Meet the Researchers!

Steven and Melissa

Steven Nguyen majored in Anthropology at the University of Virginia, where he was exposed to many different cultures and developed respect for different world views. After graduation, he spent a year working with AmeriCorps by the border of Texas and Mexico in the Rio Grande Valley. As a wellness coordinator in a public school system, he worked with students, parents, and faculty to promote healthy behaviors and address the health needs of the students. There he learned how to work with this Latino community in a respectful, productive manner. Melissa Ogden is a rising second year medical student at UVA and part of the Generalist Scholars Program to promote primary care. She majored in International Health at Georgetown University. In 2011, she designed and implemented a study in rural Ghana to identify barriers to the use of oral rehydration therapy. Both Melissa and Steven speak intermediate Spanish, and are preparing for this study with Spanish classes during the spring, and intensive Spanish language and cultural immersion in Guatemala in June, 2013.

Steven and Melissa

Ariel

Ariel Majidi is a recent graduate from the University of Virginia, where she majored in Biochemistry and Global Development Studies with a concentration in Global Public Health. In 2011, she conducted a health resource assessment with a team of medical and undergraduate students in the predominantly Mayan town of Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. Ariel is excited to further develop her survey administration and Spanish speaking skills with this project and to better understand the needs of the Latino community in Charlottesville. 

Ariel

Vianca

Vianca Bedoya is a rising third year at the University of Virginia, double majoring in Biology and Anthropology while on the pre-med track. She worked as a Spanish interpreter in the UVA hospital. Additionally, she has participated in two medical mission trips to Tanzania, and Panama and will be leading another trip of UVA students in the winter to Honduras. These trips focus on providing basic medical care to rural communities.

Vianca