Meet the 2021 Public Health and Equity Fellows!

Alexis Ruffi is a master's student in Nursing. She is working with Dr. Kim Whitmore, researching respite care needs of Latinx populations. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a certificate in Global Health in 2020. Gaining clinical training has allowed her to further understand the intricacies that exist in health systems.

 

 

Hannah Barbosa is a senior majoring in Nursing with a minor in Spanish for the Health Professions. She is working with Dr. Linda Piacentine and investigating physiological changes in Covid-19 survivors and control participants. Hannah is passionate about public health. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, she has been watching the daily news, talking with friends and family, and making changes in her own daily routine. This led her to want to learn more about how others were being affected.

 

 

Jordan Janusiak is a senior majoring in Biomedical Sciences with a minor in Health Studies. He is working with Dr. John Mantsch and has a drive and passion for public health research, planning, and policy development. He has worked on the Lead-Safe Homes Program (Milwaukee Health Department), the leadership council for SHAPE, a student-lead mental health advocacy group for student athletes on Marquette’s campus, and the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

 

Michela Marchio is a junior majoring in Medical Laboratory Sciences. Mickey is working with Dr. Nilanjan Lodh to dive deeper into the racial disparities in healthcare and within the public health community. She feels that this pandemic has caused so much pain and suffering among many different groups of people, and this has led to her interest in the new telehealth interventions that have been happening within the African American community in the Milwaukee area.

 

 

Radhika Dua is a senior in Biomedical Sciences and is also currently enrolled in the master's of Global Health Equity program at MCW. Radhika is working with Dr. Elizabeth Angeli and is focusing on how rhetoric in medicine plays an essential role in health care, specifically when it comes to emergency medical care. By conducting surveys and documenting current standard procedures, Radhika wants to be involved in determining how writing reports impacts patient care and the health of our community.

 

Tara Neylon is a junior majoring in Nursing with a minor in Public Health and Equity. She is currently researching with Dr. Linda Piacentine and studying the increasing identification and referral to resources for women who are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Knowing that she can be there for a patient during their time of need brings great honor to her purpose in life, and her classes and research has opened her eyes to the health inequities that surround us every day.

 

 

Zachariah Farahnay is a junior majoring in Data Science. Zach is a working with Dr. Praveen Madiraju. While participating in Marquette's Data Science REU, Zach learned a lot about the Covid-19, race, and healthcare, and this spurred his interest in studying these issues further. Previously he worked on processing EHR data to gain insight into significant factors impacting the severity of Covid-19.

 

 

Emily Anderson is a senior studying Exercise Physiology. She is working with Dr. Sandra Hunter to conduct research on the persistent and long term effects of Covid-19 on physical function. This experience has opened her eyes to how the persistent effects of Covid-19 are still not understood, such as its lasting impact on body composition, including bone and muscle mass.

 

 

 

June Wang is a doctoral student in the Physical Therapy program. She is working with Dr. Daniel Pinto on a study that attempts to reduce the disparity between those who have access to healthcare services and those who do not. Public health and equity aligns with the core values that she has chosen for her future career as a physical therapist: to promote health and wellness, prevent chronic disease, and prolong life with skills associated with rehabilitation and maintenance of the movement system. 

 

Karsyn Hartsfield is a sophomore studying Criminology and Law. Karsyn is researching with Dr. Aleksandra Snowden and learning more about the social implications of Covid-19, specifically the various health outcomes that have occurred among the African American community within the Lindsey Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee. Karsyn feels that the pandemic has affected so much in everyone’s lives and that having the ability to acknowledge these struggles and see the disparities that they have caused will be an insightful experience.

 

Navneet Kaur is a junior majoring in Biomedical Sciences and minoring in Chemistry. She is working with Dr. Nilanjan Lodh on a  project that involves the determination of health and well-being of the African American Community in Milwaukee’s North side via assessment of telehealth and health monitoring intervention. Navneet looks forward to learning more about Covid-19, its impact on the African-American community, and how we can help individuals overcome trauma.

 

Click below to see the fellows from previous years:

• 2020