ReACH Team

Maria Beatriz Rocha, B.A. student, (she/her) is a data assistant working with Dr. Lauren Beach. She is currently an undergraduate student at Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and Global Health Studies and a minor in Economics. Although born and raised in Portugal, she moved to China to attend the United World College Changshu, where she completed the International Baccalaureate Program. She has worked at Universidade do Minho investigating the effects of isolation in elder’s dementia development as well as binge drinking in adolescent’s brain development and been involved in projects related to high-risk kidney transplant’s allocation and discard. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, hiking, and camping.

Grace Avila, M.A., (she/her) is a research project coordinator working with Dr. Lauren Beach. She received her B.S. in Psychology and M.A. in Women Studies and Gender Studies from Loyola University Chicago. Her master's thesis examined heteronormativity in healthcare and health disparities within the LGBTQ+ community. Her previous research experiences include ethnographic observation at the Chicago Children’s Museum, in-depth interviews researching generational attitudes and preventative knowledge of HIV, and qualitative as well quantitative data analysis. In her free time, Grace enjoys playing the violin, taking care of her plants, and gaming (board games and video games).

Chrone Adewale(she/her) is a third year student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a mentee in the ReACH Lab. Currently undecided in terms of future speciality, but forever passionate about improving health outcomes for underserved populations. This summer she is working with Dr. Beach on investigating socially determined disparities that may exist in patients living with HIV that also have metabolic syndrome.

Anthony Engle(they/he) is an undergraduate research assistant and mentee at ReACH. Anthony, originally from Chicago suburbs, now attends Northwestern University where he studies Human Development in Context, Global Health and Spanish. Anthony is currently working on several different projects within ReACH covering the areas of outreach, survey design, and data harmonization. In the past, Anthony has work extensively in the non-profit sector, specifically in the mental health field. In his free time, Anthony enjoys running, cooking and thrifting!

Evan Zhao, M.A., (he/him or they/them) is a temporary research assistant 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.

Kevin (he/him) is a first year MD/MPH student at Northwestern in the ReACH lab. Before coming to Feinberg, he worked on various projects investigating HIV prevention efforts among sexual minority men and people on medication-assisted treatment for opioid use. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, gardening, and cooking.

B. Slone, M.A., (they/them or she/her) is a research data analyst associate working for Dr. Lauren Beach. Slone earned their B.A. from The College of Wooster in Music and also in Communication Sciences & Disorders. They earned their M.A. in Digital Musics from Dartmouth College where they studied music and the brain as well as songwriting. Slone also completed Northwestern's Boot Camp in Data Science and Visualization. In their free time, Slone enjoys running outside, trying new restaurants, and writing music.

Deja R. Glover (She/Her) is the Clinical Quality Coordinator working with Dr. Lauren Beach. She received her Bachelor’s in Health Science and Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Roosevelt University. Before coming to ReACH, Deja was the Lead Medical Assistant for Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She brings a magnitude of clinical expertise from her previous tenure and now with ReACH and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. In her free time, Deja enjoys playing basketball, reading, exercising, and trying new restaurants.

Allegra Kawles (she/her) is a Clinical Psychology PhD student at Feinberg School of Medicine and a mentee in the ReACH Lab. Prior to graduate school, Allegra received a BA in Neuroscience and Dance at Northwestern University. Her main research focus is in aging and dementia through the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer’s Disease, with particular focuses in rare dementia syndromes, neuroanatomy, and neuropsychological testing. Allegra is hoping to bridge her passion for working with LGBTQ+ older adults with her research to help increase identity-affirming dementia resources. In her free time, Allegra enjoys taking dance classes, reading, and cuddling with her dog Kacey.

Ado Rivera, MD, PhD (he/him) is a mentee under Dr. Lauren Beach. He is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. He collaborates with Dr. Beach and members of REACH in analyzing cardiovascular health disparities experienced by sexual minorities in the CARDIA cohort. He obtained his BS in Public Health and MD from the University of the Philippines Manila and his PhD in health services and outcomes research from Northwestern University. His research covers a wide range of topics such as HIV, cardiovascular disease, and implementation research. He also is deeply interested in integrating intersectionality with quantitative data analysis. During his free time, he enjoys dancing, reading, and bouldering.

Paul Nelson, B.A., (he/him) is a Data Assistant in the ReACH lab supporting the SSOGI Connect project. Recently, with the EDIT lab, he provided technical assistance for community health centers and the Chicago Department of Public Health. Before coming to Northwestern, he was a Practice Manager at Howard Brown Health, where he supported projects for health center operations, quality improvement, and behavioral health services.

Jalen Brown (they/them pronouns) is a second year dual-degree MD/MPH medical student at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine joining the ReACH lab this year. Originally from Georgia, they graduated in 2021 from Georgia Tech where they studied Psychology (major) and Health and Medical Sciences (minor). Jalen is a published author and health equity scholar in the field of sexual and gender minority (SGM) research starting in their time as a Cancer Research Training Award fellow at the National Cancer Institute where they performed epidemiological research related to mortality and chronic illnesses impacting transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people. They aspire to continue original research in TGNC health inequities and expanding their focus in the ReACH lab to include writings of systematic reviews and commentaries. As well, they have interests in mentoring underrepresented minorities in medicine as well as the scientific communication of the causes, mediators, and effects of TGNC and racial/ethnic health inequities with the public. They plan to enter a primary care specialty and pursue a full-time career as a physician-scientist focusing on underserved populations. In their free time, Jalen loves to read, sing, travel, explore new cuisines, and watch tv

Brenda Haddad (they/them) is a first generation college graduate as well as a first generation medical student. They grew up on the Far South Side of Chicago and graduated from Northwestern University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience with an allied field in biology. After graduating, they worked as a nurse technician in the hematology/oncology unit at the University of Illinois Chicago. During this time, they completed a summer fellowship with the Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative. They then went on to successfully complete the Pre-Matriculation Program at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and entered into the Chicago Medical School in 2022. They work as a tutor, mentor, and student lead for the transgender health exploratory panel at the Interprofessional Community Clinic. They are currently a rising second year medical student working as a Pre-Doctoral Fellow with Northwestern University under Dr. Jordan and Dr. Beach.