Lauren B. Beach, PhD/JD (she/they) is a Research Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medical Social Sciences and Preventive Medicine and core faculty as Interim EDIT Director in the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing at Northwestern University. She identifies as bisexual, ace, and demigender and has 19 years of experience leading LGBTQIA+ organizations. Scientifically, they investigate the epidemiology of chronic physical health conditions among LGBTQIA+ populations and strive to empower LGBTQIA+ community advocates to create evidence informed public health policy.

Erik is a trained social worker experienced in community planning and intervention implementation that address the socio-structural determinants of health impacting LGBTQ + people of color.

Dylan (she/her) is a Research Project Coordinator with EDIT. She currently manages and supports a variety of research and evaluation projects with an emphasis on transgender health, social epidemiology, critical theories in population health, and community-engaged, participatory methods.

Dr. Phillips is an infectious diseases epidemiologist who has spent over a decade conducting community-engaged and community-led research focused on addressing health disparities impacting sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals and racial/ethnic minority individuals.

Dr. Greene is a community psychologist with expertise in participatory research, program evaluation, and quality improvement. His work builds upon the needs and strengths of communities to develop, implement, and evaluate health interventions targeting disparities experienced by racial, ethnic, and sexual minority communities.

Dr. Johnson is trained as an infectious disease epidemologist and public health scientist. She has over a decade of experience as a community-based program evaluator. She brings a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach to HIV intervention research, particularly around adolescent sexual health.

Ysabel Beatrice (Bea) Floresca (she/her) is a Data Assistant Associate for the EDIT program, primarily working on the YRBS project. In her work she supports the health equity research of a large sample of LGBTQ youth in the United States via mixed methods and collaboration with internal and external collaborators. Her broad research interests include health equity promotion and the BIPOC experience among LGBTQ populations.

Anthony Engle is a sophomore at Northwestern University studying Human Development in Context, Global Health, and Spanish. Anthony is passionate about improving overall health and also addressing health inequities.

Anthony Rodriguez-Ortiz, B.A., (he/him) is a Data Assistant with the EDIT program and works primarily with the Network Canvas team. Principally, he provides implementation support for the RADx-UP C3 Network Canvas project and the iCARE project in Nigeria; he also assists with paper writing and data analysis/management. Anthony’s research interests focus on examining disparities in marginalized communities, how public policy and program interventions can bridge gaps between policy and its implementation, and how policy can address disparities and promote equity.

Caleb Curry (He/They) joined the EDIT team in the Summer of 2019 as a student intern. He received his B.A. in Biology and Medical Anthropology from Case Western Reserve University and is currently pursuing his Master of Public Health at The Dartmouth Institute. He aspires to work at the intersections of community engagement, health equity research, and clinical medicine.

Ella (she/her) is a Data Assistant with EDIT. She currently works primarily with the Evaluation Center. Her research and evaluation interests include transgender health, mental health care access, and disparities among Latinx communities in the city of Chicago.

Esrea Perez-Bill (she/they) is a Data Assistant with the EDIT Program. She currently coordinates the Training and Technical Assistance branch of the Evaluation Center. They are invested in exploring the intersections of Adult Education and critical pedagogy to inform an evaluation praxis that is community-centered, culturally responsive, and conscious of social, political, and historical contexts.

Evan Zhao, M.A., (he/him or they/them) is a Research Project Coordinator for the CHAMBERS study with Dr. Lauren Beach. They earned their B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies and an M.A in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, where their thesis was based on fieldwork in China examining the political and cultural position of sexual minority expats. Trained in social science research methods, Evan has experience in ethnography, in-depth interviews, and survey research. Before beginning at ISGMH, Evan had worked as a researcher for the American Bar Foundation and for the University of Chicago’s Center for HIV Elimination.

Jackie (Jiayi) Xu, M.S.W., (she/her) is a Research Data Analyst with the EDIT program. She develops and manages multiple datasets. She also performs data analysis and contributes to data visualizations, reporting, and dissemination. Her research interests broadly include identifying health disparities, HIV, and LGBTQ+ health.

Joe Choi, B.A. student, (he/him) is a junior at Northwestern University and is an undergraduate research assistant at EDIT. He is primarily interested in identifying health disparities that are unique to SGM and BIPOC communities. Other interests include the study of structural factors that hinder access to healthcare.

Josh Boegner, M.P.H., (he/him or they/them) is a Research Project Coordinator for Evaluation Center. Josh received a BA in Biochemistry from Cornell College and a MPH in Health Behavior with a certificate in Interdisciplinary Health Communications from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. Josh’s graduate capstone experience focused on the impact of Naloxone Access and Good Samaritan laws on those experiencing or responding to opioid overdoses in North Carolina, and their research interests broadly include addressing health disparities, adolescent sexual health, HIV/AIDS, substance use, and research dissemination. Josh’s other interests include running, hiking, cycling, traveling, and eating.

Kai Korpak, MSW (he/him) is a Research Project Coordinator with the EDIT Program. He received his Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago, Before coming to EDIT, he worked as an Emergency Medical Technician in Chicagoland, where he developed a passion for improving medical care for diverse populations. In addition, Kai is a psychotherapist at a group practice specializing in working with LGBTQ+ communities and centering trauma-informed practice.

Kay Quiballo is a Research Data Analyst Associate for the Evaluation, Data Integration and Technical Assistance (EDIT) Program, where they work across multiple projects including the ‘Youth Risk Behavior Survey’ (YRBS) and ‘Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Minoritized Youth and Young Adults in the United States’ (YYA). They earned their B.S. in Mathematics and Statistics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2020 and is currently pursuing a M.S. in Data Science at Northwestern University. Outside of their research, Kay spends time with their dog and houseplants, and performing hip hop on multiple Chicago dance teams.

Kye Adams, (any/all) is a Data Assistant for the EDIT program at Northwestern University. Kye’s pairing with gender-diverse teams to produce awareness and implement change for marginalized communities through research is most rewarding. Kye also extends their platforms to further address social behaviors inducing Transphobia, racial inequalities, substance abuse, and other social disparities. As a Nonbinary, Pro-Black LGBTQ+ advocate, and student, Kye’s ultimate goals and driving passions are to bridge generational social gaps and highlight awarded inclusivity for all humankind.

Maddie Kerr is an undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in Sociology at the Weinberg College of Arts and Science. They are thrilled to be working as a Research Assistant under the mentorship of Dr. Gregory Phillips II with Project Recognize, which seeks to develop more inclusive and accurate ways of gathering information about sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Maddie is personally interested in the mental health disparities affecting SGM populations, along with mental health awareness and stigma reduction.

Megan Ruprecht (she/her) is a Research Study Coordinator with EDIT. She currently manages the Youth and Young Adults COVID-19 Study, a national study investigating the impacts of COVID-19 on minoritized young people. Her broad research interests include mental health and wellness among LGBTQ+ youth and reproductive health.

Paul Nelson (he/him) is a Data Assistant for the Evaluation, Data Integration, and Technical Assistance (EDIT) program, primarily supporting the Trauma Informed Centers of Care initiative. Previously, he was a Practice Manager for Howard Brown Health–a Federally Qualified Health Center focused on the health needs of the LGBTQ+ community in Chicago–where he supported initiatives for operational and quality improvement, primary care and behavioral health integration, and behavioral health services expansion.

Rayna N. Brown, MA, MPH(she/her) is a Research Project Coordinator with EDIT. She has focused skills in qualitative methods and community level approaches. She supports several projects.

Reese Owens is a Data Assistant for the Evaluation, Data Integration and Technical Assistance (EDIT) Program. They received their B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of North Florida in 2013. Reese is currently pursuing their MPH at DePaul University, with a specific interest in addressing health disparities faced by those in the SGM population.