08/24/2026
🌟 Exciting News at CHOIR! 🌟
We are thrilled to announce that three of our outstanding graduating research Fellows will be joining CHOIR as full-time Investigators! Please join us in welcoming Dr. Sophia Bartels, Dr. Hannah Friedman, and Dr. Ben Kragen to our Investigator team.
Meet our new Investigators:
🔹 Dr. Sophia Bartels, PhD, MSPH: Dr. Bartels specializes in implementation science, mental health and substance use disorder prevention and treatment, HIV intervention development, and homelessness/housing instability. Her award-winning research uses mixed methods and qualitative approaches to address complex health challenges.
🔹 Dr. Hannah Friedman, PhD: Dr. Friedman’s interests focus on social determinants of health, rural health, chronic disease management, and improving healthcare quality and access. She is passionate about advancing equity in care delivery, especially for rural and underserved Veterans.
🔹 Dr. Ben Kragen, PhD, MBA: Dr. Kragen’s work centers on digital health and health informatics, with a focus on remote patient monitoring, healthcare access, and chronic disease management. He brings specialized skills in survey design, machine learning, and mixed methods evaluation to innovate the way care is provided across the VA system.
Their transitions from Fellows to Investigators embody the success of CHOIR’s Fellowship programs, which are designed to launch the next generation of health systems researchers. We're proud to support their journey from training to independent, impactful research careers. This summer/fall, we are welcoming five new research fellows: Chantal Croteau, PhD, MA; Alvin Estacio, PhD, MS; Ryan Fischer, DC, PharmD, MS; Anne C. Madeo, PhD, MS; and Danielle Schweitzer, PhD, MA.
