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STAR Program Leadership Team
WHO WE ARE
Kristen Emory, PhD.
CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
kemory@csudh.edu
Dr. Emory is an Assistant Professor in the Health Sciences and Public Health department of California State University at Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Her research involves studying disparities in commercial tobacco use among marginalized populations such as LGBTQ+ individuals and adolescents. She is also interested in the impact of targeted tobacco messaging strategies on health equity.
Laura E. Crotty Alexander, M.D.CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Crotty Alexander is an Associate Professor of Medicine and co-directs the first block of medical school at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. She is also the Section Chief of Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine at the Veterans Affairs (VA) San Diego Healthcare System. She leads a research team that investigates the public health and biochemical effects of e-cigarette vaping using both human subject research and murine models. She also studies molecular pathways of asthma pathogenesis and the role of neutrophils in acute lung injury.
John Balmes, M.D.SENIOR ADVISOR
Dr. Balmes is a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at UC San Francisco and Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health Sciences at UC Berkeley School of Public Health. He also serves on the California Air Resources Board. He leads several research projects studying the respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic effects of air pollutants. He is dedicated to improving the health of at-risk communities disproportionately burdened by exposure to air pollution from the San Joaquin Valley in California to as far as rural Rwanda.
Jacob Bailey, M.D., M.A.SENIOR ADVISOR
Dr. Bailey is a pulmonary and critical care medicine specialist at UC San Diego. He is also assistant director of the Program in Medical Education — Health Equity at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. His expertise is in diversity in higher education and working with vulnerable communities, including adolescents, uninsured populations, and Spanish speakers.
Atul Malhotra, M.D.SENIOR ADVISOR
Dr. Malhotra is a pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine specialist and Professor of Medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. He is also Research Chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at UC San Diego Health and former President of the American Thoracic Society. His research involves studying the pathogenesis of sleep apnea and the metabolic and cardiovascular consequences of sleep disorders. He also studies the delivery of critical care medicine including methods of blood pressure measurement in the intensive care unit and barriers to implementation of artificial intelligence.
Samantha Perera, B.S.PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Samantha is a graduate student from UC San Diego. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neurobiology from UC San Diego and is now continuing her education with a Master's of Public Health concentrating in Epidemiology. She has been a member of Dr. Crotty Alexander’s research group since 2019 and has contributed to several projects including research on e-cigarette aerosol inhalation by murine models and the role of neutrophils in the inflammatory response of COVID-19 patients.