Team
Executive Committee and Program Staff

Peter C. Hauser, Ph.D.
Progam Director/PI at RIT/NTID
Steven L. Barnett, M.D.
Program Director/PI at URMC


Jess Cuculick, PhD
Co-Professional Development Director at RIT/NTID
Tiffany Panko, M.D.
Co-Professional Development Director at RIT/NTID

Jason Nordhaus, PhD
PhD Readiness Director
PJ Simpson-Haidaris, PhD
Co-Science Education Director at URMC

Elaine Smolock, PhD
Co-Science Education Director at URMC
Patricia White, PhD
Co-Science Education Director at URMC
Nikki Cherry, M.Ed.
Co-Program Coordinator and Designated Interpreter ar RIT/NTID
Jessica Contreras
Co-Program Coordinator at RIT/NTID
Alaina Mairano
Co-Program Coordinator at URMC
Kat Womack
Designated Interpreter at RIT/NTID
Caroline Callahan
Co-Program Coordinator at URMC
Oversight Committee
- Vivian Lewis, M.D., Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity, UR
- Edith M. Lord, Ph.D., Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education at UR Medical Center
- Daniel Ornt, M.D., Vice President and Dean, Institute of Health Sciences and Technology, RIT
- Richard Pederson, Ph.D., Assistant Dean & Director, NTID Access Services
- Twyla Cummings, Ph.D., Dean of Graduate Education, RIT
- James Hall, Ph.D., Executive Director, School of Individualized Study, RIT
- Robert Pollard, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Research, NTID, RIT
- Ryne Raffaelle, Ph.D., Vice President for Research and Associate Provost, RIT
- Louisa Bennetto, Ph.D., Associate Professor, UR
- Alan Hurwitz, Ed.D. Former President of NTID and Gallaudet
The Bridges mission is to increase the number of deaf and hard of hearing scientists in behavioral and biomedical science fields.