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2022 21st Century Scholars Program Mentors

Publishing Date
April 15, 2022

Meet Our Program Mentors

Program mentors are seasoned NIH scientific extramural staff with demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; outstanding mentoring experience; and passion for fostering professional and personal growth among early-career staff. (Bios are as of 8/1/22)

Mentors

Compton

Wilson M. Compton, M.D., M.P.E. (Super Mentor )

Deputy Director National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Dr. Wilson M. Compton is Deputy Director of NIDA. He received his undergraduate education at Amherst College and medical education, including psychiatry training, at Washington University in St. Louis. Over his career, he has achieved multiple scientific accomplishments, has authored over 200 publications, and often speaks at high-impact venues. He was a member of DSM-5’s Revision Task Force and has led, for NIDA, development of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, a longitudinal population study, jointly sponsored by NIDA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with 45,971 baseline participants. He has received multiple awards, including the American Psychiatric Association’s 2008 Senior Scholar Health Services Research Award, the American Psychopathological Association’s 2010 Paul Hoch Award, numerous FDA awards, and several awards from the Health and Human Services Secretary for Meritorious Service and for Distinguished Service. 


Evans

Jovier D. Evans, Ph.D.

Chief, Geriatrics and Aging Processes Research Branch Division of Translational Research

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Dr. Jovier D. Evans is Chief of the Geriatrics and Aging Processes Research Branch, in the Division of Translational Research at NIMH. The Geriatrics and Aging Processes Research Branch supports programs of research and resource development in the etiology, pathophysiology, and course of mental disorders of late life, the relationships between aging and mental disorders, the treatment and recovery of persons with aging-related disorders, and the prevention of these disorders and their consequences. He received his Ph.D. in clinical health psychology from the University of Miami in 1995, completed a clinical internship at the New Orleans VAMC and did postdoctoral research in geriatric mental health and clinical neuropsychology at the University of California, San Diego. Prior to working at NIMH, he was a faculty member in psychology at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. 


Haim

Todd Haim, Ph.D.

Director, Office of Strategic Extramural Programs Division of Extramural Activities National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Dr. Todd Haim is the Director of the Office of Strategic Extramural Programs at NIA. He leads a dynamic staff focused on coordinating and continuing to enhance NIA’s training, career development and small business programs. He was previously a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) SBIR Development Center, and a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Pfizer in which he led a research collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis. He graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine with a Ph.D. in biomedical research and obtained a certificate in technology commercialization from John Hopkins’ Carey Business School. He has received several prestigious awards including a NCI Leadership Development Award, several NIH, NCI and NIA Director’s Awards, and the NJ Governor’s Award for Volunteerism in the Field of Health. 


Hindorff

Lucia Hindorff, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Lead Extramural Training Program Director Training, Diversity, and Health Equity Office National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Dr. Lucia Hindorff is the extramural lead for training programs in the Office of Training, Diversity and Health Equity (TiDHE) at NHGRI. Previously, she led NHGRI programs at the intersection of diversity and genomic medicine, including the Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research (CSER) program, the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) program, the online NHGRI-EBI GWAS Catalog, and the Polygenic Methods in Diverse Populations (PRIMED) consortium. She has authored or co-authored over 100 publications and enjoys working with trainees and experienced investigators alike. She is interested in coaching to build strong and diverse teams and in characterizing and improving health information disparities. Her favorite moments in her 14+ year career at NIH include renewing extramural programs with an enhanced focus on diversity and receiving updates from junior colleagues who have expanded upon their research experience to move toward DEIA-supporting scientific and medical careers. 


Wang

Lu Wang, Ph.D.

Chief, Translational Genomics Research Branch Chair, NIDCR FaceBase and dbGaP Data Access Committee Division of Extramural Research National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

Dr. Lu Wang is Chief of the Translational Genomics Research Branch in the Division of Extramural Research at NIDCR. She oversees funding programs supporting translational research in multi-omics, developmental biology, data science, and bioethics aimed at improving/overcoming dental, oral, and craniofacial health/health disparities. She was previously a Program Director at NHGRI overseeing the genomics center and research programs. Before joining NIH, she was a research and development VP and chief operations officer in the private sector, leading product development and commercialization for the tissue/organ transplant market. She has (co)authored publications about scientific initiatives, genomics methods, and transcriptional regulation. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in genetics, earned a Ph.D. in microbiology at Cornell University, and received postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University. She is committed to enhancing the diversity of the biomedical workforce and research through mentoring and program activities. 


Zanetti

Krista A. Zanetti, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D.

Program Director, Office of Nutrition Research Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives NIH Office of the Director

Dr. Krista A. Zanetti is a Program Director in the Office of Nutrition (ONR), Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives in the NIH Office of the Director. She earned her Ph.D. in nutrition from Cornell University and subsequently joined the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). During the first year of her fellowship, she earned an M.P.H. at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, focusing on epidemiological and biostatistical methods, and then conducted primary research in the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research. Following her fellowship, she held a Program Director position in the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the NCI where she focused on building infrastructure and capacity to support metabolomics in studies with an epidemiological study design. She recently joined ONR where she will coordinate activities focused on the developmental origins of health and diet-related chronic diseases and support efforts to implement the Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research.