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Our Leadership Team
Rebecca A. Rosales, MBA, CRA
CEO
Rebecca Rosales joined NCIRE in January 2017. She brings extensive experience in finance, business administration, compliance and research administration. Rebecca has held leadership positions at UCSF, Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and the Public Health Institute. Rebecca has a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Master of Business Administration, Executive Program from St. Mary’s College of California. As NCIRE’s CEO/Executive Director, she leads an administrative staff dedicated to supporting over 200 SFVAHCS physician/researchers who investigate and treat the wide range of diseases and disabilities suffered by millions of Veterans.
Rebecca is a member of the several community health focused boards and has past experience as Chair of the Finance Committee Thalassemia Clinical Research Network (TCRN), National Institute of Health. She is a member of the Clinical Trials Committee for National Association for Veterans Research & Education (NAVREF).
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Joanna Zhao, MBA
CFO
Secretary and Treasurer, NCIRE Board of Directors
Joanna Zhao joined NCIRE as an Accountant in 1998 and advanced to her current position as CFO from Controller, overseeing Payroll and Accounting Department. She received a Bachelor of Science, Accounting, from Golden Gate University, and a Master of Business Administration, Finance, from San Francisco State University. Her areas of professional expertise include financial reporting, budgeting and analyses, and not-for-profit accounting. She was appointed in June 2018 to serve as Secretary and Treasurer for the NCIRE Board of Directors.
Jian pu
Accounting Manager
Jian Pu joined NCIRE as an Accounting Specialist in 2006, and was promoted to the position of Accounting Manager in 2019. Jian has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management Engineering from Southeast University in China. Jian has nearly 30 years of accounting and finance experience in both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.
azarah wong, cra
Associate Director - Sponsored Research
Azarah Wong first joined NCIRE as the Executive Assistance to the Chairman of the NCIRE Board of Directors. Concurrently, she supported three Principal Investigators and assisted with grant application preparations. She was later introduced to the world of research grants administration; and in 2006, joined NCIRE Contracts & Grants Department as a Contracts & Grants Specialist where she advanced to her current position as Associate Director, Sponsored Research. Azarah holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and is an active Certified Research Administrator (CRA) since 2006. Along with the Contracts & Grants team, she provides SFVAHCS PIs with pre- and post-award research grants management.
Newton ong
Contracts & Grants Manager - Compliance and Contracts
Newton Ong has been with NCIRE for over 25 years and brings extensive research experience. He has been promoted into various positions including: Clinical Trials Specialist, Clinical Research Center Administrator, Contracts and Grants Manager, and his current position as NCIRE’s Compliance and Contracts Manager of the Contracts and Grants Department, which he co-manages. Newton received his Bachelor of Science, Business Management from San Francisco State University. His areas of professional expertise include business administration, research administration, compliance, contract negotiations and management (CTA and CRADA), clinical trial site administration and finances, and assists with facilitating research with the SFVA Research and Development Department. He is also Clinical Research Contract Professional (CRCP) certified by MAGI.
Lydia Blednyh
human resources director
Lydia Blednyh joined NCIRE in 2004. She has more than 22 years of Human Resources experience within the medical and research fields. During her tenure at NCIRE, she's partnered with researchers from across the SFVAHCS and UCSF to deliver complex and varied human resources services. She currently leads the NCIRE Human Resources group as Human Resources Director.
Prior to joining NCIRE, Lydia worked at Stanford Medical Center in Human Resources. She also became a California State certified mediator and a volunteer at the Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC). At PCRC, she worked on community and small claims court mediations for the County of San Mateo.
Lydia earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication with double minors in English and Cultural Diversity from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California. She holds the two highest credentials within the human resources profession: the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and the Society for Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM -SCP) certifications. Her areas of expertise include employee relations, organizational compliance, conflict resolution, performance management, and total rewards.
Jennifer yee, phr
sr. human resources business manager
Jennifer Yee joined NCIRE in 2004 and has advanced experience in all functions of Human Resources. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her areas of expertise include benefits, data analytics and total rewards. Ms. Yee is an active member of Society of Human Resources Management Association and has held her Professional Human Resources certification since 2010.
Keith Chan
Information technology director
Keith Chan joined NCIRE as Information System Specialist in 2005 and has been in his current position as IT Director since 2016. He oversees the NCIRE IT department and business applications. Keith received a Bachelor of Science in Management Information System from Portland State University and a Master of Business Administration from University of Portland. His experience includes desktop support, server support, financial system administration, database management, and BI development.
shannon ellis
Purchasing Manager
Shannon Ellis joined NCIRE as a Buyer II in 2006. She was promoted to Senior Buyer and advanced to her current position as Purchasing Manager overseeing NCIRE’s Procurement operations. As the Purchasing Manager, Shannon is responsible for Procurement and Logistics to support NCIRE in its educational and research mission. Her areas of professional expertise include extensive experience with sourcing, project management, operations, inventory management, contracting, asset management, forecasting, domestic and international logistics, process improvement, compliance, and database development.
Prior to joining NCIRE Shannon spent over 15 years in the private sector handling commercial, wholesale, and international procurement, contracting and design of turnkey high purity water treatment systems and solutions.
Theodora Mauro, MD
Chair, NCIRE Board of Directors
Dr. Theodora Mauro is the Deputy Chief of Staff, Clinical Director of Planning and Development, and the Staff Physician and Chief of Dermatology Service at SFVAHCS. She is also the Professor in Residence and Vice-Chair of Dermatology at UCSF, and an NIH-funded NCIRE scientist. Dr. Mauro received her MD from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, followed by a T32-funded research postdoctoral fellowship in the Physiology Department at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her Dermatology residency at the University of California, Davis, where she served as faculty until 1992. She joined the staff of SFVAHCS in 1992 as Assistant Chief and became the Chief of Dermatology Service in 1997.