The purpose of the OIRP training program is to develop the next generation of scientific leaders with the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge that are necessary to become world-class competitive scientists in the area of pediatric cancer survivorship.
Training Directors
Kevin Krull, PhD
Chair and Member
Department of Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences
Yutaka Yasui, PhD
Member
Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control
Tara Brinkman, PhD
Member and Chief, Division of Pediatric Health Psychology
Department of Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences
Program structure
- A Scholarship Oversight Team comprised of primary and secondary mentors and a clinical collaborator.
- A Management Committee to review program progress
- An Advisory Committee
- Clinical and research training relating to cancer survivorship and pediatric oncology
- A formal but flexible MSc curriculum in clinical investigation and an MPH curriculum in epidemiology, biostatistics, or health systems policy
- Training in scientific writing, grant preparation, and grant review
- A detailed evaluation that will track the ongoing progress of the trainees in their subsequent careers.
Currently, St. Jude has the only NIH-funded training program with a primary focus on pediatric cancer survivorship.
Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Cassie Argenbright, PhD
University of Texas at Arlington
Tara Brinkman, PhD
Start date: 1/8/2024
Psychology
Sarah Benstock, PhD
Texas A&M University
Tara Brinkman, PhD
Start date: 6/16/2025
Psychology
Michael Betti, PhD
Vanderbilt University
Yadav Sapkota, PhD
Start date: 9/08/2025
Epidemiology
Brooke Charbonneau, PhD
Robert Ferguson, PhD
Start Date: 1/12/26
Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences
Bhakti Chavda, PhD
Purdue University
Start date: 8/25/2025
Jerlym Porter, PhD
Psychology
Tessa Concepcion PhD
Asya Agulnik, MD
Start Date: 9/22/25
Global Pediatric Medicine
Tiffany Eulalio, PhD
Stanford University
Zhaoming Wang, PhD
Start date: 6/24/2024
Epidemiology
Natasha LaFrinere-Sandoval PhD
I-Chan Huang PhD
Start Date: 10/27/25
Epidemiology
Jenn French, PhD
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Yadav Sapkota, PhD
Start date: 7/15/2024
Epidemiology
Kyla Gibney, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth
Kevin Krull, PhD
Start date: 2/6/2023
Psychology
Yoonji Kim, PhD
University of California
I-Chan Huang PhD
Start date: 7/8/2024
Epidemiology
Deborah Ogunsanmi, PhD
University Of Tennessee Health Science Center
Stephanie Dixon, MD
Start date: 7/7/2025
Epidemiology
Tanya Paes, PhD
University of Cambridge (UK)
Kevin Krull, PhD
Start date: 7/10/2023
Psychology
Kateryna Petrykey, PhD
Université de Montréal
Yadav Sapkota, PhD
Start date: 1/9/2023
Epidemiology
Kelly Pimenta, PhD
University of Memphis
Jane Hankins, MD
Start date: 6/30/2025
Global
Pragya Poudel, DrPH
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Heather Brandt, PhD
Start date: 9/26/2022
HPV Cancer Prev.
Justin Tanner, PhD
Arizona State University
Kevin Krull, PhD
Start date: 9/12/2022
Psychology
Fanli Yi, PhD
University of South Carolina
Kiri Ness, PhD
Start date: 6/9/2025
Epidemiology
Elyse Zhang, PhD
Emory University
I-Chan Huang, PhD
Start date: 8/25/2025
Epidemiology
Alumni
Name |
Mentor |
Dates |
Positions |
|---|---|---|---|
Madeline Horan, PhD |
I-Chan Huang, PhD |
2021 - 2025 |
Graduate Program: Baylor University, Waco, TX Initial Employment: Assistant Professor at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Winston-Salem, NC |
Megan Ware, MS, PhD |
Kirsten Ness, PhD |
2021 – 2024 |
Graduate Program: The University of Georgia, Athens, GA Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation, University of North Texas, Denton, TX |
Miguel Navarrete, PhD
|
Kevin Krull, PhD |
2022 - 2024 |
Graduate Program: Universidad de Los Andes – Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia Initial Employment: Clinical Research Scientist I, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |
Chiara Papini, PhD |
Tara Brinkman, PhD |
2021- 2023 |
Graduate Program: University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England Initial Employment: Clinical Research Scientist I, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |
Elizabeth Foley, PhD |
Kristen Ness, PhD |
2020 - 2021 |
Graduate Program: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL Initial Employment: Medical Research Analyst, Medsphere Corporation, Sandy, UT |
Kellen Gandy, PhD |
Kevin Krull, PhD |
2020 - 2023 |
Graduate Program: University of Texas, Arlington, TX Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, University of Houston Downtown, Houston, TX |
Margaret Lubas, PhD, LCSW |
Tara Brinkman, PhD |
2018 - 2020 |
Graduate Program: Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Radford University, Radford, VA |
William Letsou, PhD |
Yasui Yataka, PhD |
2018 - 2020 |
Graduate Program: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA Initial Employment: Assistant Professor, Biological & Chemical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology, New York, NY |
Nicholas Phillips, MD, PHD |
Kevin Krull, PhD |
2018 – 2021 |
Graduate Program: University of Tennessee Health Science Center Initial Employment: Research Associate (Faculty), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN |