R3EDI Hub People

Raul U. Hernandez-Ramirez is a Research Scientist in Biostatistics at the Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science (CMIPS) and Director of the Dissemination and Implementation Science Methods (DISM) Core at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA). His research mainly focuses on HIV/AIDS, cancer, and implementation science (IS). He also conducts research to develop and apply causal inference methods for the evaluation of HIV prevention interventions and methods to account for exposure uncertainty in environmental health studies. He collaborates on research projects and grants in New Haven and other settings in the US, as well as in low- and middle-income countries, including Mexico and others. He is interested in adapting/developing and applying interventions to increase the uptake of evidence-based interventions and practices for prevention and care of HIV and of cancer (e.g., follow up care for abnormal cervical cancer screens) and strategies to enable their implementation. He is a member of the Yale Cancer Center (YCC) and the Yale Institute for Global Health (YIGH). He provides expertise, consultations, and technical assistance and seminars and trainings on IS and research methods, design, and analysis to CIRA affiliates through CIRA’s DISM core and and projects in Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) priority areas through the CIRA affiliated IS hub R3EDI (Rigorous, Rapid, & Relevant Evidence aDaptation & Implementation to EHE). He completed a PhD in Public Health (Chronic Disease Epidemiology) at Yale and conducted part of his doctoral dissertation research as a predoctoral visiting fellow at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He subsequently completed the Training Institute for Dissemination and Implementation Research in Cancer (TIDIRC) and the Multilevel Intervention Training Institute (MLTI) from NCI, as well as the training in optimization of multicomponent interventions using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) by Dr. Linda Collins. Before coming to Yale, he gained substantial research experience in nutrition, environment health, and cancer at the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico. He spent several years in Mexico working as a researcher and instructor and was the project coordinator, data manager, and main statistician for a multistate study. He previously obtained a MSc in Epidemiology and a BSc in Nutrition.

Dr. Nikita Rao is a health outcomes researcher whose work spans health disparities, place-based social determinants of health, and applied health economics. At the Yale School of Public Health, she leads analyses for pilot randomized controlled trials, conducts psychometric evaluations of mental health and behavioral measures, and supports systematic reviews and data dashboard development to advance Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) research. Her doctoral training at Georgia State University included a multi-method dissertation integrating multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, and meta-analysis to understand how social determinants shape health equity, alongside a postdoctoral fellowship focused on mapping care pathways for unhoused individuals in Atlanta. Prior to her PhD, Dr. Rao worked as a clinical outcomes researcher at the University of Washington and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, contributing to multicenter clinical trials, regulatory processes, and the development and validation of patient-reported outcome measures.

Dr. Simon is an Associate Research Scientist in Public Health () and the Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science (CMIPS) at the Yale School of Public Health. She is a social epidemiologist whose research focuses on social and behavioral determinants of health, parenting, and community engagement. She applies both qualitative and quantitative methods to strengthen our understanding of the social and behavioral pathways that influence health and wellbeing of high-risk and vulnerable populations such as people impacted by HIV and justice-impacted populations. Dr. Simon has co-authored peer-reviewed articles and a book chapter addressing Black Mental Health. She has presented her research domestically and internationally, including at the Danish and European Parliaments.