ALLISON C. KOLLER, MS
Allie Koller received a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience (2014) and a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology (2019), both from the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently a PhD student at the School of Public Health. Prior to joining AELHI, she spent more than ten years as a researcher at Pitt’s School of Medicine, where she investigated cardiac arrest predictors and resuscitative therapies. She also served as the manager for a biomedical surgical research laboratory.
She is currently the lead coordinator for the Exposome of Asthma Patients wristband study and for the Beaver County AIR clinic.
VALERIE McFARLAND
Valerie McFarland holds an Associate’s Degree in Respiratory Therapy and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree. Valerie has been a Respiratory Therapist for 13 years, experienced in both clinical and research environments of cardio-pulmonary treatment and critical care relating to the lungs along with experience in sleep-disordered breathing and its treatments.
Valerie serves as the lead coordinator for the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) at the University of Pittsburgh Asthma Institute. She is currently coordinating the SARP4 study that compares adults with severe, mild, and moderate asthmatics to healthy, non-asthmatics focusing on Immuno-metabolic Phenotypes in adult Severe Asthma and disease progression.
JOHN A. MOORE
John Moore received his Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology from Penn State University, where he was first exposed to clinical research working with patients with anxiety disorders and psychosis. He transitioned his passion for research into a career at the University of Pittsburgh coordinating translational and environmental clinical research studies aimed at improving the health of people with severe upper and lower airway diseases.
John is currently the lead coordinator on the PrecISE (Precision Interventions for Severe and/or Exacerbation-Prone Asthma) Network Study at the University of Pittsburgh Asthma and Environmental Lung Health Institute (AELHI). He also facilitates recruitment & enrollment for the AELHI Asthma Registry.
TAYLOR J. NEE, MS
Taylor Nee received her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016. She continued her studies at the University of Pittsburgh to complete her Master’s of Science Degree in Biomedical Sciences in 2018 through the School of Medicine Biomedical Master’s Program.
Taylor previously worked in a University of Pittsburgh lab on a project examining immune tolerance. Recently, she shifted her immunology research interests to include asthma and allergies. She is now the lead research coordinator on the Immune Airway-Epithelial Interactions in Steroid-Refractory Severe Asthma Study at the University of Pittsburgh Asthma and Environmental Lung Health Institute.
ALYSSA M. VELIZ, MS
Alyssa Veliz received her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology from Dickinson College in 2018. She continued her studies at Duquesne University and received a Master’s of Science Degree in Biotechnology in 2020.
Alyssa is currently co-coordinator on the PrecISE (Precision Interventions for Severe and/or Exacerbation-Prone Asthma) Network Study at the University of Pittsburgh Asthma and Environmental Lung Health Institute (AELHI).