December 2023 Faculty Appointments and Promotions to Clinical Associate Professor

Congratulations to the following Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine faculty on their recent appointment or promotion to clinical associate professor.

Clinical Associate Professor
Julia Aquino, MD, Pediatrics, is a pediatric medicine hospitalist who received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and her MD from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She completed her pediatric residency at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. At BU and Boston Medical Center, Dr. Aquino serves as director of undergraduate medical education for the department of pediatrics. After starting her career at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Dr. Aquino worked in the hospital medicine program at both Tufts Medical Center (TMC) and Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH). During her tenure at TMC, she was co-director of the pediatric clerkship and associate program director of the pediatric residency program, where she was the recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award. During her tenure at BCH, Dr. Aquino was director of network hospital medicine education. Nationally, Dr. Aquino is the co-leader for the current cohort for the APA Academic Pediatric Scholars Program.

Sandra Mattar, PsyD, Psychiatry, is a clinical psychologist who conducts trauma-informed and culturally responsive psychotherapy with survivors of torture and asylum seekers with histories involving chronic trauma. In addition, she is director of training at the Immigrant and Refugee Health Center at Boston Medical Center (BMC), and faculty/supervisor at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology (CMTP). Dr. Mattar was chair of the school’s Racism in Medicine track for the LEADS curriculum of the MD program, and now chairs the Global and Refugee Health track. Her research interests focus on the intersection of psychological trauma and culture; immigrants and refugee mental health; multicultural and international psychology; culturally responsive, trauma-informed education and training, and mindfulness and spirituality. Dr. Mattar is an associate editor for the American Psychological Association’s publication Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy.

Ika Noviawaty, MD, Neurology, specializes in epilepsy pre-surgical workup, neuromodulation, outcomes for refractory epilepsy and status epilepticus. She is experienced in acute care neurology and interprofessional education through the implementation of a simulation curriculum. She is engaged in health advocacy through her work as a board member of Epilepsy Foundation of New England and as the current president of Massachusetts Neurologic Association. At BU and Boston Medical Center, Dr. Noviawaty is the division chief of epilepsy. She served as site PI for a multimodal functional neuroimaging study of the brain network controlling selective attention, as well as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to investigate the efficacy and safety of Carisbamate as an adjunctive treatment for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. She currently is site PI for the RAISE study for super refractory status epilepticus treatment.

Brooke Rogers, PhD, MPH, Psychiatry, provides clinical consultation and training in evidence-based assessment and interventions for substance use and co-occurring disorders as director of psychological services for addiction. She is involved in efforts to develop a standardized curriculum for incoming behavioral health clinicians and consults on program development for patients with substance use disorders. This year, she will be conducting a department-wide needs assessment to understand training gaps among clinicians and trainees that will inform a tailored approach to education and clinical support. Dr. Rogers mentors clinicians across social work and psychology and provides didactic seminars on evidence-based treatment approaches for substance use disorders to Psychology and Psychiatry Training Programs. She also provides clinical care to patients at Boston Medical Center within the Addiction Psychiatry Treatment Program and the Center for Infectious Diseases. Dr. Rogers’ clinical research experience spans 15+ years across various areas of health behavior change and care for those with medical and behavioral health conditions. She serves as a consulting editor of AIDS and Behavior and an ad-hoc reviewer for 20+ other journals across psychology, behavioral medicine, public health, LGBTQ health, HIV, and substance use.