Biography
Sanae ElShourbagy Ferreira is a health specialist in the Office of the Director within NCATS’ Division of Clinical Innovation (DCI), where she leads the coordination and implementation of strategic communications for DCI, including the Clinical and Translational Sciences Awards (CTSA) Program and collaborative clinical affairs partners.
Prior to joining NCATS in 2021, Ferreira was a health scientist in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of the Director. In that capacity, she supported clinical trials oversight and served as communications lead for the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN). Additionally, Ferreira coordinated the ECHO ISPCTN Trans-NIH Working Group and was engaged in strategic development and implementation of broad ECHO communications and outreach, stakeholder engagement, legislation and policy, and workforce diversity initiatives.
Ferreira serves on several trans-NIH committees and initiatives, including the Community Engagement Alliance Against COVID-19 Disparities, the Nutrition Research Coordinating Committee and the NIH Anti-Racism Steering Committee. She also has served as an NIH Office of the Director Anti-Harassment Champion.
Before her tenure at NIH, Ferreira worked in academic administration, developing engaging programming to enhance biomedical trainee professional development through mentored experiences in diverse career pathways. She also has taught graduate-level research design and statistical methods and public health courses at Boston University.
Ferreira earned her doctorate and Master of Arts in nutrition and metabolism from Boston University School of Medicine. She is an alumna of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellowship and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in French language and literature from Boston University.
Professional Interests
Ferreira has transdisciplinary professional interests. Her scientific expertise includes child health and nutrition, obesity prevention, epidemiology, community-engaged research, and health disparities.
She is particularly interested in applying innovative scientific and policy approaches that address the roles of social determinants in achieving health and wellness throughout the lifespan. Ferreira is an advocate for health equity and workforce diversity — both of which power scientific innovation and promote and safeguard health for all.