National Center on Homelessness
Among Veterans (NCHAV)

Dr. Jack Tsai serves as Research Director and Acting Director of NCHAV, where he leads both administrative and research activities for the Homeless Program Office. Dr. Tsai is a licensed clinical psychologist with a PhD from Purdue University and an additional MS in Clinical Psychopharmacology. Prior to joining NCHAV, he served in numerous VA roles including as a front-line clinical provider for many years and in VISN leadership. He currently has a faculty appointment at the University of Texas, and previously served on the faculty at Yale University School of Medicine for a decade where he directed the Division of Mental Health Services Research. His dedication to improving the housing, health, and well-being of Veterans is evident through his ongoing work to advance care for Veterans and their families experiencing homelessness.

Dr. Roger Casey is the Director of Education and Dissemination at NCHAV. He holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work, a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration, and a Doctorate in Public Health. Prior to helping establish the Center, Dr. Casey served as the Director of VA's National Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program. His current role includes developing and implementing national training and education curricula for VA and non-VA staff working with Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. He has worked with VA homeless programs since they were first authorized by Congress, providing direct services and implementing national pilot programs. Dr. Casey’s research interests include residential treatment models and development of community-based practices that address the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness diagnosed with mental illness.

Dr. Hind A. Baydoun is a Research Health Science Specialist at NCHAV. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Iowa, as well as an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, a BS in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a BS in Biology from the American University of Beirut. At NCHAV, her work primarily involves utilizing advanced statistical methods to support projects that target chronic disease prevention, addressing housing instability, homelessness, and justice-involved Veterans. With over 20 years of experience in academic, healthcare, and federal government environments, Dr. Baydoun has previously held positions as a Statistician with the Defense Health Agency at the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, an Epidemiologist with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in the Graduate Program in Public Health at Eastern Virginia Medical School. She has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and presented over 90 abstracts in the areas of reproductive, chronic disease, and social epidemiology.

Dr. Rebecca Kinney is a Health Services Researcher with a focus on healthcare access and utilization among underserved veterans. Dr. Kinney received her Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and completed her PhD in Population Sciences and Health Outcomes Research at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. She specializes in a mixed methods approach employing both quantitative and qualitative methods to her program evaluation, implementation science, and research efforts. Dr. Kinney’s most recent studies involved equity in diabetes care delivery and clinical practice, unsheltered homelessness, trauma informed care, food insecurity/quality, and patient engagement. Over the past year, Rebecca has worked closely with Dr. Tsai to explore how to better engage the most destitute unsheltered Veterans and better transition these individuals to sustainable, permanent housing. Additionally, given her interest in health care equity and access to care, she has worked closely with Dr. Casey and his team over the past few years to examine the impact of a trauma informed care approach in delivering Veteran care. Rebecca’s professional interests include health care access (e.g.., remote care), equity, and continuity of care among underserved populations

Dr. Amanda Edwards Stewart is a clinical psychologist and researcher at NCHAV. She earned her PhD and MA in Clinical Psychology from Seattle Pacific University, and her MS and BS in Psychology from Evangel University. As a Clinical Investigator at NCHAV, Dr. Stewart focuses on assessing clinical interventions aimed at enhancing the lives and mental health of Veterans who are currently or have previously experienced homelessness. Before joining VA, Dr. Stewart worked as a subject matter expert in developing and evaluating technology solutions and spent twelve years as a clinical psychologist and researcher with active-duty military personnel.

Dr. Dorota Szymkowiak is a Health Science Specialist at NCHAV focusing on Veterans experiencing homelessness and housing instability. She completed a PhD in Medical Sociology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Dr. Szymkowiak specializes in quantitative analyses of administrative data, including the electronic medical record as well as the Homeless Operations Management and Evaluation System (HOMES) and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Dr. Szymkowiak’s current studies seek to delineate long-term outcomes for homeless Veterans within VHA, understand how best to engage Veterans at ongoing surge events, and to describe the extent of Veterans’ utilization of non-VA medical care in the community. She has been with NCHAV for 10 years and previously worked with a variety of data in public health settings. Dr. Szymkowiak’s professional interests include optimizing VHA healthcare and homeless programs performance to ultimately optimize outcomes for Veterans experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

Ms. Erika Barr is the Administrative Officer (AO) for the NCHAV. In this role, Ms. Barr is responsible for the administrative and management functions. Ms. Barr is a graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), where she obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Health Care Management. Her VA career began in 2005 in Health Administration Service (HAS) as a Medical Support Assistant for various inpatient units at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (JAHVH) in Tampa, Florida. Since then, Ms. Barr gained exceptional administrative experience through various roles as the Secretary in the Employee Education Office and Staff Assistant for the Chief of Staff's office, where she assisted the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Administrative Officer to the Chief of Staff with many day-to-day tasks and special projects. Ms. Barr was further promoted to Administrative Officer (AO) for the JAHVH Dental Clinic, where she served as the first official AO for the clinic and later served as the first Medical Education Coordinator for the Employee Education Office, where she implemented several processes to improve/streamline trainee onboarding for JAHVH.

Ms. Christina Cook-Carter is a Program Support Assistant at NCHAV where she conducts administrative responsibilities and facilitates weekly meetings. Ms. Christina Cook-Carter graduated from the School at Work Program in Philadelphia, PA. Ms. Cook-Carter began her Federal career with the Internal Revenue Service, where she worked for 10 years as a Research Clerk. She was employed as a secretary in the Communications Department at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, where she supported the Public Affairs Officer and the Congressional Liaison in various roles. During her employment with the Communications Department, she was active in arranging and setting up Town Hall meetings held with the Medical Center Leadership Team and the local Veterans. Ms. Cook-Carter’s professional interests include community involvement and Veteran advocacy. She serves on the Philadelphia Veterans Parade Committee and is the wife of a Marine Corps Veteran.

Mr. Derrick Crowley joined NCHAV in 2017, as a Management Analyst. In this capacity, he performs organizational and management responsibilities in the development of procedures and criteria for administration of NCHAV’s programs. These activities include coordinating logistics for model development and education and training initiatives. Mr. Crowley holds a Master’s of Science Degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, a Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Education from Wayland Baptist University, and Master Certificates in Human Resource Management and Operations Management and Program Management through Villanova University. In addition, he has obtained the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Certification and Certifications in Instructional Systems Design and Improving Human Performance through the Association for Talent Development. Previously, Mr. Crowley served as an Education Program Specialist with Employee Development and Training within VA's Office of Resolution Management. Mr. Crowley served 30 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as the Command Chief Master Sergeant of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base. In this position, he served as liaison between the wing commander and the enlisted force and provided leadership and direction for 3,000 men and women performing global air refueling and combatant commander airlift support in direct support of the Air Force's Global Reach, Global Power missions, while additionally providing host installation support to the men and women of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, and 51 other mission partners that call MacDill Air Force Base home.

Ms. Lily Dunbar serves as Program Support Assistant at NCHAV, having earned her diploma through the rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. In her role, Ms. Dunbar performs a variety of essential administrative tasks that support the operations of NCHAV and its staff. She began her federal career as a Transportation Security Officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where she was recognized along with several groups of officers for successfully processing thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees out of New Orleans Int’l Airport in the wake of the hurricane devastation. Before joining NCHAV in 2012, Ms. Dunbar worked at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital (JAHVH) as the Secretary to the Chief of Health Information Management Service (HIMS), where her outstanding performance was acknowledged. Additionally, she is a Certified Customer Service Representative. As an active member of her community, Ms. Dunbar is passionate about traveling, volunteering, and spending quality time with family.

Ms. Erika Reitz serves as the NCHAV Model Development Coordinator. In this capacity, she leads NCHAV’s model development initiatives, which include feasibility studies, pilot projects, program design replication, and implementation efforts centered on research-supported best practices. Erika holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Smith College. Before her tenure at NCHAV, Ms. Reitz was a training director, where she focused on creating and delivering social work training, enhancing learner engagement, and advancing interprofessional education. She also brings over ten years of clinical experience working in various homeless programs, including Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans, Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV), and Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH). Erika’s professional interests include supporting training and educational initiatives aimed at enhancing care for veterans experiencing homelessness.