Director

Andi Schwingel, PhD, Lab Director

Associate Professor
Curriculum Vitae
andiara@illinois.edu

Graduate Students

Sadia Anjum Ashrafi

PhD Candidate, Community Health
Curriculum Vitae
ashrafi3@illinois.edu

Through my research, I aim to improve the access to Chronic Kidney Disease care at the community level, especially for minorities. I also want to determine effective strategies to manage Chronic Kidney Disease in minorities, especially in African Americans and Hispanics.

Laura M Quintero Silva

PhD Candidate, Community Health
Curriculum Vitae
lmq2@illinois.edu

I study ways to improve the provision of palliative and end-of-life care for historically underrepresented communities living with life-threatening illnesses. I am particularly interested in understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted patient-centered models of care and the role of technology in supporting the patient-provider relationship under conditions of isolation and social distancing

Rifat Alam

PhD Candidate, Community Health
Curriculum Vitae
rifata2@illinois.edu

My research interest lies in seeking answers about the prevention of dementia in older adults. I also want to address the growing concerns of health inequities and will gather evidence on what could be done to prevent dementia among the disadvantaged population and in resource constrained settings.

Ogunjesa Babatope Ayokunle

PhD Student, Community Health
Curriculum Vitae
bo9@illinois.edu

My research interest revolves around population health and how socioeconomic factors intersecting behavioral and cultural practices influence the health outcomes of the vulnerable population, especially older adults and their informal caregivers. Primarily, I am investigating factors that serve as barriers to the uptake of respite care services by family caregivers and building machine learning model on respite care utilization

Ana Laura Selzer Ninomiya

PhD Student, Kinesiology
Curriculum Vitae
als17@illinois.edu

My research interest focuses on strategies to increase physical activity levels to promote health equity. I am particularly interested in low-cost physical activity interventions such as active transportation and the Community Health Workers’ model on the prevention of chronic diseases in vulnerable populations.

Rafael Guimaraes de Lima e Silva

PhD Student, Community Health
Curriculum Vitae
rafael5@illinois.edu

My research interest is related to the development of nutrition apps that can improve the quality of health in the community. Specifically, I study a new model of nutrient intake recommendation based on the energy expenditure, which allows a personalized recommendation of micronutrients.

Deanivea Mendes Felix

PhD Student, Community Health
Curriculum Vitae
dm36@illinois.edu

My research interests are Brazilian Politics, Public Health, Global Health, and International Organizations

Francisco Timbó de Paiva Neto

PhD Student, Visiting Scholar
Curriculum Vitae
tim28@illinois.edu 

I study Organization of Health Systems with a focus on Health Care Models, in the Public Health area. I also carry out research related to the promotion of physical activity in community contexts based on implementation science and research on the environmental determinants of physical activity, particularly in the older adults

Diana Morales

PhD Student, Kinesiology
Curriculum Vitae
dianam3@illinois.edu

My research interests include neurodegenerative disease and aging, as well as developing and implementing culturally adapted behavioral interventions in Latine populations to improve brain health outcomes.

Emmanuel Dubure

PhD Student, Community Health
Curriculum Vitae
edubure2@illinois.edu

My research interest is in the application of nutrition education strategies and interventions to address chronic conditions, particularly in minority and disadvantaged populations. My career goal is to become a community health expert who designs programs and interventions to address community health problems, especially in underserved populations. I aspire to improve the health of disadvantaged groups through research, education, and advocacy.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Pari Shah

Undergraduate Student, Community Health
Curriculum Vitae
Pari4@illinois.edu

My research interests include community health, diversity in our population, data analysis and anything science related. I hope to be able to use my education to better our community

Katherine Hopkins

Undergraduate Student, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Curriculum vitae
kh25@illinois.edu

 I am interested in research interests that include diversity as well as community and public health. I will use this experience to better my understand and others of health inequalities in my future education and career

Collaborators

Kristen DiFilippo, PhD, RDN

Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health
Curriculum Vitae
kdifilip@illinois.edu

I study ways to improve health through nutrition interventions. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, my research focuses on using mHealth to support behavior change to improve chronic disease outcomes.