04 Sep Meet the New ITHS Co-Principal Investigators: Drs. Denise Dillard and Sarah Shannon
The Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) is proud to introduce Drs. Denise Dillard and Sarah Shannon as the newest co-principal investigators and members of the ITHS Executive Leadership Committee. They bring extensive experience, a strong commitment to translational science, and deep ties to the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) region.
Dr. Denise Dillard
Denise Dillard, PhD, MS, is a Co-Director of IREACH and Professor in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University. Her research centers on Indigenous health among Alaska Native, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities using community-based participatory research methods. Dr. Dillard, an Inupiaq Eskimo who grew up in Anchorage, earned her PhD and MS in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University, as well as BA in Psychology and BA in Sociology from University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Says Dr. Dillard, “I am thrilled to be joining ITHS leadership. ITHS is an excellent resource for the WWAMI region including the diverse communities served.”
Dr. Sarah Shannon
Sarah Shannon, PhD, RN, FAAN, has served as dean of the Montana State University College of Nursing since 2017. Dr. Shannon’s work focuses on improving communication between health care teams and patients and their families around ethically challenging issues, specifically end-of-life decision-making in the intensive care setting, error disclosure, and interprofessional conflict. For more than 20 years, Dr. Shannon has taught clinical and professional ethics and has been an investigator on numerous National Institutes of Health and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded grants. She received her B.S. in nursing from University of Arizona and an M. S. and Ph.D. in nursing science from the University of Washington.
Says Dr. Shannon, “I am delighted to be joining the ITHS executive leadership team as the Co-PI representing Montana’s collaboration. The work of the ITHS grant is important for the mountain west and rural states such as Montana. To improve health care in rural states, we need scientists who live and work in rural, frontier and tribal communities. The ITHS is unique in its commitment to increasing the interdisciplinary scientists focused on rural health, thereby increasing the science that will lead to improvements in rural communities.”
Both Dr. Dillard and Dr. Shannon attended the 2025 ITHS EXPO and Symposium and contributed to the Executive Committee Leadership Panel. They shared valuable insights into how their research translates into real-world clinical impact and the importance of community-centered collaborative strategies in driving translational research forward. [Click to view the ITHS 2025 EXPO Executive Committee panel discussion]
They join the existing executive leadership committee, which includes John Amory, MD, Principal Investigator, Jodi Smith, MD, MPH, Co-Principal Investigator, Stephanie Lee, MD, MPH, Co-Principal Investigator, Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, PhD, Vice Dean for Research and Graduate Education, Tong Sun, MS, MBA, Executive Director and Assistant Dean, Translational Health Sciences, Mary L. “Nora” Disis, MD, Principal Investigator Emeritus, Paul J. Martin, MD, Co-Principal Investigator Emeritus, and Bonnie W. Ramsey, MD, Co-Principal Investigator Emeritus.
The Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) has served as the clinical and translational science hub for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) since 2007. The hub brings together 3 top US research institutions as partners: the University of Washington, Seattle Children’s, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The spokes of the hub are academic, clinical, community-based, and other research organizations across the region.
Leveraging networks and relationships built over several years, ITHS continues to grow and strengthen the regional collaboratory, a “center without walls”, to promote research that improves the health of the people across WWAMI and beyond.
