ORTDD Staff Listing

Biographies

Wilson Compton, MD, MPE 
Deputy Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse 
Biography

Aria Crump, Sc.D.  
Aria Crump, Sc.D. is a behavioral scientist and public health professional who specializes in the social, cognitive, and developmental aspects of risk-taking in adolescence and applications to preventive interventions.  She received her doctoral degree from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and completed postdoctoral studies in prevention research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.  After teaching and conducting research at the University of Maryland in the Department of Public and Community Health, Aria embarked on a career at NIH as a Health Scientist Administrator, dedicated to the advancement of prevention science and empowering the next generation of NIH researchers.  Most recently, she has been involved extensively in NIH efforts centered around studying the social determinants of health and advancing health equity.  Throughout her career, she has consistently sought opportunities to advance diversity in the research workforce. 

Angela Holmes, Ph.D. 
Angela Holmes joined the NIDA Office of Diversity and Health Disparities in July 2020 as a Diversity and Disparities Program Officer (Health Science Administrator). She currently manages and oversees the NIDA Diversity Supplement Program. Before joining extramural research, Angela did her postdoctoral fellowship in Movement Disorders with a focus on cervical dystonia in NINDS, completed a detail as a Health Program Specialist in the NINDS Division of Translational Research and had government contract positions at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Defense Centers for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. She also had the opportunity to do an internship in the American Psychological Association’s Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs whose goals were focused on increasing the recruitment, retention and training of underrepresented groups in psychology. She earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Georgetown University with support from a diversity NRSA predoctoral fellowship and received postdoctoral training at NIH in the NINDS Human Motor Control Section with diversity supplement support. She earned a B.S. in Psychology and a M.S. in Clinical Psychology from the University of the District of Columbia.

Lindsey Friend, Ph.D. 
Lindsey Friend is a Research Training and Career Development Program Officer (Health Science Administrator) in the Office of Research Training, Diversity, and Health Disparities at the National institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Her priority is to assist NIDAs extramural research training and career development programs. Lindsey received her doctorate in neuroscience from Brigham Young University where she studied cocaine and cannabinoid effects on reward circuitry.  She did a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development studying glutamate receptor physiology before joining NIDA in 2020.

Julie Huffman 
Julie Huffman joined the NIDA Office of Diversity and Health Disparities (ODHD) in July 2013. Prior to joining the ODHD she was in the NIDA Division Neuroscience and Behavioral. She brings over 20 years of government experience to the ODHD and has served in multiple DHHS agencies. Mrs. Huffman’s primary responsibilities include maintaining the ODHD participant databases for the diversity supplement, seminar series, and summer internship programs, tracking program participants’ NIH grant and application records, as well as handling logistical actions for the Office. She is the coordinator of the NIDA summer research internship program which includes pre­ and post­program activities and communication with participants and Principal Investigators.

Isabela Ellenwood, MPH 
Isabela Ellenwood is a Diversity, Disparities, and Training Program Analyst in the Office of Diversity and Health Disparities (ODHD). Ms. Ellenwood joined NIDA in August 2020 and performs analysis on the office’s programs and initiatives aimed to promote diversity and support career development for NIDA trainees. She comes to NIDA from the DHHS, Office of the Secretary, where she began her federal career as a Pathways Intern in 2017 and upon graduation in 2019, became a Management Program Analyst. Isabela has a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration with a concentration in Assisted Living/Senior Housing Administration and a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Community Health Promotion. She sparked an interest in the health field when she encountered uninsured individuals and was able to experience firsthand the impact that social determinants have on health. Her interests in the health of racial/ethnic minorities, substance use and addiction research, and a passion for eliminating health disparities makes her beyond excited to be a part of the NIDA, ODHD.

Kelley Villers 
Kelley Villers re-joined the NIDA team as a Program Specialist in October 2022. Before her return, she spent three years as an Army Civilian serving as a program manager supporting the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Detrick and the Medical Research and Development Command. Prior to her time as an Army Civilian, Ms. Villers served as Executive Assistant to Deputy Director of NIDA, Dr. Wilson Compton but, began her Federal Civilian service with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), working in the Office of the Director where she supported Drs. Anthony Fauci and Hugh Auchincloss. Prior to her Federal Civilian service, she served for 6 years in the U.S. Army, including one tour to Germany and a deployment to Iraq where she received a battlefield promotion. She was honorably discharged as a Non-Commissioned Officer in 2016 and earned her Bachelor’s in History, with a minor in Business Administration, in 2017. In her free time, Ms. Villers enjoys cruising with her husband in their 64 ½ Mustang, actively participates in feral cat rescue and population control, and works with local historic committees associated with their home overlooking Antietam Battlefield.

Yohansa Fernández, Ph.D. 
Yohansa Fernández serves as a Social and Behavioral Scientist Administrator at the National institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) within the Office of Research Training, Diversity, and Disparities. Before her role at ORTDD, Yohansa was a postdoctoral fellow at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University where her program of research focused on identifying and addressing the intricate mechanisms that contribute to health disparities among communities with intersecting marginalized identities. She is passionate about promoting health equity and establishing sustainable infrastructures that ensure the success and training of diverse scientists. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from New York University.