Dr. Hind A. Baydoun is a Research Health Science Specialist at NCHAV. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Iowa, as well as an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, a BS in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a BS in Biology from the American University of Beirut. At NCHAV, her work primarily involves utilizing advanced statistical methods to support projects that target chronic disease prevention, addressing housing instability, homelessness, and justice-involved Veterans. With over 20 years of experience in academic, healthcare, and federal government environments, Dr. Baydoun has previously held positions as a Statistician with the Defense Health Agency at the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, an Epidemiologist with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in the Graduate Program in Public Health at Eastern Virginia Medical School. She has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and presented over 90 abstracts in the areas of reproductive, chronic disease, and social epidemiology.

Dr. Rebecca Kinney is a Health Services Researcher with a focus on healthcare access and utilization among underserved veterans. Dr. Kinney received her Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and completed her PhD in Population Sciences and Health Outcomes Research at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. She specializes in a mixed methods approach employing both quantitative and qualitative methods to her program evaluation, implementation science, and research efforts. Dr. Kinney’s most recent studies involved equity in diabetes care delivery and clinical practice, unsheltered homelessness, trauma informed care, food insecurity/quality, and patient engagement. Over the past year, Rebecca has worked closely with Dr. Tsai to explore how to better engage the most destitute unsheltered Veterans and better transition these individuals to sustainable, permanent housing. Additionally, given her interest in health care equity and access to care, she has worked closely with Dr. Casey and his team over the past few years to examine the impact of a trauma informed care approach in delivering Veteran care. Rebecca’s professional interests include health care access (e.g.., remote care), equity, and continuity of care among underserved populations.

Dr. Amanda Edwards Stewart is a clinical psychologist and researcher at NCHAV. She earned her PhD and MA in Clinical Psychology from Seattle Pacific University, and her MS and BS in Psychology from Evangel University. As a Clinical Investigator at NCHAV, Dr. Stewart focuses on assessing clinical interventions aimed at enhancing the lives and mental health of Veterans who are currently or have previously experienced homelessness. Before joining VA, Dr. Stewart worked as a subject matter expert in developing and evaluating technology solutions and spent twelve years as a clinical psychologist and researcher with active-duty military personnel.

Dr. Dorota Szymkowiak is a Health Science Specialist at NCHAV focusing on Veterans experiencing homelessness and housing instability. She completed a PhD in Medical Sociology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Dr. Szymkowiak specializes in quantitative analyses of administrative data, including the electronic medical record as well as the Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Dr. Szymkowiak’s current studies seek to delineate long-term outcomes for homeless Veterans within VHA, understand how best to engage Veterans at ongoing surge events, and to describe the extent of Veterans’ utilization of non-VA medical care in the community. She has been with NCHAV for 10 years and previously worked with a variety of data in public health settings. Dr. Szymkowiak’s professional interests include optimizing VHA healthcare and homeless programs performance to ultimately optimize outcomes for Veterans experiencing homelessness and housing instability.