Health Equity Practice Mentors

  • Dr. Harit Agroia is an adjunct professor and senior public health manager with 15+ years of experience in higher education and health program planning, administration and evaluation. Her research and scientific interests include: epidemiology of infectious diseases; food and nutrition sciences; and application of theoretical models to evaluate behavior change interventions. Dr. Agroia holds a Doctorate and Masters in Public Health from Loma Linda University’s School of Public Health and is a certified Master Health Education Specialist. Dr. Agroia is committed to advancing healthcare access and equity among underserved and marginalized populations and works to ensure that public health programs are not only designed and evaluated to bridge equity gaps but that research is done in close collaboration with community members and agencies providing direct services to ensure findings are relevant and representative of true population needs.

  • Atticus Wolfe (he/him) is an assistant professor of public health at Agnes Scott College in Georgia, USA. His research investigates the structural causes and consequences of health inequities related to sociocultural norms, status, and policies among sexual and gender minority (SGM), racial and ethnic minority (REM), disability, and other marginalized communities to inform preventative health interventions and strategies. This work uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies to address questions of environmental characteristics, health policy, and systemic discrimination to highlight meaningful opportunities to advance health equity in local, national, and global spheres. Results from his work inform strategies toward systemic and institutional changes that facilitate equity in health care workplaces and education. His work has been featured in public policy initiatives, education campaigns, and professional program interventions. In addition to his research, Atticus is a leader in the Sexualities section of the American Sociological Association, Gender & Sex section of the American Sociological Association, and GLMA: Health Professionals for Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality.

  • Dr. Jody Vogelzang, a nationally recognized speaker, researcher, registered dietitian, and health education specialist, is an expert in community health who has spent the last two decades teaching in higher education. Her passion for the human right to nutritious food has driven her teaching, research, and volunteer work. Vogelzang’s research explored nutrient diversity in corner stores, Healthy Eating Index (HEI) of school lunch in Charter Schools, and food insecurity on college campuses.
    Vogelzang’s peers have formally recognized her for excellence in professional practice through the awarding of Excellence in Public Health Nutrition (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), Achievements in Public Health Nutrition (American Public Health Association), Outstanding Leadership (Society of Public Health Education), and the Medallion Award for dedication to the high standards of the nutrition and dietetics profession through active participation, leadership, and devotion to serving others in nutrition and dietetics (AND).
    She holds a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Michigan State University, a Master of Science in Biomedical Science from Grand Valley State University, a Master of Arts in Biology from Miami University, and a Ph.D. in Health Services specializing in Community Health from Walden University. She regularly volunteers in food-related professional and community organizations locally, nationally, and internationally.
    Vogelzang is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition.

  • Lauren Garcia, MPH (she/her/ella) serves as CityMatCH‘s Director of Sexual & Reproductive Health and Academic Development in Omaha, NE. Lauren earned her Bachelor of Arts in Biology & Film from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY and her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health – Sexual & Reproductive Health from Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

    Prior to joining the team at CityMatCH, Lauren served in a variety of clinical, research, non-profit, and activism roles. She has experience in teaching, program planning, development, research, and advocacy. Lauren is passionate about sexual and reproductive health/justice – including abortion access, and decreasing barriers to care. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys traveling, creating scicomm content, scrapbooking, and spending time with her family Miguel and Karina, dogs, Parker, Keanu, and Coco, and cat, Lord Lasagna.

  • Dr. Salwa Mekled is an Associate Professor in the restorative department at Kornberg School of Dental Medicine, Temple University. Dr. Mekled received her dental degree from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry. Dr. Mekled had one year of general practice residency, and one year of orofacial pain residency at the University of Kentucky School of Dentistry. She has a Master of Public Administration at TTU. Dr. Mekled has many publications in Peer reviewed journals. Dr. Mekled has been a presenter and a speaker at many national and international conferences. Dr. Mekled is member of American Dental Educator Association. Dr. Mekled is a fellow American College of Dentists.

  • Daniel Pagán, MA, MPH has 10 years of experience as a research and evaluation professional. His work emphasizes the use of data and findings that improve programs and organizational strategies addressing inequities and systemic issues. He has worked with foundations, government agencies, city and county health departments, non-profits, and community-based organizations. Daniel’s evaluation work highlights opportunities for programs to address inequity through organizational strategy development, building monitoring and evaluation systems, leadership development, community development, and improving access to services that support optimal health and well-being. Daniel is currently employed as a Lead of Evaluation Methodology and Analytics with NACCHO, the National Association of City and County Health Organizations. In this position he manages several projects aimed at addressing roots of inequities, vaccination disparities, strengthening rural health infrastructure, and building health equity infrastructure into both big and small health departments across the nation.

  • Dr. Antoine-Hardy has a proven track record of academic teaching and public health research. She has a multidisciplinary background, with a strong emphasis on employing community-based participatory research to address health inequities among marginalized communities, structural racism related to environmental & climate injustice, complementary and alternative medical modalities (specifically cannabidiol in seizure reduction), social determinants of health for disadvantaged, marginalized populations, and cancer and other adverse health outcomes related to air pollution. Dr. Antoine-Hardys’ research interests stems from problems nested inside historical events, characterized by racial and gender formations of economic inequality, unfair authoritarian political institutions, degradation of human rights, and institutional violence.

    Dr. Antoine-Hardy received a DrPH with a Community Health Behavior and Education concentration from Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University. She received an MPH from Armstrong Atlantic University and an MBA in Global Management from American InterContinental University. Dr. Antoine-Hardy received CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist) from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing. Throughout her career, she has established a robust research portfolio consisting of 5 submitted grants as a co-investigator and contributor (in the capacity of evaluator and program director). Dr. Antoine-Hardy’s research career has been successfully funded by state and national agencies, including the Research Engagement Initiative of the Office of Sponsored Research at Dillard University, the Office of Sponsored Research at Georgia Southern University, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Association of County and City Health Officials, Brite Grant, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

  • Dr. Tempitope Kayode has significant experience in health equity practice. Her work in public health has spanned various roles, including project management, strategic planning, health policy and direct community engagement, with a focus on reducing health disparities in underserved populations. She has worked on donor and government-sponsored projects across various health intervention areas. Her research interests are health services research, financing, Maternal and child health, adolescent, sexual & reproductive health, gender, health policy, heath equity and vulnerable population.


  • Haleigh Kampman, MPH, is a public health researcher and health equity advocate working at a safety-net hospital to help clinicians and researchers implement practical, evidence-based solutions that improve care for underserved patient populations. Her research examines social determinants of health such as food insecurity and housing instability, mental health, substance use, and electronic health tools that improve patient care. She brings expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods supporting initiatives like tobacco cessation and systems change for mental health promotion. Her work is dedicated to advancing equitable, patient-centered healthcare.

Health Equity Research Mentors

  • Dr. Seth H. Frisbie is a professor emeritus of analytical chemistry with over 35 years of experience in public health. He earned his B.S. from the University of Massachusetts and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. He is the principal or coauthor of numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, chapters in scientific books, and government and United Nations reports. His team has worked on drinking water and public health in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. In Bangladesh, they made the first national-scale maps of arsenic, manganese, lead, nickel, and chromium-affected drinking water.

  • Lisa Shook-Chiles, DHPE, MA, MCHES is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She also serves as the Administrative Director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, where she is dedicated to advancing outcomes for children and adults living with sickle cell disease.

    Dr. Shook-Chiles’ research interests include health education, health disparities, health services research, health literacy, newborn screening, and the transition from pediatric to adult care. Her leadership extends to the Sickle Treatment and Outcomes Research in the Midwest (STORM) project, an eight-state regional learning network of pediatric and adult providers across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. She has been the PI of this initiative which has been federally funded through the Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Demonstration Project since 2014.In addition, Dr. Shook-Chiles serves as the Director of Newborn Screening at Cincinnati Children’s- a role she has held for nearly two decades as the PI for the Ohio Department of Health’s Newborn Screening grant for the past 19 years. Through her work, Dr. Shook-Chiles continues to drive innovation in health services, promote equity in care delivery, and mentor the next generation of healthcare professionals.

  • Grant is an MPH graduate with extensive experience in public health research, both domestically and internationally, focusing on infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. He is skilled in health equity analysis, data interpretation, and community engagement, with a strong commitment to addressing disparities and improving health outcomes across diverse populations.

  • Amanda Weiskoff is a research development professional with a passion for health equity. She earned an MS in Bioinformatics from Rochester Institute of Technology and a PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology from Cornell University before turning her efforts to translational and clinical research communications. Amanda is currently the Manager of Research Development at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute. In this role, she leads a team that enhances scientific communication and builds research capacity throughout the institute in a variety of biomedical research fields, many of which include health disparities and health equity studies.

  • Katie Logan began leading the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts’s Communications Team in October 2024. She joined RHHD in summer 2023 as the Grants and Communications Specialist before transitioning to this role. The Communications Team helps RHHD staff reach a variety of audiences as effectively as possible. Comms supports writing, design, social media messaging, media relations, web development, and grant writing needs across both districts.

    Katie was born and raised in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. She holds a BA in English from Columbia University and an MA and PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. Before coming to RHHD, she spent seven years as a faculty member in VCU’s Department of Focused Inquiry, which leads small critical thinking seminars for first- and second-year college students.