Director, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Associate in Surgery, Department of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
Aaron Fleishman, MPH is Director of the Facilitating Innovative Research and Surgical Trials (FIRST) Program, a research infrastructure program, in the Department of Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Associate in Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He received his BA from University of Massachusetts in Psychology and his Master of Public Health in Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Boston University. His research has primarily focused on organ transplantation and donation. Aaron provides research mentorship to residents and junior faculty in the Department of Surgery. In addition directing the FIRST Program, he works in the Division of General Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as a biostatistician and as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He has co-authored many peer-reviewed articles and serves as a co-investigator on federally funded grants.
Program Manager, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Sarah is a clinical research professional passionately committed to improving patient care through clinical research. Sarah has worked for the FIRST Program for over five years and has watched it become an indispensable asset to the Department of Surgery. She enjoys navigating the regulatory and logistical demands unique to each protocol and clinical trial. She has extensive experience in protocol development, project management, compliance training, and cross-team collaboration. Her current focus is developing a portfolio of operating procedures, resource navigation tools, and training programs for the FIRST Program to better serve investigators and research participants. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys being outdoors, propagating houseplants, and spending time with her animals.
Biostatistician, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Sumedh graduated with an MS in Biostatistics from New York University in 2020. Since then, he has been providing data management and statistical analysis support for research projects conducted in the Department of Surgery. He has also co-authored several abstracts presented at National conferences and peer-reviewed articles published in medical journals.
Regulatory Specialist, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Jessica graduated from Brandeis University in 2019 with a Master’s degree in Sociology with a focus in Qualitative Research. She graduated from Colby-Sawyer College in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. During her time at Brandeis, Jessica studied the Sociology of Reproduction, focusing specifically on research in women’s reproductive health. As a member of the FIRST program, Jessica coordinates a behavioral intervention trial looking at veterans’ opinions and perceptions of Vascularized Composite Allograft (VCA) transplantation. In addition, Jessica provides research mentorship to residents and junior faculty in the department.
Clinical Research Coordinator, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Jay is a public health professional, with diverse work experience and a strong passion for improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities. Jay graduated with a BS in Public health and MPH in Epidemiology, and has worked within the film industry during the pandemic conducting infection prevention and managing lab operations. Recently, Jay completed a semester abroad in South Africa as an Intern, where he assisted an Infectious Disease epidemiologist interpret results of data analysis surrounding HCV prevalence and incidence in prenatal women at various population levels within Sub-Saharan Africa. He also assisted a SARS-CoV-2 and multi-pathogen Sero-surveillance study and volunteered at local NGO’s where he provided tutoring, program evaluations, and mentoring for young boys. Jay will begin working with Director of Surgical Informatics to begin using Machine Learning to improve outcomes of various surgical procedures and will support studies in the Urologic Surgery division.
Clinical Trials Specialist, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Angela received her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Boston College in 2020. As an undergraduate, she spent time in a neuroscience lab conducting research designed to understand social and emotional behavior. She is hoping to grow from her experience as part of this program by learning different processes that apply to clinical research. The focus of her work has been on research in lymphatic anatomy & function and lymphedema. Angela is excited to be part of the team and is looking forward to furthering knowledge in the field of lymphatic research. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, yoga, and playing with her puppy.
Clinical Research Coordinator, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Victoria graduated from Dartmouth College in 2023 with a B.A. in Neuroscience and a B.A. in Studio Art. During her time at Dartmouth, she conducted research in cognitive neuroscience, with topics ranging from altered states of consciousness and visual perception to memory and creativity; many of her academic and extracurricular commitments emphasized the interdisciplinary nature between the arts and medicine. As a FIRST Program clinical research coordinator, Victoria is thrilled to contribute to other investigative pursuits through surgical research and is excited to gain knowledge unique to the clinical setting. She hopes to further her career by attending medical school, working towards a compassionate culture in medicine through humanistic practices.
Clinical Trials Specialist, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Anna graduated with an MS in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During graduate school, she had the opportunity to intern with OpenBiome in Cambridge, which is where her love for clinical research began. Upon graduating, she continued to work in clinical research at Boston Children’s Hospital with the Clinical Research Operations Center, where she supported biorepositories as well as research activities. Currently within the FIRST Program, she is actively overseeing clinical trials for both investigational drugs and devices, whereby she helps investigators with study start-up procedures as well as patient enrollment. Anna continues to be excited to be a part of the FIRST Program to learn and apply her skills!
Clinical Research Nurse, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Su graduated from Northeastern University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). She brings extensive clinical research experience, including her involvement in a CAR-T therapy clinical trial at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Additionally, she has cultivated over 10 years of research expertise at Peking University Health Science, Tufts Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. As a Clinical Research Nurse in the Vascular Surgery division, Su will contribute to multiple studies. She is enthusiastic about joining the team and advancing her knowledge in vascular research. In her leisure time, she enjoys swimming, painting, and cooking.
Clinical Research Coordinator, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Barshana graduated from Suffolk University in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. Her prior research experience at Joslin Diabetes Center in the Department of Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology investigated the relationship between diabetic pregnancy and neural tube defects. She also works part-time with the Somerville Auxiliary Fire Department. Overall, her goal is to explore clinical research and she excited to pursue my passion towards medicine.
Clinical Research Coordinator, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Soham graduated from a Master’s program in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University. Being a member of the FIRST Program, Soham is involved in designing systems that will help cushion the financial impacts of thyroid cancer surgeries. He is passionate about research and plans to go to graduate school where he can leverage the patient and care provider experience gained in his current role to improve patient care.
Clinical Research Coordinator, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Gabriela received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of Texas at Austin in 2021. She graduated from Boston University with her Masters in Population Health Research with a concentration in Epidemiology in the Fall of 2023. During her graduate program she gained research experience by working on a birth cohort to examine the association between Adverse Childhood Experiences and adult obesity. She is hoping to translate her epidemiologic research and data analysis experience into clinical research here at BIDMC. As a Clinical Research Coordinator, she will be supporting multiple studies in the Urologic Surgery division.
Clinical Research Coordinator, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Jeffrey graduated with a Bachelor’s in Health Sciences from Northeastern University. He previously worked at Beth Israel as a medical assistant at Healthcare Associates, and is interested in going to medical school to pursue a career in medicine as a physician. As a clinical research coordinator, he hopes to better his understandings of both clinical research and the roles of various medical professionals that are needed to provide quality patient care.
Sr. Clinical Research Coordinator, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Mark graduated from the University of Rhode Island with both a BS in Psychology and a BA in History. He later gained extensive experience in assisting and coordinating clinical interventional trials before joining our team as a Sr. Clinical Research Coordinator. Mark will soon be starting an MS Degree in Clinical Research in the Fall, with the ultimate goal of receiving his PhD in Clinical Psychology. He has a strong passion for research, hoping to eventually research topics such as interpersonal trauma, behavioral/mood/personality disorders, and emotional regulation/decision making as a Clinical Psychologist.
Clinical Research Coordinator, FIRST Program
Department of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Stephanie graduated from Amherst College in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. During her time at Amherst, Stephanie conducted research on disease resistance and susceptibility in plants and worked as an EMT on campus. As a member of the FIRST team, Stephanie is primarily working on research in lymphatic anatomy & function and lymphedema. She is super excited to learn and grow in the FIRST program! In her free time, Stephanie enjoys theatre performances, nature walks, visiting museums, and listening to music.
Professor & Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Department of Surgery
Division of Transplantation
Division of Surgical Sciences
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Professor, Departments of Surgery & Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Dr. Rodrigue is Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical Research in the Department of Surgery and a faculty member in the Division of Transplantation at BIDMC. In addition to leading the Department of Surgery’s Clinical Scholarship Program – a novel clinical research program for 1st year surgical residents, and the Department of Surgery’s RAMPS program – a formal faculty mentorship program available to all faculty in the Department of Surgery, he also has an advisory role within the FIRST Program. He is also Professor of Surgery and Psychiatry in the Harvard Medical School. He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Memphis in 1989 and then served on the faculty at the University of Florida from 1989 to 2005. He joined the Transplant Institute at BIDMC in 2005 and served as its Director of the Center for Transplant Outcomes and Quality Improvement. He has been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on over 30 research grants, continues to have an active NIH-funded research program in organ transplantation and donation, and has published over 200 peer-review articles, 4 books, and numerous book chapters. He lectures nationally and internationally on the behavioral health aspects of transplantation, living and deceased donation, and disparities in transplantation and donation, and he has served on various policy and professional organization committees throughout his career. He is currently a standing member of the Behavioral Medicine Interventions and Outcomes (BMIO) NIH study section and a member of the United Network for Organ Sharing Living Donor and Vascularized Composite Allograft committees.