About the BRIGHT Center

The BRIGHT Center, based at the Medical University of South Carolina, is an NIH-funded research center with a focus on increasing capacity of early-stage investigators to conduct research that addresses access to and quality of care for people who have experienced trauma.The Center will provide research infrastructure and apply interconnected strategies among resources that coordinate patient-centered research and care, engage communities, and focus on populations experiencing trauma.

Four Cores are housed within the BRIGHT Center:

• Administrative
• Digital Health
• Community Engagement
• Dissemination & Implementation Science

Faculty and Staff

Administrative Core

Executive Director / Principal Investigator: Carla Kmett Danielson, PhD
Co-Director: Kenneth Ruggiero, PhD
Pilot Project Program Directors: Carla Kmett Danielson, PhD and Cristina M. Lopez, PhD
Quantitative Statistics Lead: Mulugeta Gebregziabher, PhD
Qualitative Analysis Lead: Angela Moreland-Johnson, PhD
Quantitative Statistician: Kinfe Bishu, PhD
Lead Evaluator: Faraday Davies, MA
Program Manager / Pilot Project Program Administrator: Charli Kirby, BA

Digital Health Core

Core Director: Kenneth Ruggiero, PhD
Associate Core Director: Jihad Obeid, MD
Assistant Core Director: Leigh Ridings, PhD
Administrator: Tonya Hazelton, MS

Community Engagement Core

Core Director: Marvella Ford, PhD
Associate Core Director: Cristina M. Lopez, PhD
Assistant Core Director: Colleen Halliday, PhD
Administrator: Tonya Hazelton, MS

Dissemination & Implementation Science Core

Core Director: Rochelle Hanson, PhD
Associate Director: Dee Ford, MD, MSCR
Assistant Director: Emily Johnson, PhD 
Consultant: Alex Dopp, PhD