Carly M. Goldstein, PhD, FAACVPR
Principal Investigator
pronouns: she/her/hers
Dr. Carly Goldstein, PhD, FAACVPR, is the Principal Investigator of the EMPOWER ME Study. She is an Assistant Professor (Research) at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a Research Scientist at The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center. She received her PhD from Kent State University and completed her clinical psychology residency and cardiovascular behavioral medicine T32 fellowship at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her research focuses on improving access and outcomes for cardiac rehabilitation patients and those at risk for cardiovascular disease. Her research uses novel optimization designs, digital health, implementation science, science communication best practices, and participatory methods to maximize effectiveness and minimize burden for patients, providers, and healthcare systems.
Graham Thomas, PhD
Co-Investigator
pronouns: he/him/his
J. Graham Thomas, PhD, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Brown Alpert Medical School and Associate Director of the Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center of The Miriam Hospital. He is trained as a clinical psychologist and his research is focused on the use of digital health technology to understand and influence health behaviors, particularly those related to weight and weight-related illness. Dr. Thomas is committed to finding ways to reduce the burden of making behavioral changes to improve health, improve access to effective tools and treatments, and improve the overall wellbeing of patients while doing so.
Emily Gathright, PhD
Co-Investigator
pronouns: she/her/hers
Dr. Gathright is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at East Carolina University and a clinical psychologist. Dr. Gathright's research seeks to develop and test interventions that mitigate the impact of psychosocial (e.g., depression) and behavioral (e.g., medication adherence) contributors to cardiac risk in aging adults. Dr. Gathright's most recent work has focused on values-based interventions. Through this work, Dr. Gathright hopes to support aging adults with cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions in working towards meaningful and healthy aging.
LaPrincess C. Brewer, MD, MPH
Co-Investigator
pronouns: she/her/hers
Dr. Brewer is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Preventive Cardiology within the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She has a primary research focus in developing strategies to reduce and ultimately eliminate cardiovascular disease health disparities in racial and ethnic minority populations and in underserved communities through health promotion and community-based participatory research. Dr. Brewer also has special interest in increasing minority and women's participation in cardiovascular clinical trials through mobile health (mHealth) interventions. Additionally, she has published work on faith-based interventions for cardiovascular disease prevention, racial differences in weight maintenance and psychosocial factors influencing cardiovascular risk factors.
David Barker, PhD
Co-Investigator/Biostatistician
pronouns: he/him/his
Dr. Barker is a staff psychologist at Rhode Island Hospital in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is a licensed clinical psychologist who earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in 2003. He obtained his Ph.D. in Pediatric Health Psychology from the University of Miami in 2010. He completed his internship and a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University. His research is focused on the social context of health behaviors in pediatric populations, applied statistical modeling in pediatric psychology and sleep science, and applying causal modeling techniques to evidence synthesis of individual-participant-data from clinical trials.
Kelley Kidwell, PhD
Consultant/Biostatistician
pronouns: she/her/hers
Kelley Kidwell, Ph.D., is a Professor and Associate Chair of Academic Affairs of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is an expert in large and small sample sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART) design and analysis. She is the primary investigator of FDA and PCORI methods contracts to advance SMART design and analyses, and has been a co-investigator on many NIH and industry funded, clinical trial grants. Her current focus is on enhancing small sample clinical trial design and methods and incorporating patient treatment preferences into clinical trials.
Kristen Walaska, BS
Senior Research Project Director
pronouns: she/her/hers
Kristen is a Senior Research Project Director at the Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center of The Miriam Hospital. She
received her Bachelor of Science degree from Rhode Island College in
Health Education with a concentration in Community Health and her
Associates Degree in Fine Arts and Science from the Community College of
Rhode Island. She completed her volunteer work and internship at the
Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine back in 2009 and has been
employed within the Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at
Lifespan/Brown University Health since 2011. Her background in
Health Education and Community Engagement led to her interest in mobile
health technology and the impact it has as a whole within different
populations. Kristen has contributed her expertise to projects targeting
physical activity and other health behaviors across multiple
populations such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and weight loss
and control. She is passionate about how technology can be used through
out research to help people and communities learn, improve their
physical health/behaviors and thrive.
Kevin O'Leary, MS
Clinical Research Technologist
pronouns: he/him/his
Kevin O’Leary is a Clinical Research Technologist at the Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center of the Miriam Hospital. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Elon University in Exercise/Sport Science and his Master of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Kinesiology specializing in Biobehavioral Kinesiology. He has been working at the WCDRC since 2011 and his background in exercise psychology led him to continue trying to understand the connection between the brain and the body induced by both single-bouts and long-term exercise. More recently, he has become the technological liaison at the WCDRC aiding in the creation of lesson content and data processing/management.
Rivkah Cohen, BA
Community Outreach Specialist
pronouns: they/them/theirs
Rivkah is the in-house specialist for community-based research at the center where the Heart Health Lab is based. They hold a Bachelor of Arts in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from Boston University. They got their start in health equity research with the Partners in Contraceptive Choice and Knowledge at Boston University School of Medicine. Together, these experiences help them tailor our research for intersecting perspectives of race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identities, neurodivergence, low-income status, and more.
Ben Ladd, BA
Senior Research Assistant
pronouns: he/him/his
Ben graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in Psychology in 2022 and has been working as a senior research assistant at the Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center since. He chose this position so he could apply his knowledge of behavioral psychology to help individuals with chronic health illnesses manage their condition and strive towards living the life that they want to live. He particularly enjoys teaching patients how to use new health and fitness technology. When asked why, he replied, "Witnessing the impact these technologies have on their daily behaviors and habits is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my job."
Max Rome, BS
Research Case Management Specialist
pronouns: he/him/his
Max Rome graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in exercise science in 2025. Given his background in strength and conditioning, his training in cardiac rehab, and his dedication for improving individuals’ health and performance, he looks forward to working with study participants. As part of the team, he embraces the opportunity to help people with chronic conditions feel better each day. Passionate about supporting others, Max is committed to making a difference in every person's journey to improved health.
Sarah Leduc, MS
Research Assistant
pronouns: she/her/hers
Sarah graduated from Quinnipiac University with a bachelor's degree in biomedical science in 2024 and a master's degree in biomedical science in 2025. She chose this position so she can assist individuals in managing chronic health conditions and further improve their quality of life. She is passionate about increasing research in underrepresented groups, as well as the utilization of technology to assist in the management of chronic health conditions.
Intervention Content Creators
Paola Brena Ortiz, MS
pronouns: she/her/hers
Paola Brena, Master of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology, holding a certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). With expertise in exercise science and cardiac rehabilitation, Currently working as a Cardiac Rehab Specialist for Dean Ornish Intensive Cardiac Rehab, where we help patients recover and improve cardiovascular health through tailored exercise programs and holistic approaches.
