Velarie Ansu, Ph.D.
Biography: Velarie Ansu is currently a T32 postdoctoral fellow at the Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami. Velarie received her doctoral degree from the Indiana School of Public Health Bloomington where she majored in health behavior (Nutrition) with minors in epidemiology and biostatistics. She also has a master’s degree in nutrition from Utah State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in consumer science from the University of Ghana. Velarie’s research examines the role of diet, sleep, and circadian rhythms on cardiometabolic health. This work seeks to improve the alignment between diet, sleep, and circadian rhythms as targets for preventing diseases. She also has an interest in utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) tools in understanding sleep, nutrition, and health research to enable personalized recommendations as well as identify patterns in health behaviors that can be used to predict disease risk. Velarie is currently a trainee of the National Institutes of Health’s AIM-AHEAD AI-READI Training program. Her goal is to be able to have a comprehensive understanding of AI/ML technologies that will be utilized to improve health.
Edilin Edgecomb, M.D.
Biography: Edilin Edgecomb, MD, is a T32 Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. She earned her Doctor of Medicine with a concentration in Epidemiology and Public Health from O&Med School of Medicine, Universidad Dominicana O&M, and completed advanced clinical research training at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. With extensive experience in thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, robotic-assisted surgical outcomes, health disparities, and community-based research, Dr. Edgecomb completed advanced postdoctoral training at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, leading multi-institutional trials and collaborating with MedTech industry partners to generate real-world evidence. At TSCS, she advances medical interventions through PCORI-funded clinical trials evaluating medical devices, pharmacotherapy, and psychotherapy to optimize patient outcomes in obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and depression among underserved communities in South Florida.
Carla Gibbs, Ph.D.
Biography: Dr. Carla Gibbs was born in Miami, FL. She received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences with an emphasis in Biochemistry from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, in May 2023. She is trained in a broad scope of science immunology techniques, and contemporary molecular biology research methods. These techniques include DNA genetic engineering, flow cytometry, and pre-clinical research. She completed her graduate training in the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics (LCBG) at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NCI-NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Gibbs has many years of experience in scientific outreach and as a scientific policy advocate.
Her expertise is in inflammatory and epigenetic pathways, which now include novel pathways in neurodegenerative diseases. Through identifying biomarkers at the intersection of inflammation and sleep disturbances, Dr. Gibbs uses bioinformatic tools and artificial intelligence to develop our understanding of neurodegenerative disease by mining data retrieved from NIH-R01 funded studies, ESSENTIAL and MOSAIC. Dr. Gibbs is mentored by Dr. Jean-Louis and Dr. Rundek.
Carolina Scaramutti Gladfelter, Ph.D.
Biography: Carolina Scaramutti, Ph.D., LMHC, is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Department of Data Science and Informatics. She currently leads a decentralized clinical trial funded by Merck, aimed at increasing the participation of underrepresented populations in clinical trials. Dr. Scaramutti is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Florida, with research centered on the intersection of data science, digital health, and mental health. Her work focuses on leveraging digital health tools to improve psychophysiological well-being and enhance family dynamics through technology-driven, evidence-based interventions.
Mascha Korsch, Ph.D.
Biography: Mascha Korsch, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. She earned her doctoral degree in 2024 from the University of Miami, specializing in pancreatic cancer research and therapeutic drug development. Dr. Korsch subsequently transitioned into the Department of Data Science and Informatics, where she currently engages in advanced research at the intersection of computational biology, artificial intelligence (AI), and data sciences.
Her current research initiatives include investigating correlations between discrimination and sleep disorders among Hispanic communities in South Florida, aiming to inform interventions and preventive measures addressing sleep health disparities. Dr. Korsch also leads multiple pioneering projects within digital and AI-enabled personalized medicine, collaborating closely with industry partners to develop innovative "digital brain twin" technologies for precision disease modeling. Additionally, Dr. Korsch is committed to mitigating diagnostic biases in dermatological AI applications by developing extensive image repositories emphasizing darker skin tones. Her efforts are seeking to enhance the diagnostic accuracy and inclusivity of AI-driven skin lesion detection tools.
Brittany Larsen, Ph.D.
Biography: Early in her career, Dr. Brittany Larsen practiced as a Registered Dietitian. While practicing, she was astounded by the sheer abundance in the gaps in knowledge regarding how to most optimally support health from a nutritional standpoint. This realization ignited strong interest in an entirely new career trajectory: research. Consequently, she returned to graduate school after 2 1/2 years of practice, during which time she also discovered early on that my greatest passion was for the field of neuroscience. After this realization, she then pursued a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Iowa State University, where she joined a laboratory that conducted research in Alzheimer's disease.
After graduating from her Ph.D. program in 2023, she completed her first postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she conducted research on neurobiology underlying nicotine and food addiction. However, it was during this position that she realized my greatest research passion was in Alzheimer's disease. She consequently joined the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as a postdoctoral scholar in January 2025 in order to pursue this research passion. Specifically, she is a neuroscientist whose core research interests are the investigation of novel biobehavioral solutions to reduce Alzheimer's disease risk, progression, and Alzheimer's-associated brain pathology. In addition, she is also interested in researching the use of digital devices (predominantly neuroimaging approaches) to explore potential therapeutics for more effective diagnosis of as well as prediction for Alzheimer's disease. In spite of Alzheimer's disease being discovered in 1906 by Alois Alzheimer, there are still many unanswered questions about the disease as well as the mechanisms that underlie it. She aims to change this through the power of research.
Francisco M. Oliva, Ph.D.
Biography: Francisco M. Oliva, PhD, is a T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He earned his PhD in Health Sciences from Youngstown State University, where he investigated serotonin receptor signaling and monoamine regulation in cancer biology. His research advances his "SADness" framework, examining how chronic Stress, Anxiety, and Depression reshape monoamine systems to influence tumor development & progression. Born and raised in Miami, he is exploring how sleep and circadian disruption interact with stress biology to address health disparities in the communities he calls home.
BreAnne Young, Ph.D., MSPH
Biography: BreAnne Young, PhD, MSPH, is a T32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. A triple University of Miami alumna, Dr. Young earned her PhD in Prevention Science and Community Health in the Department of Public Health Sciences, where her work focused on adapting and implementing evidence-based interventions for communities disproportionately impacted by HIV. She brings over a decade of experience in equity-focused and community-engaged research, partnering with priority populations to design and deliver culturally responsive interventions.
At TSCS, Dr. Young’s research integrates social, behavioral, and biological perspectives to examine how sleep and circadian processes influence cardiometabolic health. Her work leverages implementation science to optimize intervention delivery and advance sustainable, community-centered outcomes.
