People Group Archives: Community Health

A graduate research assistant in the EMBRACE 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 real-world […]

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” Diño, who works under Professor Ladda Thiamwong in the EMBRACE Lab, specializes in health informatics, educational technologies, robotics, human-computer interaction, mixed reality, artificial intelligence and academic integrity. He is an Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) and the first Asian to win the Nurse in the Limelight Innovator Award given […]

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 […]

Susan Dyess is an experienced academician with solution-oriented leadership skills and meaningful results arising from community-based participatory action research initiatives. Skilled in organizational administration, curricular revision, resource utilization and program accreditation, she is committed to transformational impact by promoting collegial and student success. Education Selected Editorial Activities Selected Professional Activities

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 […]

Dr. Rebecca Koszalinski applies technological solutions to improve the health of older adults. She is the primary investigator for a Florida Department of Health funded study with a large team of investigators, including epidemiology, water, air and environmental scientists, bench and nurse scientists, and nursing students in the investigation of health outcomes of harmful algal […]