Baranova is an associate professor in the Department of Molecular and Microbiology. She is working in collaboration with researchers at Inova Fairfax Hospital on several projects related to metabolic syndrome, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis C and is hopeful that this research will eventually lead to the development of prognostic biomarkers. Baranova holds a doctorate from Moscow State University. Her research interests include molecular pathways in human tissues with an emphasis on cancer and metabolic diseases, computational and comparative genomics. She is using a systems biology approach to the functional genomics and pathways analysis of complex human disorders.

Andrew Carle is an internationally recognized expert on senior housing and care. He has written extensively about, and presented nationally and internationally on, the best models of Alzheimer’s care including the 1950s inspired Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, Connecticut. Carle conducts research related to the quality of housing options for seniors and designed the Alzheimer’s facilities for a national “Top 10” assisted living provider. According to Carle, more than one-third of the nation’s 40,000 assisted living and continuing care retirement communities offer some type of Alzheimer’s care. However, families considering such housing need to know what to look for in terms of staffing, programming and facility design.

Jane Flinn is examining the role of metals, particularly zinc, iron and copper, in the brain tissue of Alzheimer’s patients. She is also studying the effects of metal levels in drinking water on behavior and on plaque development. Flinn, who holds a doctorate in psychology from George Washington University and a doctorate in physics from Oxford University, has long been focused on the biological bases of learning and memory. She recently completed a study — conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey — that focuses on the effects of enhanced zinc on spatial memory and plaque formation in transgenic (or genetically modified) mice.

Gillevet has been the lead scientist at the Environmental Biocomplexity and Ecology group at George Mason University since 1996. This group focuses on using state-of-the-art molecular techniques to study problems in molecular environmental sciences and genomic evolution. Gillevet is also the director of Mason’s new MicroBiome Analysis Center where he and his team of researchers are studying bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa within the human body. The effect of these organisms on human health will be a major focus of research at the center where investigators will explore microbial imbalances on or within the gut, mouth, respiratory tract and urinary and reproductive systems.

Prior to joining Mason, Gillevet was the technical director of the University of Illinois’ Center for Prokaryotic Genome Analysis from 1988 to 1990 and served as the director of Harvard University’s Harvard Genome Laboratory from 1990 to 1993. He established an integrated fluorescent sequencing facility at the National Center for Human Genome Research from 1993 to 1996. Gillevet holds a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Manitoba. His research interests include molecular environmental biology, molecular evolution, genomics, Crohn’s Disease, and bioinformatics.

Hadley is a professor and senior health services researcher in the Department of Health Administration and Policy. Hadley received a B.A. in economics from Brandeis University in 1968 and a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University in 1975. He previously served as a principal research associate with The Urban Institute's Health Policy Center and a senior fellow at the Center for Studying Health System Change. His prior positions include professor and director of the Institute for Health Care Research and Policy at Georgetown University, board member and president of AcademyHealth, and editor of Inquiry. Hadley has conducted extensive research related to the financing and costs of care used by the uninsured, as well as the scope of health insurance coverage, medical education financing, and the effects of managed care on health delivery systems. Much of his work has analyzed large databases such as national household and physician surveys, Medicare claims and national hospital data in order to understand patient, provider, and system responses to policy changes. Currently, Hadley's research focuses primarily on issues related to costs and efficiency in the Medicare program. He is also conducting a study in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute that will investigate methodological issues in using observational data to evaluate the outcomes of alternative cancer treatments for elderly patients.