Key Staff

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.

Amanda Berhaupt, PhD, MS, RD, Health Policy Director

Amanda Berhaupt is our Health Policy Director. She works with Members of Congress and their staff by serving as a resource regarding the impact of federal health policies on the quality of care and safety of products for all patients and consumers. Amanda is our main point of contact for Capitol Hill and public health agencies such as FDA, CMS, AHRQ, and NIH.

Amanda brings 15 years of experience in health science communication and policy research across public and private sectors. Most recently, she served as a Visiting Scientist to the Human Foods Program in the U.S. Food & Drug Administration working on consumer research and issues of regulatory compliance. Amanda previously worked in the U.S. Senate as a Congressional Science Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science program where she worked on health issues including One Health biosecurity, healthcare for service members, survivors and responders of the 9/11 attacks and exposures, older adults and retirees, and people living on a low-income. She also served as the Research & Engagement Advisor to the Access to Nutrition Initiative, an organization that measures the public health impact of food companies.

Amanda received her PhD in Applied & Community Nutrition from Rutgers University. She holds an MS in Dietetics & Nutrition and a Registered Dietitian credential from Florida International University, and a BA in Psychology from The University of Albany. Amanda can be contacted at ab@center4research.org.

Tess Robertson-Neel, MPH, Health Policy Fellow

Tess Robertson-Neel is our Health Policy Fellow. 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 Health Policy Director to educate Congress and government agencies about ways to improve policies and programs. Tess collaborates with the Assistant to the President 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

Saman Asad Siddiqui, MD, MMSc, Post-Doctoral Fellow

Saman Asad Siddiqui is a NCHR post-doctoral fellow with particular focus in cardiovascular diseases, especially structural heart diseases, heart failure, and hypertension. At NCHR, she is responsible for oral and written public comments at federal agencies such as the FDA and CMS. Her expertise spans clinical trials, epidemiology, and biostatistics, focusing on improving patient outcomes through evidence-based, data-driven healthcare solutions. Her ability to blend patient care with rigorous scientific research allows her to address complex medical challenges and translate research insights into better clinical care.

Summer 2024 Interns

• Hana Rahman (University of California, Los Angeles, Susan Wood Intern in Women’s Health
• Grace Drew (University of Texas, Houston) 
• Sunny Cui (Dartmouth College)

Summer 2023 Interns

• Jenny Niwa (University of Rochester, Jack Mitchell Policy Intern)
• Andrea Sun (University of Pennsylvania, Omega Logan Silva Intern)
• Avery Nork (Georgetown University, Janice Bilden Cancer Prevention Intern)

Fall 2022 Interns

• Belinda Gorsuch (Claremont McKenna College)
• Kobi Khong (Johns Hopkins University)

Summer 2022 Interns

• Shahmir Ali (Johns Hopkins University, Janice Bilden Cancer Prevention Intern)
• James S. Castro Argueta (George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Jack Mitchell Policy Intern)
• Angelica Estrada (UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Marcy Gross Intern)

Spring 2022 Interns

• Avni Patel (Cornell University, MPH, Omega Logan Silva Intern)
• Jackie Liu (University of Maryland, Research Communications, and Policy Intern)

Fall 2021 Interns

• Anna Adler (The George Washington University, Class of ’23, Majoring in Public Health)
• Annika Schmid (The George Washington University, Class of ’22, Majoring in Biophysics)

Summer 2021 Interns

• Edyth Dwyer (Brown University, MPA/MPH student concentrating in Global Health)
• Sophia Lee (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center ’24, MD Candidate)
• Alea Sabry (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Class of ’22, Majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and Political Science)

Spring 2021 Interns

• Mariah Baker (The George Washington University, MPH student with a focus on Health Policy)
• Reagan Beyer (University of Wisconsin- Madison, Class of ’21, Majoring in Biochemistry and Political Science, with a certificate in Global Health)
• Katerina Kerska (University of Michigan, MPH student with a focus on Health Behavior and Health Education)
• Sasha Milbeck (University of Miami, Class of ’22, Majoring in Global Health, minors in Chemistry and Psychology)

Fall 2020 Interns

• Amanda Chu (Georgetown University, Class of ‘22, Majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs, minors in Spanish and Creative Writing)
• Carly West (The George Washington University, MPH student with a focus on Epidemiology and Disease Control)
• Cindy Min (University of Florida, MPH student with a focus on Epidemiology)
• Sasha Milbeck (University of Miami, Class of ’22, Majoring in Global Health, minors in Chemistry and Psychology)

Summer 2020 Interns

• Amanda Bisnath (University of Virginia ’21, Public Policy and Leadership, minor in Bioethics)
• Megan Peterson (Cornell University ‘21, Biology and Society, minoring in Health Policy and Law & Society)
• Elizabeth Sack (Duke University ’21, Global Health and International Comparative Studies, minor in Chemistry)

Spring 2020 Interns

• Nana Addo (George Washington University ’19, International Affairs, concentration in Global Public Health)
• Shaina Desai (University of California, Berkeley ’20, Public Health, concentration in Epidemiology)
• Seungyeon Lee (Konyang University ’19, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology)
• Ellen Pil (University of Notre Dame, ’21, Political Science, Pre-Health track)

Summer 2019 Interns

• Mackenzie Flynn (George Washington University ’21, Political Science, minors in Public Health and Sustainability)
• Emily Hong (University of California Irvine ’20, Public Health Policy, minor in Medical Anthropology)

Fall 2019 Interns

• Anupama Dinesh (Brown University ’20, Health & Human Biology and Anthropology)
• Reena Jasani (UT Southwestern Medical School ’22, MD/MPH)
• Claire Viscione (George Washington University ’20, Public Health, minor in Business Administration)

Spring 2019 Interns

• Silvana Barbosa  (Providence College ’19, Health Policy & Managements)
• Kaitlyn Freels (University of Maryland College Park ’19, Neurobiology & Physiology)