Our Team

Our team welcomes, values, and accommodates diversity — bringing heterogeneous but complementary perspectives to our scientific inquiry, including that of people with lived experience. We hope that our work will inform the development of new, and optimization of existing, prevention and intervention efforts for diverse populations at increased risk for problematic substance use, substance-related harms, and poor mental health.

Principal Investigator and Director:

Rachel A. Hoopsick, PhD, MS, MPH, MCHES
Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health
hoopsick@illinois.edu 

Headshot of Rachel Hoopsick

Graduate Research Assistants:

Benjamin Campbell, MA
2nd Year Community Health PhD Student
Joined team in Fall 2022

Benjamin Campbell

Tourna Khan, MBBS
2nd Year Community Health PhD Student
Joined team in Spring 2023

Tourna Khan

Sylvia Okon
1st Year Community Health PhD Student
Joined team in Fall 2023

Tonazzina Sauda, MBBS
3rd Year Community Health PhD Student
Joined team in Spring 2023

Tonazzina Sauda

Tarjani Bhatt, BDS
MPH Candidate
Joined team in Spring 2024

Nivin George
MPH Candidate, Indiana University
Joined team in Spring 2024

Undergraduate Research Assistants:

Madeleine (Maddie) Alvis
Senior, MCB
Joined team in Fall 2023

Coming Soon

Sinan Anwar
Sophomore, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Joined team in Fall 2022

Sofia Castro
Sophomore, Community Health
Joined team in Spring 2024

Coming Soon

Benjamin Combs
Junior, MCB
Joined team in Spring 2024

Coming Soon

Nora Duffy
Junior, Clinical/Community Psychology
Joined team in Fall 2023

Coming Soon

Savannah Guzman
Sophomore, Community Health
Joined team in Fall 2023

Coming Soon

Dionicia Hernandez
Senior, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Joined team in Spring 2024

Coming Soon

Alex Kim
Junior, MCB & Chemistry
Joined team in Fall 2022

Michael Knipp
Senior, Kinesiology
Joined team in Fall 2021

Michael Knipp

Sofia Marin
Freshman, Community Health & Business
Joined team in Fall 2023

Alan Oliva
Sophomore, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Joined team in Spring 2024

Carson Roan
Junior, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Joined team in Fall 2023

Carson Roan headshot

Rachel Sun
Junior, Clinical/Community Psychology & Statistics
Joined team in Summer 2022

Rachel Sun

Uwamahoro Sophie
Senior, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences
Joined team in Fall 2023

We would also like to thank our previous team members for their contributions: 

  • Farina Alam
  • Jaqueline (Jackie) Carrillo
  • Marco Ciaccio, MPH
  • Andres Davalos, MPH
  • Simrandeep Kaur, MPH
  • Sylvia Las, MPH
  • Hahnbit, Lee
  • Sophia Libman
  • Susana (Susie) Lopez
  • Sahil Mali, MBBS, MPH
  • Wendy Marinez
  • Enky Mhlongo, MPH
  • Pankti Patel
  • Alexis Reyna
  • Ameera Samad, MPH
  • Yasmeen Scott
  • Joshua Silvestre, MPH
  • Ja’Resa Stockdale
  • Eshana Vora