Leadership Team

MPI

Dr. Kanwal is a Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at BCM. She is currently PI of the Liver Translational Consortium (U01CA230997) and an MPI on the NCI-Clinical Validation Center (U01 CA271887). She leads BCM’s T32 Research Training Program in Gastroenterology (T32DK083266). Her research spans T2–T3, and she is a highly regarded authority in health services research of viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular cancer. Her work has informed clinical practice guidelines and clinical quality measures.57-59 She has spearheaded large multisite hybrid implementation-effectiveness randomized controlled trial (VA SDP 10‐044). She will be the MPI liaison for the CTS Research Program, the K12, and the future R25 and T32. She recently stepped down from the NIDDK-funded Digestive Disease Center (P30DK056338). She recruited a new Vice-Chief for Research for the Section and an Associate Director for the T32. As the Section Chief, she is assisted by four clinical directors and a fellowship training program director. Thus, she has the time and effort to co-direct CTPH.

MPI

Dr. Beech is a Clinical Professor of Population Health and the Chief Population Health Officer at UH. She was founding dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She has held multiple CTSA leadership roles as Co-Director of the Community Engagement Core for Vanderbilt-Meharry, Co-Director of the K12 for the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and Founding Director of the Mentor Academy at Wake Forest University. Dr. Beech is currently an MPI of the NHLBI-funded Obesity Health Disparity research training and mentoring program (R25HL126145) and an MPI of the Leadership Core of the NIH-funded AIM-AHEAD (OTA-21-017). Dr. Beech’s research spans T2–T4, including expertise in population health, family-based chronic disease interventions, recruitment and retention of racial/ethnic minority populations, the translation and dissemination of evidence-based interventions to community settings, and the science of research training and mentoring. She will be the MPI liaison for Workforce Development, Community & Stakeholder Engagement, and a future RC2; support the D&I Core; and co-lead the CTS Pilot Module. To ensure sufficient effort, Dr. Beech will name a Co-Director for the South-Central Hub of AIM-AHEAD. Also, her service on a T32 study section will conclude in June 2024.