SVPR Senior Leadership

Deborah Watkins Bruner, RN, PhD, FAAN, is Senior Vice President for Research, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Dr. Bruner is also Professor and Robert W. Woodruff Chair in Nursing, Professor of Radiation Oncology, and a member and past Associate Director for Mentorship at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. She is an internationally renowned researcher and clinical trialist with a focus on patient reported outcomes (PROs), symptom management, and comparative effectiveness of radiotherapy modalities. Her most current research is focused on the role of the human microbiome in carcinogenesis and cancer treatment outcomes.

She earned a degree in nursing from West Chester University and M.S. degrees in nursing administration and nursing oncology from Weidner University. In 1999, she earned a Ph.D. in outcomes research from the University of Pennsylvania.

As Vice President of Research Administration, Emory Nobles leads the ten research administrative and compliance departments [Strategic Initiatives, Clinical Research, Conflict of Interest, Environmental Health and Safety, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Institutional Review Board, Research Administration Services, Research Grants and Contracts, Sponsored Programs] with more than 300 team members providing outstanding services that catalyze research excellence. Daily, Nobles and team are responsible for providing the foundation for the research growth that Emory continues to experience while pursuing discovery.

Nobles completed his Doctor of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston with a triple major that included health policy & management, epidemiology, and health economics; and he received his master's in Public Health specializing in epidemiology, and bachelor's degree in molecular biology from Florida A&M University.

Dr. Kimberly Eck joined the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research in August 2020. As Associate Vice President for Research at Emory University, she is a part of the Research Leadership Team supporting Emory's strategic framework of One Emory: Engage for Impact. Dr. Eck assists with developing and implementing university-wide strategies to advance the research enterprise at Emory. leads the Office of Research Development (ORD) and Training Grant Support Office. Established in 2020, ORD provides support and programming to facilitate research partnerships, support strategic planning, identify funding opportunities, form interdisciplinary collaborations, and pursue large institutional training awards through the Training Grant Support Office.

She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology degree at SUNY University at Albany, her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Behavioral Science at Saint Louis University, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame.

Tonya is a seasoned professional with diverse business experience and a track record of success, spanning the areas of accounting and finance, strategic planning, human resources, business operations and process improvement. Tonya most recently served as Senior Business Officer for Research at the University of Miami, where she held various leadership roles over the last 16 years. Prior to that, she worked in corporate financial and business operations roles for Cargill, Royal Caribbean, Johnson & Johnson, DHL, and World Fuel Services.

Tonya holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Florida International University. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys music, traveling, and making memories with her family and friends.

Dr. Sherer is the Associate Vice President of Research, and Executive Director for the Office of Technology Transfer at Emory University.  He has worked extensively with researchers to translate their promising scientific and medical discoveries into new products that benefit society.  This crucial activity helps assure that research is translated into practical applications, including new life-saving medical products that benefit the public who helped to fund it.  He has helped pioneer new funding models to support the translation of research and worked globally to identify, test, and implement best practices to increase the impact of academic technology commercialization.  Dr. Sherer has also worked with colleagues to affect federal policy and guidelines that address new intellectual property flowing from federally-funded research.

He held similar roles at Oregon Health & Science University, the University of Oregon, and Washington State University.  He received his PhD in Pharmacology/Toxicology from Washington State University and a BS degree from Oregon State University.  He is a Past President of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), the professional association representing more than 3,000 technology transfer professionals from more than 30 countries.  Dr. Sherer is a Registered Patent Agent (RPA) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  He is also a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP™) and a Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP). 

Drew Homa serves as Chief of Staff to the Senior Vice President for Research. In this role, he is a member of the Research Leadership team and serves on the SVPR Research Council. Drew oversees events and special projects and coordinates new initiatives. He provides research, leadership, independent analysis, and judgment in prioritizing interests and priorities. In addition, he supervises SVPR Communications and works with the leadership team to develop a strategic multi-year communication plan for the SVPR offices.

Drew holds a Bachelor of Arts in English & History from the University of Southern California and a Master of Arts in English/Higher Education from Appalachian State University.

As Executive Director of Science Gallery Atlanta, Faust will oversee the development and execution of the world-class exhibition and its auxiliary programming.

Her previous work has included helping to build a new materials science and engineering program at Princeton University, transitioning the Biosphere 2 Center in Arizona into public exhibitions on climate change research at Columbia University, and participating in the development of a new science center and planetarium at the University of Arizona.  Alexis has worked with internationally known exhibition designer Ralph Appelbaum as well as the late Rafael Viñoly in the conceptual development of new museums and informal learning environments.