell Oil Company.

Ms. Kincaid oversees design, implementation, and administration of the NIDDK-funded Digital Pathology Repository (DPR) operations at Arbor Research. Used by multiple large observational consortium studying kidney and liver diseases, the DPR system collects, tracks, and makes available Whole Slide Images (WSIs) for virtual pathology collaboration via Indica Lab’s HALOLink software. Prior to Ms. Kincaid’s current position, she was the Vice President of Operations at Arbor Research, overseeing the Project Management Office (PMO), facilities and administration, communications and publications, research administration, and compliance areas, while also developing and implementing operational processes across the organization to help teams work better and deliver better results. Prior work included the launching of data collection systems for several NIH-funded data coordinating centers at Arbor Research, clinical data management and SAS programming as part of a Clinical Research Organization (CRO), bioinformatics software product management as part of a multiple start-ups, and project management across multiple healthcare technology fields.

Mr. Liao joined Arbor Research in 2007 where he designs customized software used to communicate research findings and coordinate study protocols. He is responsible for engineering, developing, and maintaining Windows and web-based customized applications. Mr. Liao also works to implement the ArborLink data collection application for a variety of projects. He earned an MS in Computer Sciences from Eastern Michigan University in 2001.

Ms. Rash joined Arbor Research in 2022. She has over 25 years of experience working in health information and clinical quality roles and most recently managed the development and maintenance of multiple cardiovascular registries. At Arbor Research, her focus includes the design and implementation of clinical study protocols in electronic data capture applications for the Cure Glomerular Disease Research Network (CureGN), Michigan Emergency Department Improvement Initiative (MEDIC), and Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Research Consortium (PRECEDE) projects.

Mr. Lipham has spent his career developing software for a number of disparate fields ranging from marketing to manufacturing and finance. With an eye toward efficiency, he has developed and maintained several real-time financial market trading software applications and numerous internal and external corporate websites. Additionally, Mr. Lipham has spent time teaching classes in development of .NET and database technologies. At Arbor Research, his focus includes applications for surveillance of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), improving the internal software development process flow, core Arbor research products, and messaging. In addition to several IT certifications, Mr. Lipham holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and the University of Massachusetts.

Ms. John joined Arbor Research in 2021.She received her MS in Information Systems from University of Michigan, Dearborn. She brings over 7 years of experience in the software industry. In her prior roles, she has worked as a Technical manager, Business Analyst and Software Engineer in automotive and banking domains. At Arbor research, her responsibilities include Project Management, Business Analysis and Quality Assurance and she will focused on CureGN projects.

Xiaoying Wang, MBA, ‘Information Services Analyst’. Miss. Wang received her Master in Information Science and Finance from the University of Toledo in 2019. She joined Arbor Research in 2020 after duty as a Research Assistant, Business Analyst. She currently applies her data and business analysis skills to support the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChilDReN).

Ms. Van Doren joined Arbor Research in 2009 as a Medical Editor and currently serves as Senior Medical Editor. She holds a BS in Journalism from Bowling Green State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from National University, San Diego. Ms. Van Doren edits peer-reviewed manuscripts and other publications across project areas. She is also point editor on grant proposals. Her background as a consultant includes scientific editing for The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy, Cognitive Pharmaceuticals/Mithridion, and Morehouse School of Medicine. She previously managed communications for Lourdes College and the American Red Cross.

Ms. McCready-Maynes joined Arbor Research in 2003 as a Project Assistant for the SRTR contract. She has a BA in English from the University of Michigan. Ms. McCready-Maynes has worked as a Medical Editor since 2004. She currently edits and submits all peer-reviewed manuscripts for the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (CKDopps), and Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS), In the past, she has edited transplantation-oriented papers and many annual reports, contract deliverables, and proposals. Prior to Arbor Research, she was the Senior Editor and Staff Writer for The Engravers Journal, a small trade publication. She also served as an Editing Specialist for OMI, Inc., and a Development Research Associate for the Colorado School of Mines.

Ms. Leighton joined Arbor Research in 2007 and holds a BA in Journalism from Michigan State University. Ms. Leighton collaborates with international investigators and analysts, as well as with Arbor Research’s own statisticians, investigators, editors, and administrative teams. She is responsible for the scientific editing of deliverables and manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications across multiple projects, including the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), the DOPPS Practice Monitor, the Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS), the Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (CKDopps), the Cure Glomerulonephropathy Network (CureGN), the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN), the NephCure Kidney Network, the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network (ChiLDReN), NEPTUNE: Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network, NLDAC: National Living Donor Assistance Center Lost Wages Support for Living Organ Donors Demonstration Project, PRECEDE: Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Research Consortium, and the Health Policy and Practices Project. Ms. Leighton is committed to clear communication and fluid cooperation with a wide and international range of medical researchers.

Mr. Vandermade received a BBA in Entrepreneurship and Finance from Eastern Michigan University in 2009. He joined Arbor Research in 2007 and currently provides IT and computer related support and assistance for IT department staff and Arbor Research employees.

Mr. Brucksch received his BBA in Computer Information Systems from Western Michigan University in the summer of 2011. He joined the Arbor Research IT team in June 2015 to work on various network and server projects. He brings experience with and exposure to a wide range of enterprise technologies from his previous job as an IT field engineer.

Mr. Jaiswal has four years of experience designing and managing Enterprise Networks. He currently holds an MS degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Oklahoma with a major in Quantum Cryptography. He also holds CCNA and CCNP Routing certifications. He has been working at Arbor Research since May 2017 as a Network Administrator. His responsibilities include providing support to the Arbor Research IT Network, Network planning, and working on current and future IT projects.

Mr. Patel graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a BS in Computer Science. He has over ten years of experience in the IT field and joined Arbor Research in 2006. His responsibilities include managing day to day operations of the Arbor Research Network, implementing security policies and providing technical support to end users. He currently holds SANS Security Essentials certification.

Ms. Cloyd joined Arbor Research in 2014. She has responsibility for assisting the President with a wide range of organizational, administrative, and strategic projects including calendar management and supporting the Board of Directors. She has 30 years of executive administrative experience, including more than 20 years as the Senior Executive Secretary to the Treasurer of the University of Michigan.

Mr. Esper joined Arbor Research in June 2017. He has worked within healthcare, primarily in facilities and office management, since 1994. At Arbor Research, Mr. Esper manages building facilities maintenance; development of site landscaping; organizes the operations contracts with vendors; Disaster Management Team administrator; physical security administrator/trainer.

Ms. Goebel joined Arbor Research in May 2013 and works on many projects, including data entry for the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), PDOPPS and CKDOPPS. In addition to Data Entry duties, Ms. Goebel also serves as interim Receptionist and provides some admin/facility support.

Paul is a commercial and business attorney with experience in the US and overseas. He has worked for law firms in Michigan and in the countries of Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates and has served as General Counsel to investment companies in Bahrain and the UAE. Paul advises on contracts, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory and industry compliance, technology licensing, human resources, cross border transactions, private equity/alternative investments, real estate, corporate governance, and risk management. Paul has worked in the non-profit sector for a defense contractor and advised on the commercialization of technology developed at Michigan State University. He also has worked in business operations for an automotive Tier 1 supplier. Paul obtained his Juris Doctor at Western Michigan University-Thomas M. Cooley Law School and has a B.S. from Eastern Michigan University.

Mr. Parker graduated from the University of Michigan, Dearborn with his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting before joining Arbor Research in August of 2020. He is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree and CPA. His current role at Arbor Research supports day-to-day accounting functions. He is also responsible for accounts payable, accounts receivable procedures, supporting financial analysts with completion of the monthly financial package, and has been assigned implementation of our fixed asset accounting within our planning and forecasting tool in collaboration with other Finance team members.

Prior to joining Arbor Research in August of 2022, Mr. Wentler served as a Contract Specialist for the Department of Defense and, most recently, as a Logistics Strategic Sourcing Analyst for a large agricultural company in the Midwest. The primary focus of his role at Arbor Research is to review, negotiate, and manage federal Government contracts, reporting to the Grants/Contracts Counsel. Additional responsibilities will include using a variety of contract types, grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions to procure items and/or services for the organization. Mr. Wentler graduated with a Bachelor of Business in Accountancy degree from Western Illinois University and a Master of Business Administration degree from St. Ambrose University. He is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level II certified in Contracting.