The Management Core of iTech is housed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Led by Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman, the Management Core is responsible for the supervision and decision-making of the entire iTech network. The Management Core carefully monitors and evaluates performance of each research study at respective clinical sites.
The Management Core is part of the Behavior and Technology Lab (BATLab) at UNC’s Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID). The IGHID is at the center of a campus-wide effort where scientists, researchers and clinicians from all over campus collaborate on all aspects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The BATLab’s mission is to facilitate health behavior change through conducting technology-based research on all aspects of sexual health including factors that impact the acquisition and transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH
Principal Investigator
Lisa B. Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH is a Professor of Medicine in the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and a Professor of Health Behavior in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC). Dr. Hightow-Weidman is the director of the Behavior and Technology Lab (BATLab) at UNC and is an expert in the development, implementation and evaluation of digital health interventions (DHIs) to address the HIV Care Continuum for adolescents and young adults, particularly among sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. She has developed DHIs to address uptake and adherence to biomedical HIV prevention technologies, as well as intervening to increase HIV diagnosis, linkage and retention in care for SGM youth. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles on these topics and has a proven track record of successful funding from the National Institutes of Health, HIV/AIDS Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She also is a practicing clinician and has been providing care to youth living with or at risk for HIV at UNC since 2001.
Site: Chapel Hill
Kristina Felder Claude, MPH
Protocol Specialist
Kristina joins iTech as a Protocol Specialist. She received a MPH in Health Behavior from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a B.A. from the University of Michigan. Kristina's public health experience has included project management and intimate partner violence response and prevention. Prior to joining the iTech team Kristina worked at the Durham VA Medical Center managing research projects within the Cooperative Studies Program Epidemiology Center and as a family violence case manager at a local domestic violence agency. In her spare time Kristina enjoys playing with her dog, reading, and trying new restaurants in the Triangle area. Protocols: Get Connected, P3, LifeSteps, We Prevent, ePrEP
Elijah Dean, MSW
Systems & Communications Manager
Elijah is the Systems & Communications Manager for iTech and the BATLab, currently focusing on social media recruitment efforts and . He holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington with a focus on community-centered integrative practice and previously earned a B.S. in Sociology from Virginia Tech. Previous experience includes several years in direct practice for mental health crisis stabilization and serving as a community advocate and researcher developing an initiative to train healthcare providers on LGBTQ breast health and cultural sensitivity. In his spare time, Elijah does transcription work for documentaries and podcasts, gardens, and tries to tire out his cats and dog.
Angie Eaton
Business Manager
Angie has been with UNC-Chapel Hill for over 5 years and has extensive knowledge in grant accounting. Angie has worked in Finance for 20+ years and has worked with Dr. Hightow-Weidman for the past 3 years. She brings experience in pre and post award implementation as well.Her grant experience has been with CDC, NIH, HRSA and the US Department of Education.
Cheryl Hendrickson
Regulatory Coordinator
Cheryl has worked in research for 20 years, previously with industry sponsors. She has been at UNC as a Regulatory Coordinator for four years, working on investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored trials in the areas of global women's health and infectious diseases. Protocols: P3, Life Steps, We Prevent, ePrEP, TechStep
Drew Mcgee
Recruitment & Retention Specialist
Drew is a Social/Clinical Research Assistant at the BATLab, where he works on content creation for P3: Prepared, Protected, emPowered. He recently graduated from UNC’s School of Public Health where he focused in Health Policy & Management and worked on My Rights, My Resources, a health care navigation workshop for transgender youth in North Carolina. He enjoys going hiking and going through drive-thrus with his dog Fang. Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jessica Mitchell, MS
Protocol Specialist
Jessica Mitchell joins the iTech and BATLab teams as a Protocol Specialist. Jessica has over seven years of public and global health experience, including in project management, monitoring and evaluation, and grant and contract management. Before joining BATLab, Jessica worked on a chronic disease program at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, supported global sexual and reproductive health and rights programs at Pathfinder International and Population Services International, and worked on monitoring and evaluation for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Sri Lanka. She holds an MS in Development Management from American University’s School of International Service, where she specialized in project monitoring and evaluation, and a BA in English from Tulane University. . Protocols: YouTHrive, MyChoices, LYNX, Tech Step, COMPARE
Dania Munson
Regulatory Coordinator
Dania is a regulatory coordinator and has been with the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases since January of 2008. Dania handles all UNC IRB and NC Department of Corrections/Department of Public Safety submissions, queries, and issues to ensure that studies are IRB and DOC/DPS approved. She works primarily with the iTech/BATLab, Acute HIV Infection/Cure, and Prison groups. She enjoys event planning, knitting, arts and crafts projects, and doing mosaics.” Protocols: YouTHrive, Get Connected, LYNX, MyChoices, COMPARE
Jacob Stocks, MSc-GH
Research Assistant
Jacob is joining the BATLab and iTech teams as a Research Assistant. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, minoring in Chemistry and Spanish for the Medical Professions. Before joining the BATLab, Jacob earned a Master of Science in Global Health from Duke University where he helped to develop and evaluate a mobile phone application to support community health volunteers during cervical cancer screening in Western Kenya. At the BATLab, he hopes to gain a better understanding of how mobile technologies and related behavioral interventions can be leveraged to improve health outcomes and affect change. In his spare time, Jacob enjoys completing woodworking projects and watching TED talks.
