The National Center for Health Research (NCHR) is a nonprofit think tank that conducts, analyzes, and scrutinizes research on a range of health issues. We focus on the safety of medical products and consumer products, as well as the prevention strategies and treatments that are most effective for which types of patients and consumers. We do not accept funding from companies that make products that are the subject of our work. The key staff of the National Center for Health Research also work with NCHR’s largest program, which is the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund.
Diana Zuckerman, PhD, President
Diana Zuckerman received her Ph.D. in psychology from Ohio State University and was a post-doctoral fellow in epidemiology and public health at Yale Medical School. She started her career on the faculty of Vassar College and Yale University.
After a post-doctoral training at Yale Medical School, she took a position at Harvard directing a groundbreaking research study of college students. Dr. Zuckerman left her academic career to come to Washington, D.C. as a Congressional Science Fellow in a program run by the American Association of theAdvancement of Science. After spending the year as a staff member in the House of Representatives, she spent the next ten years working as a Congressional staffer in the House and Senate and at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, working to improve federal health programs and policies for adults and children. She initiated highly influential Congressional hearings on a wide range of health issues, including cancer prevention and treatment and the safety of medical products.
Dr. Zuckerman served as a senior policy advisor in the Clinton White House, working for First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. She subsequently served in leadership positions at numerous nonprofit organizations and has been in her current position since founding NCHR in March, 1999. She has testified before Congress, the Canadian Parliament, and numerous U.S. federal agencies, and been an invited speaker at national medical, public health, and legal conferences.
While in her current position, Dr. Zuckerman was a fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics for several years. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA. She was previously on the Board of the Congressionally mandated Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA, and the chair of the Maryland Women’s Health Promotion Council, appointed by the Governor of Maryland. She was the first non-physician to be elected to the Women in Medicine International Hall of Fame.
Dr. Zuckerman is the author of five books, several book chapters, dozens of articles in medical and academic journals, and in newspapers across the country. Her policy work has resulted in news coverage on all the major TV networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News, public television, “60 Minutes,” “20/20,” “Voice of America,” National Public Radio, and in major U.S. print media such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, USA Today, Detroit Free Press, New York Daily News, Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, Forbes, Family Circle, New Yorker, Glamour, Self, as well as many other newspapers, magazines, and radio programs. She has also been interviewed on numerous documentaries in the U.S. and abroad, and two U.S. movies were based on her investigations.
Tess Robertson-Neel, MPH, Health Policy Manager
Tess Robertson-Neel is our Health Policy Manager. She monitors, tracks, and analyzes the activities of agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as Congressional proposals and legislation. She works closely with our President to educate Congress and government agencies about ways to improve policies and programs. Tess collaborates with the whole staff to keep NCHR running smoothly and to manage incoming team members and interns. She also contributes to policy-related research and informational content on the NCHR websites.
Tess completed her Master of Public Health degree at the University of Virginia with a concentration on policy, ethics, and law. She previously received her B.A. from UVA in Global Studies – Global Public Health with a double major in Spanish. Before joining NCHR, her research focused on the impact of PFAS, phthalates and other endocrine disrupting chemicals and she brings that expertise to NCHR. She also previously worked as a Communications and Advocacy Fellow with Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action where she researched health and climate policy and magnified the voices of health practitioners who are passionate about climate change. She can be contacted at trn@center4research.org
Akashleena Mallick, MD, MPH, Post-Doctoral Fellow
Akashleena Mallick is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Center for Health Research (NCHR), where her work bridges clinical science, public health, and health policy. Her focus areas include neurological and cardiovascular diseases, community engagement, and how to ensure that evidence-based interventions actually work in real-world settings. At NCHR, she is responsible for public comments to federal agencies such as the FDA and CMS, which analyze clinical and regulatory evidence to help shape patient-centered, evidence-based healthcare. Dr. Mallick’s interdisciplinary expertise spans clinical medicine and research with a strong emphasis on improving care delivery and outcomes for patients with stroke, hypertension, and other chronic conditions. Her work combines the rigor of scientific evaluation with a deep commitment to community engagement and health literacy.
Prior to joining NCHR in 2025, Dr. Mallick completed her Master of Public Health (MPH) at Brown University School of Public Health, where she was the 2025 Master’s Commencement Speaker. She previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and served as the President of the Mass General Postdoctoral Association. She has worked across Harvard-affiliated institutions, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Trained as a physician in India, she brings extensive experience in both clinical care and health systems research across the U.S. and India. She can be reached at akm@center4research.org
Kaili Morgan, BA, Public Health Fellow
Kaili Morgan is a Public Health Fellow at NCHR. She supports the organization’s daily operations, reviews scientific research, and develops content for NCHR’s websites. She also assists with digital outreach initiatives that help expand the reach of NCHR’s evidence-based health information.
Kaili is currently working on her Master of Public Health at George-Washington University with a concentration in Global Health Epidemiology and Disease Control. She previously received her B.A from Mississippi State University in Biological Anthropology, and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia. Her graduate research focuses on comparing shedding dynamics and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 infections across anterior nares and oral sites. She can be reached at kam@center4research.org.
Nathan J. Branson, BA, Assistant to the President
Nathan J. Branson is the Assistant to the President of NCHR. Nathan supports NCHR’s president and plays a key role in facilitating our team’s day-to-day operations. He also manages NCHR’s social media communication, bringing up-to-date and evidence-based health information and health policy developments to patients, the media, policymakers, and the public. He also serves as the editor of our two monthly digests and biennial reports. In all his work, he helps to translate complex health information for a wider audience.
Nathan completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), with minors in Spanish for Global Competence and Law & Legal Studies. Nathan started as a communications intern with NCHR through the Bill Archer Fellowship in 2025, a highly competitive program that brings students from Texas who are passionate about public policy to Washington, D.C., for professional internships. At UTA, his primary research focused on electoral campaigns and election systems, including the analysis of potential policy reforms. Previously, Nathan gained direct political experience working on a 2022 Texas gubernatorial campaign and a 2024 Texas Senate campaign. In addition to his interest in electoral systems, he is passionate about public health policy, specifically chronic illness research and prescription drug costs. He can be reached at nb@center4research.org.
Farmin Shahabuddin, MPH, BS, Public Health Fellow
Farmin Shahabuddin is a Public Health Fellow at the National Center for Health Research (NCHR). In this role, she supports the development of evidence-based health information and policy materials that inform consumers, policymakers, and health professionals. She assists with analyzing current research, writing articles for our websites, and identifying gaps in existing data to advance NCHR’s mission of promoting safe, effective, and equitable healthcare. She is passionate about translating scientific evidence into actionable strategies that promote equity, safety, and informed health decisions for all populations.
Prior to her current position, Farmin was NCHR’s Susan F. Wood Women’s Health Intern after completing her Master of Public Health degree at Rutgers University with a concentration in Global Public Health. At Rutgers, her capstone project examined migraine as a neglected neurological disorder, producing actionable policy recommendations. As part of her practicum experience with Child Family Health International (CFHI), she developed educational materials and policy recommendations to improve sickle cell treatment access in underserved communities. She also worked as a Policy and Planning Intern for the Behavioral Health Administration with the Maryland Department of Health, where she analyzed proposed state and federal legislation to assess policy implications and created stakeholder presentations on regulations to inform behavioral health priorities. She can be reached at fs@center4research.org.
Marcia Sun, BA, Digital Communications Intern
Marcia Sun is a Digital Communications Intern at the National Center for Health Research (NCHR). She supports NCHR’s digital communications and social media initiatives, working with staff to develop messaging materials and digital campaigns that share timely, evidence-based health research and policy information with patients, policymakers, journalists, and the public. She also helps translate complex research findings into clear, accessible content for digital platforms.
Marcia is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Digital Communication at Johns Hopkins University, where her studies focus on social media strategy, public relations, and integrated communications. She previously earned her B.A. in Japanese from Nanjing Agricultural University, where she studied intercultural communication. Before joining NCHR, she worked in social media marketing at VideoForce.ai and in data analysis supporting L’Oréal Paris, managing influencer campaigns, conducting audience research, and applying social listening tools to inform communication strategies. She can be reached at mys@center4research.org.