Shokufeh Mojgani Ramirez is the Associate Director of the Tulane Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (CEMCH), a training grant funded by the HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). In this role, she mentors and provides leadership development experiences for maternal and child health graduate students, helping them prepare to enter the public health workforce. She has been affiliated with the training grant for fifteen years, in various staff roles.

Naomi’s hometown is Hilton Head, SC but her childhood was spent abroad, moving from country to country. After living in El Salvador, Zimbabwe, and Nepal, with annual trips home to South Carolina, she developed a desire to address the health disparities she saw during her travels. She completed her undergraduate studies at Williams College in Massachusetts as a double major in Biology and Anthropology. At Williams, she conducted research in a microbiology lab focused on an infectious disease that affects plants.

Tejal (she/her) is an applied researcher utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to address emerging issues in maternal and child health. As a former preschool teacher and current public health professional, Tejal seeks to create a collaborative sector of community-informed health and well-being research, practice, and policy. Her specific research interests include examining how parental mental health literacy impacts children's mental health outcomes. 

Miguel Ángel López is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) trained in epidemiology. He received his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Nutritional Science from Texas Christian University (TCU) and completed his Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, where he recently successfully defended his PhD dissertation in the department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences.

Bhavita Kumari is pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Health in the Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences department at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. During Ms. Kumari's doctoral studies, she has completed courses in advanced research methods, including categorical data analysis, and multilevel modeling methods courses. Her dissertation utilizes Demographic Health Survey data to explore reproductive behaviors in Pakistan and primary qualitative data to describe the changes in women's status in Karachi, Pakistan.

Bonnie Katalenich is pursing a PhD in Public Health in the Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences department at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Her goal in pursuing her doctorate is to apply my practical research skills as a coordinator to advanced research methodology. During Ms. Katalenich's doctoral studies, she has completed courses in advanced research and analytical methods, including panel and categorical data analysis, and multilevel modeling methods courses.

NhuNgoc’s research interests include population dynamics, mental health, and social and structural determinants of health, as well as major emergency incidents impacts and resilience variations among different racial/ethnic populations. In addition to her domestic interests, NhuNgoc’s international interests include migration and aging trends within East and Southeast Asia. She has provided technical and analytical support to studies centered on post-disaster recovery and resiliency among the Vietnamese immigrant population in New Orleans and Houston.

Dovile Vilda is an interdisciplinary social scientist and public health researcher with advanced training and experience in mixed methods and policy research. Her current work involves examining the role of social determinants and state-level policies in contributing to the higher rates of maternal and infant mortality in the US. Her specific research interests include maternal and child health, health inequities, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and conducting ethical research with vulnerable populations. Prior to joining as research faculty, Dr.

Keelia O’Malley is the Associate Director for Tulane’s HRSA funded MCH Nutrition Leadership Training Program in which she mentors and provides leadership development experiences for public health nutrition graduate students. Prior to this, Keelia worked for 5 years as the Assistant Director of the Tulane Prevention Research Center, where she managed community-based research, policy advocacy, evaluation, and training activities in New Orleans.

David Chae, Sc.D., M.A., is Associate Professor in the Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Director of the Society, Health, and Racial Equity (SHARE) Lab, and Associate Dean for Research at Tulane University, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. His research focuses on social determinants of health inequities and the embodiment of racism. He studies racism as a social-environmental toxin that shapes the inequitable population-level distribution of disease.