Meet the team

Paula Sherwood, RN, PhD, CNRN, FAAN


Paula is a native Virginian and nurse researcher who spent the first part of her career in clinical practice in Hawaii, Iowa, and Michigan. She spent the second part of her career as a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh and now the University of Virginia. Paula has led several large studies funded by the National Institute of Health to understand needs and deliver support in neuro-oncology caregiving. Away from the office, she loves spending time with her two boys and her parents, her dog Addy, and traveling to places on her bucket list.

Bréanna Foreman


Bréanna Foreman is a Research Specialist Intermediate in the Community Cancer Control and Obesity Research Center.  She is an alumna of the University of Mississippi (Master of Public Health in Community Health) and of Old Dominion University (Bachelor of Science; Minors in Exercise Science and Health & Wellness).  Her career thus far spans across the academic, behavioral health, private and public sectors.  

Rose La Serte, BSN Student, UVA SON Research Intern


Rose, a native of Virginia, is a nursing student currently in her third year. She spends her time balancing nursing clinicals and working on a pilot study involving correlations between emotional distress and cortisol content in hair samples. Outside of work and school, Rose enjoys spending time exploring Charlottesville with her friends and attending concerts.

Eunsun Lee, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, CCRA, PMP


Eunsun is a clinical research project management professional and currently a PhD student at the University of Virginia (UVA). She has managed clinical research for over 10 years at organizations such as MSD, Quintiles, EPS International, and TiumBio. Eunsun has accumulated extensive hands-on management and diverse leadership experience across the entire research lifecycle, progressing from Certified Clinical Research Associate (CCRA) to Director.  As a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Project Management Professional (PMP), she advances research goals by combining clinical expertise with systematic project management skills. Outside of her research and studies, she enjoys spending time with her family, particularly traveling, fishing, playing tennis, and snowboarding together.

Emily Lehman-Rios (She/They)


MSN CNL Student: Emily is a Richmond, VA native who got their undergraduate degree in neuropsychology from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC, which sparked a big interest in the brain and people’s experiences with brain injuries and other neurological conditions. In their free time, Emily loves to follow their other passions of cycling and mountain biking. In Asheville, they helped found a nonprofit to provide black, indigenous, and people of color access to mountain biking and loves to build community around the outdoors.