2026 Symposium Speakers & Bios
2026 Symposium Speakers & Bios
Keynote AM Speaker: Jennifer C. Sullivan, PhD
Dr. Sullivan is currently a regents professor in the Department of Physiology in the Medical College of Georgia and dean of the Graduate School at Augusta University. Dr. Sullivan is an internationally recognized expert and leader in the field of sex differences in cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology. Her work has been continuously funded by the NIH and the American Heart Association since becoming a tenure track faculty member in 2008. Dr. Sullivan consistently publishes her work in the top journals in the field of hypertension, with over 140 peer reviewed articles. For her outstanding work, Dr. Sullivan has received numerous prestigious awards including the Inaugural John Laragh Research Award from the American Journal of Hypertension, the Mid-Career Award for Research Excellence from the American Heart Association Hypertension Council, the Ernest Starling Lectureship Award from the American Physiological Society, and most recently the Harriet Dustan award from the American Heart Association. Dr. Sullivan has a demonstrated commitment to the training of undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, as well as postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members. She creates a challenging and collaborative training environment for all of her trainees while focusing on the needs of each individual.
As dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Sullivan provides vision and leadership for over 45 graduate programs across the ten colleges and schools that make up Augusta University. In this role, she works collaboratively with the leadership to provide a rich intellectual environment for over 2,200 graduate students and partners with units across campus to develop, enhance, and promote graduate student services.
Keynote PM Speaker: C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, MACC, FAHA, FESC
Dr Bairey Merz, MD, is director of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, the Linda Joy Pollin Women’s Heart Health Program, the Erika J. Glazer Women’s Heart Research Initiative, and the Preventive Cardiac Center at the Smidt Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. She also is professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Bairey Merz's research interests include ischemic heart disease, women and cardiovascular disease, mental stress and heart disease, the role of exercise and stress management in reversing disease, the role of cholesterol and nutrition management in heart disease, Takotsubo Syndrome, adverse pregnancy outcomes and cardiovascular disease, and precision medicine monitoring to predict unexpected cardiovascular events. She is chair of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored WISE (Women's Ischemic Syndrome Evaluation) initiative, which is investigating potential methods for more effective diagnosis and evaluation of ischemic heart disease in women.
Dr. Bairey Merz has received investigational grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH-National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine (NCCAM), the National Institutes of Aging (NIA), the Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute, the Pfeiffer Foundation, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Barbra Streisand Foundation, the Erika J. Glazer Women’s Heart Research Initiative, the Society for Women’s Health Research, the Linda Joy Pollin Women’s Heart Health Program, and the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program of the Department of Defense. She has an extensive scientific publication record of over 450 scientific publications and book chapters, and more than 400 abstracts. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, Circulation, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and the Journal of Women's Health.
Dr. Bairey Merz has appeared frequently in the media, recognized as an authority on the subject of heart disease. Her television appearances have included 60 Minutes, the Today Show, Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, NBC Dateline and 20/20. She has also been interviewed for articles published in The New York Times, Ladies Home Journal, US News & World Report and Working Woman Magazine, to name a few.
Dr. Bairey Merz received her bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and her medical degree from Harvard University. She completed her residency at the University of California, San Francisco, where she served as chief medical resident. Dr. Bairey Merz also completed fellowships in clinical cardiology and nuclear cardiology and served as chief cardiology fellow at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Session Speakers
Katie Basham, PhD
Dr. Katie Basham is an assistant professor at the University of Utah and an investigator at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, where her lab studies mechanisms of development, aging, and cancer in the adrenal gland. She received her PhD in oncological sciences from the University of Utah in 2014 and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan as an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow before starting her independent career in 2021.
Brandi Michele Wynne, MS, PhD, FAHA
Brandi Wynne is an assistant professor of internal medicine in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension at the University of Utah. She earned her PhD in Physiology, with a focus on vascular biology and hypertension, from the Medical College of Georgia and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Renal Medicine at Emory University. Her integrative, systems-based research program investigates the immune and inflammatory mechanisms driving salt-sensitive hypertension, with a particular focus on renal resident immune cells, IL-6 signaling, and dietary sodium and fructose as triggers of chronic cardiovascular and kidney disease. She increasingly leverages AI-driven approaches to accelerate biomedical discovery, and has received funding from the NIH, American Heart Association, and ASPET, including the American Society of Nephrology Gottschalk Award.
Keke Fairfax, PhD
Keke Fairfax received her PhD from Yale in microbial pathogenesis in 2009. Her dissertation work focused on identifying novel fatty acid binding proteins in the human hookworm Ancylostoma ceylanicum. She completed her post-doctoral training in Schistosoma mansoni immuno-parasitology with Edward Pearce and Gwendalyn Randolph in 2014. Dr. Fairfax began her independent laboratory at Purdue University in 2014 and moved to the University of Utah in 2018.
The Fairfax Laboratory at the University of Utah broadly focuses on using the helminth parasite Schistosoma mansoni as a tool to understand both, the relative contributions of schistosome antigen vs IL-4 in inducing host immuno-modulation, and the complex interplay between lymphoid and stromal cells necessary to develop an optimal T and B cell memory response. Under this umbrella we currently have three main projects: 1) Understanding the immunological implications of maternal schistosomiasis; 2) Dissecting the role of IL-4 in shaping the cellular environment of peripheral lymph nodes during homeostasis and antigenic challenge; 3) Delineating the mechanistic role of antigen driven immunological re-programing in helminth-induced protection from metabolic diseases.
Enihomo ("Eni") Obadan-Udoh, DDS, MPH
Enihomo (“Eni”) Obadan-Udoh, DDS, MPH, Dr.Med.Sc.is an associate professor of Population Oral Health and Community Dentistry at the University of Utah School of Dentistry. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health and is passionate about innovation and discovery in oral health.
She seeks to expand access to dental care for vulnerable, disadvantaged, and underserved populations using innovative care delivery models and technology-driven solutions; engage patients in activities that promote the quality and safety of dental care; and build a dental learning health system.
She leads two federally funded grants, “Open Smiles Collaborative 2.0: Strengthening the Primary Care Workforce Through Community Engagement” (HRSA) and “Clinical and Translational Research Innovations in Dental Schools” (NIDCR). She is also developing a smartphone-based AI-enabled application (Dental Eyes), to screen children for visible dental conditions, supported by the University of Utah Philanthropic Partners Award.
Christine Cliatt Brown, MD
Dr. Cliatt Brown is an assistant professor of neurology in Cognitive Neurology at the University of Utah and a staff neurologist at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City. She graduated from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, completed her residency in neurology at the University of Utah, and completed her fellowship in behavioral neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Cliatt Brown’s areas of interest are in early-onset and atypical presentations of dementia and Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). She seeks to improve education on dementia diagnosis and management.
Alekses Clifton, MD
Dr. Clifton is from Great Falls, Montana. She went to Washington University in St. Louis for undergrad and University of Wisconsin for medical school. She completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Utah and stayed on as faculty in the Department of Internal Medicine as a primary care physician. Her clinical interests include women health, quality improvement, and clinical operations. She is also actively involved in trainee education and currently teaches first year medical students in pre-clinical didactics and second year medical students in a clinical setting. She is the medical director of the University Internal Medicine Residency Clinic and is creating a new outpatient didactic curriculum for residents. Outside of work she enjoys playing tennis, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Katie Ward PhD, DNP, WHNP
Katie Ward is a clinical professor in the College of Nursing and adjunct professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Utah. Dr. Ward is a women’s health nurse practitioner and nationally certified menopause specialist with an active clinical practice. Additionally, Dr Ward has a PhD in anthropology, where she studies hormones and behavior across the menstrual cycle. Dr. Ward is the cohost of the 7 Domains of Women’s Health Podcast and teaches in the Graduate Nursing program at the University of Utah.
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.
Sara Webb, DNP, APRN, PMHNP‑BC, PMH-C
Sara is an assistant professor (clinical) at the University of Utah College of Nursing and a board‑certified psychiatric–mental health nurse practitioner. She specializes in perinatal mental health, trauma‑related disorders, and advanced psychopharmacology, and provides clinical care in the Behavioral Health Faculty Practice at the Sugarhouse Health Center. Dr. Webb teaches across the DNP PMHNP program and has presented nationally on postpartum PTSD, trauma‑informed infertility care, and mental health screening in women’s health settings.
Grayson Doar, PT, DPT
Grayson Doar is an associate clinical professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at the University of Utah. She is a board-certified clinical specialist in both orthopedic and geriatric physical therapy and a certified exercise expert for the aging adult. Her clinical work focuses on bone health, vestibular disorders, mild traumatic brain injury, and balance and falls prevention. She teaches courses in geriatric rehabilitation and vestibular rehabilitation within the department.
Dr. Doar worked for seven years in the University of Utah Osteoporosis Clinic, where she evaluated and treated individuals diagnosed with low bone mineral density. Her expertise in bone health and fracture prevention informs both her clinical practice and teaching.
She currently serves as communications director for the International Association of Physical Therapists Working with Older People (IPTOP), a world physiotherapy sub-group dedicated to advancing physical therapy practice for older adults worldwide. Grayson is an active advocate for falls prevention throughout the community, including presenting at University of Utah Lifelong Learning classes, educating healthcare providers on fall prevention strategies, and serving on university and state-level committees.
Bryce Wallis, MSCI, PhD Candidate
Bryce Wallis is a PhD candidate in molecular pharmaceutics and OB/GYN family planning at the University of Utah and a trainee with the ASCENT Center for Reproductive Health. She holds a master’s degree in clinical investigation from the University of Utah and a BS in biochemistry from the University of Vermont. Her research focuses on translational reproductive health, including mental health and contraceptive use, ovulation prediction technologies, and the development and evaluation of innovative family planning tools. Her work emphasizes patient-reported outcomes and the integration of emerging technologies to support patient-centered counseling and improve reproductive health care and accessibility across the lifespan.