People Group Archives: Aging & Vulnerable Populations

Senior Lecturer Chaka Brittain is a nurse practitioner, educator and scholar whose work focuses on hospice and palliative care, serious illness communication and culturally responsive end-of-life care. Her scholarship explores topics including cultural humility, spirituality in healthcare, advance care planning, and improving communication between clinicians, patients and families facing complex medical decisions. She has presented […]

Danielle Sterner is a postdoctoral scholar at UCF’s College of Nursing, working with Jean Davis on a behavioral clinical research program focused on improving physical activity and health outcomes during pregnancy. In her role, Sterner supports clinical trial operations, wearable device data management, participant engagement, data analysis, manuscript preparation and grant development. Sterner is passionate about bridging science, healthcare and executing […]

Ania Lipat is a postdoctoral scholar in the Healthy Aging Lab at UCF’s College of Nursing. Throughout her educational training, she has gained extensive experience in gait analysis with a specific focus on aging and chronic pain populations. During her studies, she has helped develop and assess novel quantitative gait technologies for preclinical models of […]

Olajumoke (Jummy) Ojeleye is a nurse‑midwife, maternal and child health nurse scientist, and perinatal mental health professional whose work spans clinical practice, academic scholarship and community‑engaged research. Her research focuses on advancing maternal and perinatal mental health with an emphasis on improving the experiences and outcomes of pregnant and parenting adolescents. Her scholarship reflects her […]

Linda Foley is a certified nurse educator, associate lecturer and public health clinical coordinator at UCF’s College of Nursing. Her clinical experience has spanned various healthcare settings, including critical care, medical-surgical acute care, community health and home healthcare. She began her role as a nurse educator during her doctoral studies and discovered a passion for […]

Sergi Garcia-Retortillo is an assistant professor at UCF’s College of Nursing with expertise in exercise physiology, electrophysiology, exercise testing and physiological network analysis. His research centers on the emerging field of network physiology, which seeks to understand how physiological systems interact as an integrated network to sustain function. He investigates the fundamental principles regulating interactions […]

Marissa “Mari” Mackiewicz is an assistant professor at UCF’s College of Nursing and a nurse scientist whose work focuses on ensuring all older adults have access to healthcare. Her research interests include substance use disorders and unmet oral health needs in older adult populations. Prior to joining UCF, Mackiewicz held post-doctoral positions at the University […]

Supaporn Pathumanon is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and current Nursing Ph.D. student at the University of Central Florida. She brings more than 13 years of clinical and academic experience with expertise in psychotherapy, medication management, mindfulness-based care, and nursing education. Supaporn has practiced in both U.S. and international settings. She is dedicated […]

Chitra “Chippy” Banarjee serves as a graduate research assistant in the Healthy Aging Lab at UCF’s College of Nursing while pursuing a joint MD/Ph.D. degree at the College of Medicine. She has a broad background in biochemical and biobehavioral research with specific training and interest in using computational techniques to process and analyze big data. […]

Kworweinski Lafontant is a certified strength coach and certified exercise physiologist and personal trainer who works as a graduate research assistant in the Healthy Aging Lab at UCF’s College of Nursing. Previously, as a master’s student, he served as research coordinator for the Physique & Performance Enhancement Lab at the University of South Florida. Lafontant […]