Team
Our Team
Taryn Cuper, MS
Senior Research Associate
Bridget Giles, PhD
Director of Special Projects
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Bridget Giles
Bridget oversees high-priority programs within the HRBRC including the Collaboration Accelerator Fund, weekly biohealth seminar series, scholarships, and engagement with the startup community for programming and access to consortium facilities. She comes to HRBRC from her position as a Research Assistant Professor at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC). Prior to joining VMASC, she enjoyed ten years working in clinical research where she monitored and managed federally funded trials for the National Institutes of Health and pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Giles holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Virginia Commonwealth University, a Master of Arts Degree in Biology from Hampton University, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Emily Martin, MPH
Program Manager
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Emily Martin
Emily manages multi-institutional projects and works with diverse research teams to build partnerships that support HRBRC’s mission to reduce health disparities and foster regional collaboration. Prior to joining HRBRC, she interned for Sentara Medical Group and worked with administrative and clinical leaders to develop new projects and advance strategic initiatives. Emily conducted her MPH practicum at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, received her Master’s in Public Health, Health Management and Policy from Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), and received her B.S. from the College of William and Mary. A proud native of Norfolk, Emily is passionate about volunteering for local schools and can often be found walking her two English labs.
Sagar Patel, PhD
Senior Research Associate
Lubna Pinky, PhD
Senior Research Associate
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Lubna Pinky
Lubna is a Mathematical Biologist who comes to HRBRC from her role as a postdoctoral scholar at The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Biophysics from Texas Christian University and her B.S. from Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET).
Heather Richter, PhD
Research Faculty
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Heather Richter
Heather directs HRBRC's multi-institutional Digital Neighborhoods platform. She is an expert in applying computational and geospatial technologies to study the spatial and temporal relationships between determinants of health and patterns of chronic and infectious disease outcomes. Heather has held associate faculty appointments at Tulane, West Virginia University, and the University of Oklahoma. She currently volunteers as one of the founding board members for the Cancer Pain Research Consortium, as a panel reviewer for NIH, and works as a scientific consultant. She has been successfully funded by NIH through R21 and Clinical and Translational Science awards, and, as a veteran of large-scale scientific initiatives, has extensive experience in research design, scientific planning, and administration. Dr. Richter received her Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. from the University of Oklahoma.
Chaturani Ranathunge, PhD
Senior Research Associate
Patrick Ball
Core Facilities Manager
