Midwest LEADRS Program fellows are improving health for all
Midwest LEADRS builds community through cohorts of scholars committed to advancing SDOH research.
2026-2027 Cohort
Jeana M. Holt
PhD, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-BC
Dr. Holt is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee School of Nursing and Principal Investigator and Research Director of the Autism Brilliance Lab for Entrepreneurship (ABLE). She is a nurse educator, researcher, and community-engaged scholar. Dr. Holt’s work focuses on advancing health, well-being, and inclusion for autistic youth and young adults through strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming approaches. Her research explores creativity, arts-based learning, belonging, and community participation, with a particular emphasis on participatory and mixed-methods research. She collaborates closely with community organizations, including Islands of Brilliance, to develop and evaluate innovative programs that support the thriving of neurodivergent individuals and their families.
Elizabeth Harman
PhD, MT-BC
Dr. Harman is a postdoctoral research scholar in the School of Nursing at Indiana University, Indianapolis. Dr. Harman, whose work is currently funded by a National Cancer Institute K99/R00, focuses on the development and testing of music-based interventions for young children with cancer and other life-threatening illness and their parents. Prior to the K99, Dr. Harman completed a T32 postdoctoral fellowship in Interdisciplinary Behavioral Oncology at IU and worked for over a decade as a bedside music therapist for critically ill children and their families at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Yuqing Zhang
PhD, RN
Dr. Zhang is an assistant professor at the College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati. Serving as principal investigator in funded research projects, she is leading interdisciplinary research at the intersection of oral health, diabetes, and digital health innovation. She holds a PhD and is a registered nurse with extensive experience in big data analytics using data from national health surveys. Her work focuses on reducing oral health inequities among adults with diabetes, particularly those facing socioeconomic disadvantage and limited access to dental care. Yuqing’s research interests include oral-systemic connection, human centered digital intervention design, and chronic disease self management with a focus on oral health. She currently directs a multi year oral health promotion and oral self-care intervention study for people with diabetes, mentors PhD students, and advocates for equity focused oral health initiatives.