Promoting Health, Safety and Equity
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 Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose. Dr. Park's research focuses on promoting the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs through harm reduction and policy change. She leads and collaborates on several projects in the US and Canada. Dr. Park earned her Ph.D. and MHS in Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University and B.Sc. from the University of Sydney. She enjoys traveling, food and live music. Dr. Park can be reached directly at ju_park@brown.edu
Rehan Aslam (he/him) was born and raised in Los Angeles, and grew up witnessing many of the tribulations of the opioid epidemic firsthand. He worked in substance use treatment for several years, prior to attending UCLA, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in American History. He earned his MPH from Brown University and is the only person to graduate from the School of Public Health with a concentration in Addictions. While attending Brown, Rehan won several awards for his harm reduction research and community engagement efforts, including the Dean’s Award. When he’s not doing research, Rehan enjoys spending time out and about in Providence with his dog, Bingo.
Dr. Greg Rosen (he/him) is an Assistant Professor (Research) in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School. Working at the intersection of HIV and substance use, Greg uses mixed methods and implementation science frameworks to optimize delivery of health services to marginalized populations worldwide, with a focus on people who sell sex and/or use drugs in sub-Saharan Africa and the United States.
Ryan Koch (he/him) is a graduate student at Johnson & Wales graduate school for clinical mental health counseling and earned a Bachelor’s from Binghamton University in Psychology. He is interested insubstance use and it’s intersection between mood disorders. Ultimately, Ryan aims toearn a PhD in Clinical Psychology. He is currently working on a project relating to overdose detection technologies and the intertwined impact of sleep and opioid use disorder.
Yokasta Suero (she/her) graduated from Rhode Island College and earned a BA in Communications. Yokasta also has an interpreting certificate from Boston University, and is nationally certified as a medical interpreter. She is interested in the sociocultural impacts of the opioid epidemic in local communities. She is currently working as an RA with Dr. Park on the overdose detection & sleep studies.
Gabrielle Riendeau (she/her) is a graduate student at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) and is studying Public Health for her MPH. With the belief that health is a human right, rather than a privilege, Gabby is passionate about community-based participatory research, health education, and health literacy. She is currently working with Dr. Park on the overdose detection and OUD & sleep studies.
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 evaluate overdose detection technologies in Rhode Island.
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 and improving access to harm reduction services for communities from Latin America.
Autumn Froias is a PhD student at Simmons University School of Social Work. Autumn's scholarly interests include treating and reducing the harms associated with substance use disorders. She has worked on a number of research studies funded by the National Institutes of Health investigating the impact of new technologies on behavioral health screening and treatment. Autumn's work has been published in Substance Abuse, Substance Use and Misuse, and Contemporary Clinical Trials. Autumn earned an MSW and BA in Psychology from Boston University and has been practicing as a licensed independent clinical social worker for nearly 10 years. She currently works as a behavioral health clinician at SSTAR's Opioid Triage Center located in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Menaka Naidu (she/her) is a graduate student at Brown University’s School of Public Health, pursuing her MPH with a focus on health technology. She holds a B.A. in Health and Human Biology from Brown University. At HRIL, Menaka is collaborating with Dr. Park on research related to drug checking technologies.
Dr. Javier Cepeda is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on characterizing the intersecting epidemics of substance use, infectious disease, and justice involvement, and specializes in economic evaluation. His current work involves application of methods drawn from epidemiology, prevention science, mathematical modeling, and economic evaluation, using data from studies based in the United States, Mexico, and Kyrgyzstan.
Dr. Traci Green is a Professor of Social Policy and Management and epidemiologist whose research focuses on drug use, opioid use disorder, and drug-related injury. She is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University where she co-directs the COBRE on Opioids and Overdose at Rhode Island Hospital. She is PI of several projects, including CUTS, a community-based drug checking cohort study.
Dr. Brandon Marshall is a Professor of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, and the Founding Director of the People, Place & Health Collective (PPHC) at Brown University. His work focuses on substance use epidemiology, harm reduction research, and the social, environmental, and structural determinants of health of drug-using populations. His team conducts research that aims to improve the health and well-being of people who use drugs.
Dr. Brandon del Pozo is an Assistant Professor (Research) in the Department of Medicine at Brown University and conducts NIH-funded research at the intersection of public health, public safety, and justice. Prior to research, he served as a police officer for 19 years in New York. He spent four years as Chief of Police of Burlington, Vermont, where he directed the city's interdisciplinary response to the opioid crisis. His efforts were associated with a substantial and sustained reduction in opioid overdose deaths.
Dr. Saba Rouhani is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and core faculty member at NYU's Center for Anti-racism, Social Justice, and Public Health. Her research is situated at the intersection of the contemporary overdose and policing crises, with a particular focus on examining impacts of changing drug laws and enforcement practices on health equity and racial justice.
Dr. Chatterjee is a primary care and addiction medicine physician who takes care of patients at Boston Health Care of the Homeless Program and does research on opioid use disorder and homelessness at Boston Medical Center. He is an Assistant Professor at Boston University School of Medicine, and also teaches at Harvard Medical School. He received his MD from the University of North Carolina, completed a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and a fellowship in General Internal Medicine at Harvard.
Dr. Walley is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University, as well as a primary care physician and addiction specialist at Boston Medical Center. He is a founder of the inpatient addiction consult service and low barrier walk-in substance use care clinic at Boston Medical Center and the President of the American College of Academic Addiction Medicine. He serves as the Medical Director for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and Safespot Overdose Hotline. His research focuses on overdose prevention and the integration of addiction specialty care and general medical care.
Masoumah Haidari (She/her) is a junior in the UG/MPH program at Brown University where she is pursuing her passion for Public Health with a focus on Global Health. She is working as a research intern at HRIL. Her research interests include harm reduction, mental health improvement, and developing sustainable public health interventions that are culturally sensitive and globally applicable.
Amanda Lee Molina (she/her) is a rising senior at Brown University concentrating in Health and Human Biology. She is interested in studying the social determinants of health and equitable health care. She is also passionate about compassionate patient care, which she pursues as an EMT for Brown Emergency Medical Services. At HRIL, Amanda works as an intern helping with research operations and administrative tasks.
Kate Dowling (she/her) is an MPH student at Brown University's School of Public Health and earned a B.A. in public health from Brown as an undergrad. She is interested in health policy and substance use, and is studying Health Services for her MPH. At HRIL, Kate is working with Dr. Park on a thesis using data from the DISCS study media analysis to look at stakeholder opinions on safe consumption sites.
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. Alison Lu received Brown University's Yat K. Tow Prize for in 2023 for her outstanding commitment to serving the community.
Erin Thompson (she/her) was the Project Coordinator at the Harm Reduction Innovation Lab where she managed daily operation and logistics. Erin earned her M.P.H. from the University of New England. She currently works on research in the Division of General Internal Medicine.
Jessie Tardif (she/her) currently works at Open Door Health. 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.
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.
Megan Aho is a junior at Brown University concentrating in Public Health. Her research interests include substance use disorders, harm reduction, and destigmatizing the culture around addiction.
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.
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.
Claire Kim (she/her) is a graduate of Brown University with a concentration in Neuroscience. As an intern at HRIL, she assisted 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.
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