The Office of Research Services (ORS) is comprised of a diverse portfolio of services that support the NIH mission. In this section - I AM ORS, we showcase the exceptional employees behind these vital programs.
Ryan Williams, Immigration Specialist
Ryan Williams is an immigration specialist within the Division of International Services (DIS). His work on the non-FTE team supports all international trainees, collaborators and special volunteers. Ryan is currently working with 40 foreign scientists to either help them obtain a visa or extend their immigration status within the U.S. DIS also provides resources and orientations for international scientists to adjust to American culture. He serves as co-lead for the DIS international patient service which assists international patients at the Clinical Center. Ryan works with the patients to get an extension of their immigration status allowing them to remain in the U.S. to continue their participation in an NIH research protocol. He has worked and built relationships with such patients for the past three years. “I like working with the social work department and meeting with patients,” he says. “[I] feel close to the clinical research when acting in this role.”
Ryan gained an interest in immigration services while studying as an undergrad at Towson University. He spent his last three years of undergrad as an international ambassador supporting international students through orientation and cultural adjustment activities. Ryan later went on to grad school in the U.K. to study cross-cultural communication and education. He recently applied his background in advising as a volunteer for the COVID-19 response call center, where he was responsible for assisting concerned NIH staff.
In his spare time, Ryan enjoys getting together with his international friends and adventuring on hiking trips. He is from Baltimore, Maryland and has been with DIS for five years.
Zenia Velazquez, Fire Protection Engineer
Zenia is a fire protection engineer within the Division of the Fire Marshal (DFM). As a fire protection engineer, she performs weekly inspections of newly constructed or renovated NIH campus facilities. Zenia inspects to ensure design requirements apply to all fire protection systems (sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, mass notification systems, and passive life safety). She understands how her role relates to research conducted at the NIH. “Here at the Fire Marshal’s office, we are not scientists, [but] engineers [who] help scientists with their research, all while reviewing lab construction and ensuring fire protection compliancy,” she says.
Zenia studied fire protection engineering at the University of Maryland. She then started her career at a consulting and construction company before joining DFM. Zenia has since worked within DFM for almost six years.
In her spare time, Zenia enjoys dancing and river-rafting, and looks forward to traveling and spending time with family post-pandemic. Lately, she has been balancing work and homeschooling her two children.
Alicia Livinski, Biomedical Librarian
Alicia Livinski is a Biomedical Librarian in the NIH Library. For 13 years, she has provided library resources and support to NIH researchers and personnel at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Alicia helps to conduct systematic reviews, completes literature searches on a variety of topics including for animal protocols, and provides teaching and tutorials.
In her role, Alicia likes assisting NIH staff with their work on a variety of topics. “If you’re curious and like to learn about different things constantly then this is a great place to be,” she says. “You will never be doing the same thing on any given day.” As expected in recent months, Alicia has completed several requests from staff seeking information related to COVID-19. She says the interesting challenge with COVID stems from the vast amount of information available on the virus. What began with little information about the virus back in January 2020, has now turned into what feels like a daily tsunami on the subject. Additionally, “there’s a lot of noise and a lot of articles that aren’t very good,” Alicia explains, so “you have to also take that time to sort out the good stuff from not-so-good stuff.”
Every day, Alicia leverages her background in public health and healthy policy to help NIH and HHS staff. She received a Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Alicia also holds a Master of Library Science and Information degree from the University of South Florida. Originally from a small town on the north fork of Long Island, New York, she relocated to Washington, D.C. to pursue her career in public health. Alicia resides in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband and enjoys gardening.
