People Group Archives: Healthcare Disparities

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 a particular emphasis on improving the experiences and outcomes of pregnant and parenting adolescents. Her scholarship reflects […]

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 […]

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/PhD 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, […]

Jenna M. Wheeler is an assistant professor at UCF’s College of Nursing. As a practicing registered nurse with nearly 15 years of experience in the neonatal intensive care unit, she has witnessed firsthand the effect of preterm birth on families. Wheeler’s research focuses on the mother-father relationship and mental health during pregnancy utilizing a mixed […]

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 part of the Delphi Group, which pioneered the new definition of Nursing and Nurses at the International Council of Nurses, and past president of the […]

Lecturer Caroline M. Griffin’s nursing career began in the rural Andes of Ecuador, where she volunteered for two years with the Peace Corps. Afterward, she worked as bedside nurse in a wide variety of inpatient and outpatient settings in the U.S. As a family nurse practitioner, she has provided care mainly to underserved populations in […]

Kimberly Navarro is a certified nurse midwife and board certified women’s health nurse practitioner who is passionate about providing high quality care, combating maternal mortality and promoting the normalcy of pregnancy. She has more than 15 years of experience in women’s health and has been involved in serving her community and providing education and healthcare […]

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 […]

Lisa Linville is the director of the Leadership and Management online MSN program at UCF’s College of Nursing. She has held administrative, legal and clinical roles in health care systems for more than 25 years and has taught in graduate nursing programs for more than 15 years. Her legal experience includes medical malpractice, health care […]

Lecturer Latonia Green has held a variety of clinical appointments as a registered nurse, head nurse and nurse manager at hospitals in Tennessee and Florida. Most recently, she served as a nurse manager at AdventHealth East Orlando, directing and managing 24-hour clinical operations of two observation and medical telemetry units. After earning her DNP degree, […]