Elections need subheading line

Text about the role of the board members from the call for nominations or from the bylaws.

At Large Candidates

Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz

My name is Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz. I am a clinician scientist dedicated to advancing sexual health equity by combining technologic development, implementation science, community engagement, and public health practice.

Stacey Griner

I would be honored to serve on the ASTDA Board of Directors and to give back to a community that has played such an important role in my professional journey. ASTDA has helped shape my research path and connected me with colleagues who have become valued collaborators, mentors, and friends.

Aniruddha Hazra

I am an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, where my work focuses on advancing sexual health through the implementation of HIV and STI prevention strategies in real-world clinical settings. I serve as Medical Director of the UChicago Sexual Wellness Clinic and Director of STI Services for the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, leading programs that integrate STI screening, HIV prevention, substance use care, and linkage to treatment across clinical and community environments.

Jana Jarolimova

I am an early-career Infectious Diseases physician-investigator and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Brown University. My research program focuses on improving STI prevention, diagnosis, and care through clinically-grounded implementation research in both U.S. and international settings. ASTDA is a vital forum for advancing STI science, care delivery, and public health, and it has been an important professional home throughout my early career

Stephen Jordan

I am an Associate Professor of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology at Indiana University School of Medicine, where my clinical and research work focuses on sexually transmitted infections, particularly Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, and other causes of nongonococcal urethritis. My research examines host immune responses and factors associated with infection persistence and clearance, with the goal of informing improved prevention strategies and vaccine development. I have led and contributed to multiple federally funded studies investigating the natural history and immunology of chlamydial infections.

Roxanne Kerani

Trained as an infectious disease epidemiologist, my career has spanned both public health practice and academia. I am currently Research Associate Professor in the University of Washington (UW) Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases with an adjunct faculty appointment in the UW Department of Epidemiology. Before being appointed to the UW faculty, I was an STI epidemiologist with Public Health – Seattle and King County for eight years.

Philana Liang

In 2003, my final clinical rotation in PA school was at the Baltimore City Health Department STI Clinic. The stars aligned when a PA there retired, and I became the newest member of the sexual health workforce upon graduation. The next several years were fast paced as Baltimore reeled from a syphilis epidemic necessitating CDC intervention. I quickly learned the original method and art of syphilis diagnosis—darkfield microscopy. Looking into the microscope, I gazed at a night sky, seeking the elusive Treponema pallidum.

Ruth Ntsiba-Mampila

I am honored to be considered for the ASTDA Board of Directors. As a Communicable Disease Specialist II and Epidemiologist with the Georgia Department of Public Health, I have spent years on the front lines of STD/HIV prevention, conducting surveillance, supporting disease intervention, and working directly with communities most impacted by sexually transmitted infections.

Casey Pinto

I am an Associate Professor of Public Health at Penn State and have practiced as a nurse practitioner in non-academic infectious disease and STI clinics for over 15 years. I would like to serve on the ASTDA board for two main reasons.

Erika Samoff

Thank you for considering me for the ASTDA board! My 26 years in STI work have taken me from front-line clinical settings to the CDC to state-level leadership in program development and surveillance alongside ongoing collaboration with academic colleagues and early career researchers.

Christina Schumacher

At this time of uncertainty, fostering the next generation of scientists and professionals in our field is essential. As an epidemiologist who has devoted her career to improving STI prevention programs, I have greatly benefitted from the guidance and support from leaders in our field. Serving on the ASTDA Board of Directors will allow me to pay-it-forward to the next generation by designing and promoting initiatives to support and promote the field of STI research.

Jenell Stewart

I am an Infectious Diseases physician-scientist at the Hennepin County Medical Center and University of Minnesota. Thanks to incredible mentorship and collaborations, I have built a career at the intersection of clinical care, research, and public health focused on advancing equitable, evidence-based STI and HIV prevention. Through this work, I am deeply committed to strengthening STI care, advancing rigorous and responsive research, and ensuring opportunity for next generation of STI researchers.

Olivia Van Gerwen

Being part of ASTDA has been both foundational to my growth as a sexual health physician-scientist and a genuine joy. This community has shaped me into my best professional self—from receiving the Early Career Award in 2025 alongside one of my heroes, Bobbie Van Der Pol, to serving on the editorial board of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, to the camaraderie and energy of fellow early career investigators at the annual ASTDA Workshop. Serving on the Board of Directors would be an honor and a meaningful opportunity to give back.

Barbara Wilgus

I am applying for the at-large member position on the ASTDA Board of Directors. I have a strong interest in mentoring and supporting the next generation of STI professionals, and strongly believe that ASTDA leadership should reflect the diversity of the workforce providing STI care.

Lok Yung

I am honored to be advanced to the election phase for an at-Large Member position on the ASTDA Board of Directors. I am an Infectious Diseases attending at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, with a career dedicated to advancing STI care, education, and public health.

Jason Zucker

I first came to ASTDA as a fellow, at a Junior Investigators Forum, and left with something I did not expect: a sense of belonging in a field that deserves far more attention and resources than it receives. That experience shaped the kind of scientist, clinician, and mentor I have tried to become, and it is why I am running for a seat on the ASTDA Board.