Experience

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  Duke Global Health Institute

  • Durham, North Carolina, United States

  • Program Coordinator

    • Aug 2023 - Present
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States

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  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  • Atlanta, Georgia, United States

  • ORISE Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Fellow

    • May 2023 - Jul 2023
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States

    Supported the U.S. National Authority for Containment of Poliovirus (NAC) in the Office of Readiness and Response (ORR).

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  Duke Department of Population Health Sciences

  • Durham, North Carolina, United States

  • Research Assistant

    • Oct 2022 - May 2023
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States

    Investigated anti-hypertensive medication adherence barriers among patients with virally suppressed HIV. Developing data collection tools and conducting qualitative interview data analysis via Dedoose.

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  Duke Global Health Institute

  • United States
  • Higher Education
  • 1 - 100 Employee

  • Research Assistant

    • Sep 2022 - May 2023

    • Investigating how social migration networks along Brazil-Peru and Ecuador-Peru borders contribute to malaria transmission, and how to implement malaria early warning systems to inform targeted malaria control interventions and strengthen outbreak response in Amazon basin countries.• Designing key informant survey instruments in English and Spanish; coordinating and scheduling team meetings; managing data in REDCap; and assisting with logistics management of field activities.• Collaborating with scientific teams from the Emerging Disease and Climate Change Research Unit at University of Peru Cayetano Heredia, Geography Institute at San Francisco de Quito University, and Institute of Geosciences at University of Federal de Minas Gerais.

  • Co-President of Global Health Graduate Student Association

    • May 2022 - Oct 2022

    The Global Health Graduate Student Association facilitates campus and greater community involvement through service opportunities and political actions, and furthers academic and career development of MScGH students at Duke University.

  • Research Assistant

    • Jun 2022 - Jul 2022

    • Conducted pilot study investigating social networks in Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon to improve early warning systems and inform targeted malaria control interventions in Amazon basin countries.• Held meetings with Peruvian and Ecuadorian Ministry of Health officials; recruited participants; assisted in development of survey tools; coordinated and implemented project strategies; assisted in managing logistics of field activities; respectfully engaged with indigenous communities; conducted field survey data collection in Spanish via Excel and REDCap.• Collaborated with scientific teams from the Emerging Disease and Climate Change Research Unit at University of Peru Cayetano Heredia and the Geography Institute of San Francisco de Quito University.

  • Research Assistant

    • May 2022 - Jul 2022

    • Investigating barriers and facilitators of physical activity among pregnant women who recently immigrated to the United States.• Assisting with translation of study materials from English to Spanish, conduction of phone screenings and interviews, and transcription/translation of qualitative interview data.

  • Research Assistant

    • Sep 2021 - May 2022

    • Designed a qualitative research project investigating physician antibiotic prescribing practices and receptiveness to antibiogram diagnostic tools to determine factors that could impact antibiogram development and implementation in southern Sri Lankan hospitals. • Created a proposal, qualitative interview guide, and sample antibiogram; drafted and oversaw submission of IRB application; and provided administrative support to the Ruhuna-Duke Centre for Infectious Diseases in Sri Lanka

  • Secretary of Global Health Graduate Student Association

    • Aug 2021 - May 2022

    The Global Health Graduate Student Association facilitates campus and greater community involvement through service opportunities and political actions, and furthers academic and career development of MScGH students at Duke University.

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  Duke University, Bass Connections

  • Durham, North Carolina, United States

  • Graduate Researcher

    • Aug 2022 - May 2023
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States

    • Sub-team lead of a project that aims to ensure the successful clinical translation of point-of-care ethanol ethyl cellulose (PEEC) for cervical cancer treatment in Peru, the first launch country for this novel therapy.• Identified key stakeholders, early adopters, and market sizes; generated integration data at country, health system and patient/provider levels; developed qualitative data collection tools; and prepared for interviews with regulatory experts about federal regulatory pathways.

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  American Red Cross

  • United States
  • Non-profit Organizations
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • Mass Care Sheltering Service Associate

    • Jun 2020 - Sep 2022

    • Deployed for two weeks to support FEMA, HHS, and ORR disaster relief operation for unaccompanied children (UC) in Dallas, Texas in February 2021; served as a lead youth care worker and Spanish interpreter in dormitory and medical areas; attended regular meetings with dormitory manager and supervisors, and provided daily accurate reporting of sheltering activity; facilitated and supervised programming, education, and recreation for various cohorts of up to 250 UC; coordinated and collaborated with floor support and managerial staff to ensure the safety of 2400+ children; served as a continuous point of contact 60+ hours a week during 12-hour shifts, resolving concerns, and enforcing regulations.• Supported the City of Laredo Warming Center for local community members in Laredo, Texas during a severe winter storm in January 2021 by serving as a shelter worker and Spanish translator in registration and information areas.

  • Disaster Action Team Service Associate

    • Dec 2019 - Sep 2022

    • Provided emergency, on-scene disaster assistance to local disasters when activated, particularly house fires, ensuring that those affected have access to resources for basic necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing. Provided Spanish-English translation services and assessed client disaster-related needs.• Worked professionally with clients, first responders, and partner agencies.

  • Casework & Recovery Service Associate

    • Dec 2020 - Dec 2021

    • Provided direct client assistance to disaster victims; conducted client interviews in Spanish and English through CAS 2.0; and assisted with recovery planning, problem-solving, and advocacy upon request.

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  Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Duke University

  • Durham, North Carolina, United States

  • Research Assistant

    • Nov 2021 - Jul 2022
    • Durham, North Carolina, United States

    • Investigating barriers and facilitators of physical activity among women attending community health clinics. Recruiting participants, conducting semi-structured interviews, and performing rapid coding analysis of qualitative interview data in English and Spanish for future intervention development.• Produced an abstract and award-winning oral presentation titled “Physical activity among Latinas: barriers to and preferences for community-based physical activity interventions” at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo 2022, and developing a paper for publication.

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  Culmen International

  • Dallas, Texas, United States

  • Humanitarian Support Data Manager

    • Apr 2021 - May 2021
    • Dallas, Texas, United States

    • Deployed for seven weeks to support Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) disaster relief operation for 2,300 unaccompanied children (UC) from Central and South America. • Produced and submitted daily reports to Culmen, ORR, and HHS supervisors; provided administrative support; and conducted incident report interviews in English and Spanish. • Supervised discharge operations; managed teams of 10-30 employees; and conducted primary data collection, entry, and manipulation via Excel and encrypted Access workbooks.

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  Paper Airplanes, Inc.

  • English Program Tutor

    • Aug 2020 - May 2021

    • Facilitated learning for conflict-affected undergraduate and graduate students from the MENA region.• Conducted engaging instructional activities via synchronous and asynchronous lessons; empowered students to lower speaking anxiety, while increasing IETLS / TOEFL test scores.• Designed, implemented, and coordinated specific program activities that led to student improvement in grammar, lexical resource, comprehension, pronunciation, and interactive communication.

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  Medrano Marketing

  • Owner

    • May 2019 - Mar 2021

    • Founded Medrano Marketing Agency to support minority-owned businesses through content creation.• Evaluated client projects to effectively build their brand, drive website traffic, and increase sales.• Managed content, engagement, and communication on social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, etc.); and developed brand awareness and online reputation.• Developed graphic design, web design, photography, videography, and written and web content.• Integrated numerous channels of marketing, such as social media, content, and digital marketing.• Utilized Photoshop, Lightroom, Canva, Hootsuite, WordPress, Google Analytics, G Suite, and Shopify. • Educated and advised clients regarding the use of social media.

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  Texas A&M International University

  • Laredo, Texas, United States

  • Undergraduate Research Fellow

    • Aug 2020 - Dec 2020
    • Laredo, Texas, United States

    • Investigated affordable, natural antibiotic drug alternatives to tackle antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries through the analysis of antimicrobial activity of Acacia rigidula leaves against pathogenic bacterial strains Staphylococcus aureus and Yersinia enterocolitica.• Developed a manuscript; conducted comparative analyses of varied extraction and drying techniques; established experimental design; and conducted plant collection and preparation, microbial cell culturing, bacterial inoculum preparation, and antibacterial testing.

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  Texas A&M International University

  • Laredo, Texas, United States

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant

    • Aug 2019 - May 2020
    • Laredo, Texas, United States

    • Conducted scientific research on the generation and characterization of transgenic Chlamydomonas reinhardtii via the overexpression of the novel gene Cia7 to combat environmental pollution.• Analyzed Cia7 gene overexpression in C. reinhardtii; compared chlorophyll content and cell growth in the absence and presence of lead; performed lead sub-lethal assay, pre-screening assay, and chlorophyll content analysis.

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  Global Medical Brigades

  • Laredo, Texas, United States

  • Health Chair

    • May 2019 - May 2020
    • Laredo, Texas, United States

    • Managed a chapter of 50 members; designed and implemented fundraising strategies; conducted bi-weekly meetings; acquired new donors; collected 5,000 units of medical and hygiene supplies for medically underserved communities in Panama; and maintained an accurate inventory.

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  Global Medical Brigades

  • Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras

  • Brigade Member

    • Mar 2018 - Mar 2018
    • Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras

    • Worked with licensed medical professionals and community health workers to provide comprehensive health services in rural communities with limited access to health care; developed and implemented sustainable health and water systems, and provided translation services that improved communication with physicians and communities.