Caleb Brown, MPH
Caleb Brown graduated from Lamar University with his Master’s in Public Health, focusing on expanding HIV healthcare access and providing resources to healthcare providers to encourage equitable care. Caleb has worked with and presented for organizations such as the Ryan White Community Planning Group, South Central AIDS Education and Training Center, Houston AETC, the National Latinx Conference for HIV/HCV/SUD, and the Indiana Primary Health Care Association. Caleb continues to work as a community advocate across the Southeastern United States.
Diana Namumbejja Abwoye, FNP-BC
Diana is a family nurse practitioner with experience in LGBTQ care, family medicine, infectious diseases and refugee/immigrant health. She has over 10 years of experience in global/public health and health advocacy, which she brings into her position as a PhD student at Yale University working with Dr. LaRon Nelson. Her research interests include HIV/AIDS, women’s and reproductive health, planetary health, global health, immigrant and refugee health, and health equity. She is currently part of the HPTN 096 study led by Dr. Nelson. Her dissertation focuses on Afghan refugee women's reproductive health needs.
Ederick E. Johnson
Ederick E. Johnson a noted HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ Activist, Minister, and Workshop clinician. He is active in his community belonging to many civic, fraternal, HIV, and LGBTQ Orgs. Over the past 12 years he has committed his life to HIV Education, in reducing stigma and bringing awareness.
Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong, PhD, MPH, MA
Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong, PhD, MPH, MA, is a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA) through the NIH-supported Yale AIDS Prevention Training Program (Y-APT). With a Ph.D. in Community Health and Health Behavior from the University at Buffalo, along with master's degrees in international studies and public health from Ohio University, her research centers on reducing HIV-related health disparities among gender, racial and ethnic minority immigrant populations. She explores sociocontextual factors influencing HIV prevention behaviors, seeking innovative approaches to engage immigrant communities through community involvement, technology, and collaboration.
Joseph Kenny
Joe’s professional focus is on studying and serving stigmatized and underserved populations within the domain of public health. He has experience in both research and clinical settings, including research support roles at the University of Rochester with both the High Impact Field-Based Interventions Lab and The Preventive Care Program for Children with Asthma, and as Care Coordinator for the Golisano Children's Hospital Pediatric Practice. In his free time, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his border collie, Mika. continues to work as a community advocate across the Southeastern United States.
Mary L. Peng, MPH, MS
Peng is an interdisciplinary researcher specializing in the intersection of digital health, neuroaesthetics, and immersive multimedia technologies to enhance patient care and public health outcomes. With a background spanning public health, behavioral sciences, and media innovation, her work explores how AI, AR/VR, and data visualization can be integrated into clinical and community health settings , UX-guided human-centered digital health interventions, multisensory design in healthcare, and the role of aesthetics in therapeutic environments.. Mary holds an MPH in Social & Behavioral Sciences from Yale University and an MSc in Media, Medicine, and Health from Harvard Medical School.
Portia Thomas, DNSc, RN-CNE, MPH, CDP
Portia Thomas is a Research Associate on the HPTN 096 study. Portia's previous experience encompasses seventeen years of nursing in various settings, including acute care, academia, clinical research, and public health. Her research focuses on HIV prevention and health disparity studies among racial and sexual minorities, particularly in the Southern US. Portia is a part of the 2021 Research Education Institute for Diverse Scholars (REIDS) cohort. Immediately before joining the HiFi lab, Portia served as the Director of Research with the National Diversity Council.
Samuel Akyirem
Samuel is a PhD Nursing student at Yale University and a research assistant in the Hi-Fi lab. His research interests include the impact of health-related stigma on health outcomes. His role in the Hi-Fi lab includes developing proposals for the implementation of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) among diverse population groups in Kenya, China, and Ghana.
Sara Mari Hardin
Sara began working in the field of HIV/STI prevention in 2010. Throughout her career she has conducted and coordinated outreach efforts in North Carolina, Texas, and Florida, supporting community members through HIV/STI prevention, addressing substance use, providing case management, and counseling. She currently serves on various community advisory boards locally and is an advocate for the preservation of rights for all human beings. She is a member of the LGBTQ liberation organization SONG, Southerners On New Ground, and The Human Rights Campaign.
Sharron Moore-Edwards
Sharron Moore-Edwards is a twenty-plus-year manager, dynamic trainer, speaker, and consultant. Her natural gift of working with diverse populations epitomizes organizational success. Sharron has worked extensively in the faith-based, substance abuse, at-risk youth, homelessness, and HIV/AIDS populations. Most recently, she worked in the healthcare at Regional One Health, Memphis, where she managed an infectious disease medical practice, for PLWHIV. Presently, she works for Yale University as a Research Program Manager in the Department of Nursing and Global Health.
Tequetta Valeriano
Tequetta Valeriano is a Research Program Manager with 6 years of experience working in the HIV/AIDS field. She has worked as a research assistant for Yale University Department of Psychiatry, National PTSD Center & MOMS Partnership, and a program coordinator for Yale AIDS Program. In prior years she has worked as a Family Violence Victim Advocate and Mental Health Counselor. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and a Master of Science degree in Management and Organizational leadership.
Uzoji Nwanaji-Enwerem, MSN, PhD
Nwanaji-Enwerem, a family nurse practitioner and Yale School of Nursing lecturer, focuses on researching psychosocial stressors' effects on sleep health among individuals from marginalized backgrounds. She's presently engaged in an NIH/NCATS-funded project, investigating intersectional stigma against Black individuals with co-occurring HIV, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and sleep disturbance. The project assesses the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of using accelerated resolution therapy (ART) to address these health challenges in efforts to improve trauma.
Jackson Jr N. Ndenkeh, PhD
Dr. Ndenkeh is a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale University School of Nursing. He is an HIV Epidemiologist originally from Cameroon with a PhD in Medical Research from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany and experience in HIV programs and research among children, adolescents and young adults as well as key populations. Dr. Ndenkeh has been involved in various research collaborations, notably leading the first implementation science study using real time programmatic data on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake and continuation among key populations in Cameroon. Dr. Ndenkeh is interested in the use of various multi-level client-centered models of care, mobile technologies and mental health integration strategies to improve HIV prevention and treatment among most-at risk populations.
Yuchen Zhao, MA
Yuchen Zhao is a Ph.D. candidate in Digital Media at Georgia Tech. Her research focuses on XR, digital humanities, and digital health. She is currently leading a project called BioVR, which explores the integration of real-time biofeedback into XR as a novel interaction mechanism with applications across various domains.