The staff of USUCHD works hard to erase health disparities. The Center employs a wide range of professionals from administrators to scientists. We are proud of our staff. Please get to know them below.The USUCHD's work is a team effort. Our research scientists, postdoctoral fellows, students, research assistants, and administrative staff all contribute to the Center's valuable work.
CHD Staff

Center for Health Disparities (CHD)
Staff
Scientists & Fellows
Claire Kelley, Ph.D.
Name: Claire Kelley, Ph.D.
Department of Primary Appointment: Medical & Clinical Psychology
Position: Post Doctoral Fellow
Title: Post Doctoral Fellow
Affiliated Center: USUCHD
Profile
Eric B. Schoomaker, MD, Ph.D.

Name: Eric B. Schoomaker, MD, Ph.D.
Department of Primary Appointment: Military & Emergency Medicine
Position: USU Faculty
Title: Professor and Vice-Chair for Leadership, Centers and Programs
Affiliated Center: USU LEAD
Email:
eric.schoomaker@usuhs.edu
(link sends e-mail)
Office Phone: (301) 295-1656
Profile
Eric Schoomaker, MD, PhD, Lieutenant General, U.S.Army (RET) serves as the Director of the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences (USU) LEAD program. After four years as the U.S. Army’s top medical officer, Lieutenant General Eric B. Schoomaker, M.D., Ph.D. retired in 2012 from his role as the 42nd U.S. Army Surgeon General and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command. This followed 32 years of active service in uniform and 41 years as a commissioned Army officer. Doctor Schoomaker is exploring the central importance of leadership education and training for health professionals in both individual career development for different health professions—uniformed and civilian—and in an interprofessional, team-based setting.
Lieutenant General (RET) Schoomaker was sworn in as Army Surgeon General after commanding Walter Reed Army Medical Center & North Atlantic Regional Medical Command in Washington, D.C. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan in 1970 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He received his medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1975 and a Ph.D. in human genetics in 1979. He completed an internal medicine internship and residency at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina from 1976-78, followed by a fellowship in hematology at Duke in 1979. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in both internal medicine and hematology.
While in uniform, he held many assignments, including Chief & Program Director, Department of Medicine and Director of Primary Care, Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis (Tacoma), Wash.; Commander of the Evans Army Community Hospital in Fort Carson (Colorado Springs), Colo.; Commander, 30th Medical Brigade & Fifth Corps Surgeon in Heidelberg, Germany; Chief of the Army Medical Corps; Commander of the Southeast Regional Medical Command/Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Ft. Gordon (Augusta), GA; and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command & Fort Detrick (Frederick), MD. Doctor Schoomaker is the recipient of numerous military awards, including those from France and Germany, the 2012 Dr. Nathan Davis Awards from the American Medical Association for outstanding government service, the Philipp M. Lippe, MD Award from the American Academy of Pain Medicine for contributions to the social and political aspect of pain medicine, and an Honorary Doctor of Science from Wake Forest University.
Graduate Research Assistants
Jennifer Bakalar, M.S.
Name: Jennifer Bakalar, M.S., Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Primary Appointment: Medical & Clinical Psychology
Position: USU Staff
Title:
Email:
jennifer.bakalar@usuhs.edu
(link sends e-mail)
Room: B1022
Profile
Jennifer Bakalar, M.S. is a doctoral candidate in the Medical and Clinical dual-track Ph.D. program (2010 Cohort). Jen graduated from Cornell University in 2008 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in French. From 2008-2010, she completed a post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellowship in Child Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD. At USUHS, Jen’s research interests center on the impact of early adversity on the psychological and physical health of U.S. Military personnel. In 2011, she was awarded the American Psychological Association, Society for Military Psychology (Division 19) graduate student fellowship for her Masters research. In 2015, she was awarded a Henry Jackson Foundation Fellowship in the Medical Sciences. For her dissertation, she is investigating the association between pre-service adverse life events, eating disturbance, and body mass index in U.S. service members.
Omni Cassidy, M.S.
Name: Omni Cassidy, M.S., Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Primary Appointment: Medical & Clinical Psychology
Position: Volunteer
Title: Graduate Research Assistant
Affiliated Center: USUCHD
Email:
omni.cassidy@usuhs.edu
(link sends e-mail)
Room: B1022
Profile
Omni Cassidy, M.S. is a 2012 Cohort year graduate student in the Medical and Clinical Psychology dual-track program. In 2010, she received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Women and Gender Studies from Washington University in St. Louis. As an undergraduate, Omni volunteered with the weight Management and Eating Disorders Program. She also worked as an intern at the Jackson Heart Study in Jackson, MS, investigating African Americans with Type II diabetes. Before beginning her graduate studies, Omni worked as a research assistant at the NIH and USUHS on a study examining the effect of interpersonal psychotherapy on the prevention of excess weight gain in adolescent girls and also coordinated a pilot study to adapt interpersonal psychotherapy to be culturally appropriate in preventing excess weight gain in racial/ethnic minority groups. She is interested in factors that may promote disordered eating and excessive weight gain in African American youth and how such research may be used to inform policy. For her dissertation, Omni plans to examine the effect of food marketing and attentional biases on eating behaviors in African American adolescent girls.
Capt Dawn Johnson, USAF
Name: Capt Dawn Johnson, USAF
Department of Primary Appointment: Medical & Clinical Psychology
Position: Volunteer
Title: Graduate Research Assistant
Affiliated Center: USUCHD
Email:
dawn.johnson@usuhs.edu
(link sends e-mail)
Room: B1022
Profile
Captain Dawn Johnson, USAF is a 2013 Cohort year student working towards a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Dawn earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Wartburg College and her Master of Arts in Counseling Licensure from Denver Seminary. Prior to entering the Air Force, Dawn clinically worked with women and children escaping domestic violence and homelessness. She led recovery groups for men and women struggling with addictions. She has experience working with patients in hospice care and youth who are incarcerated. Dawn also did some inpatient and outpatient work with veterans after completing her Master’s degree. She commissioned into the Air Force through Officer Training School. She worked for five years as a Special Agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. She primarily worked criminal and counterintelligence cases. After her last assignment, she worked in the HQ Warfighter Division. Her primary research interested include pregnancy and postpartum emotional well-being and physical fitness as it relates to obesity and disordered eating. She is currently working on the Preventing Obesity in Military Communities – Mother/Baby study examining Command and social support factors in the prevention of excess weight gain during pregnancy. She is also interested in looking at how these factors affect the ability to lose the weight gained in pregnancy and emotional well-being.
CPT Sarah J. McCreight, USA
Name: CPT Sarah J. McCreight, USA
Department of Primary Appointment: Medical & Clinical Psychology
Position: Volunteer
Title: Graduate Research Assistant
Affiliated Center: USUCHD
Profile
Captain Sarah J. McCreight, USA is a 2011 Cohort year student working towards a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Sarah earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from East Carolina University in 2001. She enlisted in the U.S. Army as an intelligence analyst before entering the Army “Green to Gold” program. In 2006, she commissioned as a U.S. Army Signal Officer and served as a Signal Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion S6. She served in Afghanistan in 2009. Sarah received a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from East Carolina University in 2010. Sarah’s primary research interests include weight management and physical fitness among pregnant populations, especially those serving on active duty in the military. She is also a collaborator in the Prevention of Obesity in Military Communities program project grant, and has a growing interest in public health policy. Her clinical interests include health behavior change, strength and resilience in military families, and stress and emotional conflict among active duty military mothers. She completed a thesis evaluating Army Pregnancy and Postpartum Physical Training (P3T) Program at Fort Campbell, KY. For her dissertation, she is investigating factors that benefit active duty mothers in their transition to parenthood.
Capt Kendra Oldham, USAF
Name: Capt Kendra Oldham, USAF
Department of Primary Appointment: Medical & Clinical Psychology
Position: Volunteer
Title: Graduate Student
Affiliated Center: USUCHD
Email:
kendra.oldham@usuhs.edu
(link sends e-mail)
Room: B1022
Profile
Captain Kendra L. Oldham, USAF is a 2013 Cohort year graduate student working towards a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Kendra attended Central Washington University on a three year Air Force ROTC Scholarship, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After commissioning, Kendra worked as a Special Agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. During her time with OSI, Kendra conducted investigations of economic crimes, sexual assault, and other felony criminal offenses. Capt Oldham completed one combat deployment to Iraq (OEF) where she conducted missions in support of force protection. In 2012, she completed her M.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Missouri and ended her career with OSI working for the AFOSI ICON, Quantico, VA. During her assignment with the ICON, Capt Oldham collaborated with numerous federal agencies, monitored current events worldwide to identify concerns to AFOSI and Air Force leadership, and provided guidance to OSI field units on investigations. Her primary research interests include obesity and weight stigma and how they affect emotional well-being of military members. Additionally, she is interested in exploring how anti-fat bias may erode unit cohesion and military readiness. She is currently working on the Preventing Obesity in Military Communities – Fit4Duty study, which seeks to reduce excess weight gain in U.S. Military service members.
Maj (S) Katrina D. Powell, USAF
Name: Maj (S) Katrina D. Powell, USAF
Department of Primary Appointment: Medical & Clinical Psychology
Position: Volunteer
Title:
Email:
katrina.powell@usuhs.edu
(link sends e-mail)
Room: B1022
Profile
Major (S) Katrina D. Powell, USAF is a 2015 Cohort year student working towards a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Katrina earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and English from the Virginia Military Institute in 2006. After graduating, Katrina commissioned into the United States Air Force as a Behavioral Scientist (61B). She began her Air Force career at Edwards AFB, CA at the 773rd Flight Test squadron as a CV-22, F-16, and B-1 Human Factors Engineer and later as the Lead Research engineer in Curriculum Standards Division at the USAF Test Pilot School. In 2010, Katrina became a Military Information Support Operations (MISO) officer (formerly Psychological Operations). Immediately after completing MISO training, Katrina was selected for an AF sponsored Master’s degree. She attended Arizona State University where she earned her Master’s degree in Psychology in 2011. During her time at ASU, Katrina also earned her Master’s in English from California State University in Bakersfield in 2010. Upon graduation from ASU, she deployed to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia for six months. Katrina returned to the states and began working as an Instructor in the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership department at the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs (2012-2015) and Division Executive officer (2014-2015). Katrina’s primary research interests include examining environmental effects on perception of body shape, racial identity, sense of belonging, and self-esteem in minority populations. She is also interested in the effects of deployment on military families (ASU thesis).
CPT Sadé Soares, USA
Name: CPT Sadé Soares, USA
Department of Primary Appointment: Medical & Clinical Psychology
Position: Volunteer
Title: Graduate Research Assistant
Affiliated Center: USUCHD
Email:
sade.soares@usuhs.edu
(link sends e-mail)
Room: B1022
Profile
Captain Sadé Soares, USA is a 2014 Cohort student and Army officer of eight years working towards a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the US Military Academy at West Point in 2010. She served as an aide-de-camp to the division commander, while deployed to Kuwait, and assistant operations officer of a Military Entrance Processing Station before enrolling at USUHS. Sadé's primary research interests include the role of historical trauma as well as social and health disparities on ethnic minorities' well-being, primarily Native Hawaiians. She is also interested in the role of policy in addressing the condition of ethnic minorities and decreasing mental health stigma. Clinically, Sadé is mainly interested in military family resilience. She has worked as an interventionist in the Fitness and Lifestyle Improvement through Information Technology study and continues to be involved with the Preventing Obesity in Military Communities-Adolescents study.
Research Assistants
Marissa Barmine, B.S.
Name: Marissa Barmine, B.S.
Department of Primary Appointment: Medical & Clinical Psychology
Position: USU Staff
Title: Research Coordinator
Affiliated Center: USUCHD
Email:
marissa.barmine.ctr@usuhs.edu
(link sends e-mail)
Office Phone: (301) 295-0864
Room: B1022A
Education
University
University of South Carolina