PTFI Core Team

Jenny is a biologist and Master of Science with honors from Universidad del Valle in Cali-Colombia. She is currently a PhD student in Engineering and Science at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana-Cali, and is associated with the OMICAS international alliance, a Colombian-government program in Food Science for the optimization and development of agricultural plant varieties with improved traits using omics characterization. In her PhD, Jenny is working on the analysis of omics data to understand the regulatory methods involved in stress response in agricultural crops. Jenny is a junior researcher and participated in the Colciencias young researchers program where she worked with the role of pest microbiome in host crop selection. In her research career, she has worked extensively on biological data analysis with a multidisciplinary approach. At PTFI she is involved in the development and characterization of a foundational list of foods representing biological diversity and food cultures from around the world.

Dr. Jennifer Hall is the Chief of Data Science and the co-director of the Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine at the American Heart Association. She leads the Association’s groundbreaking initiatives in cardiovascular medicine by leveraging data analysis, new technologies and strategic alliances to fulfill the promise of precision medicine: that integrating real-world data can enable and accelerate the development of innovative solutions to prevent or mitigate the impact of chronic diseases.

At the intersection of health, technology and science, Dr. Hall leads a highly diversified team of experts in data science, health research, metrics and evaluation, health technology and products. These powerful factors come together to drive new evolutions in science through the Association’s Precision Medicine Platform, a cloud-based technology solution that empowers the global medical research community to accelerate breakthroughs in cardiovascular and brain diseases. Dr. Hall also leads the Research Goes Red initiative, which calls on women throughout the U.S. to contribute to health research. Dr. Hall oversees a diversified research grant portfolio focused on funding impactful and groundbreaking areas of health research. Since 2013, the Institute has invested more than $30 million in 95 grant awardees ranging from collaborative teams of geneticists and engineers to data scientists and imaging experts.

Dr. Hall is an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota and has served on numerous national and international committees. She is the past Chair of the Functional Genomics and Translational Biology Council of the American Heart Association and was the founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research.

Dr. Lauren Rauscher is a sociologist with over 20 years of experience teaching; mixed methods research; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and nonprofit leadership. In her current role, she builds high-impact partnerships between organizations and funders to catalyze health initiatives nationally and globally. Prior to joining the American Heart Association, Lauren was an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach and the Director of the Women’s Leadership & Mentorship Program at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. As a member of the Periodic Table of Food Initiative Secretariat team, she co-leads the philanthropic strategy to achieve the vision and long-term impacts of the PTFI. Lauren received her PhD in Sociology from Emory University.

Joe brings 30 years of research experience integrating genomics with breeding, in addition to extensive management experience, fund raising and overseeing large networks. As director of Crops for Nutrition and Health, he coordinates the genetic resources, biotechnology, bean, cassava, forages, and rice programs. Joe’s research involves integrating genomics with breeding, coordinating genome editing, and conduct gene discovery for abiotic and nutritional traits. He assisted the Colombian Biodiversity Humboldt Institute in setting up its molecular lab at CIAT. Joe was the CIAT focal point working with Howdy Bouis from IFPRI to set up the HarvestPlus biofortification program. He coordinated the biotechnology activities of HarvestPlus till 2019 and is currently a member of the HarvestPlus Program Advisory Committee. He is the co-founder of the Global Cassava Partnership (GCP-21). With Daniel Debouck, he initiated the establishment of Future Seeds, an innovation hub for conservation, digital genebank, and digital engagement and training. Joe is coordinating Future Seeds construction with completion by mid-2021. Joe holds a Ph.D. in Crop Sciences from Michigan State University and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Sarah Brinkley, Ph.D. joins the PTFI from the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) – a CGIAR Center, where she is a Postdoctoral Fellow leading the Food Sampling Strategy workstream. At the PTFI, Sarah endeavors to draw complex connections between growing environment, management, plant health, and crop quality through collecting standardized, high-quality metadata. Her perennial goal is to cultivate research among diverse, international teams of food systems experts toward a more just and food-secure future.

Sarah has strong expertise in biochemical food composition including multi-omics method development, solid qualitative and quantitative data analysis skills including proficiency in the R programming language, and excellent verbal and written communication skills, as evidenced by her successfully funded grant proposals totaling over UD$100,000, and dozens of local, national, and international scientific presentations to diverse audiences.

Sarah is a graduate of Texas A&M University’s Ph.D. program in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. Her work is informed by a diverse background working internationally in coffee and wine, bolstered by an M.S. degree in chemistry from Tennessee Technological University. Her research uses participatory methods to investigate how farming and postharvest practices impact crop quality.

Sarah’s love and curiosity about food are deeply rooted in the food traditions of the American South: soul food. Bitter, smoky collard greens and her Grandmother’s buttery, crumbling cornbread are some of her favorites.

Jackie Bertoldo is Senior Product/Curriculum Manager for Food EDU and Good Food Fellows at the American Heart Association. She brings over a decade of experience advancing experiential food systems education and innovative nutrition and sustainability programs in higher education, healthcare, and business. She is a leader in translating food and nutrition research into practical strategies for guiding institutional policy and practice, championing community-based strategies that address public health imperatives such as sugar sweetened beverage consumption, food insecurity, food waste, and sustainable food procurement.

Kevin Cody is Senior Program Manager for Food EDU and Good Food Fellows at the American Heart Association. As an educator, Kevin’s work is inspired by commitments to improve farmer livelihoods and food system sustainability through innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning. In addition to teaching courses for undergraduate and graduate students on topics ranging from organic horticulture to sustainable development, his work with non-profit organizations includes promoting supply chain integration in local food systems and developing pathways to generate and sustain beginning farmers. 

Prior to his role with the American Heart Association, Kevin served as the Hoch Cunningham Professor of the Practice in Food Systems at Tufts University, teaching courses on agroecology and food systems that integrated his work training new and beginning farmers with New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. Previously, as a faculty member in Environmental and Sustainability Studies at the University of Northern Colorado, he developed experiential and community-engaged courses on food systems and managed the university’s student farm program. 

Kevin received his PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he examined the internationalization of alternative food networks and barriers to the long-term viability of beginning farmers.

Dr. Jillian Pavich is Lab Ecosystem Senior Program Manager with the Periodic Table of Foods Initiative (PTFI) at the American Heart Association. She is a plant pathologist and has over 20 years of experience as a research scientist, developing public-private partnerships, managing intellectual property and ushering research to impact. Jillian joined the PTFI from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Bureau of Resilience, Environment and Food Security where she was a Development Officer and Plant Pathologist in Washington D.C. She also spent over 10 years managing a global molecular plant pathology lab working on critical diseases of rice and corn. She earned a B.S. in Biology from SUNY Fredonia, a M.S. in Plant Pathology and a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Colorado State University.  

Dr. Nile Nair is the Senior Manager of Research and Translation at the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI), based at the American Heart Association. He leads efforts to translate cutting-edge food composition, multi-omics, and biomolecular data into actionable insights that advance precision nutrition, sustainable diets, and climate-resilient health strategies. 

Trained as a clinician-scientist with a PhD in Population Health Sciences from Harvard, Nile specializes in nutritional epidemiology, sustainable food systems, and climate change. His research spans sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands, focusing on systems-based approaches to dietary health, food quality, and environmental sustainability. He has worked extensively on the development of the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) and has contributed to national food composition datasets, randomized controlled trials, multi-omics research, and policy efforts aimed at reducing diet-related chronic diseases and food system emissions. 

He brings a decade of experience across clinical, academic, and policy spheres, and remains committed to advancing inclusive, science-driven solutions that center biodiversity, Indigenous knowledge, and equity in shaping the future of food. 

Britt serves as a Program  Manager for Food EDU & Good Food Fellow at The American Heart Association. She is passionate about translating knowledge into action, partnering with communities for locally driven solutions, and addressing the determinants of health that contribute to health disparities. Britt brings over 8 years of experience working on the implementation of evidence-based, grant funded initiatives with international NGOs across diverse geographies with additional on-the-ground experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural South Africa. She holds a Master of Public Health from The George Washington University focused on global health programs including research on behavioral interventions at the intersection of disease prevention and nutrition.