AHEAD Team
The AHEAD Institute faculty members within the Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes Research at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine lead the advancement of knowledge in critical areas such as health services research, health equity, palliative care, oncology, addiction medicine, vaccine hesitancy, study design, methodology and data science.
Through publications in high-impact journals and presentations at regional, national and international conferences, our faculty and staff consistently showcase their dedication to advancing health care research and disseminating impactful findings to a global audience. The combined methodological and statistical expertise of the AHEAD Institute's biostatistics core staff enables our collaborators to develop robust study designs and generate high-quality research that contributes to improved patient outcomes and health care delivery.
Leadership
Leslie Hinyard, Ph.D.
Chair, professor, Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes Research
Executive director, AHEAD Institute
leslie.hinyard@health.slu.edu
Jeffrey Scherrer, Ph.D.
Vice chair for research, professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience
Co-senior director of research, AHEAD Institute
jeffrey.scherrer@health.slu.edu
Richard Grucza, Ph.D.
Professor, family and community medicine, Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes
Research
Co-senior director for research, AHEAD Institute
richard.grucza@health.slu.edu
Linda Waller
Director of business strategy, AHEAD Institute, Department of Health and Clinical
Outcomes Research
linda.waller@health.slu.edu
Joanne Salas
Director for applied research and analytics, AHEAD Institute
joanne.salas@health.slu.edu
Thomas Sessa
Director of data oversight, AHEAD Institute
thomas.sessa@slu.edu
Faculty and Staff
Paula M. Buchanan, Ph.D.
Associate professor, Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes Research
Director of academic affairs, Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes Research
Director for consulting & training services, AHEAD Institute
paula.buchanan@health.slu.edu
Divya S. Subramaniam, Ph.D.
Associate professor and program director, Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes
Research
divya.subramaniam@health.slu.edu
Dipti P. Subramaniam Ph.D.
Associate professor, Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes Research
Director of curriculum development and strategic outreach, Department of Health and
Clinical Outcomes Research
dipti.subramaniam@health.slu.edu
Noor Al-Hammadi, Ph.D.
Assistant professor, Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes Research
Director for prospective and clinical trial analytics, AHEAD Institute
noor.alhammadi@health.slu.edu
Paul Hitz
Director for data management and health informatics, AHEAD Institute
paul.hitz@health.slu.edu
Associate professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
sarah.gebauer@health.slu.edu
Assistant professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine
matthew.breeden@health.slu.edu
Lizzie Ward
Program coordinator, AHEAD Institute
lizzie.ward@health.slu.edu
Biostatistics Core Staff
Joanne Salas
Director for applied research and analytics, AHEAD Institute
joanne.salas@health.slu.edu
Thomas Sessa
Director of data oversight, AHEAD Institute
thomas.sessa@slu.edu
Roxann Kirkwood
Data management lead
roxann.kirkwood@health.slu.edu
Irene Ryan
Data manager
irene.ryan@health.slu.edu
Timothy Chrusciel
Biostatistician
timothy.chrusciel@health.slu.edu
Matthew Simpson
Data analyst
matthew.simpson@health.slu.edu
Zidong (Alex) Zhang, Ph.D.
Biostatistician
zidong.zhang@health.slu.edu
Jason Doherty, Ph.D.
Biostatistician
jason.doherty@health.slu.edu
Ruizhi (Regina) Huang
Biostatistician
ruizhi.huang@health.slu.edu