Current Workgroup Members
Kierra S. Barnett, PhD, MPH — Co-Investigator
she/her/hers
Dr. Kierra Barnett is a Research Scientist at the Center for Child Health Equity and Outcomes Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Her work focuses on the impact of structural racism and social determinants of health on racial and ethnic inequities. Dr. Barnett received her PhD in Public Health specializing in Health Behavior and Health Promotion from The Ohio State University. She also holds a Master’s of Public Health from OSU and a Bachelor’s of Science in Community Health from the University of Illinois. A native of Chicago, in her spare time she enjoys 90’s R&B music, audiobooks, and spending time with family and friends.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project & Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Equity
Courtni Montgomery, MPH — Research Associate
she/her/hers
Courtni Montgomery is a Research Associate in the College of Public Health (HSMP & HBHP). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Eastern Michigan University (2018) and a Master of Public Health from The Ohio State University (2021). While completing her MPH, she carried out a process evaluation of an online- and mail-based syringe access program and completed secondary analysis of qualitative data to explore the attitudes of first responders in the opioid epidemic in Central Ohio. Her work in C3-REACH includes recruitment, data collection, and data analysis. She also works in the WOW Project (comparative effectiveness of opioid prescribing policies) within the college. Her primary interests include health disparities, minority health, women’s health and substance use. She hopes to engage in research that promotes health equity and harm reduction among people who use drugs.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Amy Wermert, MPH– Program Manager
she/her/hers
Amy Wermert is a program manager in the College of Public Health. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion and Education from the University of Cincinnati and a Master’s of Public Health from The Ohio State University. Ms. Wermert supports this workgroup and Dr. Juliana Nemeth’s research lab focusing on smoking cessation and homeless youth and brain injury and domestic violence survivors. Prior to managing Dr. Nemeth’s lab, she was a program manager for the OSU Center of Excellence in Regulatory Tobacco Science Administrative Core. Prior to that, she managed a smoking cessation research project in the Division of Health Behavior and Health Promotion. Before joining the College of Public Health in 2011, Ms. Wermert coordinated injury prevention programs at two local health departments and a Level 1 Trauma Center.
Ali Khosraviani, BSPH — Research Technician
he/him/his
Ali Khosraviani is a Second year MPH-Epidemiology student at the College of Public Health at The Ohio State University. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a BSPH in the Spring of 2021. Ali Initially joined the research team in January 2021 as a research assistant primarily focusing on the Hardest Hit Project. Ali enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, playing board games, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Kelsie Parker, BA — Research Technician
she/her/hers
Kelsie Parker is a second-year master’s student in Health, Behavior, and Society at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Ms. Parker graduated from The Ohio State University in 2021 with a BA in Sociology and is passionate about utilizing sociological theory and research methods to better understand and address the structural conditions that marginalize social groups and identities, making them vulnerable to excess morbidity and mortality. Her work with C3-REACH began in 2020 where she served as an initial analyst for immigrant and refugee communities in the COVID-19 Needs Assessment for Vulnerable Populations.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project & Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Equity
Ellen Victory, BSPH — Research Technician
they/them
Ellen Victory is a Research Technician in the College of Public Health within the Division of Health Services Management and Policy. Ellen
graduated from The Ohio State University in the Spring of 2023 with Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Public Health with a Public Health Sociology specialization. They initially joined the C3-REACH team in January 2023 as a research assistant.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Sharefa Duhaney, MPH
she/her/hers
Sharefa Duhaney is a first-year PhD student in the College of Public Health at The Ohio State University focusing on Health Behavior & Health Promotion. She earned her BA in Psychology from Ohio State and her Master of Public Health from Drexel University in Community Health and Prevention, and Arts and Community Wellbeing. Her research interests focus on traumatic brain injury and community violence with an end goal to create or transform mental health programs in historically marginalized neighborhoods that include brain injury screening and services.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Kristina Medero, PhD, MA
she/her/hers
Kristina Medero is a PhD candidate in the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. Her research focuses on how stigma and prejudice may be reduced to increase healthcare access for marginalized groups by addressing attitudes and behavioral intentions that stem from public stigma and self-stigma. For example, her research explores how messages, predominantly entertainment narratives, about health disparities may reduce negative attitudes toward social outgroups and encourage intergroup communication. Similarly, using culture-relevant message design, she aims to understand how to encourage marginalized groups to reject internalized negative attitudes and promote help-seeking behaviors. Her work in C3-REACH has included serving on an expert panel for Latino/Hispanic communities, writing and editing content for the Latino/Hispanic population in Ohio, conducting interviews, and leading the “Storytelling in Latinx Communities” project.
Projects: Storytelling in Latinx Communities (Leader) & Hardest Hit Communities Project
Agnes Dzik, BS
she/her/hers
Agnes Dzik is a third-year Masters of Public Health student, specializing in Epidemiology at the college of Public Health at Ohio State. She holds a BS in Anthropology which was completed at Northern Illinois University. She took a few years in between going back to school and worked as a pharmacy technician both in Illinois and Ohio. She is currently involved in the Hardest Hit Project. Her focus is on Social Epidemiology and on disparities. When not working on schoolwork, she enjoys hiking, drawing, spending time with her pets and knitting. She is originally from Northern Illinois, about halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Abigail Marshall, BS
she/her/hers
I am currently a second year MPH-Epidemiology student at the College of Public Health at the Ohio State University. I graduated with a BS in Global Health Studies from Allegheny College in 2022. I previously worked on creating a local non-profit LLC to provide complimentary bedbug heat solution treatments to local community members in Meadville, PA. At Allegheny College, I became passionate about working with grassroots organizations to tackle local and pervasive health issues in the community. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, kayaking, and gardening.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Ryleigh Adkins
she/her/hers
Ryleigh Adkins is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Public Health and minoring in Creative Writing at The Ohio State University. She is interested in health policy, rural and global health, and patient advocacy. On campus, she’s involved in Biological Sciences Scholars and A Kid Again. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a Master of Public Health degree focusing on health policy. She is from Lucasville, Ohio, and in her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, traveling, watching movies, and spending time with family, friends, and her dog.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Anne Driscoll
she/her/hers
Anne Driscoll is currently a Public Health Sociology student enrolled in the 3+2 Combined Degree program at the College of Public Health. She is originally from Youngstown, Ohio, where she attended Cardinal Mooney High School before becoming a Buckeye. She enjoys going to Handel’s Ice Cream year round (a Youngstown, Ohio original). Her favorite flavors are Red Skies at Night, Graham Central Station, and Key Lime Pie in the summertime
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Caitlyn Kimbell
she/her/hers
Caitlyn Kimbell is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Global Public Health at The Ohio State University. She is passionate about the health disparities of immigrant communities and hopes to promote and provide equitable healthcare in her future professional career. Caitlyn is a volunteer and mentor for Columbus’s Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS) as well as a co-founder of the OSU organization Project Youth which provides academic assistance to students in Ohio juvenile detention centers.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Arya Kumar
she/her/hers
Arya Kumar is a second year undergraduate student majoring in Public Health with an environmental specialization at The Ohio State University. She’s passionate about helping others in healthcare settings and finding ways to make healthcare resources more accessible to vulnerable communities who truly need it. After undergrad, she hopes to attend optometry school to eventually become an optometrist. She also hopes to continue using her passion to become a well rounded healthcare professional. She recently completed an internship at Shamrock Family Eye Care in Dublin, Ohio were she is from, and it is her third semester as a volunteer at The James Cancer Hospital. In her free time, she loves listening to music, playing volleyball and tennis, spending time with family and friends, listening to music, and taking care of her plants.
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project & Vaccine Equity Project
Nora Mohamed
she/her/hers
Nora Mohamed is a second year undergraduate student at Ohio State University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Public Health and Sociology with a focus on population wellness. She is passionate about health equity and striving for environmental justice. After graduation, she hopes to continue her studies in Public Health, specifically learning about ways to sustainably lessen socioeconomic disparities to reach One Health. Outside of her studies, Nora loves to volunteer, embroider, draw, and hang out with her cats!
Projects: Hardest Hit Communities Project
Sarah Weglarz
she/her/hers
Sarah Weglarz is a second-year undergraduate student at The Ohio State University majoring in Public Health with a sociology specialization. She serves as the co-president and co-founder of Uplift Youth Volunteers, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides monthly bags with food, books, and activities to under-resourced children at local Columbus schools. Sarah is also currently working on her Honors thesis with Dr. Julianna Nemeth in the College of Public Health and is investigating mental health services provided to children of domestic violence survivors. After graduation, she plans to either attend medical school or pursue a graduate degree in public health. Sarah is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana and enjoys writing, being outdoors, and spending time with her friends and family in her free time.
Projects: COVID-19 Recovery for Domestic Violence Survivors and Service Organizations
Faculty Affiliates
Abigail Norris Turner, PhD
she/her/hers
Dr. Norris Turner is the Associate Dean of Faculty and Inclusive Excellence and an infectious diseases epidemiologist at the College of Public Health. For nearly 20 years, her research has focused on characterizing the behavioral, clinical and immunological factors associated with acquisition of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Her work, carried out in partnership with government and community collaborators, has explored the health concerns of multiple vulnerable populations in a range of settings in the US and internationally. She has a secondary research interest in examining methodological approaches to better measure sensitive or stigmatized health exposures and outcomes. Since spring 2020, Dr. Norris Turner’s efforts have shifted to focus on understanding the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Ohio. Her publications are available here.
Dana Howard, PhD
she/her/hers
Dr. Dana Howard is an Assistant Professor in the Ohio State University Center for Bioethics in the College of Medicine. She holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences. Prior to coming OSU, Dana was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health. Dana has expertise in Bioethics, Research Ethics, and Social and Political Philosophy. Her work focuses on ethical issues that surround medical decision-making, especially the decisions made on behalf of those who cannot decide on their own. She also focuses on the norms of advising and the role that our anticipatory attitudes like hope and retrospective attitudes like regret should play in our decision-making. She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy in 2013 at Brown University.
Community Partners
Diana Palardy, PhD
she/her/hers
Diana Palardy was a professor of Spanish at Youngstown State University. She collaborated with the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor to produce the Latino Voices of the Valley project, which is an oral history archive funded in part by Ohio Humanities Council. She is Board President of Thrive Mahoning Valley, which is a non-profit dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for immigrants in the Mahoning Valley. In her academic research, she focused on topics such as utopia/dystopia, immigration, gender, and contemporary social movements in Spain.
Former Workgroup Members
Coralia T. Balasca, PhD, MA
Coralia T. Balasca graduated with her PhD from the Ohio State University. She worked extensively on The Hardest Hit Communities Project.
Jeremy Straughn, PhD
Jeremy Straughn worked extensively on The Hardest Hit Communities Project. He currently is a Project Intermediate Manager at the University of Michigan.
Melinda Dang, MPH, BSPH — Project Leader
Melinda Dang has a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health and a Masters of Public Health from The Ohio State University in Spring 2021. She worked on the Asian American COVID-19 Vaccine Education Project as the Project Leader.
Meggie Garry, MPH, BS
Meggie Garry graduated with her Masters of Public Health from The Ohio State University in Spring 2022. She worked on the Hardest Hit Communities Project and the Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Equity Project.
Sandra Stranne Miller, BS, MHA, MPH
Sandra Stranne Miller worked on Hardest Hit Communities Project & Storytelling in Latinx Communities.
Sydney Tavens MPH, BSPH
Sydney Tavens graduated with a Master of Public Health specializing in Epidemiology through the College of Public Health at Ohio State. She worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project.
John Hansen, BA, BS
John Hansen worked on the Hardest Hit Communities Project.
Samantha Beerman, BSPH
Samantha Beerman graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Public Health from The Ohio State University in Spring 2021. She worked on the COVID-19 Recovery for Domestic Violence Survivors and Service Organizations Project & Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Equity Project.
Jenny Co, BS
Jenny Co is a medical student in Mississippi, and she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Exercise Science. She was a member of the COVID-19 and Vulnerable Populations workgroup.
Shreya Dhananjaya, BSPH
Shreya Dhananjaya graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Public Health from The Ohio State University in Spring 2022. She worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project.
Daria Faulkner, BA
Daria Faulkner is an MPH candidate for Health Behavior and Health Promotion with a track in Global Health at The Ohio State University. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a minor in Public Policy and Management. She worked on the DV and COVID Recovery Project.
Maheen Imtiaz, BS
Maheen Imtiaz worked on the Hardest Hit Communities Project.
Anthony Landrus, BSPH
Anthony Landrus graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health in 2023. He worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project.
Mahrukh Naqvi, BSPH
Mahrukh Naqvi graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health in 2022. She worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project and Storytelling in Latinx Communities.
Anna Scheeser, BSPH
Anna Schesser graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Public Health-Sociology. She worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project.
Jalyssa Stanford, BSPH
Jalyssa Stanford graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Public Health from The Ohio State University in Spring 2021. She worked on the Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Equity project.
Paige Swinehart-Hord, BA
Paige Swinehart-Hord has her Bachelor’s degree in Public Health. She worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project and the Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Equity project.
Jacob Charlton
Jacob Charlton worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project and Storytelling in Latinx Communities.
Haja Dabo
Haja Dabo worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project and the Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Equity Project.
Hayat Mekonen
Hayat Mekonen worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project.
Micah Morris
Micah Morris worked on The Hardest Hit Communities Project.
Tiana Stussie
Tiana Stussie worked on the Hardest Hit Communities Project and the DV and COVID Recovery Project.