People Group Archives: Community Health

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 […]

A graduate research assistant in the Healthy Aging Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Ladda Thiamwong, Patria Marcano Maldonado is passionate about working with data — collecting, organizing and making sense of it. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in data analysis with the goal of using analytical tools to drive innovation and solve […]

Kworweinski Lafontant is an NSCA-certified strength coach and an ACSM-certified exercise physiologist and personal trainer from Orlando, Florida. As a master’s student at the University of South Florida, he served as research coordinator for the Physique & Performance Enhancement Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Bill Campbell. Lafontant is currently completing his PhD in Kinesiology […]

Nurse, researcher, and educator Michael Joseph “MJ” Dino specializes in health informatics, gerotechnology, educational technologies, robotics, human-computer interaction (HCI), extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI), and academic integrity. He is an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) and the first Asian to win the Nurse in the Limelight Innovator Award given by Connecting-Nurses in partnership with the […]

A broadly experienced clinician, researcher, educator and leader, Kristine Gauthier serves as a clinical professor and assistant dean for clinical affairs at UCF’s College of Nursing. She has previously served in similar roles at universities in Florida and Colorado. Prior to her academic career, Gauthier practiced for more than a decade as a pediatric nurse […]

Lecturer Caroline M. Griffin’s nursing career began in 1998 in the rural Andes of Ecuador, where she volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps just after earning her BSN. Back in the U.S., Griffin worked as a bedside nurse in a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient settings before earning her MSN and Family […]

Kimberly Navarro is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Board Certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner who is passionate about providing high quality care, ameliorating maternal health racial inequities, combating maternal mortality and promoting the normalcy of pregnancy. She has over 15 years of experience in women’s health and has been involved in serving her community and […]

Darcy Vetro Ravndal is a public health nurse practitioner with an extensive background in program development and education. She is deeply committed to advocating for quality, accessible healthcare for all children and adolescents. Ravndal served as the primary clinician at the Edgewater High School Student Health Center for 10 years and has been instrumental in […]

With over 30 years of academic, clinical, and administrative experience, she is a nationally recognized leader in interprofessional education, curricular design, and holistic nursing. Dr. Dyess is known for her solution-oriented leadership and impactful community-based participatory action research. Her work integrates caring science, human-centered design, and systems thinking to transform nursing education and promote person-centered […]

Janet Lopez is a nurse scientist who is dedicated to addressing health inequities through a comprehensive approach. She focuses on developing innovative strategies to improve health outcomes for underserved communities. After completing her post-doctoral fellowship at the Veterans Rural Health Resource Center (VRHRC) in Gainesville, Florida, she concentrated on promoting health equity among rural Veterans […]