Nichole Shotwell

Nichole Shotwell, a double graduate from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s in General Studies and a master’s in Social Work, serves on the University of Michigan Concussion Center Advisory Board. Originally pursuing a career in music as a harpist, she discovered a deep passion for sociology and psychology during her undergraduate studies, which led her to a life dedicated to serving others. This pivotal shift in focus allowed her to channel her talents into advocating for individuals with disabilities, laying the foundation for her future leadership in the brain injury field.

As the head of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan (BIAMI), Shotwell spearheads efforts to raise awareness about brain injuries, emphasizing education and support for those affected. Her initiatives at BIAMI, including advocacy campaigns and educational programs, highlight her dedication to addressing the often-overlooked impacts of brain injuries. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, her leadership has ensured continued community outreach and accessibility, reinforcing her commitment to improving the lives of individuals living with brain injuries.

Dr. Wu’s research is motivated by biomedical and public health problems and is centered on the design and application of statistical methods that inform health decisions made by individuals or precision medicine. Towards this goal, he focuses on two lines of methodological research: a) structured Bayesian latent variable models for clustering and disease subtyping, and b) study design and causal methods for evaluating sequential interventions that tailor to individuals’ changing circumstances, such as in mobile health studies. He is committed to developing robust, scalable, and interpretable statistical methods to harness real-world, high-dimensional, dynamic data for individualized health. The methods and software developed so far have supported studies in diverse scientific fields, including infectious disease epidemiology, autoimmune diseases, mental health, behavioral health, and cancer.

Dr. Gehring is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology with research interests in cognitive science, neuroscience, and event-related brain potentials. You can learn more about Dr. Gehring and his scholarly work at https://www.billgehring.com/

Dr. De Vries is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Learning Health Sciences and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan. He is particularly interested in the regulation of science and the production of scientific knowledge; clinical trials of genetic therapies; the export of western moral traditions to non-western societies; and the social, ethical, and policy issues associated with the medicalization of pregnancy and birth.

Dr. Michael Elliott is a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Research Professor at the Institute for Social Research. He received his PhD in biostatistics in 1999 from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the University of Michigan in 2005, he held an appointment as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Elliott’s statistical research interests focus around the broad topic of “missing data,” including the design and analysis of sample surveys, causal and counterfactual inference, and latent variable models. He has worked closely with collaborators in injury research, pediatrics, women’s health, the social determinants of physical and mental health, and smoking cessation research. Dr. Elliott has served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series C and the Journal of the American Statistical Association, and as an Associate Editor and Editor of the Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology. He was Associate Chair of Academic Affairs for the Department from 2018-2021.

Dr. Mark Rosentraub is the Bruce & Joan Bickner Endowed Professor of Sport Management and director of the Center for Sports Venues & Real Estate Development (formerly the Center for Sport & Policy) at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. He also serves as the Sport Management program chair. Dr. Rosentraub has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the Public Administration Review, Public Finance and Budgeting, Tourism Management, and the Journal of Sport Economics, and has published more than ten books on sport business, public administration, and urban policy. He has received more than $26 million in funding from organizations such as the Lilly Endowment, Olympia Development, Bedrock Development, the Green Bay Packers, and many other cities. Dr. Rosentraub has served as a project consultant for major and minor league teams and for numerous urban planning and real estate development corporations, and has presented more than 100 papers at professional conferences all over the world. He is a sought-after expert in using sport as a platform for economic and urban development and has been featured in numerous media outlets, such as ABC’s Nightline, ESPN’s Sports Center, and the Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Kidwell is interested in the design and analysis of clinical trials. Her methodological work centers on better matching the way in which we practice medicine and public health (critical decisions over time tailored to individuals) to the way in which we experimentally study it. Dr. Kidwell’s methods work has primarily focused on the design and analysis of sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trials (SMARTs), in standard or large size trials for treating common diseases and disorders, and in small samples or for treating rare diseases. Collaboratively, Dr. Kidwell aims to improve public health science by bridging the gap between researchers, the biostatistical methods needed and applied to studies, and the communication of results. Dr. Kidwell is involved in the design and analysis of many trials with investigators across the university in settings such as mental health, chronic pain, substance use, and oncology. Her methods and collaborative work influences clinical trial statistical theory and practice and hopefully is improving people’s lives through new designs and efficient treatment estimates.

Kaya is an undergraduate student in the School of Kinesiology, Movement Science program. She has an interest in neuroscience research and serves as a student ambassador for the school.

Dr. Eisenberg is a professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health. He studies infectious disease epidemiology with a focus on waterborne and vectorborne diseases. His broad research interests-global and domestic-integrate theoretical work in developing disease transmission models and empirical work in designing and conducting epidemiology studies. He is especially interested in the environmental determinants of infectious diseases.

Jillian is a current PhD student at the School of Public Health. She has worked with former professional football players to study a range of health conditions, from cardiovascular conditions to chronic pain to long-term effects of head impacts and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). She hopes to continue working to understand the effects of TBI and any interactive effects with psychosocial stressors, especially in adverse childhood experiences.