The PRISM Mentors are distinguished researchers with extensive experience in NIH-funded research and faculty development. They represent a range of institutions, from universities with significant NIH support to non-research-focused institutions, bringing diverse perspectives on navigating institutional barriers and opportunities.
Together, PRISM Mentors contribute a breadth of expertise across multiple areas of collaborative biomedical research, including:
- Cancer research
- Social psychology
- Health risk behaviors and intervention development
- Applied biostatistics
- Social work and medicine
- Preventive medicine and epidemiology
- Innovative data collection strategies
- Stakeholder-based participatory research methods
Each mentor has been carefully selected for their scholarly contributions in public health and their proven commitment to mentoring early-career faculty. PRISM Mentors participate in Institute activities based on program needs and availability, ensuring faculty receive personalized, high-impact guidance.
Our Distinguished Mentors
Sonya Arreola, PhD, MPH
Director, Arreola Research
Principal Investigator, Global Men’s Health and Rights Study
University of California, San Francisco
Mona AuYoung, PhD, MS, MPH
Adjunct Assistant Professor and Co-Lead
UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s (CTSI) Community Engagement and Research Program (CERP)
UCLA Geffen School of Medicine
Roshan Bastani, PhD
Professor, Health Policy and Management
Director, UCLA Center for Prevention Research
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Co-Director, Cancer Prevention and Control Research
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA
Niloo Bavarian, PhD
Associate Professor, CHER Institute Fellow Alumna
Department of Health Science
California State University, Long Beach
Ricky N. Bluthenthal, PhD
Associate Dean for Social Justice
Distinguished Professor and Chair of Population and Public Health Sciences
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Ronald L. Braithwaite, PhD
Professor Emeritus
Behavioral Sciences and Health Education
Morehouse School of Medicine
Dorothy C. Browne, DrPH, MPH, MSW
Professor Emerita, Maternal and Child Health,
Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Bradley T. Conner, PhD
Professor
Licensed Psychologist, Colorado
Director, Addiction Counseling Program
The Department of Psychology, Colorado State University
J. Dennis Fortenberry, MD, MS
Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics, Section of Adolescent Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Naomi Hall-Byers, PhD MPH
Professor of Psychology, Psychological Sciences
Winston-Salem State University
Nina T. Harawa, PhD, MPH
Professor
David Geffen School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles
Professor
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Hugh Klein, PhD
Senior Researcher and President
Kensington Research Institute, Silver Spring, Maryland
Faculty Affiliate School of Social Work
California State University, Long Beach
Robin Miller, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Director, Doctoral Program in Ecological-Community Psychology
Michigan State University
Matt G. Mutchler, PhD
Professor
School of Public Health and Health Sciences
Director, Student-Engaged Health Equity Research Institute
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Community-Based Researcher at AIDS Project Los Angeles
Daniel Sarpong, PhD
Professor of Biostatistics, College of Pharmacy
Director, Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center Community Engagement and Outreach Resource Core Director, XAVIER RCMI Cancer Center Community Engagement Core
Xavier University of Louisiana
Patricia Y. Talbert, Ph.D., MPH, MS, CPHA, CHES®,
CGPHN
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Administration,
Emerita, Associate Professor
Howard University, College of Nursing and Allied Health
Sciences
Fernando Wagner, ScD, MPH
Professor
School of Social Work
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Yan Wang, MD, DrPH
Associate Professor
Department of Prevention and Community Health
Milken Institute School of Public Health
George Washington University
