Council Members

Helene Benveniste, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Benveniste started her own lab at Brookhaven National Laboratory in 2001, before moving to a faculty position in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Benveniste’s laboratory explores the functioning of the ‘glymphatic system’—the waste disposal system of the brain. Foremost, she and close scientific collaborators study how the brain gets rid of toxic waste, and she has developed imaging platforms to examine how cerebrospinal fluid circulates in the brain and has explored how several critical processes (e.g., body position, respiration, type of anesthesia, body position) impact waste removal in healthy brains and neurodegenerative diseases. Her work’s overall goal is to develop therapeutic strategies to sustain optimized waste clearance through the given life span to prevent dementia.Dr. Benveniste has received a number of honors, including the Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholarship Award; NYS Office of Science, Technology & Academic Research Faculty Award; and “Best Doctor in New York” Award 2009. Dr. Benveniste is an elected member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Her research is supported by grants from NIH, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, and the Leducq Foundation. Dr. Benveniste received her B.Sc.degree in Denmark, majoring in mathematics and physics, and she attended the University of Copenhagen for her M.D. and Ph.D. (Doctor Medicinae) degrees. As a research fellow, she trained in high field magnetic resonance imaging at Duke University Medical Center and developed techniques for brain imaging focused on neurodegenerative disease processes including Alzheimer’s disease. She completed a residency in anesthesiology at Duke University.

Per Gunnar Brolinson, D.O., is a professor of family practice and vice provost for research at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM).Dr. Brolinson is team physician for Virginia Tech Athletics and a team physician for the U.S. Ski Team. He is the emeritus program director for the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship at VCOM and Virginia Tech. He is board certified in family practice and sports medicine and has over 35 years of clinical, administrative, and medical education experience. As a primary care physician and educator, Dr. Brolinson has participated in teaching students, interns, residents, and over 70 fellows during his career. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech. Dr. Brolinson is a volunteer physician for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and was head team physician for the Freestyle Ski Team at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. He was also named to the medical staff for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC, and was medical director of the USOC performance services center. Prior to working at Virginia Tech, Dr. Brolinson was the co-director of the Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship training program at The Toledo Hospital and team physician for the University of Toledo. Dr. Brolinson has served on the boards of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, and the Midwest Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. He is a past president of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine. Dr. Brolinson is a fellow of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Family Practice, and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice. In 1997, he was named outstanding young physician in Ohio by the Ohio State Medical Association. Dr. Brolinson is a frequent speaker at national medical meetings and often teaches didactic laboratory sessions on the use of osteopathic manipulative therapy for musculoskeletal injuries. Dr. Brolinson is a contributing author in the latest edition of Foundations for Osteopathic Medicine, and he has published several scholarly articles and book chapters on sport and exercise medicine. His research interests have included exercise and immune function, exercise and bone mineral density, mild traumatic brain injury in sports, impact biomechanics, human factors in auto safety, sports performance and manipulation, and other topics related to health and disease prevention. A 1983 graduate of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, he completed his post-graduate training at Parkview Hospital in Toledo, Ohio.

Nadja B. Cech, Ph.D., is a Patricia A. Sullivan distinguished professor of chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Cech supervises a dynamic research group engaged in developing novel mass spectrometry metabolomics approaches to solve challenging problems in natural products research. A major focus of this work is developing novel methodologies to identify combinations of molecules that interact to achieve biological effects (additivity, synergy, or antagonism). Dr. Cech is the recipient of the 2011 Jack L. Beal Award from the Journal of Natural Products and the 2017 Thomas Norwood Award for Undergraduate Research Mentorship. She is a principal investigator for the NCCIH- and ODS-funded Center for High Content Functional Annotation of Natural Products, co-director of the Analytical Core for the Center of Excellence for Natural Product Drug Interaction, and co-director of the Medicinal Chemistry Collaborative. Dr. Cech earned her Ph.D. degree in analytical chemistry from the University of New Mexico.

Robert Coghill, Ph.D., is a professor in the Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Research in his laboratory focuses on providing a better understanding of the functional organization of central nervous system mechanisms involved in the conscious experience of pain and its implications for chronic pain states. This research encompasses studies of individual differences in pain, mechanisms of pediatric chronic pain, and processes involved in cognitive modulation of pain. In 2018, the American Pain Society awarded Dr. Coghill the Frederick W.L. Kerr medallion in recognition of his contributions to the basic science of pain. He is a member of the board of directors of the International Association for the Study of Pain and serves as section editor on pain measurement and imaging for the journal PAIN. He has published more than 75 papers in peer-reviewed journals and 12 book chapters. Dr. Coghill’s funders include NCCIH, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Dr. Coghill earned his Ph.D. in physiology from Virginia Commonwealth University and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Université de Montréal and the National Institute of Dental Research.

Daniel Dickerson, D.O., M.P.H., is an associate research psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles, Integrated Substance Abuse Programs (ISAP). Dr. Dickerson’s research focuses on the development and analysis of substance use treatment and prevention programs for American Indian/Alaska Native youth and adults. He has conducted research as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on various NIH-funded studies, including Traditions and Connections for Urban Native Americans (TACUNA); Native American Youth Sleep, Health, and Wellness (NAYSHAW); Motivational Interviewing and Culture for Urban Native American Youth (MICUNAY); and Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans (DARTNA). His specialties include the evaluation of substance use characteristics in American Indian/Alaska Native populations, the role of culture on substance use behaviors, and the development of substance abuse treatments for American Indians/Alaska natives. Dr. Dickerson earned his D.O. degree from Western University of Health Sciences and his M.P.H. degree from A.T. Still University. He completed a residency in general psychiatry at Loma Linda University Medical Center and an addiction psychiatry fellowship at Yale University.

Margaret (Meg) Haney, Ph.D., is a professor of neurobiology (in psychiatry) at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she is also director of the Cannabis Research Laboratory and co-director of the Substance Use Research Center. In addition, she is a senior research scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, also in New York City. Dr. Haney’s current research interests focus on human laboratory models of cannabis and cocaine use disorders and the assessment of novel pharmacologic and immunologic approaches to treat these disorders. Her particular interest is to define the factors that contribute to the daily use of drugs. Dr. Haney received her Ph.D. and M.A. in experimental psychology from Tufts University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médical, Bordeaux, France. She is an elected fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and was president of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence from 2018 to 2019. Dr. Haney has authored more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals as well as many book chapters and was co-editor of Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews, “Cannabis and Cannabinoids: From Synapse to Society” (2018). She has been a grantee of the National Institute on Drug Abuse continuously since 1999.

Girardin Jean-Louis, Ph.D., is a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami. He is the director of the Center of Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences and the PRIDE Institute on Behavioral Medicine and Sleep Disorders Research. His research interests include addressing multilevel barriers that hinder adoption of healthful practices in minoritized communities and focusing on the application of agile digital health models to enhance treatment adherence to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and brain injury. His research findings have appeared in 215 scientific conference proceedings and book chapters and 235 peer-reviewed scientific journals. Dr. Jean-Louis has been involved in several key NIH-funded studies that have particularly expanded the evidence base in sleep and cardiometabolic diseases, circadian rhythm, aging, and health equity. The National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities are also among his NIH funders. Dr. Jean-Louis received his Ph.D. in psychology, neurocognition, and sleep from the City College of New York and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Diego.

Helen Lavretsky, M.D., is a professor-in-residence in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a geriatric integrative psychiatrist, with an NIH-funded research program in geriatric depression and integrative mental health using mind-body interventions. Dr. Lavretsky’s current research studies include investigations of psychopharmacological treatment of geriatric depression, mild cognitive impairment, and the use of tai chi and yoga for treatment and prevention of late-life mood and cognitive disorders.  Dr. Lavretsky is the distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and a recipient of the Distinguished Investigator awards for research in geriatric psychiatry from the American College of Psychiatrists and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. She is the Semel Scholar in Integrative Mental Health and the director of the Late-life Mood, Stress and Wellness Program and the Integrative Psychiatry Clinic. Dr. Lavretsky completed her M.D. degree at First Moscow Sechenov Medical Institute and a residency and fellowship at UCLA School of Medicine.

Rhonda Magee, M.A., J.D., is professor of law and director of the Center for Contemplative Law and Ethics at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Professor Magee is a mindfulness teacher and prolific author who has spent more than 20 years exploring the intersections of anti-racist education, social justice, and contemplative practices, garnering international acclaim for her work. Grounded in the science of mindfulness, wellbeing, and resilience, she integrates storytelling, movement, journaling, and other research-based experiential practices for strengthening inner resources for navigating a world of constant change. Her current work explores how Black cultural spirituality, including the quality of soulfulness, intersects with and might strengthen mindfulness applications. Professor Magee is the author of the award-winning The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness (Penguin RandomHouse TarcherPerigee: 2019). In recognition of her uniquely innovative impact on the field of mindfulness and wellbeing in law, Professor Magee was the inaugural recipient of the Reed Smith Excellence in Wellbeing in Law Award (in 2022), awarded after an independent, national selection process by the Institute for Wellbeing in Law. Professor Magee completed her M.A. and J.D. degrees at the University of Virginia.

Karen Sherman, Ph.D., M.P.H., is an affiliate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, University of Washington, and a retired senior scientific investigator at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, both in Seattle. Dr. Sherman is an epidemiologist by training, and her research interests include improving care of back and neck pain, advancing methods for clinical trials, evaluating nonpharmacologic therapies (including in complementary and integrative health) for common health problems, studying benefits of patient-centered care on health outcomes, and evaluating various geriatric interventions. She has led or participated in many NIH-funded clinical trials of therapies for low-back pain, including acupuncture, massage, meditation, and yoga. Dr. Sherman received a Ph.D. in behavioral biology from Cornell University and an M.P.H. from the University of Washington. Among her publications are close to 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals. She is a member of the international advisory board of the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field and has served as a reviewer and/or in editorial positions for dozens of journals and granting institutions. Dr. Sherman’s research funders include NCCIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Erica Sibinga, M.D., M.H.S., is an associate professor in the Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Sibinga is the past chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Integrative Medicine. She is an expert in pediatric clinical research with a focus on developing evidence for the sensible integration of complementary approaches in pediatric care. Dr. Sibinga has adapted and rigorously evaluated the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program for urban youth in both clinic- and school-based studies, finding that MBSR leads to benefits in psychological functioning, improved behavior, and increased self-care (including improved HIV medication adherence). Her work has expanded to adapt and evaluate accessible mindfulness programming for urban teachers and mothers of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit, showing significant promise for self-care, as well as improving relationships with students and infants, respectively. Dr. Sibinga’s collaborations include evaluations of mindfulness programs for vulnerable adolescents with type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and homeless youth, as well as observational work on the broad range of mindfulness uptake in school settings. Dr. Sibinga advocates strongly for the thoughtful evaluation and integration of complementary approaches to improve the lives and well-being of children and youth. She received her M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and her M.H.S. degree in clinical investigation from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Amala Soumyanath, Ph.D., is a professor in the Neurology Department at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), Portland, Oregon. Formerly at King’s College London, and now at OHSU, Dr. Soumyanath has been active as a teacher and researcher in the field of pharmacognosy—the study of medicinally useful natural products. Her research investigates traditional herbal medicines, exploring the validity of their reputed uses and their potential use for evidence-based phytotherapy or as a source of novel chemical leads for conventional drug development. Dr. Soumyanath’s research has encompassed botanical remedies for diabetes, skin diseases, and currently, neurodegenerative disorders. She has received multiple federal grants to explore the neurological properties of the Ayurvedic botanical Centella asiatica, through preclinical evaluation, chemical characterization, and clinical studies. Dr. Soumyanath is currently director of the NCCIH-funded BENFRA Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Center at OHSU, which investigates botanicals enhancing neurological and functional resilience in aging. She is also co-director of an NCCIH T32 training grant on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Training in Neuroscience and Stress. Dr. Soumyanath received her Pharmacy and Ph.D. degrees from the University of London, United Kingdom.