Mrs. Shirley J. Jackson, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, Project Director of the RIMI Sub-grant is a full time tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, Division of Allied Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. She has been a professor at Howard since January 1980. She served as Chairperson of the Occupational Therapy Department from 1987 to June 2000. Her area of expertise includes curriculum development, outcomes assessment, research, and administration management. Her professional passion is grant writing, mentoring young faculty members and students in research.

Connie M. Webster, DNSc, RN, CNA, BC, Associate Professor, Chairperson for the Department of Nursing and Allied Health, and the Director of Nursing Education at the University of the District of Columbia received her doctorate degree from the Catholic University of America after completing undergraduate and Master’s level course work at Howard University. With a specialty in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, she is certified by the American Nursing Credentialing Center in Psychiatric Nursing and Nursing Administration. She joined the faculty at the University of the District of Columbia in October 2000 after 33 years of clinical practice. Her years of clinical practice included positions at Saint Elizabeths Hospital and the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and a tour of active duty in the United States Air Force.

Having a keen interest in research and a great concern about access to health care and health disparities in the African American population she readily became a member of the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Research Network for Health Services and health Disparities.