CORAL CLARK
My name is Coral Clark, and I am a member of the class of 2025 at Elon University. At Elon, I’m majoring in Public Health (Biological Aspects) and Strategic Communications and minoring in Statistics and Health Communications. I am currently engaging in a Lumen research project entitled “Silenced and Sidelined: Examining the Intersectional Impact of Ableism and Racism on Maternal Health.” This research will study the influence of racism and ableism, contribute increased knowledge on maternal outcomes for marginalized communities, and contextualize findings within a reproductive justice framework.
My favorite quote is from Sheryl Sandberg: “The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have”
NOAH DYSON
My name is Noah Dyson, and I am a member of the class of 2025 at Elon University. I'm majoring in Psychology and minoring in African & African-American studies and Communications. My undergraduate research focuses on understanding the grieving experience of young Black Americans diagnosed with severe mental illness in the United States.
"Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt
ALEXA FERRAIUOLO
My name is Alexa Ferraiuolo (Class of 2025), and I am a Public Health and Strategic Communications double-major with a minor in Statistics. In my research, I hope to address the racial inequities in breast cancer treatment and how social determinants of health create poor breast cancer outcomes in marginalized communities. I aspire to pursue biomedical informatics as a career to improve healthcare delivery and population health outcomes particularly in underprivileged communities.
My favorite quote is from Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."
PHOEBE GAMPONIA
My name is Phoebe Gamponia and I am from Morgantown, West Virginia. I am a junior at Elon and am majoring in Public Health, with minors in Biology and Wellness and Health Education. I am looking forward to gaining research experience outside of the classroom setting and also developing relationships with other members of the Lab!
My favorite quote is, 'Believe you can and you're halfway there' by Theodore Roosevelt."
CATHERINE OLIVER
My name is Catherine Oliver and I am a member of the Elon University class of 2025. I am double majoring in Biochemistry and Public Health Studies. I serve as the student research assistant for the H.E.R. lab, helping to manage the lab’s operations, communications, and social media. I have also completed a semester of research with Dr. Baker, analyzing how the documentary-dance film Reclaiming Power: The Black Maternal Health Crisis had an impact on viewers’ understanding of the Black maternal health crisis and perceptions of out-of-hospital births.
My favorite quote is from Winnie the Pooh: “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
ZOEY REIS
My name is Zoey Reis, and I am a member of the Class of 2026 at Elon University. At Elon, I am majoring in Public Health with accompanying minors in Policy Studies and Business Administration. I am currently not conducting my own undergraduate research, but I plan on assisting others in any way that I can with their own projects. I am eager to learn more about the expansive health disparities that exist particularly in minority communities, and I hope to gain more experience with the research surrounding this topic.
My favorite quote is: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do." - Mark Twain"
NAZ SHOKRI
My name is Nazaneen (Naz) Shokri and I am a member of the class of 2024 at Elon University. I’m a Public Health major with a minor in Middle East Studies pursuing a career as an MD. In the spring of 2022, I was one of a few students who received the Lumen Prize awarded by Elon to carry out my independent research project entitled “Data Justice: MENA Women, Preterm Birth, and Discrimination”. This mixed methods study is the hopeful beginning to bridge the gap in knowledge between Middle Eastern individuals, a dangerously understudied population, with their experiences in healthcare and the impacts of discrimination.
My favorite quote is by an unknown author: “If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan, not the goal”
LEAH SHORT
My name is Leah Short, I am a member of the class of 2024 at Elon University from Durham, North Carolina. I am a Public Health major with minors in Dance and Wellness & Health Education. In the Lab, I look forward to engaging with the various research topics from other students and getting a deeper understanding of research that pertains to equity within communities of color.
My favorite quote is from Michelle Obama: "Don't be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered."
