2025 Symposium Speakers & Bios
AM Session Speakers
Keynote Speaker: Heddwen Brooks, PhD
Dr. Brooks received her bachelor’s degree from the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth, her masters from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and her PhD from the Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine in London. She followed this with training as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and a visiting fellowship at the NHLBI Laboratory of Kidney and Electrolyte Metabolism, National Institutes of Health. She has been recognized with the Astra Zeneca Young Investigator Award and the Lazaro Mandel Award from the American Physiological Society. Internationally recognized as a leader in research mentorship, scientific ethics and professional scientific writing, Dr. Brooks’ goal has always been to increase the research capabilities of those surrounding her while working together to solve important scientific questions. She is a passionate advocate for women in science and has mentored many women.
Research
Dr. Brooks' laboratory research includes work in the following areas:
- Work in sex differences physiology
- Integrating cross-disciplinary expertise in hypertension
- Diabetes, menopause and renal physiology
- Examining the molecular signaling pathways involved in postmenopausal accelerated aging
Her more recent efforts focus on the role of inflammation, T cells and macrophages in hypertension onset and metabolic syndrome.
Alton Swennes, DVM
Dr. Alton Swennes earned his BS, MS, and DVM degrees from the University of Georgia and completed his residency training in comparative medicine at MIT. He is board-certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Dr. Swennes’ research interests have historically focused on animal models of infection and neoplasia. He has studied infectious diseases affecting laboratory animals, particularly E. coli and Helicobacter spp., and utilized these to model human conditions, including hemolytic-uremic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
While a faculty veterinarian at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Swennes established and directed the BCM Gnotobiotics Core, one of the nation’s largest facilities for the study of the microbiota in germ-free (i.e. microbiologically sterile) rodents. In that capacity, he collaborated widely on studies elucidating the role of the gut microbiota in modulating response to checkpoint inhibitor therapy, the protective role of commensal bacteria in Sjögren syndrome, and novel mechanisms for protection against C. difficile infection.
Now at the University of Utah, Dr. Swennes serves as assistant vice president for research infrastructure, executive director of the Office of Comparative Medicine, attending veterinarian for the University of Utah and the Wahlen VA Medical Center, and associate professor in the Department of Pathology. Dr. Swennes remains active in gnotobiotics through the UU Microbiota and Gastrointestinal Immunology Consortium and currently serves as past president of the Association for Gnotobiotics and a councilor of the International Association for Gnotobiology.
Erin Rothwell, PhD
Dr. Erin Rothwell currently serves as the vice president for research, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the School of Medicine. As vice president for research, Dr. Rothwell currently oversees 18 research administrative units that support research compliance, regulation policies, grant development pipeline, and safety procedures across campus. In addition, Dr. Rothwell serves as the president of the University of Utah Research Foundation. Dr. Rothwell is dedicated to finding impactful solutions through innovative and inclusive research practices to solve critical real-world challenges.
Kristi Jo Warren, PhD
Kristi J. Warren, PhD, is a research assistant professor in the Pulmonary Division with research interests in sex differences in adult asthma. During her post-doctoral training she developed a project focused on rare, lung-localized innate immune cells, called ILC2, that play an undisputed role in asthma. Importantly, these ILC2 are far more activated in females compared to males. Since this discovery, her lab has balanced preclinical and translational studies to investigate asthma in US Veterans that are at a heightened risk of developing asthma post-deployment. In summary, there are roles for sex hormones in both male and female hosts that amplify or suppress ILC2 in asthma. This is the basis of our ongoing studies. Our end-goal is to identify new drug targets, biomarkers, and therapeutic tools for asthma treatment.
Mary (M.E.) Hartnett, MD
Mary Elizabeth Hartnett, MD, is the Michael F. Marmor, MD, professor in retinal science and diseases and is a professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University. Dr. Hartnett is the director of pediatric retina at Stanford University and principal investigator of a retinal angiogenesis laboratory. She studies causes and treatments for diseases including retinopathy of prematurity and age-related macular degeneration. She created the first-ever academic textbook on the subject, Pediatric Retina, in its third edition, which has proven to be an invaluable resource for residents and ophthalmologists internationally.
PM Session Speakers
Keynote Speaker: Melissa McNeil. MD, MPH
Dr. McNeil received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University, her MD degree and residency training from the University of Pittsburgh and a master of public health from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. She is currently a Professor of Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University where she is a member of the Division of General Internal Medicine. She is currently the co-director of the women’s health track of the internal medicine residency. She also serves as a senior consultant to the Women’s Health Education Group at VA Central Office.
Her special interests as an educator have been in the development of training programs designed to develop leaders in women’s health education and research and in the faculty development of educators. She has been widely recognized both locally and nationally for her achievements in medical education and women’s health. She was named the Society of General Internal Medicine’s Distinguished Professor of Women’s Health in 2014 and in 2016 received her Career Achievement in Medical Education, which recognizes an outstanding clinician-educator for their lifetime contributions in medical education, both at their institution and nationally.
Juliana Simonetti, MD
Dr. Simonetti serves as the director of the Obesity Medicine Program and co-director of the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, USA. She received her medical degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, followed by a fellowship in obesity medicine and clinical nutrition at Boston University Medical Center. Dr. Simonetti holds board certification in both internal medicine and obesity medicine. With over a decade of experience in the field of obesity medicine, she has contributed to multiple peer-reviewed journals and authored book chapters on various topics concerning obesity treatment. Her research focus on understanding the genetic factors contributing to obesity and exploring targeted approaches for its treatment. She has a special interest in women's health and a strong commitment to serving underserved populations. Dr. Simonetti is originally from Brazil and speaks Portuguese and Spanish fluently.
Tanya Halliday, PhD, RD
Dr Halliday is an assistant professor in the Department of Health & Kinesiology (H&K) and adjunct faculty in the Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology. As a clinical and translational researcher, her expertise is in lifestyle interventions for preventing the conversion from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes, analysis of hormonal indices of appetite regulation, and lifestyle and surgical interventions for weight loss and the prevention of weight regain. With her background as a registered dietitian, she is able to conduct trials in both the individual and group-based setting and utilize strict dietary control to evaluate eating-related behaviors. Her research platform is focused on determining the impact of lifestyle interventions (exercise and diet) on cardiometabolic disease risk, appetite regulation, and weight management in adults with overweight and obesity. Dr Halliday has served as a principal investigator, co-investigator, and trainee on multiple awards from the NIH, ADA, NORC, ACSM, and other foundations.
Hanna Raber, PharmD, BCACP
Dr. Hanna Raber completed her doctor of pharmacy degree at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. After graduation, she completed two years of residency in ambulatory care pharmacy within a family medicine residency program at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in Indiana. Dr. Raber is currently an associate clinical professor in the pharmacotherapy department of the University of Utah College of Pharmacy and a clinical pharmacist at the Madsen Family Medicine Clinic.
D. Ware Branch, MD
Dr. Ware Branch is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah and a practicing maternal-fetal medicine specialist who cares for patients experiencing high-risk pregnancies. He is an expert in autoimmune diseases in pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and placenta accreta spectrum. He also has a long-standing interest in diabetes in pregnancy, a condition that has become increasingly prevalent among the growing number of overweight/obese reproductive-age patients.
Deanna Kepka, PhD, MPH
Deanna Kepka, PhD, MPH, is a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and a tenured professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Utah. She is a member of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences research group. She is the past director of Global and International Health in the College of Nursing and the founding director of the 400+ member 12-state Mountain West HPV Vaccination Coalition. Kepka’s main research interests are the gaps in health care access and quality for vulnerable populations as related to the prevention, treatment, and survivorship of cancer with a focus on HPV-related cancers locally and globally. Kepka has more than 80 peer-reviewed publications in HPV vaccination and cancer prevention and control and currently is the principal investigator of “PREVENT” which is an HPV Vaccination five-year R01 funded by the National Cancer Institute.
Kate Maurer, MD
Kathryn Maurer, MD is a gynecologic oncologist at Huntsman Cancer Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Utah. She is the division director for gynecologic oncology and co-directs the Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Center. She is also a member of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences research program. Dr. Maurer's clinical work focuses on the surgical treatment and management of gynecologic cancers. This includes ovarian, endometrial, cervical, and vulvar cancers. She specializes in the minimally invasive management of gynecologic malignancies, gynecologic cancer screening, and the evaluation and management of hereditary gynecologic cancer syndromes. Her current research projects include work on HPV self-collection, cancer care delivery to rural areas, hormonal treatment of endometrial cancer, and risk-reducing surgery options for BRCA patients.
Rana Jawish, MD
Dr. Jawish is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Huntsman Mental Health Institute, and an adjunct assistant professor in the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. Her clinical interest is in improving women’s mental health and expanding access to mental health care for pregnant women with substance use and mood disorder. Her research advances innovative neuromodulation modalities including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for the treatment of perinatal substance use and mood disorder with a specific focus on developing a breakthrough treatment to address the ongoing epidemic of methamphetamine use disorder and to reduce related morbidity and mortality in pregnant women. She is also interested in identifying existing barriers and factors that are facing this underserved, vulnerable, understudied patient population. Dr. Jawish is board-certified in psychiatry and board-eligible in addiction psychiatry with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Kelly Baron, PhD, MPH, DBSM
Dr. Baron is a professor in the Division of Public Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. She is a clinical psychologist with specialty training in behavioral sleep medicine. Dr. Baron completed her bachelor's degree with honors and distinction at the Ohio State University. She completed her master's degree and PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Utah. Her predoctoral residency in health psychology was completed at Rush University Medical School. After graduate school, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in health services research as well as a MPH degree at Northwestern University. Prior to her position at the University of Utah, Dr. Baron held faculty positions at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and Rush University Medical School. At the University of Utah, Dr. Baron conducts NIH funded research and is currently studying sleep interventions among patients with hypertension as well as studies examining the role of circadian timing on appetite regulation. Dr. Baron is the training director of the behavioral sleep medicine program and sees patients for non-drug treatment for sleep disorders including treatments for insomnia, circadian disorders, problems using CPAP treatment in sleep apnea, nightmares, sleep walking and coping with disorders of excessive sleepiness such as narcolepsy. Dr. Baron's research has been widely covered by the press including being featured in the press such as the New York Times, Cooking Light, Men's Health, Webmd.com, Wirecutter.com and US News and World Report.
Venkata (Kash) Yellepeddi, Ph.D., RPh, DABCP
Dr. Venkata (Kash) Yellepeddi, PhD, RPH, DABCP, is an associate professor in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine. A board-certified clinical pharmacologist and licensed pharmacist, Dr. Yellepeddi brings over two decades of expertise in pharmaceutics, drug delivery, and pharmacokinetics. His research focuses on pediatric and maternal pharmacology, physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling, and formulation development for special populations. He has published extensively on compounded medications, including the stability and clinical use of compounded hormone therapies. Dr. Yellepeddi has led and contributed to several NIH-funded studies, including work on sialorrhea in children and nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. A committed educator and mentor, he actively participates in interdisciplinary collaborations to advance therapeutic strategies in women's and children's health.
Camille Moreno, DO, MSCP
Dr. Moreno is the medical director of their Midlife Women’s Health and Menopause Medicine program at the University of Utah. She is board-certified in family medicine and did her specialty women’s health training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She’s a Menopause Society menopause-certified practitioner. Her focused training includes midlife care involving perimenopause, menopause, hormone therapy, bone health (osteoporosis management and treatment), sexual dysfunction, vulvar dermatoses, genitourinary syndrome of menopause, and management of menopausal symptoms in high-risk breast cancer patients and breast cancer survivors.
Mackenzie Daniels, PharmD, PGY2
Makenzie Daniels received her doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in May of 2023. She then went on to complete a PGY1 residency at the University of Utah where she is now a PGY2 resident in ambulatory care. Her career goals include working as a clinical pharmacist in the primary care setting and her interests include academia, health equity, and patient education.