Meet Our Team

Dr. Aggarwal is a NIH-funded physician scientist dedicated to improving outcomes in critical illnesses: acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia and sepsis, through clinical trials and cohort studies with a specific interest in biological heterogeneity and pragmatic delivery of trial interventions. Combined with rigorous clinical training at Johns Hopkins Hospital during residency, fellowship, and early faculty years, Dr. Aggarwal developed a strong research background in acute respiratory failure and ARDS pathobiology. Early work as a physician scientist investigated how lung macrophage inflammatory states impact lung injury in animal models of sepsis-induced and pneumonia-induced acute lung injury (ALI) that integrated clinically relevant, modifiable factors (e.g hyperoxia, cigarette smoke). Currently, as intensivist and Associate Professor at the University of Colorado, Dr. Aggarwal is a site PI for federally-funded COVID and non-COVID clinical trials in acute and critical illness, most recently as Co-PI for STRIVE, a NIAID-funded international network focused on advancing therapies for respiratory pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, and MPI for the ARDS, Pneumonia, and Sepsis (APS) Consortium. He has experience in designing and implementing a platform trial structure with familiarity in trial-specific appendices. He led a multi-national writing group to evaluate factors associated with relevant clinical outcomes as ancillary to 2500+ participant COVID trial network (TICO). As Medical Director of the Progressive Care Unit, he is uniquely positioned to understand the vantage point of disease progression in acute illness that is relevant to study severe pneumonia, ARDS, and sepsis.

Dr. Burnham’s research centers on investigations delineating the relationship between alcohol and substance misuse and critical illness, including pneumonia and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Her work focuses on understanding fundamental alterations in lung immunity related to substance misuse that predisposes individuals to develop severe pulmonary infections. Her research highlights the importance of identifying substance use (particularly alcohol misuse) as a common modifiable risk factor driving pulmonary infections and lung injury. Since 2011, Dr. Burnham has served as the PI for an R24 Clinical Research Resource, CoPARC, to support clinical and translational research for investigators across the US, including fellows and junior faculty. She has also received additional extramural research support to examine the intersection between alcohol and cannabis use, and the impact of alcohol misuse on outcomes in COVID-19 associated ARDS. Finally, she has been the site PI for a number of NIH-funded clinical trials investigating therapies for sepsis and ARDS. Dr. Burnham has been committed to implementing best practices and strategies to improve clinical and translational research mentoring. Since 2015, she has mentored 19 trainees, including 5 junior faculty, 6 post-doctoral fellows, 6 residents, and 2 pre-doctoral students, many of whom have secured academic positions and leadership positions in the field. Additionally, as the Program Director for the Colorado Clinical and Translational Science’s (CCTSI’s) K12 Scholar Program, she has been personally involved in clinical and translational research career development for 40+ K12 scholars (instructors and assistant professors) appointed to the program since 2007. Additionally, since 2023 she has served as a co-director and MPI for the Multidisciplinary Research Training in Respiratory Disease T32 Program at the University of Colorado. Additionally, Dr. Burnham has been actively involved in diversity and equity initiatives for the American Thoracic Society (ATS), where she was the inaugural chair of the ATS’s Women in Critical Care Interest Group. In this role, she spearheaded the first diversity, equity, and inclusion policy for the 16,000+ member organization.

Dr. Hills-Dunlap is an Instructor in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine. She received her medical degree from Stanford University and completed her Internal Medicine Residency, Chief Residency and Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. Her research interests are at the intersection of substance use and critical care, with a focus on improving treatment engagement and health outcomes for ICU patients with alcohol misuse. She is funded by the NIAAA/NIH to develop and evaluate an alcohol treatment patient decision aid for ICU survivors.

Dr. Ginestra received a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Plan II Honors at The University of Texas at Austin. She then received her medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. She completed internal medicine residency and pulmonary and critical care fellowship training at the University of Pennsylvania. With support from the Palliative and Acute Illness Research (PAIR) Center at Penn, she obtained a Master of Science in Health Policy Research and QI training as a Center for Healthcare Improvement & Patient Safety (CHIPS) fellow. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Her research focuses on improving the quality and timeliness of care for patients who develop sepsis and respiratory failure in the hospital. She uses machine learning and causal inference methodology to leverage granular inpatient electronic health record data with the goal of advancing precision approaches to care.

Dr. Jolley is an Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. She received her medical degree at Louisiana State University prior to completing her Internal Medicine Residency, Chief Residency and Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Washington. While at the University of Washington, she obtained a Master’s degree in Epidemiology and subsequently a Master’s degree in Clinical Research Methods from Tulane University. Dr. Jolley serves as Director of the ICU Recovery and Long COVID clinic at Anschutz Medical Center. Her research evaluates various aspects of post-ICU recovery with particular interest in physical functional recovery, biomarkers of neuromuscular injury and the impact of alcohol misuse on neuromuscular function.

Dr. Moss is the Roger S. Mitchell Professor of Medicine and former Head of the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Moss has a longstanding interest in critical care-related research and he has held continuous NIH funding as a Principal Investigator for over 19 consecutive years. More specifically, his research interests include identifying new treatment modalities for patients with the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), exploring the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular dysfunction in critically ill patients who require mechanical ventilation, and studying burnout syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and wellness in critical care healthcare professionals, specifically ICU nurses. His research on wellness is funded by the NIH and he recently received funding from the National Endowment of the Arts. He is the principal investigator for the Colorado center in the NHLBI sponsored Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL) network and the Colorado Resiliency Arts Lab (CORAL). Based on his expertise in clinical/translational research and mentoring, he served as the Program Director for the Education, Training, and Career Development Core of the Colorado Clinical Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI) from 2008-2016. More recently, he served as the President of the American Thoracic Society from 2017-2018. 

Dr. Sottile received his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of California-San Francisco and then a fellowship in pulmonary disease and critical care medicine at the University of Colorado. His clinical interests include critical care, ARDS, ventilator management, and pulmonary embolism. His research interests include ARDS, ventilator dyssynchrony, and minimizing ventilator-induced lung injury. 

Suzanne Slaughter is the Laboratory Manager. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and has over 15 years of laboratory experience in both industry and academia. She works with Investigators to support internal research projects as well as providing clinical trial support. She facilitates a seamless transition between clinical and laboratory operations. Suzanne also performs various laboratory procedures, immunoassays, cell culture experiments and RNA extractions as needed.

Carrie is an honorably discharged veteran who's worked for this group for 16 years. She is a research coordinator for the STRIVE, DRIVE USA, Occult 02, and RSI studies. Her responsibilities include: screening and identification of eligible patients, enrollment, data acquisition, and preparation and submission of clinical research documents. She has worked on many investigators' studies in the past such as COPARC and CORAL.

Anna holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama. She currently serves as a Research Registered Nurse and Principal Research Coordinator for several studies, including Aspiration in Acute Respiratory Survivors (AARF), the Randomized Trial of Corticosteroids in Post-Extubation Aspiration (COPED), and the ARDS, Pneumonia, and Sepsis (APS) Consortium: A Prospective Observational Study to Evaluate Phenotypes. As the lead coordinator for AARF and COPED, she oversees all study operations across multiple institutions, including the University of Colorado, Stanford University, Boston Medical Center, Yale University, and Tufts Medical Center. In her role with APS, she is responsible for patient enrollment, specimen collection, and data management. 

Chloe has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Master of Arts in Education and Human Development from the University of Colorado. She is one of the Research  Services Professionals for the RECOVER Clinical Trials, and previously worked with the RECOVER Observational study. She assists with participant screening, enrollment, study procedures, and sample processing.

Trey is a recent graduate from the University of Denver. He is a clinical research coordinator for the RECOVER clinical trials and the APS Consortium phenotyping study. He assists with participant screening, enrollment, and processing.