Charisee Lamar

Charisee Lamar, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.R.T, is the Director of the Division of Extramural Research Activities (DERA). In this capacity, she directs and coordinates all activities of the division and serves as the focal point of contact with other NHLBI components, NIH Institutes, and external organizations for mission-relevant activities. Dr. Lamar oversees five offices, including the Office of Scientific Review (OSR), the Office of Grants Management (OGM), the Office of Extramural Operations and Referral (OEOR), the Innovation and Commercialization (I&C) Office, as well as the Office of Committee Management (OCM). She also has oversight for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) -wide Catalyze programs that coordinates research efforts designed to transform basic scientific discoveries into viable therapeutics, devices, and diagnostics relevant to the institute's mission. In addition, Dr. Lamar serves as the Executive Secretary for the NHLBI's Advisory Council.

Dr. Lamar served over 14 years as an NIH Program Officer, of public service experience at NIH including expertise in extramural science policy, program development, implementation, and evaluation, as well as extramural training. Her experience includes tenures at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Dr. Lamar has led institutional career development programs at NICHD and on behalf of NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) including, the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH), the Women's Reproductive Health Research (WRHR), and the Reproductive Scientist Development (RSDP) programs, and established a national Fertility Preservation program.

As the Deputy Director of the Division of Extramural Activities at National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) she provided leadership in grants management, extramural policy, scientific review, and committee management services. Dr. Lamar also led efforts to enhance initiative planning, oversight, staff training programs, as well as system development; and as Director of the Office of Health Equity at NICHD she spearheaded the institute-wide STRIVE initiative (STrategies to EnRich Inclusion and AchieVe Equity), as well efforts to address Maternal Health disparities. Dr. Lamar has served on numerous committees, including chairing the NIH Program Leadership Committee, Maternal Mortality Taskforce, DHHS Maternal Mortality Working Group, Simplifying Peer Review Framework (SRF) Coordinating Committee; Research to Enhance Covid to Recovery (RECOVER) Data Access Requests (DAC) Review Committee, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women. She's also received numerous awards institute and NIH Office the Director awards.

Dr. Lamar developed clinical expertise as a Respiratory Therapist prior to her tenure at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this capacity, she served as an interdisciplinary health care team member providing airway management for patients across the lifespan, including labor and delivery, intensive care units (neonatal, cardiac, neurosurgical, and medicine), and the emergency room settings.

She graduated from Augusta University, formerly the Medical College of Georgia, with a bachelor's degree in Respiratory Therapy, and later returned to receive her Ph.D. in Endocrinology, with a concentration in Neuroendocrinology. She also received a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.