A Crecer Team
Alondra Jaime-Aguilar, BS, Phase 2 Study Coordinator (she/her/ella)
Alondra was born and raised in the Salinas Valley. She obtained her Bachelors of Science in Biology at UCLA. She has focused her work to support our Latine communities at varying capacities, some of which include outreach work, youth education programs, and community health programs. She is passionate about understanding and addressing health disparities that affect our Latine communities, which is why she is excited to be part of the A Crecer team for Phase 2.
Carmen Ramirez, BS, Phase 2 Research Assistant, (she/her)
Carmen is a research assistant for Phase 2 of the A Crecer Study. She obtained her Bachelor's of Science in Psychology and her Minor in Human Development at California State University Monterey Bay. Born and raised in Salinas, she is passionate in supporting the wellbeing of multicultural youth populations and low-income communities. She continues her passion in research following her work on the COSECHA Study from 2016-2018.
Daisy Gallardo, BA, Phase 2 Research Consultant, (she/her)
Daisy Gallardo was born and raised in Salinas, CA. She graduated with a Bachelors of Art in Sociology from UC Berkeley. She began participating in research as highschool student in her East Salinas community. She has a strong interest in learning about environmental and social health factors .She also is committed to using research to create ways to benefit marginalized communities. She is excited to join A Crecer and continue empowering Salinas youth.
Danielle “Danii” Rodriguez, BS, BA, Phase 2 Research Assistant, (she/her, they/them)
Danielle was born and raised in Salinas, CA. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife with a concentration in Wildlife Management and Conservation, and a Bachelor of Arts in Critical Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with an Ethnic Studies emphasis from California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. She is passionate about environmental and social issues; especially those that directly affect Latine and other marginalized communities. She is eager to utilize her research skills in ways that will help promote the safety and wellbeing of adolescents and young adults in the Latine community; this is why she is extremely excited to be a part of the A Crecer Phase 2 Team.
Research Team
Alexandra Minnis, PhD, MPH, Principal Investigator (she/her)
Alexandra is a social epidemiologist whose research addresses social and structural factors that lead to reproductive health disparities among youth. Much of her work has focused on Latinx adolescents and young adults. She is committed to community-based research and engaging youth and community partners in the work. She is a Senior Research Epidemiologist and Director of the Women’s Global Health Imperative at RTI International and an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley.
Marissa Raymond-Flesch, MD, MPH, Co-Investigator (she/her)
Marissa Raymond-Flesch, MD, MPH is a physician and researcher in Adolescent Medicine and Health Policy at the University of California San Francisco. Her research focuses on the health and health care access of adolescent and young adults in immigrant communities, with a particular focus on communities' perspectives about mental health and reproductive health. She provides medical care to adolescents and young adults between 12 and 26 years old in San Francisco.
Mary Kate Shapley-Quinn, MPH, Project Manager (she/her)
Mary Kate is a Senior Program Management Specialist in RTI’s Women’s Global Health Imperative. She has extensive international experience, working in public health and education in the United States, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. She has experience with program planning and project management and has been involved in capacity building in low-resource settings. She is proficient in Spanish and Portuguese.
Marie Stoner, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist (she/her)
Dr. Marie Stoner is an investigator within the Women’s Global Health Imperative at RTI international. She is a social and infectious disease epidemiologist with a focus on HIV prevention among women and young people, and on understanding social and structural determinants of sexual health both internationally and in the United States.
Erica Browne, MS, Statistician (she/her)
Erica Browne is a statistician in RTI International’s Women’s Health Imperative group. She has more than 5 years of experience in analysis, study design, and data management; research experience in epidemiology, clinical trials, observational studies, and case/control studies; and a strong interest in ecology. Ms. Browne is skilled in statistical analysis, programming, database development, and grant and scientific writing.
Sue Napierala, PhD, MPH (she/her)
Sue has a doctorate in infectious disease epidemiology and is a Senior Research Epidemiologist in RTI’s Women’s Global Health Imperative (WGHI), within the Social, Statistical, and Environmental Sciences Group. Sue conducts HIV, STI and reproductive health research to engage hard-to-reach populations and address health disparities. She has conducted a body of research addressing the local context and risk factors in the reproductive health of young people, developing a better understanding of links between health and key transitions in young people’s lives, to better inform intervention design.
Megan Comfort, PhD, Scientific Advisor, (she/her)
Megan is a Senior Fellow in RTI’s Transformative Research Unit for Equity (TRUE). Her research centers on understanding pathways to promote equity, justice, and wellbeing. She has expertise in ethnography and in-depth interviewing, as well as extensive experience conducting mixed-methods research to examine how systems perpetuate and intensify structural racism. Megan is strongly invested in mentoring early-career researchers, including first-generation college students, family members of incarcerated people, and scholars who have been involved with the criminal legal system. In her work, she prioritizes collaborating with community partners to produce actionable and meaningful research findings.
Marisol Chavez, MPH,(Phase 1 Study Advisor, Phase 2 Consultant, (she/her)
Marisol was born and raised in the Central Valley of California. She obtained her Master's in Public Health from the University of Colorado, Denver. She has worked on several research projects, ranging from adolescent and maternal health, marijuana evaluation and water scarcity. Currently, she is working on research, evaluation, and capacity-building projects within the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children's Hospitals Los Angeles. She is passionate about data-driven approaches, bidirectional collaborative partnerships, and community engagement to improve the health outcomes of communities. During her free time, she enjoys painting, reading poetry, hiking, and visiting art museums.
Laura Quiroz, MS, Consultant (she/her)
Laura Quiroz was born and raised in Salinas, California. She obtained her Master’s of Science in School Psychology from the California State University, Monterey Bay. Currently, she works as a School Psychologist in a local public school district that serves TK-8th graders. Previously, Laura worked for three years as a Research Assistant during Phase 1 of the A Crecer: The Salinas Teen Health Study. As a Research Assistant, Laura assisted in recruiting and interviewing the participants and enjoyed working with all the A Crecer team members and community partners. Laura is passionate about supporting her community and strives to help our hardworking Latinx population.