Staff Directory

Serena is pursuing a Master of Science in Social Work at the Columbia School of Social Work, and a Master of Public Health in Sociomedical Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She previously received an Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science degree from McMaster University with a minor in Mental Health, Addiction, and Society. Serena is passionate about increasing health equity through participatory research and community engagement. Serena's previous work has involved qualitative social science research, particularly in the areas of reproductive and perinatal mental health, and the inclusion of marginalized populations in physical activity spaces. Serena's involvement in the Sleep Mind Health Research Program is motivated by her interests in the social and structural determinants of sleep, the social determinants of health and health behavior, and the implementation of public health interventions.

Laura is pursuing a Master of Science in Social Work at the Columbia School of Social Work. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Clark University. Prior to beginning her MSW, she worked as a Senior Budget Analyst at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget. As part of her training, Laura has completed a practicum placement with the Nurse-Family Partnership at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and is currently completing her practicum at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. Her involvement in the Sleep Mind Health Research Program is driven by her interest in understanding how social determinants of health impact marginalized populations, particularly immigrant communities. Laura is especially passionate about perinatal mental health and the implementation of evidence-based psychological interventions that improve access and outcomes for underserved communities.

Georgia is a Master’s of Social Work candidate at Columbia School of Social Work. She received her undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Skidmore College with a research thesis in neurodegenerative diseases and neuroimaging. Prior to pursuing her MSW, Georgia worked as a developmental neuroscience lab manager at NYSPI studying early life adversity and stress-associated pathology. Her main research interest in the Sleep Mind Health Research Program is to advance our understanding of social determinants of health in communities of color and the impacts of stress on women's health.

Christian is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Medical Humanities with a Special Concentration in Public Health at Columbia University. He is passionate about immigrant health as it pertains to disparities in equity in the United States healthcare system, especially in Latino/a populations and the intersection between health infrastructure and global sociopolitics. As such, Christian is currently working as a Laidlaw scholar with the Sleep Mind Health Research Program under Dr. Carmela Alcántara to characterize the social determinants of health in ICE detention from postmortem data. His previous work in political advocacy, community programming, and leadership development motivates these interdisciplinary research interests.

At Columbia College, Christian is the Media Director for the Columbia University Democrats, and the Executive Board Secretary for the Political Science Students' Association. In the future, he hopes to continue pursuing work at the intersection of public policy and health through advocacy and community based research.