THE TEAM
Created for us, by us.
A few dedicated members of LGBTQ+ and ally communities make the study possible,
but it’s your contributions that will make The PRIDE Study a success!
Directors
Mitchell R. Lunn, MD, MAS
CO-DIRECTOR
The PRIDE Study
CO-DIRECTOR
PRIDEnet
Mitchell R. Lunn, MD, MAS
Mitchell (Mitch) R. Lunn, MD, MAS is an Assistant Professor in Division of Nephrology of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Mitch is a long-standing advocate for sexual and gender minority (SGM) inclusion in research and higher education who lectures around the country on SGM medical education, SGM health, and SGM community engagement. He serves on the Advisory Committee for the Medical School Campus Pride Index; is a member of the American Society of Nephrology’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee; and is a founding member of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Medical Education Research Group (LGBT MERG) at Stanford University School of Medicine. LGBT MERG’s study on SGM health-related content in medical school curricula has influenced individual institutions and national organizations to examine their policies, procedures, educational environments, and curricular content to improve the culture of academic medicine for SGM people. In recognition of his work, he received the 2015 University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Chancellor’s Award for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Leadership.
Mitch is delighted to be joining his passions of SGM health research, internal medicine, and medical education in The PRIDE Study and PRIDEnet. Other areas of active research and interest include use of emerging technologies in research, remote data collection in nephrology, SGM institutional climate, and methods of evaluation, particularly in undergraduate and graduate medical education.
Mitch earned his Bachelor of Science degree with highest thesis honors from Tufts University in 2004, his Doctor of Medicine degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2010, and his Masters in Advanced Studies degree in Clinical Research from UCSF in 2017. He completed internal medicine residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA) in 2013 and nephrology fellowship at UCSF in 2016.
Mitch is a long-standing advocate for sexual and gender minority (SGM) inclusion in research and higher education who lectures around the country on SGM medical education, SGM health, and SGM community engagement. He serves on the Advisory Committee for the Medical School Campus Pride Index; is a member of the American Society of Nephrology’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee; and is a founding member of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Medical Education Research Group (LGBT MERG) at Stanford University School of Medicine. LGBT MERG’s study on SGM health-related content in medical school curricula has influenced individual institutions and national organizations to examine their policies, procedures, educational environments, and curricular content to improve the culture of academic medicine for SGM people. In recognition of his work, he received the 2015 University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Chancellor’s Award for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Leadership.
Mitch is delighted to be joining his passions of SGM health research, internal medicine, and medical education in The PRIDE Study and PRIDEnet. Other areas of active research and interest include use of emerging technologies in research, remote data collection in nephrology, SGM institutional climate, and methods of evaluation, particularly in undergraduate and graduate medical education.
Mitch earned his Bachelor of Science degree with highest thesis honors from Tufts University in 2004, his Doctor of Medicine degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2010, and his Masters in Advanced Studies degree in Clinical Research from UCSF in 2017. He completed internal medicine residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA) in 2013 and nephrology fellowship at UCSF in 2016.
Juno Obedin-Maliver, MD, MPH, MAS
CO-DIRECTOR
The PRIDE Study
CO-DIRECTOR
PRIDEnet
Juno Obedin-Maliver, MD, MPH, MAS
Juno Obedin-Maliver, MD, MPH, MAS is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Juno graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2010. While at Stanford, Juno maintained a focus on promoting social justice in medicine. Juno was honored with The Kaiser Permanente eQuality Scholarship for service to the LGBTQ community as well as the Markowski Leach Memorial Scholarship for LGBT Activism & Leadership.
Combined with a strong focus on women’s health, Juno continued her dedication to advancing LGBT health initiatives while completing her clinical residency in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 2014 and a Fellowship in Women’s Health and Clinical Research at San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2016.
While at UCSF, she has been honored with the San Francisco General Hospital Julius R. Krevans Award for Community Service and The UCSF Chancellor’s Award for GLBT Leadership. During her residency, Juno was active in health policy to expand reproductive possibilities in California and in efforts to remove national Medicare Non-Coverage Determination ruling on “transsexual surgery.” She is also on the Medical Advisory Board of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health.
Juno is enthusiastically combining her interests in research, advocacy, and medicine to design and conduct The PRIDE Study and expand community engagement with research through PRIDEnet. Additional clinical, research, and advocacy activities include the gynecological and obstetrical health of transgender men and women and the health of veterans.
Juno graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2010. While at Stanford, Juno maintained a focus on promoting social justice in medicine. Juno was honored with The Kaiser Permanente eQuality Scholarship for service to the LGBTQ community as well as the Markowski Leach Memorial Scholarship for LGBT Activism & Leadership.
Combined with a strong focus on women’s health, Juno continued her dedication to advancing LGBT health initiatives while completing her clinical residency in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 2014 and a Fellowship in Women’s Health and Clinical Research at San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2016.
While at UCSF, she has been honored with the San Francisco General Hospital Julius R. Krevans Award for Community Service and The UCSF Chancellor’s Award for GLBT Leadership. During her residency, Juno was active in health policy to expand reproductive possibilities in California and in efforts to remove national Medicare Non-Coverage Determination ruling on “transsexual surgery.” She is also on the Medical Advisory Board of the UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health.
Juno is enthusiastically combining her interests in research, advocacy, and medicine to design and conduct The PRIDE Study and expand community engagement with research through PRIDEnet. Additional clinical, research, and advocacy activities include the gynecological and obstetrical health of transgender men and women and the health of veterans.
Associate Directors
Annesa Flentje, PhD
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
The PRIDE Study
UCSF SITE DIRECTOR
The PRIDE Study
Annesa Flentje, PhD
Annesa Flentje, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the UCSF School of Nursing, Department of Community Health Systems. Annesa completed her PhD at the University of Montana and pre- and post-doctoral fellowships at UCSF. Annesa is a clinical psychologist who focuses on reducing health disparities among sexual and gender minority individuals. Her research has targeted multiple ways to reduce these disparities including prevention, increasing visibility of sexual and gender minorities in research and electronic health records, and improving mental health services for sexual and gender minorities. She has developed an individually delivered psychotherapeutic intervention to reduce sexual minority stress and is investigating this as a means to improve both health and mental health outcomes for sexual minorities. Annesa is funded through a K23 Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse investigating the underlying physiological pathways whereby stress and discrimination are related to deleterious health outcomes.
Annesa is thrilled to be a part of The PRIDE Study as a means to give voice to the physical and mental health needs of the diverse sexual and gender minority community.
Annesa is thrilled to be a part of The PRIDE Study as a means to give voice to the physical and mental health needs of the diverse sexual and gender minority community.
Staff
Mahri Bahati, MPH
LGBTQ COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
PRIDEnet
Mahri Bahati, MPH
Mahri Bahati, MPH is a creative and passionate public health professional with extensive experience across the HIV/AIDS continuum of care, including anti-retroviral medication access, HIV prevention and surveillance, harm reduction, and community mobilization. Most recently she worked for the Global Forum on MSM and HIV as Public Health Advisor where she developed and managed a global capacity building project to facilitate organizational development and build self-sustainability for trans-led organizations throughout the global south. Her professional interests include sexual and gender minority health equity, HIV treatment adherence, PrEP access, and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
Mahri earned her Master of Public Health degree at the University of Kentucky in 2013, with a focus in Epidemiology. As an undergrad she began volunteering with local HIV/AIDS non-profits which sparked a professional interest in public health along with a lifelong interest in volunteering and community organizing.
Mahri is excited to join the PRIDE team as the All of Us Research Program Engagement Navigator, where she will work to engage 'yet to be reached’ sexual and gender minority sub-communities who are new to health research, who have experienced barriers in accessing healthcare, or who have had negative research experiences.
Mahri earned her Master of Public Health degree at the University of Kentucky in 2013, with a focus in Epidemiology. As an undergrad she began volunteering with local HIV/AIDS non-profits which sparked a professional interest in public health along with a lifelong interest in volunteering and community organizing.
Mahri is excited to join the PRIDE team as the All of Us Research Program Engagement Navigator, where she will work to engage 'yet to be reached’ sexual and gender minority sub-communities who are new to health research, who have experienced barriers in accessing healthcare, or who have had negative research experiences.
Zubin Dastur, MS, MPH
LGBTQ DIGITAL CLINICAL RESEARCH MANAGER
The PRIDE Study/PRIDEnet
Zubin Dastur, MS, MPH
Zubin Dastur, MS, MPH is the LGBTQ Digital Clinical Research Manager of The PRIDE Study in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Zubin joins PRIDE with 14 years of clinical research management experience. He is honored and humbled to be part of such an impactful and important endeavor to help underrepresented, underreported, and underserved LGBTQ populations that have been historically known to be stigmatized, ostracized, and victimized.
Zubin believes in promoting health and wellbeing through cutting-edge, evidence-based empirical research. At Columbia School of Social Work, he worked with disenfranchised and low-income families by implementing socially-driven prevention trials in New York. At Cornell Medical College, he helped introduce survey technology in HIV/AIDS community-based hospital clinics in Queens and the Bronx. He managed multiple therapeutic trials that offered innovative therapies for all subtypes of breast cancer at Yale School of Medicine (Comprehensive Cancer Center) and Yale-New Haven Hospital. He has also managed multi-million-dollar NIH/NCI-funded, pharmaceutical-sponsored, and investigator-initiated trials at New York University (Cardiology) and University of Hawaii (Oncology). Zubin has been trained in providing culturally-responsive care for transgender and gender non-binary communities at Harvard School of Medicine.
Zubin earned a Master of Science (MS) degree in Health Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Alabama Birmingham. He hopes to get his PhD in LGBTQ Studies in the future to reduce healthcare inequities and health disparities among sexual, gender, and racial minority and marginalized populations.
In his spare time, Zubin loves to lounge on a beach, try different cuisines, travel to Paris, and incessantly watch British comedies. He comes to Stanford from Kaiser Permanente Hawai’i where he learned the importance of Social Work, and hopes to spread the Hawaiian principles of aloha (love), mahalo (thankfulness), and ho’ihi (respect).
Zubin believes in promoting health and wellbeing through cutting-edge, evidence-based empirical research. At Columbia School of Social Work, he worked with disenfranchised and low-income families by implementing socially-driven prevention trials in New York. At Cornell Medical College, he helped introduce survey technology in HIV/AIDS community-based hospital clinics in Queens and the Bronx. He managed multiple therapeutic trials that offered innovative therapies for all subtypes of breast cancer at Yale School of Medicine (Comprehensive Cancer Center) and Yale-New Haven Hospital. He has also managed multi-million-dollar NIH/NCI-funded, pharmaceutical-sponsored, and investigator-initiated trials at New York University (Cardiology) and University of Hawaii (Oncology). Zubin has been trained in providing culturally-responsive care for transgender and gender non-binary communities at Harvard School of Medicine.
Zubin earned a Master of Science (MS) degree in Health Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Alabama Birmingham. He hopes to get his PhD in LGBTQ Studies in the future to reduce healthcare inequities and health disparities among sexual, gender, and racial minority and marginalized populations.
In his spare time, Zubin loves to lounge on a beach, try different cuisines, travel to Paris, and incessantly watch British comedies. He comes to Stanford from Kaiser Permanente Hawai’i where he learned the importance of Social Work, and hopes to spread the Hawaiian principles of aloha (love), mahalo (thankfulness), and ho’ihi (respect).
Haley Hedlin, PhD
BIOSTATISTICIAN
Quantitative Sciences Unit, Department of Medicine, Stanford University
Haley Hedlin, PhD
Haley Hedlin, PhD is a biostatistician in the Quantitative Sciences Unit in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. She completed her PhD in Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In her work, she has contributed to medicine and public health research on women's health, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, and data safety monitoring.
Carolyn Hunt, MPA
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR
PRIDEnet
Carolyn Hunt, MPA
Carolyn Hunt, MPA is fascinated with developing ways to help diverse groups of people connect, address power imbalances, problem-solve, and take positive action together.
She has worked in community collaborative research settings for more than 20 years, starting at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), moving to non-profits, and ultimately landing at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She has managed projects in LGBTQ smoking cessation and alcohol and drug treatment and prevention and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Carolyn’s academic background includes Ethnic Studies and public and non-profit management. She has received national fellowships in African American Studies and public management as well as awards for her LGBT activism.
Carolyn is thrilled to serve as Community Engagement Director for PRIDEnet.
She has worked in community collaborative research settings for more than 20 years, starting at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), moving to non-profits, and ultimately landing at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She has managed projects in LGBTQ smoking cessation and alcohol and drug treatment and prevention and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Carolyn’s academic background includes Ethnic Studies and public and non-profit management. She has received national fellowships in African American Studies and public management as well as awards for her LGBT activism.
Carolyn is thrilled to serve as Community Engagement Director for PRIDEnet.
Micah Lubensky, PhD
PARTICIPANT ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR
The PRIDE Study/PRIDEnet
Micah Lubensky, PhD
Micah Lubensky, PhD has always held a deep passion for and dedication to social justice for sexual and gender minority, racial/ethnic minority, and low-income communities. These passions helped motivate his graduate education at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and manifest his career as an applied social psychologist.
After completing his doctorate, Micah spent almost 10 years at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) as the Community Mobilization Manager, working predominantly with low-income African American SGM communities across the San Francisco Bay Area. His efforts focused on community education around HIV risk and holistic well-being, advocacy for increasing health resources specific to HIV and holistic health broadly, and building and sustaining African American SGM community.
After SFAF but before arriving at The PRIDE Study, Micah worked for the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (now called M-PACT) as the Community Development Manager. At M-PACT, Micah managed a global consortium of 10 regional and global networks of advocacy organizations that served SGM communities in resource-poor locations around the world (essentially everywhere except Western Europe and North America). There, Micah coordinated the consortium to harmonize efforts on HIV and human rights policy advocacy, HIV health resources, and political activism by SGM community members around the world.
Micah arrived on The PRIDE Study / PRIDEnet team in 2016 as the Program Manager. In his first two years, he was deeply involved in most aspects of our efforts, from development of the Annual Questionnaires and planning the PRIDEnet Summits, to responding to participant inquiries, to helping pay the invoices! Micah is now excited to focus his efforts more on tracking and improving the Participant Experience in The PRIDE Study, in order to maximize long-term participant retention. This position provides a unique opportunity for him to integrate his community engagement and research skills to contribute to this project of immense potential.
After completing his doctorate, Micah spent almost 10 years at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) as the Community Mobilization Manager, working predominantly with low-income African American SGM communities across the San Francisco Bay Area. His efforts focused on community education around HIV risk and holistic well-being, advocacy for increasing health resources specific to HIV and holistic health broadly, and building and sustaining African American SGM community.
After SFAF but before arriving at The PRIDE Study, Micah worked for the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (now called M-PACT) as the Community Development Manager. At M-PACT, Micah managed a global consortium of 10 regional and global networks of advocacy organizations that served SGM communities in resource-poor locations around the world (essentially everywhere except Western Europe and North America). There, Micah coordinated the consortium to harmonize efforts on HIV and human rights policy advocacy, HIV health resources, and political activism by SGM community members around the world.
Micah arrived on The PRIDE Study / PRIDEnet team in 2016 as the Program Manager. In his first two years, he was deeply involved in most aspects of our efforts, from development of the Annual Questionnaires and planning the PRIDEnet Summits, to responding to participant inquiries, to helping pay the invoices! Micah is now excited to focus his efforts more on tracking and improving the Participant Experience in The PRIDE Study, in order to maximize long-term participant retention. This position provides a unique opportunity for him to integrate his community engagement and research skills to contribute to this project of immense potential.
Ana Rescate, MBA
LGBTQ COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
PRIDEnet
Ana Rescate, MBA
Ana Rescate, MBA believes that all people have a right to be themselves without fear, and this is what has driven her to work in various communications roles throughout her career. She strongly believes that each of us deserves to tell our own stories. As a queer WOC, she recognizes that her voice is her power and does what she can to empower others to use theirs.
Most recently, Ana was an Online Advocacy Manager at Planned Parenthood Northern California (PPNorCal) and PPNorCal Action Fund. She planned, created, and managed digital communications including social media for both organizations. She was also one of the organizers for PPNorCal’s San Francisco Pride contingent.
In her free time she volunteers on the leadership council team for Somos Familia, an organization founded by two moms from the East Bay, who wanted to create support and acceptance for Latina/o/x lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning youth and their families. This year, she was also selected to be part of Equality Cali-fornia’s 2019 Leadership Academy in Northern California.
In the past, she’s been a board of director and film programmer for FilmOut San Diego, a wish grantor for Make-A-Wish, and a tutor for dual language students. She was also chosen to be part of the NASA Social team during one of SpaceX’s space station resupply missions in 2015.
Ana is excited to bring the lessons learned from these diverse experiences to the team as a LGBTQ Communications Specialist. Ana holds an MBA in marketing from Baker College and a BFA in Film & Television from New York University.
Most recently, Ana was an Online Advocacy Manager at Planned Parenthood Northern California (PPNorCal) and PPNorCal Action Fund. She planned, created, and managed digital communications including social media for both organizations. She was also one of the organizers for PPNorCal’s San Francisco Pride contingent.
In her free time she volunteers on the leadership council team for Somos Familia, an organization founded by two moms from the East Bay, who wanted to create support and acceptance for Latina/o/x lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning youth and their families. This year, she was also selected to be part of Equality Cali-fornia’s 2019 Leadership Academy in Northern California.
In the past, she’s been a board of director and film programmer for FilmOut San Diego, a wish grantor for Make-A-Wish, and a tutor for dual language students. She was also chosen to be part of the NASA Social team during one of SpaceX’s space station resupply missions in 2015.
Ana is excited to bring the lessons learned from these diverse experiences to the team as a LGBTQ Communications Specialist. Ana holds an MBA in marketing from Baker College and a BFA in Film & Television from New York University.
Kate Vitale, PhD
BIOSTATISTICIAN
Quantitative Sciences Unit, Department of Medicine, Stanford University
Kate Vitale, PhD
Kate Vitale, PhD is a biostatistician in the Quantitative Sciences Unit (QSU) in Stanford University’s Department of Medicine. She has a background in basic sciences, having completed a BS in Biology at McGill University and a PhD in Neuroscience at UCSF. After working for a few years as scientist in the biotechnology sector, Kate pivoted to a career in data science and retrained in quantitative methods prior to joining the QSU.
Kate is very excited to be involved in the PRIDE study. Her research interests include public health, health care service improvement, participant behavior, and observational data.
Kate is very excited to be involved in the PRIDE study. Her research interests include public health, health care service improvement, participant behavior, and observational data.
Matthew (Matta) Zheng
UNDERGRADUATE ASSISTANT
The PRIDE Study/PRIDEnet
Matthew (Matta) Zheng
Matthew (Matta) Zheng is an undergraduate student at Stanford University, double majoring in Political Science and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. He has spent several years working in LGBTQ+ art practice, activism, and grassroots organizing. Prior to Stanford, he attended the United World College of the Atlantic in southern Wales, where he led the campus LGBTQ+ advocacy and organizing group. Today, he coordinates queer wellness programs at Stanford's Queer Student Resources (QSR) and counsels patients at the Cardinal Free Clinics. Academically, Matthew is exploring the intersections of political economy and development with the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people, and conducts research in social and political psychology at the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory. Outside of the classroom, he loves drag performance, gardening, and playing the steelpan. In the future, Matthew aspires to complete an MD/PhD with particular emphasis on infectious disease within SGM and LGBTQ+ communities. He is so excited to join The PRIDE Study as the Undergraduate Assistant!
PRIDEnet Participant Advisory Committee (PAC)
Ward Carpenter, MD
Ward Carpenter, MD
Dr. Ward Carpenter is a Board--Certified Internist and expert in HIV medicine, transgender medicine, and LGBT primary care. He earned his medical degree from UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School where he first discovered his passion for community health. He did his residency training in Medicine-Pediatrics at St Vincent’s Hospital in New York City. Following his passion for LGBT health and care for the underserved, he worked at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in NY, one of the premier LGBT health centers in the country. Dr. Carpenter then transitioned into private practice, taking over a busy HIV and primary care practice in Manhattan. Seeking an escape from NY’s long winters, Dr. Carpenter moved to Los Angeles in 2013 and returned to his LGBT community health roots, accepting a position as the Director of Primary Care at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. In this role, he continues to expand and optimize the Center’s offerings in primary care, HIV treatment and prevention, and transgender health.
Loree Cook-Daniels, MS
Loree Cook-Daniels, MS
Loree Cook-Daniels, FORGE’s Policy and Program Director, has helped design and co-facilitate FORGE’s multiple in-person and virtual support groups, research studies, and programs since 2000. She has been involved in advocacy, research, training, and services for LGBT populations since 1975, and is nationally-known for her writing, training, and policy work on LGBT aging, trauma and trauma recovery, and transgender issues. She co-chairs the Policy Committee of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs and serves on the National LGBT Aging Roundtable. Cook-Daniels holds a B.A. in women’s studies and history, an M.S. in conflict management, and a post-graduate Certificate in trauma counseling.
Laura Durso, PhD
Laura Durso, PhD
Laura E. Durso is Vice President of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress. Using public health and intersectional frameworks, she focuses on the health and well-being of LGBT communities, data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity, and improving the social and economic status of LGBT people through public policy.
Prior to joining the Center for American Progress, Laura was a public policy fellow at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, where she conducted research on the LGBT community, including LGBT homeless and at-risk youth, poor and low-income LGBT people, and the business impact of LGBT-supportive policies. Earlier in her career, Laura conducted research on the health impact of weight-based discrimination. Her research has been published in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals, including Sexuality Research and Social Policy, Obesity, and the International Journal of Eating Disorders, and she has presented her work at both national and international conferences.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Harvard University as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.
Prior to joining the Center for American Progress, Laura was a public policy fellow at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, where she conducted research on the LGBT community, including LGBT homeless and at-risk youth, poor and low-income LGBT people, and the business impact of LGBT-supportive policies. Earlier in her career, Laura conducted research on the health impact of weight-based discrimination. Her research has been published in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals, including Sexuality Research and Social Policy, Obesity, and the International Journal of Eating Disorders, and she has presented her work at both national and international conferences.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Harvard University as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.
Porsha Hall, MPH, MA
Porsha Hall, MPH, MA
Porsha Hall is the Program Manager for Health and Wellness at Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders (SAGE), where she oversees and evaluates the health management, exercise, and nutrition programming for the organization's five senior centers located throughout New York City. At SAGE, she also assisted with the evaluation of the nation’s first federally-funded National Resource Center on LGBT Aging. She has worked in the fields of aging and health education for over a decade, conducting gerontological health research in academic institutions, providing case management to homebound older adults, and working as a fitness consultant for community-dwelling retirees. She holds an MPH in Community Health Education from Hunter College and an MA in Gerontology from Georgia State University.
Tari Hanneman, MPA
Tari Hanneman, MPA
Tari Hanneman is the Director of the Health Equality Project at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. In this role she oversees the annual LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) and other projects related to LGBTQ health and aging.
Tari has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, primarily focused in the areas of health and women’s issues. Prior to joining HRC, she served as the initial Director of The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem where she led all aspects of developing The Fund’s programs and brand in the community. Prior to her move to North Carolina, she served in a number of roles at The California Endowment, one of the nation's largest health foundations. She has also worked for elected officials and non-profits focused on the environment, reproductive rights and HIV. She has a Master’s in Public Administration with an emphasis on Nonprofit Management from the University of Southern California, where she also did her undergraduate work.
Tari has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, primarily focused in the areas of health and women’s issues. Prior to joining HRC, she served as the initial Director of The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem where she led all aspects of developing The Fund’s programs and brand in the community. Prior to her move to North Carolina, she served in a number of roles at The California Endowment, one of the nation's largest health foundations. She has also worked for elected officials and non-profits focused on the environment, reproductive rights and HIV. She has a Master’s in Public Administration with an emphasis on Nonprofit Management from the University of Southern California, where she also did her undergraduate work.
Shalonda Ingram
Shalonda Ingram
Leveraging decades of experience, Shalonda Ingram is an innovator who embodies the mantra: Strategize. Design. Produce.
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Shalonda is committed to cultivating collective consciousness and empowering communities to take actions that transform their circumstances. Shalonda has deployed worldwide to produce transformative experiences with artists, activists, and changemakers. Native to grassroots activism, Shalonda serves social justice, spiritual, and corporate organizations to explore network effect and elevate opportunities for resource sharing. Shalonda influences existing structures to create collaborative environments for communities to thrive. Shalonda is honored to serve Queer+ Communities in the areas of arts presenting, wellness research, placemaking and enterprise development.
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Shalonda is committed to cultivating collective consciousness and empowering communities to take actions that transform their circumstances. Shalonda has deployed worldwide to produce transformative experiences with artists, activists, and changemakers. Native to grassroots activism, Shalonda serves social justice, spiritual, and corporate organizations to explore network effect and elevate opportunities for resource sharing. Shalonda influences existing structures to create collaborative environments for communities to thrive. Shalonda is honored to serve Queer+ Communities in the areas of arts presenting, wellness research, placemaking and enterprise development.
Gabe Murchison, MPH
Gabe Murchison, MPH
Gabe is a doctoral student in Population Health Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His research interests include mental health and substance use among LGBTQ youth, and the primary prevention of sexual and dating violence in teens and young adults. Previously, Gabe was Senior Research Manager at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, where his publications included Supporting & Caring For Transgender Children, a guide co-published with the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians; and Preventing Substance Use Among LGBTQ Teens, co-published with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. He holds a BA in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and an MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Yale University.
Tonia Poteat, PhD, PA-C, MPH
Tonia Poteat, PhD, PA-C, MPH
Tonia Poteat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a joint appointment in the Department of International Health. Her research, teaching, and practice focus on HIV and LGBT health with particular attention to transgender health. She completed her doctoral dissertation on stigma, HIV risk, and access to health care for transgender adults, co-authored a global meta-analysis examining the burden of HIV among transgender women worldwide, and is lead author of a comprehensive review of HIV among transgender sex workers in The Lancet HIV and Sex Workers series. In addition to her academic work, she provides medical care for people living with HIV at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Poteat graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1991 and received a Masters of Medical Science from Emory University’s Physician Assistant (PA) Program in 1995. She earned a Masters of Public Health from Rollins School of Public Health in 2007 and completed a PhD in the Social and Behavioral Interventions Program in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in 2012. During her 20 years as a PA, she has devoted her practice to providing medically appropriate and culturally competent care to members of the LGBT community as well as people living with HIV. Dr. Poteat is a certified HIV Specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine; and she has provided primary care for trans-identified individuals since 1996.
Dr. Poteat graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1991 and received a Masters of Medical Science from Emory University’s Physician Assistant (PA) Program in 1995. She earned a Masters of Public Health from Rollins School of Public Health in 2007 and completed a PhD in the Social and Behavioral Interventions Program in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in 2012. During her 20 years as a PA, she has devoted her practice to providing medically appropriate and culturally competent care to members of the LGBT community as well as people living with HIV. Dr. Poteat is a certified HIV Specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine; and she has provided primary care for trans-identified individuals since 1996.
Asa Radix, MD, MPH, MPhil
Asa Radix, MD, MPH, MPhil
Dr. Asa Radix is trained in internal medicine and infectious diseases at the University of Connecticut, and also holds postgraduate qualifications in tropical medicine and public health. Previously Dr. Radix held the position of Associate Medical Director at Callen-Lorde. In addition to having a clinical practice (HIV primary care and transgender health), Asa coordinates electives in LGBT health for medical and nursing students and is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at NYU and Yale.
Dr. Radix is of West Indian origin and has a special interest in the needs of LGBT populations of immigrant status. For 7 years, Asa was the director of a public health department in the Netherlands Antilles and assisted in the development of insular strategic plans for HIV prevention as well as federal guidelines for communicable disease prevention. Other positions prior to Callen-Lorde have included being the medical director at the University of Hartford, serving a population of 5,000 undergraduates under 24 years of age and being an infectious disease specialist in private practice in West Hartford, Connecticut. A major focus of Dr. Radix’ work has been the development and dissemination of prevention, treatment and care guidelines for HIV+ and at-risk persons in the Caribbean including provision of LGBT cultural competency training to Caribbean healthcare providers.
Dr. Radix is an associate editor of Transgender Health and member of the editorial boards for the International Journal of Transgenderism and the PRN Notebook. Other contributions include being a consultant for the World Health Organization/PAHO on transgender health issues and the co-chair of the WHO/PAHO HIV/STI technical advisory committee. Dr. Radix is the site-PI/co-investigator for 3 NIH/NIMH studies, including a demonstration project on PrEP.
Dr. Radix is of West Indian origin and has a special interest in the needs of LGBT populations of immigrant status. For 7 years, Asa was the director of a public health department in the Netherlands Antilles and assisted in the development of insular strategic plans for HIV prevention as well as federal guidelines for communicable disease prevention. Other positions prior to Callen-Lorde have included being the medical director at the University of Hartford, serving a population of 5,000 undergraduates under 24 years of age and being an infectious disease specialist in private practice in West Hartford, Connecticut. A major focus of Dr. Radix’ work has been the development and dissemination of prevention, treatment and care guidelines for HIV+ and at-risk persons in the Caribbean including provision of LGBT cultural competency training to Caribbean healthcare providers.
Dr. Radix is an associate editor of Transgender Health and member of the editorial boards for the International Journal of Transgenderism and the PRN Notebook. Other contributions include being a consultant for the World Health Organization/PAHO on transgender health issues and the co-chair of the WHO/PAHO HIV/STI technical advisory committee. Dr. Radix is the site-PI/co-investigator for 3 NIH/NIMH studies, including a demonstration project on PrEP.
Ramón Ramirez
Ramón Ramirez
Ramón Ramirez has been working with the community for over 25 years in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Ramón has worked with many communities such as: monolingual Spanish speaking, LGBTQI, African American, Transgender, homeless, drug user and other. With a long experience as an HIV testing and prevention counselor, clinical health educator, entertainer and activist in the community, Ramón has been able to experience firsthand the disparities these communities experience from both sides of the spectrum. Ramón works for a large medical provider company as a Clinical Health Educator helping patients by providing education on safer sex, PrEP, weight management, diabetes diagnosis and healthy habits among other topics. Ramón wants to bring to the table experience living as a gay Mexican American and active community member.
Javier Ríos, MA
Javier Ríos, MA
Javier Ríos was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is a New Mexican of diverse Irish, Mexican, and LGBTQ background. Javier joined UNM Truman Health Services in the Manzano School Based Health Center as the Health Educator in October 2016, bringing 11 years of non-profit and government experience focused in health equity, HIV/AIDS prevention, harm reduction, immigrant health, and cultural humility. In 2017 and 2013 Javier participated in the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission program Líderes a través de las Fronteras/Leaders across Borders addressing binational and border health. Since 2005 Javier has worked in HIV/AIDS prevention with LGBTQ+ communities of color focusing in community organizing, outreach, and education. His community recognitions include the 2013 Pride and Equality Vincent R. Johnson Models of Hope Award, the 2012 NMCPAG Kahlo Benavidez Leadership Award, and service as a 2012 HIV/AIDS Embajador/Ambassador for the National Latino AIDS Action Network at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C. Currently Javier is the Communications Chair of the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities Region VI Southwest RHEC, as well as the co-chair for the Immigrant Committee of the City of Santa Fe. Javier earned his M.A. in Spanish: Southwest Studies from the University of New Mexico in 2005 where he taught Spanish as a Heritage Language. Javier received his B.A. from Creighton University in 2001. Javier is excited to be a part of The PRIDE Study team that cultivates health awareness of our diverse LGBTQ+ communities.
PRIDEnet Ambassadors
Louie Francesco / 瑠威 明 Francesco
LGBT DISABILITY ACTIVIST, SPEAKER
TRANSLATOR
Between English & Japanese
Louie Francesco / 瑠威 明 Francesco
Full Name: 瑠威 (Louie) 明 (Akira) Blaise Francesco
Gender: Trans Man
Condition:
Autistic Spectrum Condition (In Britain, it’s called a condition, rather than disorder)
Also struggling with Autistic Catatonia
Also Colorblind for most colors
Translator: Between English & Japanese
Ever since he was 5, Louie has been a loyal Seattle Mariners fan. Louie is from Eastern Asia but grew up all over the world—including England, New Zealand, S. Korea, and Canada—but most of his time was spent in Michigan, with brief experience in Kentucky. Louie has been heavily involved in Call To Action (cta-usa.org) on Young Adult Leadership and as a board member for CTA's Vision Council. Louie also worked as with young adult leadership for Dignity USA.
Jamison Green, PhD
CONSULTANT
Transgender Strategies Consulting, LLC
Jamison Green, PhD
Jamison Green, Ph.D. (Equalities Law), M.F.A. (Creative Writing) is an author/educator/activist specializing in equitable and appropriate healthcare access, workplace issues, and social safety for transgender and gender-nonconforming people. He transitioned from female to male in 1988 when he was 40 years old and has been a transgender policy thought leader in the U.S. since 1992, though he started pushing the queer and non-binary envelope in 1966. He has encouraged trans people and their friends and families and inspired activists, artists, and writers globally through film, print, and speaking appearances since 1996 with the global release of the documentary “You Don’t Know Dick.” While working in corporate management positions for 30 years, he has also served on numerous non-profit governing boards and is a former elected President of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), having served a total of 15 years on the board of that Association. Through his consulting firm, Transgender Strategies Consulting, LLC (aka Jamison Green & Associates), he has advised businesses ranging from small shops to multi-national corporations, as well as government agencies and educational institutions, on respectful equality for trans and gender-nonconforming people as employees, clients, and customers. His award-winning book, Becoming a Visible Man, (2004, Vanderbilt University Press) chronicles the rise of trans men’s community consciousness and (in)visibility. He has published numerous scholarly articles and received many awards. He is currently working on several new books (both fiction and non-fiction) and consults part-time. He also enjoys doing occasional expert witness work in employment discrimination litigation on behalf of trans and non-binary people. A native of Oakland, CA, he lives with his wife in Vancouver, Washington, and is the proud father of two adult children.
Scott Lumry
Scott Lumry
Mr. Lumry is presently being clocked at age 60+. He is a gay man and recent widow. He and his husband have maintained good and honest relationships with their health care providers, from physical therapists to primary care physicians, and all providers in between. Mr. Lumry brings a passion for making more resources workable for our LGBTQ+ members and their families who live in rural communities.
Daryl Mangosing, MPH
DOCTORAL STUDENT, PUBLIC HEALTH
UC Berkeley
Daryl Mangosing, MPH
Daryl Mangosing, MPH is currently a graduate student in the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program at the University of California Berkeley. Prior, he has worked for over three and a half years at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) and Prevention Research Center (PRC) in the Division of Prevention Science at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), where he drove communication efforts and disseminated HIV prevention and public health research. As a queer Filipino-American born and raised on the island of Guam, he pursued his health sciences degree at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky with a full-tuition scholarship in 2013. Afterwards, he attended Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated in 2015 with an MPH, concentrating in health communication. During his time at Tufts, he served as a Research Coordinator for the former Center for Global Public Health, Teaching Assistant in mobile health design, and Consultant at the Harvard School of Public Health. He then relocated to the Bay Area to work full-time at UCSF CAPS/PRC. Daryl is dedicated to supporting local queer events and community efforts, particularly those pertaining to Asian and Pacific Islanders and his fellow people of color. Daryl’s research interests lie within the intersection of LGBTQ health disparities, identity and intersectionality, community engagement, and public health discourse.
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Raisa S. Negrón
Raisa S. Negrón
Raisa S. Negrón earned a BA in Psychology from Eastern Connecticut State University. She has spent the majority of her career as a sexuality educator teaching and improving the sexual health needs of many individuals working with non-profits, private sector and as a consultant. With 20 years of experience, Raisa shares that body image, sexual expression, including our overall health are inter- connected and an integral part of who we are. Acknowledging our individual culture plays a role, too. When these are in alignment, and we have un-learned negative behaviors, we begin to feel more satisfaction with our bodies and ourselves. Raisa currently works in HIV prevention, specifically adolescent health, LGBTQ* youth, along with persons struggling with tobacco, alcohol, other substance misuse to improve their health outcomes. Raisa speaks Spanish, is a qualified medical interpreter and trainer in the healthcare industry.
Hanh Nguyen
Hanh Nguyen
Hanh Nguyen was born and raised in San Jose, California. As the daughter of refugee parents, she experienced disparities in health and privilege which motivate her to pursue a career at the intersection of medicine, public health, and social justice. She attended the University of California Davis where she graduated with a BS in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. She returned to San Jose to work in education, health engagement, and outreach among the community she grew up in. She is now gaining clinical experience while working as a scribe at a hospital and health center. In her free time, she practices yoga, reads, eats, and helps facilitate a community for queer Christians.
Nancy VanReece
COUNCILMEMBER
Nashville and Davidson County Metro
VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Batch Nashville, LLC
Nancy VanReece
Nancy VanReece is the first openly out lesbian elected to a legislative body in the State of Tennessee. She is the Nashville and Davidson County Metro Councilmember responsible for surging popularity and citizen activism in District 8, which includes parts of North Inglewood, Maplewood, and Madison. She served as Chair of the Convention, Tourism Committee and is now Vice-Chair of the Parks, Libraries & Arts Committee. She is an At-Large Board Member of the National League of Cities Local Officials constituency group and was appointed by the Mayor's Office onto the Metro Nashville Diversity Advisory Council.
The Victory Institute says this: "Each day since Council Member VanReece has been a tireless champion for the people of Nashville’s 8th District – laser-focused on bringing regional investments and opportunity to her constituents."
Hon. Nancy VanReece is also the Vice President of Business Development at Batch Nashville, LLC.—a brand builder and advocate that concentrates on client experience—and is a national speaker on issues such as online marketing, social media communications, and branding. In 2015 she was added as a speaker to the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs.
VanReece was also a trailblazer for more than 25 years in the music business and was the 2017 recipient for the Stein Award for Public Leadership in the Arts, awarded by the Nashville Arts Coalition.. She served as the Executive Director/CEO of The Nashville Shakespeare Festival from 2007-2009; the first Senior Director of Partnership Development at Cool People Care, Inc.; and as a strategist for GivingMatters.com, and the Nashville Library Foundation. She was the first new media consultant on record for the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee.
The Victory Institute says this: "Each day since Council Member VanReece has been a tireless champion for the people of Nashville’s 8th District – laser-focused on bringing regional investments and opportunity to her constituents."
Hon. Nancy VanReece is also the Vice President of Business Development at Batch Nashville, LLC.—a brand builder and advocate that concentrates on client experience—and is a national speaker on issues such as online marketing, social media communications, and branding. In 2015 she was added as a speaker to the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs.
VanReece was also a trailblazer for more than 25 years in the music business and was the 2017 recipient for the Stein Award for Public Leadership in the Arts, awarded by the Nashville Arts Coalition.. She served as the Executive Director/CEO of The Nashville Shakespeare Festival from 2007-2009; the first Senior Director of Partnership Development at Cool People Care, Inc.; and as a strategist for GivingMatters.com, and the Nashville Library Foundation. She was the first new media consultant on record for the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee.
SaVanna Wanzer
SaVanna Wanzer
SaVanna Wanzer has been a DC Trans advocate, HIV educator, and community volunteer for more than 25 years. As the founder of Capital Trans Pride in 2007, she later started May Is? All About Trans in 2018, a series of events celebrating, featuring, and loving transgender people. Designed to educate and build bridges across all communities, SaVanna has grown her vision to include organizations and individuals from across the country. During her many years of service, SaVanna was the first transgender woman to serve on the boards of Whitman-Walker Health and the Capital Pride Alliance. She has also served on the DC Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee, and started and maintained multiple peer mentoring programs. An active CAP member for NMAC & DCCFAR. Among her many awards, 2019 she was one of Leon Harris’ NBC 4 Heroes and TAGG Magazine, she was recognized with DC’s Black Pride Unsung Hero Award in 2017, Whitman-Walker Legal’s Robert Fenner Urquhart Memorial Award in 2015, and Capital Pride’s Hero Award in 2008. Retired from the federal government, SaVanna remains very active in her community and at Westminster Presbyterian Church in DC. Her future goal to take May Is? “All About Trans” National level.
Lou Weaver
CO-DIRECTOR
TransFORWARD
LGBTQ COMMITTEE CO-LEAD
Doctors for Change
Lou Weaver
Lou Weaver is a queer transgender man and a leader in Houston’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. Lou is a sought-after speaker on transgender topics across Texas. With trans healthcare as a key component of his advocacy portfolio, he has helped educate healthcare providers and medical student groups on culturally competent care for the LGBTQ communities. Lou is an engaging and thoughtful facilitator of tough, personal conversations on sexual and gender minorities.
Research Methods and Content Advisors
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS is the Lee Goldman, MD Endowed Chair in Medicine and Professor of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She is the Director of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at San Francisco General Hospital, a Board Member of UCSF’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), Director of the CTSI Clinical and Translational Science Training (CTST) Program and a faculty member for its K Scholar Program. She is the PI of two collaborative center grants from the NIH/NIMHD - the Center for Health And Risk in Minority youth and adults (CHARM) addressing disparities in chronic disease in youth and young adults, and BUILD an infrastructure and training grant with San Francisco State University. She is also the joint PI of Bring It Down - an NIH/NINDS U54 research center addressing stroke prevention and stroke disparities in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente Northern California. A general internist at San Francisco General Hospital and faculty member in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Dr. Bibbins-Domingo has expertise in cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes risk in young adults. Her work focuses on racial, ethnic and income differences in manifestations of chronic disease; the intersection of biological, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence risk; and effective clinical, public health, and policy interventions aimed at prevention. Dr. Bibbins-Domingo has interest in local, national, and global prevention efforts and has collaborated with investigators in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and China. She has been a member of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) since 2010 and is currently the Chairperson of the USPSTF. She is an inducted member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.
Matthew Capriotti, PhD
MENTAL HEALTH CONTENT EXPERT
The PRIDE Study
Matthew Capriotti, PhD
Matthew (Matt) Capriotti, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at San Jose State University and a Research Associate in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Matt earned his doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and he completed pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships at UCSF. Matt studies factors that promote resilience and wellbeing among sexual and gender minority people, with an emphasis on youth and young adults. He has a particular research interest in engaging young adults in evidence-based approaches to HIV prevention and treatment, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Matt also maintains an active line of research on the development, testing, and implementation of evidence-based behavioral interventions for young people with tic disorders (e.g., Tourette syndrome), other obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Matt is thrilled to be a part of The PRIDE Study's efforts to identify and end health disparities faced by sexual and gender minority communities.
Matt is thrilled to be a part of The PRIDE Study's efforts to identify and end health disparities faced by sexual and gender minority communities.
Mark Pletcher, MD, MPH
Mark Pletcher, MD, MPH
Mark Pletcher, MD, MPH is a Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). As an epidemiologist and a general internal medicine physician, his research is designed to inform clinical decision-making and policy. This work focuses on prevention of cardiovascular disease with particular interests in early life causes of atherosclerosis, primordial and primary coronary heart disease and stroke prevention, clinical decision-making regarding use of preventive medications (statins and anti-hypertensives), and screening for subclinical cardiovascular disease. He serves as a principal investigator for the Health eHeart Study, an online technology-enabled cardiovascular cohort study. Dr. Pletcher has specific expertise in study design, decision and cost-effectiveness analysis, risk prediction, and evaluating the clinical utility of biomarkers. He utilizes this expertise in his leading role with UCSF’s nationally recognized clinical research training programs by teaching clinical research methods as well mentoring students, fellows, and junior faculty members.
Jae Sevelius, PhD
Jae Sevelius, PhD
Jae Sevelius, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor with the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Sevelius leads several research projects at the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health to promote increased access to culturally competent health care for transgender people. With funding from the National Institutes of Health and the California HIV/AIDS Research Program, Dr. Sevelius’ research is focused on leveraging data to develop culturally relevant, transgender–specific programs and interventions to promote holistic health and wellness among transgender people, with an emphasis on serving transgender women of color and those affected by HIV. Dr. Sevelius is currently conducting a randomized controlled trial of ’Healthy Divas’, a peer-delivered intervention to increase engagement in care and medication adherence among transgender women living with HIV (R01MH106373) with funding from NIMH. Their team is also developing an intervention for transgender women incarcerated in the San Francisco County Jail (R34DA038541) with funding from NIDA to increase engagement in health care upon reentry into the community. Dr. Sevelius recently completed a pilot randomized controlled trial of ’Sheroes’, a sexual risk reduction and empowerment intervention developed in collaboration with and for transgender women of color (R34MH102109), and recently launched the TRIUMPH project as part of the first trans-specific PrEP demonstration initiative in California (CHRP, PR-15-SF007). Additionally, Dr. Sevelius is Co-Investigator on several transgender-focused projects, including a national 9 site demonstration project testing interventions to engage and retain HIV+ transgender women of color in care (PI: G. Rebchook), and formative research with transgender women in Brazil (PI: S. Lippman).
Affiliated Research Team
Branden Barger, MAS
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
The PRIDE Study
Branden Barger, MAS
Branden Barger is the program coordinator for the UCSF Office of Diversity & Outreach LGBT and Multicultural Resource Centers where he provides program, curriculum, and graphic design assistance in the centers’ efforts to increase visibility and inclusion of marginalized and underrepresented students, staff, and faculty throughout the UCSF health system and its various health professions training programs. Branden holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Clinical Research from the UCSF School of Medicine Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Public Health. Branden partnered with The PRIDE Study as part of his graduate program to examine substance use health disparities and resiliencies among sexual and gender minorities and he continues to support these efforts as a volunteer research assistant with the Sexual and Gender Minority Health Equity Lab in the UCSF School of Nursing Department of Community Health Systems.
Daniel Beltre
MEDICAL STUDENT
SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
Daniel Beltre
Daniel Beltre is a medical student at SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, New York. Daniel has a vibrant set of interests that involve the intersection of identity and healthcare. In medical school Daniel is committed to remodeling the curriculum to better represent sexual and gender minorities and is currently involved with the Brooklyn Free Health Clinic’s RISE program to provide psychosocially competent HIV and HCV counseling. Prior to medical school Daniel was involved with the MSF HIV and TB Policy Access Campaign. Daniel is very excited to be a part of The PRIDE Study and work towards broadening the clinical and cultural understanding of our LGBTQ+ community.
Janessa Broussard, MSN, RN, AGNP-C
DOCTORAL STUDENT IN NURSING
University of California San Francisco School of Nursing
Janessa Broussard, MSN, RN, AGNP-C
Janessa Broussard, MSN, RN, AGNP-C is a Doctoral Student in the Community Health Systems Department of the UCSF School of Nursing. Currently she practices in a clinic specializing in sexual health and HIV care. She works primarily with members of the LGBTQ+, homeless, and persons who inject drugs (PWID) communities. Her primary interest is creating and promoting inclusive, low-barrier access models of care. Lack of research to guide care of sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities motivated her to pursue a PhD. Her goal is to contribute to research focused on developing evidence based guidelines for SGM individuals. Additionally, she plans to develop curriculum focused on inclusive, affirming care and to continue to educate other medical professionals in this area.
Ethan Cicero, PhD, RN
POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR FELLOW
University of California San Francisco School of Nursing
Ethan Cicero, PhD, RN
Ethan Cicero, PhD, RN is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar as well as a Postdoctoral Scholar Fellow in the Biobehavioral Research Training in Symptom Science program within the Department of Community Health Systems at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. His scholarly work, supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Nursing Research, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, focuses on the health and well-being of transgender and gender nonbinary communities, with a particular interest in methods used for transgender health research and the use of large data sets and data from electronic health records to address health disparities.
Kristen Clark
PHD CANDIDATE
University of California San Francisco School of Nursing
Kristen Clark
Kristen Drew Clark is a PhD Candidate in Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. Her doctoral research is centered on the structural barriers to health care access, health care experiences, and symptom experiences of transgender and gender expansive people in the United States. Her doctoral work is funded through a National Institute for Nursing Research pre-doctoral fellowship (F31).
Prior to pursuing her PhD, Kristen worked clinically as a nurse in inpatient mental health, specializing in crisis stabilization care. In this capacity she worked to advocate for more inclusive and knowledgeable mental health care for transgender people through improved hospital policies and increasing education in Florida nursing schools.
Prior to pursuing her PhD, Kristen worked clinically as a nurse in inpatient mental health, specializing in crisis stabilization care. In this capacity she worked to advocate for more inclusive and knowledgeable mental health care for transgender people through improved hospital policies and increasing education in Florida nursing schools.
O. Winslow Edwards
MPH CANDIDATE
Simon Fraser University
O. Winslow Edwards
O. Winslow Edwards is a Master’s of Public Health student at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC in the Social Inequities and Health concentration. Their research is focused on using strengths-based methodologies to explore community resilience for sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations, with particular attention to amplifying voices within the community that have been historically marginalized. Prior to starting their MPH, Winslow worked as a clinical research coordinator on HPV studies with people living with HIV in Louisiana. They were also involved in grassroots level organizing surrounding systemic racial inequities and SGM rights. In their free time, Winslow volunteers with SGM community organizations that are engaged in decreasing stigma towards HIV and Hepatitis C, as well as using harm-reduction approaches to sexual health and drug use.
Eliot Lev
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
The PRIDE Study
Eliot Lev
Eliot Lev is a recent Post Baccalaureate graduate in Psychology and Counseling from UC Berkeley. His research interests include mental health of sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, intersectional identities, discrimination, strength-based approaches, and advocacy for better policies for SGM communities. In his previous career, Eliot was a tenured violinist for the San Francisco Symphony and is proud to have been the first openly transgender musician in a major American orchestra. To learn more about Eliot, please go to eliotlev.com.
Sean Luong, BA, RN
MASTER’S STUDENT IN NURSING
University of California San Francisco School of Nursing
Sean Luong, BA, RN
Sean Luong, BA, RN is a Master’s Student in the School of Nursing at UCSF, working on their training as an Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist. In a past life, Sean graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor’s in Sociology, focused primarily on areas of gender, sexuality, and race. Coming into the world of nursing, Sean strives to apply a critical lens to the obstacles within systems and institutions that LGBT patients have to navigate in order to meet their health needs, especially trans folk and folks of color.
Motivated in shifting the focus of healthcare towards patients from marginalized groups, Sean hopes to re-envision the way care is accessed and provided to those who need it the most, and yet do not receive necessary care. Sean is happy to have the opportunity to be working with The PRIDE Study in highlighting issues that LGBT queer people face when trying to receive the health care they deserve. Sean is grateful for the work already done and that which continues to be done by those beside them.
Motivated in shifting the focus of healthcare towards patients from marginalized groups, Sean hopes to re-envision the way care is accessed and provided to those who need it the most, and yet do not receive necessary care. Sean is happy to have the opportunity to be working with The PRIDE Study in highlighting issues that LGBT queer people face when trying to receive the health care they deserve. Sean is grateful for the work already done and that which continues to be done by those beside them.
Leslie Suen, MD
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
The PRIDE Study
Leslie Suen, MD
Leslie Suen, MD is an Internal Medicine Resident in the UC Primary Care track at UCSF. Prior to medical school, she worked for the San Francisco Department of Public Health and Tom Waddell Urban Health Clinic focusing on quality improvement projects for homeless, HIV-positive, and LGBTQ populations. Her research interests include improving health care systems and delivery for underserved urban populations, as well as finding the best public rooftop park in the city. As a native San Franciscan, she is very excited to be a part of The PRIDE Study and is proud to have it jump start in her hometown.
Michael Trujillo, PhD
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW
University of California San Francisco Department of Psychiatry
Michael Trujillo, PhD
Michael Trujillo, PhD is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry. Michael completed their PhD in Health Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently completing a T32 postdoctoral fellowship in Psychology and Medicine investigating the physiological underpinnings of sexual prejudice and its impact on health. Their research is driven by models that view stigma as a fundamental cause of health disparities and examines the social-cognitive, affective, biological, and behavioral factors that underlie the association between stigma and health. As a Graduate Research Fellow of the National Science Foundation, they examined how anti-gay harassment impacted risk-taking and the role of internalized stigma. Michael is also interested in identifying collective and personal strengths that promote resilience that allow individuals to thrive in the face of stigma. They are thrilled to be a part of The PRIDE Study as a means to end health disparities faced by sexual and gender minorities.
Rose Wong
MEDICAL STUDENT
Stanford University School of Medicine
Rose Wong
Rose Wong is an MD student at Stanford Medicine, as well as an advocate for sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities and mental health de-stigmatization: she is a Point Foundation, George Benes Scholarship recipient for LGBT leadership in medicine. At the medical school, she currently focuses on creating safer spaces for vulnerability and honesty in medical education through the arts, teaching, and community-building: she is the founder of Stanford Medicine’s Vital Signs reflection groups, co-president of Stanford Medicine’s Arts Collective (SMAC), an NBIO-206 Neurosciences TA for the Stanford Science of Medicine course, and an Ears-4-Peers peer counselor for her fellow MD/MSPA students. In past lives, she had graduated with highest honors in English from the University of Connecticut Honors Program, and before then was recognized in the New York Times and other mainstream media organizations for her role in shaping admissions policies at Smith and other historical women’s colleges to become inclusive of transgender women. Her journey to medicine has included work in diverse non-profits like GLAAD, the national LGBT media monitoring organization, and SPARK, an intergenerational feminist organization dedicated to empowering women and rewriting heterosexist cultural narratives.
Rose is excited to bring her enthusiasm and dedication to learning to the PRIDE team: as a Medical Scholars grant recipient, she will be characterizing cardiovascular health profiles and risk in SGM communities using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 cardiovascular health metric. She is professionally interested in clinical research on the long-term health outcomes of SGM people, medical education, as well as the fields of neurology and endocrinology.
Rose is excited to bring her enthusiasm and dedication to learning to the PRIDE team: as a Medical Scholars grant recipient, she will be characterizing cardiovascular health profiles and risk in SGM communities using the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 cardiovascular health metric. She is professionally interested in clinical research on the long-term health outcomes of SGM people, medical education, as well as the fields of neurology and endocrinology.
The PRIDE Study thanks its former team members for their contributions:
- Seema Bhaka, Matthew Beld, Laura Duncan, Jeffrey Ferrell, Sacha Finn, Oliver Guevarra, Evie Kalmar, Katie Katuzny, Sophie Lieberman, Naeemah Logan, Rowan Lowden, Ariane Marcus, Ruth McFarlane, Satyanand Satyanarayana, Krista Stephens, Dennis Xiong