Who we are

Editor-in-Chief
Natasha A. Brown, MPH
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Associate Editor-in-Chief
Louis F. Graham, MPH
Associate Editor in Chief
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Public Health

Founder
Carmen Patrick Mohan
Emory University School of Medicine

Publisher
Dana Lee

Editorial Board
Quantrilla Ard, PhD Candidate
For Example Editor
Walden University

Stephanie Cook, MPH
Research & Evaluation Editor
Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health

Warner L. McGee, MPH, PhD Candidate
Research & Evaluation Editor
University of North Carolina: Greensboro

Matthew J. Davis, M.S.
Policy & Practice Editor
Texas A&M University

Kai Livramento, JD Candidate
Service in Schools Editor
New York Law School

Bridget Melton, PharmD Candidate
View From Here Editor
Mercer University School of Pharmacy

Louis F. Graham, MPH
Associate Editor in Chief
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Department of Public Health

Advisory Board
Ngina Lythcott, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Boston University School of Public Health

Marla Salmon, Ph.D.
Dean
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Emory University

Sarena D. Seifer, M.D.
Executive Director
Community Campus Partnerships for Health

Current and former Peer Reviewers

• Madina Agenor, Harvard University, ScD Candidate
  
• Karen Alesch, Nova Southeastern University, PharmD Candidate
  
• Carmen Alvarez, Emory University, MSN Candidate
• Tara Antonelli, Stony Brook University, DPT Candidate
• Angel Barber, Howard University, PhD Candidate
  
• Suzanne Beck, State University of New York at Albany, MPH Candidate
  
• Donica Beckett, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, MEd Candidate
  
• Lisa Belzer, Rutgers University, PhD Candidate
• Pavan Bhatraju, University of Louisville, MD/MPH Candidate
• Jay Bhatt, University of Illinois-Chicago, MD/MPH Candidate
• John Blosnich, West Virginia University, MPH Candidate
• Jennifer Carvalho Spector, University of South Florida, MPH Candidate
• Joanna Choi, Harvard Medical School, MD Candidate
• Alison Colbert, University of Pittsburgh, PhD Nursing Candidate
  
• Emalee Danforth, University of Washington, MSN Candidate
  
• Karina D'Souza, University of South Flordia, MPH Candidate
• Keri Del Signore, West Virginia University, PharmD Candidate
• Ila Deshmukh Towery, Tufts, PhD Candidate
• Paul Drain, University of Washington and Harvard School of Medicine, MD Candidate
• Elizabeth Egan, Boston University, MPH Candidate
• Julia Eminger, Indiana University, MPH Candidate
• Elizabeth Hamilton, University of South Florida, MPH Candidate
• Stephanie Hu, Harvard University, MD Candidate
  
• Ali Khan, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, MD Candidate
  
• Sarah Lindstrom, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, PhD Candidate
  
• Catherin Ling, Medical University of South Carolina, PhD Candidate
• Colleen Longfellow, Boston University, MPH Candidate
• Teri Malo, University of South Florida, PhD Candidate
  
• Michael Mao, Creighton University, MD Candidate
• Lisa McConnell Lewis, Indiana University, PhD Social Work Candidate
• Rachael Molnar, Case Western Reserve University, MD/PhD Candidate
• Ryan Parker, Medical University South Carolina, MD, MS Candidate
• Yolanda Peele, Morgan State University, PhD Candidate
• Elizabeth Perpetua, University of Washington, MSN Candidate
• Karon Phillips, University of South Florida, PhD Candidate
• Shveta Raju, Emory University, MD/MBA Candidate
• Krishna Rao, Rush Medical College, MD Candidate
• Dominique Rash, George Washington University, MD Candidate
• Zara Risoldi, Western Maryland Health System, PharmD Candidate
• Asal Sadatrafiei, University California - San Francisco, PharmD Candidate
• Pallabi Sanyal, University of Vermont, MD Candidate
  
• Marianne Sarkis, Florida State University, PhD Candidate
• Julia Schlekeway, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, DPT
  
• Scott Schoenleber, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, MD Candidate
  
• Eynat Shevil, University Illinois-Chicago, PhD Candidate
• Jacqueline Shimoda, University of Hawaii at Manoa, MSN Candidate
  
• Patricia Spencer, University of South Florida, PhD Candidate
• James Tucker, University of South Florida, MD/MPH Candidate
• Cheryl Vamos, University of South Florida, PhD Candidate
• Amy Walthour, Medical College of Georgia, MD/PhD Candidate
• Tanya Wansom, University of Michigan Medical School
• Kara Watterson, Creighton University, MD Candidate
  
• Darcy Webber, University of South Florida, MPH Candidate
  
• Vonetta Williams, University of South Florida, PhD Candidate
• Ann Wislowski, University of Pennsylvannia, MSN Candidate
• Alyssa Wittorf, University of Minnesota, MPH Candidate
• Youssef Zeidan, Medical University of South Carolina, MD Candidate
• Youssef Zeidan, Medical University of South Carolina, MD Candidate
• Sayali Tarlekar, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center at College Station, MPH Candidate

Past Members of Context Volunteer Staff

Hugo Javier Aparicio
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Euna August
University of South Florida School of Public Health

Cheryl Hunchak, MD, MPH

Marie-Adele Sorel
Harvard Medical School

Karen Thomisee
Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing of Emory University

Amanda Vogel, MPH
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

Eric S. Peeples
Creighton University

Carmen Patrick Mohan

Carmen Patrick Mohan, 29, is an MD candidate at Emory University. An army-brat who now calls Georgia home, Carmen received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Resource Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park where she was a Banneker-Key Scholar. After leaving Maryland, she was selected in national competition as one of six 2000 - 2001 Jane Addams-Andrew Carnegie Fellows at the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy.

Carmen has been mobilizing students around access to healthcare and gender and racial equality for nearly ten years. Along those lines, Carmen served on the boards of the Third Wave Foundation and Health Students Taking Action Together, Inc (HealthSTAT). She currently serves on the board of Community Campus Partnerships for Health. Her interdisciplinary efforts have included coordination of clinical trials of preventive HIV vaccines, internship with the national pilot of the Friendly Access Maternal and Child Health Program, and tissue-engineering research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

As Chairman of the Board of HealthSTAT, Carmen led the organization's effort to strengthen its infrastructure, including board development, hiring its first full-time Executive Director, increasing board giving by 500%, developing the summer internship program, and leading a fundraising campaign that raised more than $60,000 - HealthSTAT's largest to date.

Aside from researching and developing white papers for nonprofit organizations such as the Indiana Youth Institute, Carmen's publication record includes that of Editor-in-Chief of The Hope Scope, a quarterly newsletter on HIV vaccine clinical trials and immunology research. She was also a contributor to two HealthSTAT position papers: "Voices of the Future: Student Perspectives on Protecting and Expanding Access to Care for Georgia's Children," published in 2003, and "Voices of the Future: Preventing Childhood Obesity in Georiga," published in 2004. She also published biomaterials research in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research in 2002. Her current research projects concern barriers to community service among Georgia's health professional students and an analysis of hospitalist workflow.

A Paul Ambrose Scholar of the American Teachers of Preventive Medicine, Carmen has received various recognition for work including Most Outstanding Senior from the Department of Biological Resources Engineering at the University of Maryland, the Robert E. Steward Engineering and Humanities Award from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, Outstanding Honors Student from the University of Maryland, and Unsung Heroine from the Emory University Women's Center.

Dana Lee

Dana Lee began her career with various volunteer leadership roles with non- profit organizations in her 15-year career. As HealthSTAT’s first Executive Director, she developed the financial, development and administrative policies and procedures that propelled HealthSTAT into a mature, effective and well respected non profit. As a consultant to Context, Ms. Lee will establish the administrative and operational systems to ensure the success of the nation’s first online, peer-reviewed journal that highlights the exceptional work of health students in the community.

Prior to her positions with HealthSTAT, she was the Senior Business Manager with The Carter Center’s Health Programs. She was responsible for the overall administrative support of the program's Headquarters office, including: office operations, international and domestic personnel actions; procurement of vehicles/supplies for overseas projects; supervision of administrative staff and liaison between the headquarter offices and its eleven international field offices on administrative matters.

Ms. Lee has been recognized numerous times for her volunteer efforts with recently resettled refugee youth. In 1998, Ms. Lee was selected as an Outstanding Young Atlantan, in 1999 she was featured as a RO Awardee by Rolling Out magazine and as one of Dossier magazine’s twenty-nine Rising Stars of the New South. In 2000, she was selected to participate in The Atlanta Jewish Committee’s Project Understanding Young Leadership Retreat, which is designed to break down stereotypes, build trust and promote friendship between young leaders. Ms. Lee is also a former Treasurer of Hands on Atlanta and currently serves on the Board of The Atlanta Children’s Shelter.

Ms. Lee graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations (1992). She holds a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo (1995) and received a Masters in Public Health degree in International Health, with a Community Health concentration from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health (2003).

Ms. Lee and her husband of eight years, David Lee are the proud parents of two young children, David, Jr. and Eva.

2007-2008 Editor-in-Chief

John Casey
Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Stephanie holds a Masters’ of Public Health degree from Columbia University in the Sociomedical Sciences Department—Research track. Because of her interests in health research and advocacy, she helped write grants, publish manuscripts and present study findings that speak to the growing health concerns of different communities with a specific focus on advocacy projects. She brings invaluable research experience to help Context present publications that are engaging and representative of the journals mission.

Born in India, Sayali moved to the United States in February 2007 after her undergraduate degree to complete her graduate studies. She has her undergraduate degree in Cardiac Technology in which she topped the university throughout her undergraduate career. Even though the field of cardiology looked promising, her interests lead her to pursue a Masters degree in Public Health and she received the Dean’s Excellence in Public Health Scholarship for her studies at the department of Social & Behavioral Health. Sayali is currently a second year public health graduate student at the School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center at College Station. Sayali has worked as an echocardiographer for a year and also as a hospital administrator for three months in India before coming to the USA. She is very passionate about HIV/AIDS and has also earned a certificate in HIV/AIDS and Family Education from India.

Sayali is the National Focal Point (NFP) for United States for the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA). While passionately driven by the cause of HIV/AIDS she also believes in exploring the various aspects that the field of public health has to offer, and is looking forward to starting her summer internship at the Center for Research in Minority Health, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. During her undergraduate studies, Sayali also volunteered at the school for the mentally challenged children which developed her interest in the psychosocial well-being of AIDS orphans. She is working on a research project at the School of Rural Public Health on this topic with her professor and has been nominated for the Dean’s Research Award for her research. She has also contributed several articles about social issues in the Indian Express, a prestigious Indian news paper, while in India.

Sayali believes that not many people are fortunate enough to make their passion their profession and feels extremely fortunate to be a part of the public health field and to be able to contribute to the cause of HIV/AIDS. Similarly, she is very thrilled to be a part of the Context team and hopes to create a diverse and a vibrant platform for potential student contributors of the journal.

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Quantrilla Yvonne Ard, MPH

Quantrilla Ard combines excellent educational credentials, highly relevant professional experience and a demonstrated commitment to public health. Quantrilla holds a master’s degree in public health from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia and a B.S. in Biology from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama. She is currently a PhD student in Health Psychology at Walden University.

Quantrilla was a Senior Analyst in Clinical Operations at Cardinal Health, Medmined Services, in Alabama. In that capacity, she was involved in every aspect of project development, implementation and management. Quantrilla helped identify client needs and challenges, crafting and managing strategic solutions to meet them, while prioritizing objectives in light of business goals. Specific engagements included supporting client customer product acceptance and utilizations and developing comprehensive employee training manuals.

As a consultant, data collector, and research assistant, Quantrilla was involved in a number of research activities pertaining to health issues faced disparately by minority communities. These include but are not limited to literature searches and reviews, preparation of presentations, preparation of submissions to the IRB, recruitment of participants in cultural competency trainings, creation of surveys, and conducting focus groups. Her most recent role was as a Study Site Coordinator for a Health Analytics’ behavioral research study on opioid dependence. Quantrilla held several consultant and graduate intern positions with such organizations as Macro International, Morehouse School of Medicine, Community Health & Preventive Medicine division and National Center for Primary Care Institute for Health Policy, and the Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness. She maintains active memberships in several professional organizations, and uses her education and training for various community volunteer initiatives such as the APA Behavioral and Social Science Volunteer Program.

Natasha Brown, MPH

Natasha Brown, 27, is from Eastern North Carolina and currently resides in the Washington, DC metro area. She is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Health, Behavior & Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where her research is focused on social determinants of obesity and interpersonal communication between minority providers and patients. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from Howard University in 2005. She began her graduate training at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Department of Behavioral & Community Health Sciences, where she earned her Master’s of Public Health degree, as well as a graduate certificate in public health program evaluation in 2007.

Natasha’s primary research interests include minority health and health disparities, translating research and evaluation to practice and policy, and obesity and related chronic diseases. These interests stem from Natasha’s research experiences with several entities, including the US Departments of Agriculture and Health & Human Services, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Uniformed Services University Center for Health Disparities, and the MD Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. She has had the privilege to work on a variety of public health topics, including HIV/AIDS program management; postpartum breastfeeding, weight retention and nutrition; food safety; and faith-based health promotion.

In addition to Context, Natasha is actively involved with the Diversity Leadership Council of the Johns Hopkins Institutions and the JHSPH Committee on Affirmative Action and Student Diversity Ambassadors Network. She also serves as the president of the JHSPH Black Graduate Student Association.

Warner L. McGee, MPH

Warner McGee is currently a DrPh Student in the Department of Public Health Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is currently working on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded project developing an HIV prevention intervention for Black college men. His research area of interest is sexual and reproductive health, particularly among African American males. Prior to entering his doctoral program, he was an ORISE Fellow in the Division of STD Prevention at the CDC exploring the sexual health issues of Black MSM. He received his MPH in Health Education/Health Promotion from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA 2008. Before entering his master's program, he was a health educator for Planned Parenthood of Georgia, coordinating a comprehensive sexual development program for young males. Warner comes to context journal with extensive experience in designing and conducting both qualitative and quantitative research investigations spanning across psychology, sociology and health education research.

Matthew J. Davis

Matthew J. Davis is currently pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Master's in Public Health from Texas A&M Health Science Center. His research interests include youth and young adult health risk behavior, with a primary emphasis on risky sexual behavior and contraceptive use.

While at Texas A&M, he has also had the opportunity to work on interdisciplinary research teams which have expanded his understanding of treatment modalities and allowed him to become more experienced in collaborating with a wide range of researchers and health and psychology related research. Further, his major contribution to many of these research studies has been as a statistician, which has allowed him to focus and fine tune his statistical knowledge and abilities. An additional focus in his studies has involved mentorship and supervision of younger students.

In May 2011 he will graduate with his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and M.P.H. in Rural Public Health. He then plans to begin his career as an academician in a research one institution. This career will allow him to further the knowledge of youth and young adult health risk behavior, as well as to develop interventions to increase knowledge and responsible health behaviors in this population. His diverse educational experiences have provided him a unique perspective, encompassing both physical and mental health.

Marie-Adele Sorel

Marie-Adele Sorel is currently a second-year medical student at Harvard Medical School. She grew up in Potomac, Maryland and earned her Bachelor of Arts from Williams College in 2005. Marie-Adele double-majored in Chemistry and Mathematics, and her work culminated in an honors thesis, part of which has been accepted for peer-reviewed publication.

While an undergraduate, Marie-Adele founded and led the Williams Initiative for Student Health in Elementary Schools (WISHES), which designed and implemented health education on fitness and nutrition in elementary schools in Northern Berkshire County. Internationally, Marie-Adele conducted a study to examine the impact of HIV/AIDS with the National Infectious Disease Control Unit in Grenada, W.I. She has also conducted domestic public health research with the George Washington University Medical Center Women’s Heart Program, studying women’s knowledge about heart health.

In her junior year, Marie-Adele was selected to be a Truman Scholar, which is a national award given annually in recognition of exceptional leadership potential, intellectual ability, and likelihood of “making a difference,” specifically through careers in government, nonprofit work, advocacy, education or elsewhere in public service. As part of the Truman Summer Institute, Marie-Adele worked at the Institute of Medicine’s Board on Health Care Services, primarily contributing to work of the Subcommittee on Pay-for-Performance. Upon graduation from Williams, Marie-Adele was honored with the Alberti Award for enhancing campus community, the Hagedorn Premedical Prize for her academic achievement and promise as a premedical student, and the Leverett Mears Prize for her distinguished record in chemistry.

At HMS, Marie-Adele has worked with Youth for Prevention, Action and Change through Thought (YPACT), the Boston-based youth program of Partners In Health (PIH) and served on the Multicultural Fellows Committee. She also works as a research assistant at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute analyzing messaging in direct-to-consumer advertising. Marie-Adele currently serves as one of the Directors of www.improvehealthcare.org, a student-run web-based education resource on health systems for students and professionals in health care. Between her first and second years, Marie-Adele continued her work in policy and advocacy in the policy department at Health Care For All (HCFA), a Boston-based consumer advocacy and policy organization.

Louis F. Graham

Louis F. Graham, 26, is currently a second year Community Health doctoral student in the Department of Public Health at the University of North Carolina: Greensboro. Louis’ primary population health interests center on bridging more seamlessly policy, research, and practice. In particular, Louis’ work focuses on psychosocial health determinants among ethnic and sexual minority men and employing innovative qualitative research methodologies. He is currently working on a Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded project developing an HIV prevention intervention for Black college men.
Louis recently published a paper in Roosevelt Institution’s Student Ideas for Improving Health Policy, entitled “Empowering the Public Health Service,” and presented his manuscript to congressional staffers at a health policy briefing on Capitol Hill. He also recently presented on AID Atlanta’s “Solutions” panel discussing progressive HIV prevention strategies, at the Association of Black Psychologists Annual Meeting on the psychosocial health of black queer men, and at the Lonnie E. Mitchell Mental Health & Substance Abuse conference on mental health policy implications for Black communities. Additionally, Louis published a policy brief entitled Mental Health Parity Law last year and was recently awarded the Marian K. Solleder scholarship, the LGBT Health Education & Research Trust scholarship, and the Dean’s Student Advisory Council Scholarship. Moreover, Louis serves as the Diversity Committee Co-chair in the Student Assembly of the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Chair’s the advisory board of AID Atlanta’s DeeperLove Project.

Before entering the doctoral program at UNCG, Louis served as a Research Assistant at Community Voices in the National Center for Primary Care, where he conducted research, performed legislative tracking and policy analysis, and participated in the evaluation of Georgia’s statewide Children 1st program. Louis also served as an intern on the Public Health Policy Team in the Financial Management Office of the CDC where he provided support to senior management who advised on legislative strategy and matters of public policy. In this capacity Louis also assisted in the development of Congressional Testimony for senior CDC officials and aided in the coordination of Congressional site-visits. Louis graduated from Morehouse School of Medicine’s (MSM) Master of Public Health program with an M.P.H. in Policy & Administration in 2007.

While a student at MSM, Louis served as the Secretary and Parliamentarian of the student government association and the co-editor-in-chief of the MPH newsletter, Community Bloom. The newsletter’s mission is to present accurately researched public health issues that do not garner mainstream attention, as well as to serve as an information-sharing forum that commences meaningful dialogue on pertinent minority health matters. Louis is committed and dedicated to improving the health of all and ensuring that meaningful and quality work of health students is widely shared and disseminated. In the words of Charles R. Lawrence III, “I know no word that is not at the same time a praxis.”

Meet Past Members of the Context Volunteer Staff

Hugo Javier Aparicio

Hugo Javier Aparicio, 24, is currently a third year medical student at the University of Pennsylvania.

Hugo is a native of La Paz, Bolivia, where he lived until he was three years old. In December of 1984 he immigrated to the United States with his parents and sister, settling in Lexington, Kentucky. Hugo graduated at the top of his class from Lexington Catholic High School and received a Robert W. Woodruff Scholarship to attend Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He double-majored in Spanish and Biology, was a Phi Beta Kappa Scholar and ran year-round for the varsity cross country and track teams.

As a member of the Emory Scholars Program, the Latino Student Organization, and other student groups on campus, Hugo used his spare time to become involved in community outreach programs. He worked as coordinator for the Ready, Set, Read! early literacy program at the Grady/North DeKalb Health Center, where he obtained a $5,000 grant to buy children's books and training materials for this early literacy education initiative. He later worked with St. Joseph's Mercy Care Hospital and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Atlanta to develop an after-school program, Preventative Education and Activities for Kids (PEAK), to discourage violence and drug use among children ages 6-10. He has also been a Big Brother since 2001 and has recruited other students to participate in this mentoring program.

As a medical student, Hugo served as the co-chair of the Boricua/Latino Health Organization, with which he has organized health fairs, mentoring opportunities and other collaborations with the Black and Hispanic community in Philadelphia. In 2005, Hugo was given the Minority Scholars Award by the American Medical Association Foundation. His other efforts have been focused on health in Latin America, helping the School of Medicine expand its global health program through initiatives in Guatemala and Argentina.

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Euna August (pronounced oon-a) recently returned to academia as a doctoral student at the USF College of Public Health in the Department of Community & Family Health in the Fall of 2005. She earned her Master of Public Health degree in Health Education and Communication from Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine and her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Louisiana State University.

During her short time at USF, Euna has become actively involved with the Global Health Student Association and the Student Global AIDS Campaign. In addition, she is working with the Florida Prevention Research Center and its Partnership for Citrus Worker Health in the areas of evaluation, training and curriculum development, and grant writing. She is also a member of the American Public Health Association and the Florida Public Health Association. Most recently, Euna has been selected as the Managing Editor for Research & Evaluation of the Context Journal, the nation’s first student-run, peer-reviewed journal.

Prior to her transition to USF, Euna was the Executive Director of the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies (IWES), a nonprofit organization based in New Orleans, Louisiana. In this capacity, she worked to achieve the organization’s mission of improving the holistic health and wellness of women, youth, and communities of color. She represented IWES nationally and internationally, speaking on the inclusion of the needs and concerns of women of color in research and advocacy, as well as the importance and effectiveness of youth-driven models of education and prevention. Currently, Euna serves on the Board of Directors of IWES. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, she has been actively working with the IWES staff and fellow board members to rebuild the organization’s infrastructure and programming.

Throughout her career, Euna has worked in the areas of sexual and reproductive health education, training, research, and advocacy, both domestically and internationally. She is a capable public speaker, writer, organizer, and trainer and possesses strong management and leadership skills. Euna has facilitated numerous workshops and presented papers at multiple national conferences. She has also played an integral role in various public health coalitions and boards, including the New Orleans HIV Prevention Community Planning Group, the Southern Louisiana AIDS Coalition, the Louisiana Latino Health Coalition (LLHC), Louisiana Family Planning Advisory Board, and the Louisiana Initiative for Teen Pregnancy Prevention.

Due to her outstanding leadership and accomplishments, Euna has received accolades from her colleagues. In 2003, she was recognized as one of the “Top 30 Under 30 Activists for Choice” by Choice USA, a Washington, DC-based organization committed to the reproductive health and rights of young women in the United States. And in 2001, she was awarded for her contributions to the New Orleans community as one of the top “Forty under 40,” which recognizes local leaders under the age of 40.

John Casey, M.A.

John Casey, 32, currently lives in the beautiful mountains of Southwest Virginia. He completed undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech and never managed to escape the area. During his studies he completed undergraduate research on health care economics. Upon completing his undergraduate degree with a double major in Biology and Economics, John began working for an Emergency Medical Services agency that was working to solve the problem of limited 911 and scarce county resources in Pulaski County, Virignia. During his time with the EMS system he progressed from a basic field provider, through the level of supervising paramedic, training officer, and eventually Executive Director. As Director John was in a position of responsibility for not only day-to-day management of operations and finance, but also system development for future viability. While working as the Director he completed a Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology at Radford University. He completed a thesis focusing on physiologic parameter variability during a forensic scenario. John was a founding member of the Western 14 Disaster Task Force, and served as Task Force Commander for 4 years, until his acceptance to medical school. John was a two-time winner of the Commonwealth of Virginia Disaster Meritorious Service Award for outstanding management and leadership that established an improved state of readiness for large scale disaster response.

John is completing his third year of medical school at the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He served as the first year President for the Class of 2008 and is an active member of the school’s emergency medicine, sports medicine, and family practice organizations. He is also an active member of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA), serving on their national board as Newsletter Editor.

John was a 2005 participant in the Paul Ambrose Student Leadership Symposium. His specific research interests are healthcare labor substitution, preventive medicine applications in the rural setting, and development of unique education strategies to enhance the training of healthcare providers. In addition to his studies, he continues to work as an EMT-Paramedic for Regional EMS, Inc. in Pulaski County, Virginia and teaches emergency medical classes to healthcare providers of all levels.

Karen Thomisee

Karen Thomisee, 32, is a nursing student at Emory University in Atlanta, where she is a Fuld Fellow and pursuing a Pediatric Nurse-Practitioner specialty. At Emory, Karen is involved in the Family Farm Worker Health Program, an initiative between several health professional schools in Georgia to provide health care and education to migrant farm workers. She is also an active member of Health Students Taking Action Together (HealthSTAT) as an educator for PowerPlay. PowerPlay is a childhood wellness program targeting adolescents at risk for obesity. The initiative, designed by students and honored in 2006 by the Association of American Medical Colleges as a Caring for Communities Award winner, engages the patient population of the Grady Teen Clinic in monthly interactive nutritional curricula and exercise activities.

In addition, Karen is an intern at the Lillian Carter Center for International Nursing, where she is was a team member for the Global Government Health Partners Forum. The forum brings top nursing and medical officers from around the world together to discuss global health and workforce issues. Karen is also the Co-Chair of Education for the Emory International Student Nurses Association.

Karen is currently conducting an exploratory investigation of earth-eating in Haiti She began traveling to Haiti in 2003 as a member of a pediatric medical team. She has since taught photography to Haitian children and conducted a participatory research project with traditional midwives about prenatal and childhood malnutrition.

Originally from North Carolina, Karen has lived and worked in several Southern and Central Appalachian communities. In Marion, N.C. she worked as a newspaper photojournalist/journalist, where she documented such topics as Latino migration to Western N.C., children’s access to oral health and challenges to rural farming. She also chaired the community outreach committee of her church.

Karen previously worked for the Frontier Nursing Service, a rural midwifery and health care service in the coalfields of Kentucky. There, she volunteered with nurse-midwives and nurse-practitioners and served as the coordinator of the Courier Program, which placed college students in health care and educational volunteer positions in the community. She has a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts from Goddard College.
Karen is passionate about maternal and child health. She is particularly interested in creative initiatives to promote access to primary care in resource poor settings in the rural U.S. and abroad.

Amanda Vogel

Amanda Vogel is a fourth year PhD student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) Department of Health Policy and Management. She was a recipient of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Research Scientist Award (NRSA) for doctoral students.

Amanda has a long standing interest in student service. Her dissertation research consists of a ten-year follow-up study of the sustainability and impact of the Health Professions Schools in Service to the Nation (HPSISN) program. HPSISN awarded three-year grants to twenty US health professions institutions to fund the integration of service-learning into the curriculum, and to promote student understanding of the social responsibility and public purposes of their future professions. Amanda also is a founding executive board member of Students for a Positive Academic paRrtnership with the East Baltimore Community (SPARC), a JHSPH student advocacy group promoting greater institutional commitment to the East Baltimore community.

Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Amanda worked with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she founded and managed the Senior Wellness Project, a collaboration with the New York City Housing Authority that provided health promotion and disease prevention services for older adults living in 21 public housing developments. In that capacity, Amanda served as an adjunct faculty member at the New York University Steinhardt School of Education, Division of Nursing, where she taught evaluation research skills, and provided service learning experiences for geriatrics and community health nursing students through the Senior Wellness Project.

iAmanda earned her Masters degree in Health and Social Behavior from the Harvard School of Public Health, and her BA degrees in Sociology and English Literature from Swarthmore College.

Cheryl Hunchak, M.D., M.P.H. - Founding Editor of For Example 2005 - 20066

Family Medicine Resident, Toronto Canada

Cheryl Hunchak received her M.D. degree from the University of Western Ontario as a Dean’s Honor Roll student in 2005. completed a Master of Public Health at Harvard School of Public Health in the International Health department. Following the completion of her MPH degree, she began her residency in family medicine in Toronto, Canada.

Cheryl graduated as Valedictorian from O’Neill Collegiate high school in Oshawa, Ontario. In 2001, she graduated as silver medallist from Victoria College at the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology. While at the University of Toronto, she was awarded the Arts and Science Student Union award for outstanding involvement in community service, academics, and extracurricular activities.

Cheryl is passionate about the importance of community health advocacy and health student involvement in collaborative efforts to galvanize positive social change. At Harvard, she is the Community Liaison for the Student Group for Reproductive Health and Rights and a member of the Harvard AIDS Tank. In medical school, she participated in health outreach programs for the homeless in London, Ontario and for several First Nations communities in Northern Ontario. Overseas, she has worked in children’s orphanages in Romania and has travelled to Ghana to assist with the provision of rural primary health care services. Most recently, she volunteered at a clinic for Burmese refugees along the Thai-Burma border and was involved in immediate relief efforts following the tsunami in December 2004.

At the University of Western Ontario, she was involved in volunteer initiatives at the Glen Cairn Community Centre, the Youth Action Centre, and Streetscape. At the University of Toronto, she was actively involved in a student-run organization called W.A.T.C.H. that worked with disadvantaged school-aged children in Toronto. Advocacy for women and children has been a central theme in her local and international community involvements, particularly programs that promote healthy child development and the prevention of childhood injuries. Cheryl spent two summers researching and working in the prevention of shaken baby syndrome and authored a chapter in a book titled Preventing Neurotrauma: A Casebook of Evidence-Based Practices. Cheryl is delighted to be a Managing Editor for Context journal and to have the opportunity to recognize the admirable work of fellow health students in the For Example section in Context’s inaugural year.