Meet the Team
Community Advisory Board
A group of local leaders, the Community Advisory Board members offer research insights and drive our community-centered work.
RA AMIN
MARIALUZ CASTRO
NATAKI LEE
JANE LOLE
RENE MCCRAY
QUIANA MITCHEM
TIFFANY TYLER
LAURA SPAGNA
MYRON WARD
LAURA WORBY
Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran
Principal Investigator
Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Georgetown University School of Nursing. Her research interests include reproductive health inequities with a focus on patient-provider communication. She is particularly interested in the use of Community-Based Participatory Research to facilitate access to health and health education in underserved and marginalized communities. She first moved to DC in 1995 and worked first at Zacchaeus Free Clinic and La Clinica del Pueblo and then subsequntly at the Medstar Washington Hospital Center as a women’s health registered nurse for 20 years.
Research Assistants
Our team is made up of both graduate and undergraduate students with backgrounds in health and health inequities.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Part of the Georgetown Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (GUROP), the Undergraduate Research Assistants share interests in research and equitable maternal healthcare in D.C.
John Katial is a senior at Georgetown University pursuing an Interdisciplinary Studies degree titled "Human Health and Climate Science" on the pre-med track. Having studied health disparities in his degree and the interdisciplinarity of medicine, he has enjoyed exploring maternal health in Dr. MB's lab through an equitable, patient-centered lens. Beyond research, John is a Physics TA, Rangila dancer and pianist, residential assistant, and member of the Georgetown Prison and Justice Outreach Initiative.
Lara Fortuño is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a major in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a minor in Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a concentration in Biotechnology and Global Health. After graduating, Lara hopes to pursue a career that combines interests in reproductive healthcare, healthcare inequity, and global health.
Zoe Rosales is a senior in the School of Nursing. She is passionate about serving her hometown community of migrant farmworkers through research and healthcare. In her free time, Zoe enjoys cooking, working as a barista, and mentoring fellow FGLI (first-generation, low income) students. After graduation, Zoe hopes to gain clinical experience in maternal health and ultimately apply that knowledge to a career in public health policy and advocacy.
Claire Auslander is a junior at Georgetown University studying Nursing. She is excited to engage her interests in family planning, maternal health disparities, and public health equity as a member of the research team! Outside of research, Claire is involved with SNAG's legislative interest group, h*yas for choice, and the Jewish students association. She is an aspiring nurse-midwife dedicated to advancing reproductive freedom through healthcare delivery, research, and advocacy.
ROMA JHA is a junior at Georgetown University studying Healthcare Management and Policy. She is excited to be involved with community-based participatory research and is passionate about reproductive health justice! Outside of being a Research Assistant, she is involved with Georgetown's Moot Court team, Hoyas for Human Rights, and the International Relations Association. After college, she hopes to attend law school and apply her research skills to her work!
Isabel Stein is a sophomore at Georgetown University studying Economics, Math, and Computer Science. She is particularly interested in health economics and is excited to contribute to impactful research concerning health disparities. Outside of research, Isabel is involved in club fencing, intramural soccer, Hoya Blue, and the Carroll Round Undergraduate Economic Research Conference. Isabel hopes to pursue a career that combines her interests in economics, health disparities, and inequity in Hispanic communities.
Kiara Barillas is a sophomore at Georgetown University in the School of Nursing. With a keen interest in health equity and maternal health, Kiara is excited to begin her research journey, aiming to contribute valuable insights and advancements in these areas. On campus, she is involved in Jack Crew and SNAG’s legislative action group! After graduation, Kiara hopes to work in maternal health specifically in Spanish speaking populations to serve communities like her own.
Pranathi Jammula is a sophomore in the School of Health studying Human Science with a Justice & Peace Studies minor. As an aspiring physician, she is excited to contribute to impactful community-based research that combines her interests in advocacy and health. Outside of research, she hosts a WGTB radio show, tables for H*yas For Choice, works at Hoya Snaxa, tutors at the Alexandria City Jail, and teaches yoga classes.
Study Mentors
Researchers from universities across the country offer their valuable insights and expertise.
LAURA LINNAN, at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina
LINDA GALLO, at San Diego State University
ALEJANDRA DE MENDOZA, at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University
Research Team Alumni
Meet a few research team alumni who have contributed to the project over the years.
NANDI DUBE graduated in 2024 from Georgetown with a degree in Psychology. She was excited to apply her interest in maternal health and racial health disparities as a Research Assistant. Outside of research, Nandi was involved in the Center for Social Justice and also works as a researcher in the Georgetown Medical School's Department of Psychiatry. She is now working as a full-time Research Assistant before obtaining a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
KELLY BRINKMAN graduated in 2024 from Georgetown with a degree in Nursing. She is thrilled to be learning more about public health and health inequity while working as a member of the research team. Kelly is passionate about public health and serving others and hopes to eventually work as a humanitarian nurse. Kelly has now begun her nursing career as a registered nurse at the Edward Hines Veterans Association Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
KELSEY RONDINI is graduated in 2024 from Georgetoen with a degree in Biology. She was thrilled to be involved in community-based participatory research in DC while applying her interests in reproductive health and health equity. Kelsey now plans to continue conducting biomedical research as a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Institutes of Health Undiagnosed Diseases Program.
JANE FALL-DICKSON Project Mentor July 2020 through May 2023.
IZZY SEDDON (Student Videographer/ Photographer; Research Assistant) is a 2024 graduate of the Clinical Nurse Leader Masters program at Georgetown University. Izzy conducted psychology research and worked on a biomedical research team while earning her undergraduate degree at Rollins College. However, after producing a documentary about the impacts of organic farming on human and environmental health during her study abroad experience in Vietnam, she went on to pursue a MFA in Film Production from Full Sail University. She spent three years working with over 20 non-profits in Central Florida to tell their stories through media before her passions for public health, research, and advocacy led her to nursing. She hopes to pave her own path and create digital content that elevates the work of both healthcare and filmmaking communities.
AISLINN TREJO was a junior at Georgetown University studying Biology on the pre-med track when she worked on our project.
SABREEN MOHAMMED was a senior at Georgetown University studying Global Health and Medical Humanities on the pre-med track when she worked with our project.
MAKAELA BOURNAZIAN (Research Assistant) was in her first year of the Clinical Nurse Leader Master's program at Georgetown University when she worked on our project.
KATE MONOGUE-RINES (Research Assistant) earned her BSN from Georgetown University in 2023. She joined our team from 2020-2023. Before coming to nursing, Kate was a professional ballerina with Oregon Ballet Theater from 2012-2019. A passion for healthcare, advocacy for vulnerable populations, and holistic medicine brought her to nursing. Since graduating from Georgetown University, Katherine is beginning her nursing career as a registered nurse at Dayton Children's pediatric intensive care unit in Dayton, Ohio.
AANYA AGARWAL was a senior majoring in Biology of Global Health when she joined the Mirabal-Beltran research team.
JOSEPH MULINGE (Research Assistant) was a Master's student in Global Health at Georgetown University, certified in the nursing and public health profession, when he joined our team.
JENNIFER MARTINEZ-SANCHEZ (Research Assistant) graduated from Georgetown University, where she studied Sociology, English, and Public Health in 2023. She was an invaluable member of our team in her last semester at Georgetown.