Our Team

Laura Fink DeFina, MD, FACP, FAHA, has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Cooper Institute since 2014. She joined The Cooper Institute research division in 2009 as the Medical Director. Since 2013 as Chief Science Officer, she has led the development and implementation of the institute’s research agenda focused primarily on the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study as well as the development of strategic partnerships with academic centers, researchers, and industry stakeholders. Dr. DeFina has authored more than 100 manuscripts on a variety of prevention topics, including healthy aging, brain health, and cardiorespiratory fitness. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Heart Association. In 2012, she received the Steven N. Blair Award for Excellence in Physical Activity Research from the American Heart Association’s Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Council for her research on fitness and dementia. She served on the Data Safety Monitoring Board and Translational Advisory Board for two NIH-funded multi-center studies.  

In 2013, Dr. DeFina was appointed by then Texas Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders and re-appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in 2019. She has served numerous organizations, including the North Texas Commission’s Board of Directors, the American Council on Exercise Prescription for Activity Task Force, and the American Heart Association’s Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Physical Activity committee. Additionally, she completed the University of South Carolina’s Physical Activity and Public Health Fellowship, Leadership North Texas, and the Stagen Integral Leadership Program.  

Dr. DeFina attended Northwestern University and completed medical school at the George Washington University School of Medicine, where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She finished her medical training in Internal Medicine at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and served 12 years in the United States Army rising to the rank of Major. Prior to joining The Cooper Institute, Dr. DeFina practiced internal medicine at Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center, geriatric medicine at the Baylor Senior Health Network, and, ultimately, found her passion in preventive healthcare at the world-renowned Cooper Clinic.

Dr. DeFina lives in Richardson, Texas, with her husband, Joseph. They have two adult children who are the joy of their lives. For good health, she loves playing tennis, pickleball, walking and spending time with family and friends.

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Kayla Heath has been with The Cooper Institute since 2019. She brings over 10 years of finance experience to her role as Chief Financial Officer. Heath is responsible for all accounting and financial operations at The Cooper Institute. In addition, she manages our IT team and thereby supports the critical research mission of The Cooper Institute.

Prior to joining The Cooper Institute, Heath worked at RSM, one of the largest accounting and consulting firms in the world. During her time at RSM, she developed a wide-ranging skill set in complex accounting matters including mergers and acquisitions, impairment and business transformation. Heath has worked with various industry sectors including nonprofits, consumer products and professional services.

Heath earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Information Management from University of Texas at Dallas and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is actively involved innumerous volunteer activities, including Genesis Women’s Shelter and North Texas Food Bank. She is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta and the Leadership North Texas Class 13. Heath enjoys staying active with her family by going on hikes with her husband and taking their daughter on walks. She and her husband are avid hikers and look forward to taking their daughter when she is older.

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Beth Wright, Ph.D. is the Senior Director, CCLS and Administration for The Cooper Institute. Known as Carolyn E. Barlow in scientific publications, Beth began her professional career with The Cooper Institute as an intern and moved to full-time staff member shortly thereafter.

The Cooper Institute provides her the unique opportunity to combine her undergraduate (BSPH in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and graduate degrees (MS in Wellness and Fitness from Middle Tennessee State University; PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center) to explore the relationships between health behaviors and outcomes.

In addition to her role on the research team, she administrates The Cooper Institute’s human resources functions. During Dr. Wright’s tenure, her responsibilities have varied from co-authorship on numerous scientific publications, project management, data management and analysis to morbidity and mortality surveillance for the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study.

She maintains membership in the American College of Sports Medicine, American Heart Association, Society for Human Resource Management and Society for Epidemiologic Research. Dr. Wright is passionate about all things related to physical activity. One of her favorite ways to stay active is by taking a spin class.

David Leonard, PhD is the Director of Biostatistics at The Cooper Institute. In this role, he oversees and conducts the statistical analyses and modeling required to further the research of The Cooper Institute. He received a doctorate in Physics from The University of Texas at Austin in 1993. Dr. Leonard was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship in the Center for Statistical Mechanics and Complex Systems at UT Austin, where he was also a lecturer in the Physics Department. He has industry experience in finance and marketing statistics.

In 2004 he joined the Clinical Sciences faculty of The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. There he worked on the Dallas Heart Study, probability sample of the residential population of Dallas County, Texas, the Barbershop Study, a group-randomized clinical trial of hypertension detection and control in Dallas County, and, through the Center for Human Nutrition, the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study.

At The Cooper Institute, he applies his scientific and statistical knowledge to discover the connections between how we behave and how well we live. Dr. Leonard’s favorite ways to stay active include cycling and rowing.

Clare Meernik, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Investigator at The Cooper Institute. She also holds an adjunct Assistant Professor appointment at Duke University School of Medicine. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University in the Department of Population Health Sciences. Dr. Meernik completed her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, and her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She was also previously a Research Specialist with the Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program at the UNC Department of Family Medicine.

Prior to joining The Cooper Institute, Dr. Meernik’s research focused on tobacco control, cancer epidemiology, and cancer survivorship, with a particular focus on improving quality of life after cancer. She has extensive experience in epidemiologic study design, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and program evaluation.

She looks forward to leading new areas of research at The Cooper Institute related to healthy living, including using her cancer expertise to explore the relationships between healthy living and the prevention of long-term adverse effects of cancer and its treatment (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline). To date, she has published more than 40 peer-reviewed studies in journals including JAMA, BMJ, Pediatrics, Human Reproduction, and Tobacco Control.

Dr. Meernik enjoys spending as much time as possible outside being active, including competing in triathlons, hiking, and kayaking.

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Andjelka Pavlovic, Ph.D. earned her Bachelor of Science (Kinesiology) and Master of Science (Exercise Science) from The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In 2015, she graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Statistics. Throughout her doctoral degree, Dr. Pavlovic’s primary research interest focused on the benefits of physical activity/strength training on bone health, specifically osteoporosis. Aside from her collegiate career, Dr. Pavlovic has also been a certified personal trainer for the past 15 years, and continues to practice as a fitness professional. The combination of research and personal training has allowed her to have a solid foundation of science and practical application within the field of exercise science.

In 2015, Dr. Pavlovic began her career with The Cooper Institute as an Associate Investigator for the Research and Youth divisions. She is currently the Director of Youth and her primary responsibility is to oversee all youth programs and initiatives as well as the science behind the FitnessGram Assessment. Dr. Pavlovic is also involved with the Research Division and is responsible for authoring Cooper Center Longitudinal Study manuscripts for publication in refereed scientific journals. Currently, her research focus is on the role of muscle fitness alone or in combination with cardiorespiratory fitness, on chronic diseases and health outcomes.

Dr. Pavlovic enjoys an active lifestyle outside of work. A few of her favorite ways to stay active include playing basketball, tennis or attending a spin class.

Kerem Shuval, Ph.D. is the Director of Epidemiology & Behavioral Science at The Cooper Institute. Previously, he served on the faculty of two schools of public health (University of Haifa and University of Texas). Dr. Shuval has an adjunct Associate Professor appointment at the University of Texas School of Public Health. He completed a post-doc at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and was also Director of Physical Activity & Nutrition Research at American Cancer Society’s Economic & Health Policy Research Program. Dr. Shuval holds two PhDs (Business Administration and Public Health) from the University of Haifa.

He conducts research at the intersection of Behavioral Epidemiology and Behavioral Economics with a thematic focus on physical activity, diet, and smoking, as they relate to chronic disease prevention. This research often takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing from the fields of public health, behavioral economics, and health psychology, with the goal of understanding and influencing decision-making to improve health and welfare. To date, he has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications including in leading journals, such as Nature, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, American Journal of Public Health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and economic journals (e.g., Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization).

This research has been both quantitative (e.g., RCTs, cohort studies) and qualitative (e.g., semi-structured interviews), and has been conducted in a variety of settings including primary care clinics, urban communities, and schools. Moreover, he utilizes large existing datasets as well as randomized controlled trials to address important research questions aimed at improving population health.

Dr. Shuval enjoys an active lifestyle and follows a plant-based diet. Some of his favorite ways to stay active include running, mountain biking and swimming.