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Meet the Team

Apurv Soni, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator

My career research goal is to integrate digital health technology in clinical workflows and community-based paradigms to improve clinical outcomes and reduce health disparities. I am eager to grow UMass Chan and Program in Digital Medicine’s imprint on health disparities research locally, nationally, and globally to fulfill the promise of Digital Health Technologies as an equalizer for resource and accessibility gaps that underpin inequities in health outcomes.

Carly Herbert

MD/PhD Student

I am an MD/PhD student at UMass Chan in the Clinical and Population Health Research Program, and my current interests include increasing access to diagnostics and treatments for infectious diseases. My dissertation work is supported by an NIH training award and is focused on improving SARS-CoV-2 testing using a toolkit to inform optimal testing strategy

Caitlin Pretz, MS

Project Director

I am a Project Director in the lab and lean on my master's of science training in Applied Biomedical Engineering (Johns Hopkins University) and more than five years of industry experience in product development and management to inform strategies for collaboration and growth and oversee operations and implementation of various projects in the lab.

Pamela Stamegna, MD

Sr. Scientific Writer

I am a Senior Scientific Writer in the lab, having returned to UMass Chan in summer 2021, several years after graduating from Medical School. I am a physician with training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and bring my clinical background to bear in drafting protocols, manuscripts, and grant applications for digital medicine research studies

Mary Bentley, PhD

Data Analyst

I am a Biostatistician with PhD degree from UMass Chan’s Clinical and Population Health Research. I bring extensive experience in applying statistical methods, including structural equation and latent variable modeling, multi-level mixed modeling, propensity score analysis and longitudinal modeling to support lab’s goals in conducting pragmatic clinical studies and evaluating real-world effectiveness.

Shishir Pandey, BE

Data Analyst

I have more than seven years of industry experience, working as software engineer and data scientist at multiple companies. After working on A/B testing, machine learning and software engineering at e-commerce companies, I am eager to make an impact with medical data.

Ibriz Moonim, MA

Lab Manager

I have formal training in hospitality management and business administration with additional training in advertising and marketing. As the lab manager, I am intricately involved with the day-to-day responsibilities to facilitate the smooth and timely execution of projects, ensure resource availability and help with project documentation.

Julia Ferranto

Clinical Research Coordinator I

I have a bachelor's degree in Public Health from UMass Amherst and work on projects related to evaluating usability of digital technologies and adherence of tools that support maternal and child health. My future goals include getting advanced training in Environmental Science and investigating how Maternal/Child health outcomes are influenced by our environment.

Seanan Tarrant

Clinical Research Coordinator I

I received a bachelor’s degree in biology and a concentration in biochemistry from the University of Holy Cross. My work in the lab focuses on the development of smartphone apps to enable digital siteless studies for chronic diseases. I aspire to apply lessons learned from my research experience to inform patient care after I attend Medical School.

Colton Wright, MS

Clinical Research Coordinator II

I have formal training in Physiology and Biomedical Sciences from the University of Arizona and Colorado State University, respectively. I work on projects related to the use of digital technologies in home-based settings, including SARS-CoV-2 testing, support-app for mood disorder, and remote sensing technologies. My future goal is to pursue professional medical training.

Stephanie Behar

Clinical Research Coordinator II

I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Boston University. I work on projects focused on maintenance of health in home environment for patients across the life spectrum. I am also working on projects that acquire qualitative data on participants’ experience. My career aspirations include a PhD in social epidemiology and future research focused on eating disorders.

Paul Hartin

Clinical Research Coordinator

I am a clinical research coordinator with bachelor's in health sciences. I am working on projects such as NExUS and COMMODE-seat study to understand the use of home-based sensors (wearable and embedded) to digitally phenotype chronic diseases.

Purti Hardikar

Co-Op Intern

I am a Master of Fine Arts Student at Northeastern University in the Information Design and Data Visualization Program, and my current interests lie in Human-Computer Interaction and User Experience. I have a mixed background in Design, HCI, and a Bachelor's in Architecture. My work revolves around creative technologies and research to develop next-gen products and experiences using problem-solving techniques.