Durham Center of Innovation to ADAPT

Christina Cui, MD – (VAQS 2023-2025)

Dr. Cui is currently an integrated vascular surgery resident at Duke University, completing the VA Quality Scholars Advanced Fellowship 2023-2025. She completed her M.D. at the University of California, San Diego, during which she also obtained a Masters in Advanced Sciences in clinical research. Her current research interests include: 1) the intersection of surgical training and patient outcomes, 2) the impact of access on surgical outcomes and 3) interdisciplinary care within vascular surgery

Samantha Meckes, MFT, MS, PhD – (VAQS 2023-2025)
(she/her/hers)

Dr. Meckes is a clinical psychologist and researcher and a postdoctoral fellow with the VA Quality Scholars program. She earned her PhD from the University of Nevada, Reno where she was a James K. and Lois Merritt Mikawa Graduate Research Fellow. She completed her residency at the Durham VAMC. Her research interests have drawn from social and clinical psychology, particularly in the areas of intergroup relations, empathy, and anxiety, and augmentation of exposure-based interventions. As a VAQS fellow, she hopes to learn how to harness advanced data science approaches to study social determinants of healthcare outcomes, particularly psychological and functional outcomes associated with trauma exposure and substance use. Sam is also a retired D-1 goalkeeper and likes to relive her glory days playing rec league sports in her free time.

Jessica Coleman, PhD – (VAQS 2023-2025)

Dr. Coleman completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Duke University. She completed her predoctoral clinical internship in Reproductive Psychology at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Her clinical expertise is in mental health in the context of reproductive transitions and concerns, mindfulness and acceptance interventions, and treating trauma and stressor-related disorders. Her research interests are in 1) improving access to and quality of sexual and reproductive health care services, and 2) developing and implementing trauma-informed and gender-sensitive practices and interventions to address sequalae of interpersonal violence, discrimination and medical trauma.

Diego Schaps, MD  – (VAQS 2024-2026)
(he/him)

Diego Schaps, MD, MPH is a general surgery resident at Duke University Medical Center. He has a keen interest in fleshing out the epidemiology of and improving healthcare outcomes for patients with ostomies at the VA, nationally, and globally. He is also interested in improving anorectal care. Dr. Schaps plans on becoming an academic colorectal surgeon upon the completion of his surgical training.

Katlin Harker, DPT  VAQS 2024-2025

Katlin Harker, DPT is a pelvic health physical therapist. She completed her Doctor of Physical Therapy at Duke University and prior to the VAQS fellowship enjoyed practicing in central NC with particular interest in the treatment of pelvic pain conditions. 

Dr. Harker’s research goals are to better understand the impacts of rurality, socioeconomic status, and health literacy on health care utilization and patient perceptions of shared decision-making within the VAHCS

Catherine Sims, MD – (OAA 2022-2025)
(she/her/hers)

Dr. Sims is a rheumatologist at Duke University working under the mentorship of reproductive rheumatologist Dr. Megan Clowse. Her research initiatives include quantitative and qualitative pregnancy outcomes in systemic vasculitides, creation of a pregnancy planning scoring system for women with systemic lupus erythematosus, and the utility of serum biomarkers to differentiate between preeclampsia and episodes of lupus nephritis during pregnancy. Working closely with national advocacy groups and patient representatives she has created patient centered, easily accessible information detailing the importance of birth control, intentional pregnancy, and family planning for people with vasculitis. Through novel research efforts, education of providers, and streamlined communication with patients her hope is to improve the reproductive experience for women with autoimmune diseases.

Zoe Bridges-Curry, PhD – (OAA 2023-2025)

Dr. Bridges-Curry completed a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Louisville and her clinical internship at the John D. Dingell VA in Detroit. Before beginning graduate training in psychology, she worked as a public relations and strategic communications specialist in Washington, DC, with an emphasis on health, economic, and social policy. Dr. Bridges-Curry’s research is focused on data-driven and personalized approaches to mental health treatment for Veterans with psychiatric comorbidity.  She has a strong interest in quantitative methods, person-centered approaches, and expanding access to evidence-based care for all Veterans.

Joseph Neiman, MD – (OAA 2023-2025)
(he/him/his)

Dr. Neiman is an internal medicine and palliative care physician. He grew up in Reno, Nevada and completed medical school at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, an MPH at Johns Hopkins University, residency at Hackensack University Medical Center, and fellowship at Duke University. His research focuses on the intersection between palliative care and the ICU, using mixed methods to develop and study patient- and family-centered interventions to empower family caregivers and reduce post-ICU psychological trauma.

Imari Z. Smith, PhD, MPH – (OAA 2024-2026)
(she/her)

Dr. Smith is a social scientist specializing in the impact of social stressors on health outcomes and patient interactions with health professionals. She completed her PhD at Duke University in both Public Policy and Sociology. Prior to her doctoral training, Dr. Smith worked as a Health Equity Research Associate and earned her MPH from at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Dr. Smith’s research examines how concurrent systems of power—as they pertain to race, gender, and class, among others—shape individuals’ own health journeys as well as their abilities to effectively navigate healthcare systems.

Natalie Fullenkamp, PhD, MA – (OAA 2024-2026)
(she/her)

Dr. Fullenkamp is a medical sociologist with a PhD in Sociology and an MA in Communication. Her research has considered organizational factors that influence pain standards and measurement; methodological considerations for novel data sources — including popular means of disseminating patient experience data; and perceptions of vaccine hesitancy. She is interested in helping improve patient-provider communication and pain management, particularly among older Veterans.

Cassandra Dictus, PhD, MPH, RN - (2024-2026

Cassandra (Cass) Dictus is a nurse scientist in the National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP). She completed her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her training and research were supported through the Hillman Scholar in Nursing Innovation Program, an institutional T32, and an individual F31 predoctoral fellowship. Her dissertation research focused on multilevel factors related to differences in symptom management for nursing home residents. Dr. Dictus is dedicated to examining care, systems, and policy to improve quality of life for older adults and their caregivers.