Promoting Health, Safety and Equity
Dr. Ju Nyeong Park (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology (Research) at Brown University and faculty at the COBRE on Opioids and Overdose. Her research focuses on promoting the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs through harm reduction. She is Co-PI of several projects on overdose and HIV prevention. She earned her Ph.D. and MHS in Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University and B.Sc. from the University of Sydney.
Erin Thompson (she/her) is the Project Coordinator at the Harm Reduction Innovation Lab where she manages daily operation and logistics. Erin recently earned her M.P.H. from the University of New England. Being a native Rhode Islander, she is determined to use her degree to positively impact the community around her through her work with the lab. Her interests include health policy, the intersection between socioeconomic status and health, and the effect of privilege and oppression on individual health.
Greg Rosen (he/him) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHU). With training in epidemiology and behavioral sciences, Greg uses mixed methods and implementation science paradigms to strengthen delivery of HIV and harm reduction services for marginalized populations, including people who use drugs. He holds a B.A. from Bowdoin College and M.S.P.H. from JHU.
Jessie Tardif (she/her) is a research assistant who works on mixed-methods research at HRIL. She is currently most involved in leading the DISCS media analysis and being an interviewer for DISCS in depth interviews. She graduated from Clark University with a B.A. in Sociology, with a concentration in Ethics and Public Policy. Her focus lies in the social determinants of health, and she plans to continue a career in public health and public policy in the future.
Ralph Welwean (he/him) is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Epidemiology at Brown University School of Public Health. He holds a M.P.H. in Epidemiology from the University of Georgia. His professional experience includes managing various surveillance systems, performing quantitative & qualitative statistical analysis, and interpreting findings to inform program and policy changes.
Kristin Koehm (she/her) is an MPH student concentrating in Health Services at Brown University. She graduated from Purdue University with a B.A. in Health Science with a concentration in Public Health. Her focus lies in addressing barriers to healthcare and mental health parity.
Johnny Bird (he/him) is a medical student at Brown University. He is passionate about eliminating barriers to life-saving harm reduction strategies. His research is focused on implementation of drug checking programs in countries throughout the Americas.
Christina Vasquez (she/her) is a medical student at the Warren Alpert Medical School and earned a B.Sc. with honors from Brown University. She is interested in research, advocacy, and public policy that will reduce health disparities. Christina is currently assisting with efforts to pilot overdose detection technology in Rhode Island.
Claire Kim (she/her) is a rising junior at Brown University concentrating in Neuroscience. As an intern at HRIL, she assists in research and data analysis under the guidance of her peers and mentors. She hopes to extend her scope of research into the field of public health to become a better advocate for the well-being of community.
Alison Lu (she/her) is a rising junior at Brown University concentrating in
Public Health, as well as a certificate in Engaged Scholarship. Her research interests are in studying substance use disorders, including alcohol addiction and opioid overdoses, as well as harm reduction interventions to help those afflicted with addiction.
Orly Richter (she/her) is a rising junior at Brown University in the 5-year Undergraduate/M.P.H. program concentrating in Public Health. Her research interests lie in health equity and community engagement in public health.
Alexa Lombardi (she/her) is a rising junior at Boston College, studying Biology with minors in Global Public Health and the Common Good & Educational Leadership in Higher Education and Community Settings. Interested in substance use disorders & harm reduction interventions, Alexa aims to further her knowledge in public health. She intends to use her experience with HRIL to better represent the needs of her community in medical school and beyond.
Megan Aho is a junior at Brown University concentrating in Public Health. My research interests include substance use disorders and destigmatizing the culture around addiction. I am planning to help spread the availability of harm reduction interventions.
Joel Gonzalez (he/him) is a current sophomore at Brown University double concentrating in Public Health and Biology. His research interests revolve around both national and global health disparities, substance abuse, and the impact of infectious diseases on public health.
Jocelyn Yang (she/her) is a junior at Brown University concentrating in Public Health. She is interested in health equity and access, the psychosocial impacts of drug use and harm reduction interventions, and how law and policy affect the health of people who use drugs. Utilizing her experience at HRIL, Jocelyn hopes to be a better advocate for the health and wellness of marginalized communities and to use what she learns here at medical school and beyond.
Caleb Ellis he/his is a Sophomore studying Medical Anthropology at Brown University. He is interested in exploring the everyday effects of social determinants on the experience of health care treatment, access, and usage. During his time with the HRIL, he collected legal documents related to the legalization of Harm Reduction Centers from a variety of states. He also developed the initial draft of the “Steps to Approve Harm Reduction Centers in Rhode Island” infographic. He was accepted to the Icahn School of Medicine where he plans to continue his studies.
Isabella Steidley (she/her) is a rising senior at Brown University in the 5-year undergraduate/M.P.H. program concentrating in Health and Human Biology. She is interested in addressing social determinants of health and health disparities and working towards creating equitable healthcare systems. She is a summer intern at HRIL, excited to be more involved in public health research, and plans to attend medical school and work on addressing health disparities globally.
Katie Yetter (she/her) is currently pursuing her Masters's Degree in Public Health at Brown University, focusing on Addiction Studies. She recently completed a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Neuroscience, also from Brown University. As a Marine Corps veteran herself, Katie’s focus is to understand how mental health disorders lead to addiction in the veteran population, as well as to determine important preventative and treatment measures.
Naile Ozpolat (she/her) is a rising sophomore at Brown University double concentrating in Psychology and Economics. She’s interested in the effects of policy on the health of people who use drugs and the psychological components of harm reduction and substance use disorder.
Harm Reduction Innovation Lab
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