Scientific Grants Review Committee

Dr. Geoffrey Balkman

Dr. Grace Hillyer

Egondu Onuoha

MS, RDN, CDN, IBCLC, CDE/CDCES, GPC, FAND, FILCA

Dr. Lark Perez

 

The formation of the Scientific Grants Review Committee is a vital step in the SUDC Foundation’s ongoing mission to drive groundbreaking research to better understand, predict, and ultimately prevent Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC).

The Scientific Grants Review Committee will play a pivotal role in guiding the Foundation’s research strategy and shaping the future of SUDC research. Composed of experts from diverse scientific disciplines and extensive experience in grants management, the Committee will be responsible for reviewing grant applications and advising the Board of Directors on research priorities. The Committees’ collective expertise will ensure that our research investments are directed toward the most promising and impactful studies.

The creation of the Scientific Grants Review Committee also underscores the Foundation’s commitment to fostering collaboration and innovation within the scientific community as we work toward a future free of SUDC.

To learn more about the Scientific Grants Review Committee, please visit: https://sudc.org/scientific-grant-review-committee-member/

Interested in Joining the Committee? Apply Here

Together with the expertise and dedication of our members, the Scientific Grants Review Committee is poised to accelerate progress and empower the SUDC Foundation’s mission to advance research that brings us closer to living in a world without SUDC.

Scientific Advisory Board

The SUDC Foundation Scientific Advisory Board was created to influence the priorities of SUDC resources to address the Foundation’s mission, the accurate dissemination of information regarding SUDC and provide scientific expertise to benefit the SUDC cause. The board is made up of researchers, clinicians and medicolegal death investigative professionals. These professionals offer advice and provide expertise in areas related to achieving the mission of the Foundation and helping to serve the needs of the SUDC community. 

Dominic Abrams, MD, MRCP
Michael J. Ackerman, MD
Thomas A. Andrew, MD, FCAP, FAAP
Andrew M. Baker, MD
Orrin Devinsky, MD
James Claude Upshaw Downs, MD
Thomas Keens, MD
Joanne Kuntz, MD
Kelly C. Lear, MD
Peter Lin, MD
Deborah A. Robinson
Roger Byard, MD
Ross Reichard, MD
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Dr. Geoffrey Balkman

Geoffrey Balkman, PhD, CPO, is a Certified Prosthetist-Orthotist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington. He conducts research at the University of Washington Center on Outcomes Research in Rehabilitation and teaches in the Master of Prosthetics and Orthotics clinical education program. He has served as principal investigator on grant awards funded by the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association and The Orthotics and Prosthetics Foundation.

 

His research efforts have primarily focused on measuring health outcomes of people who use orthotic braces or prosthetic limbs. He has training and expertise in research study design, survey development, and outcomes assessment. He also has experience serving as a research committee member and grant reviewer for professional organizations. Since his 7-year-old son, Carson, died in his sleep in 2022, Dr. Balkman has been eager to contribute his skills to SUDC research and looks forward to serving on the SUDC Foundation's Scientific Grants Review Committee. 

Dr. Grace Hillyer

Grace Hillyer brings a wealth of expertise and dedication to the SUDC Foundation Scientific Grants Committee. With a career spanning nearly 45 years, Grace has focused on health and healthcare, with a specific emphasis on public health, epidemiology, and health promotion. After retiring from her full-time role as an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, she continues her impactful work as a Special Researcher at Columbia and an Adjunct Professor of Public Health at William Paterson University.

Grace's research centers on improving health outcomes for minority and underserved populations, with a particular focus on health behaviors, cultural determinants, and educational interventions. Her prolific career includes mentoring numerous students and professionals and authoring over 110 peer-reviewed papers. She has also secured sustained grant funding from prestigious organizations, including the Department of Defense, National Cancer Institute, and Stand Up to Cancer. 

Egondu Onuoha, MS, RDN, CDN, IBCLC, CDE/CDCES, GPC, FAND, FILCA

Egondu is the Vice President for Real Estate and Special Programs at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in NYC. In this role, she overseas maternal and child programs and manages the WIC program, which serves over 20,000 women, infants, and children monthly across seven Brooklyn locations. Previously, she was the Director of the hospital’s Prenatal Care Assistance Program; Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and administrator for the Nurse Family Partnership, and diabetes programs.

Egondu has secured more than $300 million in grants, expanded access to services for underserved communities, recruited and cultivated a diverse staff that reflects the communities, and improved operational and financial performance through innovation and grants.

Egondu holds credentials as a Registered Dietician, an international Board Certified Lactation Consultant, a Certified Diabetes Educator, and a Grant Professional Certified. She is also a Fellow of both the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the International Lactation Consultant Association.

In addition to her professional achievements, Egondu has over 20  years of board experience, having served on numerous local, state, national and international boards. She currently is the Board President for the Grant Professional Certification Institute (GPCI) and continues to serve as a federal grant reviewer for several federal agencies. She resides in New York City.

Together with the expertise and dedication of our new members, the Scientific Grants Review Committee is poised to accelerate progress and empower the SUDC Foundation’s mission to advance research that brings us closer to living in a world without SUDC.

Dr. Lark Perez

Lark J. Perez, PhD, is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Rowan University. Born and raised in Southampton, New York, he graduated with honors from Long Island University in 2002. During an internship with Prof. D. John Faulkner at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, he developed a passion for organic chemistry. He went on to pursue
graduate studies at Yale University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 2008 under the mentorship of Prof. Glenn C. Micalizio, focusing on innovative methods of carbon-carbon bond formation.

Dr. Perez completed his postdoctoral work at Princeton University in the laboratories of Prof. Martin F. Semmelhack and Prof. Bonnie L. Bassler, where he explored cellular signaling related
to bacterial pathogenesis. He began his independent career at Rowan University in 2012, concentrating on organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, natural products, and chemical signaling. His research has received continuous support from institutions such as the National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture, the New Jersey Health Foundation, and industry partners.

In honor of his 16-month-old son, Atley, who passed away from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) in 2021, Dr. Perez is deeply committed to applying his expertise to advance scientific research in SUDC.