Meet Our Team
Teresa Janevic, PhD, MPH
Teresa Janevic (she/her) is a social-perinatal epidemiologist with over 25 years of experience in public health. Dr. Janevic leads a research portfolio on social and structural determinants of perinatal health. Dr. Janevic’s passion for women’s health equity was ignited during her undergraduate studies at University of Michigan in history, which laid the foundation of her academic understanding of health and illness through the lens of historical injustice and structures of oppression and opportunity. She pursued a MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics from University of California, Berkeley as her entry into public health. While working as a masters-level data analyst, she fell in love with perinatal epidemiologic methods and went on to complete her doctoral degree in Epidemiology at Columbia University. At Columbia University, she was a Foreign Language Area Studies Fellow in Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian and received a CDC Dissertation Fellowship Award. In the years since, Dr. Janevic’s research on maternal and child health equity has been funded by the March of Dimes, World Bank, Open Society Institute, Russel Sage Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Centers for Disease Control, and the National Institutes of Health. When Dr. Janevic is not working in the VIBE Research Lab, she is busy leading her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop, enjoying being a new convert to Dog-Person, sipping turska kafa while reading the newspaper, and practicing her salsa moves (NYC On2 Style of course!).
Principal Investigator
Natalie Boychuk, MPH
Natalie Boychuk (she/her) is a Data Analyst for the VIBE Research Lab. Natalie is interested in the social and structural determinants of maternal and reproductive health and particularly the impact of social safety net policies on postpartum health outcomes. As Data Analyst for the VIBE Research Lab, Natalie coordinates data management, quality control, and documentation, implements data analysis plans, and creates visualizations of findings. Her previous research has explored performance metrics for emergency obstetric and newborn care, newborn screening for rare and complex disorders, and sexual and reproductive health in conflict-affected settings. She is currently a member of the board of Pamodzi Philanthropy Advisors, a community-based philanthropy group that supports projects in Liberia, Togo, and Zambia. Natalie holds an MPH from Columbia University and a BA from the University of Toronto, Canada. She lives in NYC with her partner Harry and their cat, Shelby, and is an avid baker in her free time.
Data Analyst
Frances M. Howell, MPhil, MA
Frances M. Howell (she/her) is a Research Project Coordinator for the VIBE Research Lab. Frances is also a PhD Candidate in Critical Social/Personality Psychology at The Graduate Center, CUNY. Her dissertation concerns the study of Black people’s experiences with fertility treatment, racism, and mental health. Generally, her research explores gendered racism in reproductive health care settings, social and political discourses of power and the reproductive body, and the impact these topics have on mental health outcomes. Frances primarily uses qualitative inquiry, arts-based methods for social justice, mixed-methods, and feminist frameworks to explore her research interests. Frances is committed to using her research to advocate for reproductive health equity in service of reproductive justice, and is committed to centering intersectionality, feminist principles, and social issues in her research, advocacy, and teaching practices. She received her MA in Psychology from The New School for Social Research, and BA from The New School. Prior to her academic career, Frances worked in the fashion industry over five years.
Research Project Coordinator
Erynne Jackson
Erynne Jackson (she/her) is a Graduate Research Assistant for the VIBE Research Lab and an MPH Candidate in Epidemiology at Columbia University. Erynne is interested in exploring the interplay between social determinants and reproductive, perinatal, and pediatric health. She is passionate about applying her research to disadvantaged populations in the United States and in emergency settings. Prior to studying at Columbia University, Erynne received her BA in Psychology and Public Health Policy from the University of California, Irvine. She is originally from California and when she is not immersed in her studies or working in the lab, she loves spending time exploring NYC, reading books, and baking sweet treats!
Graduate Research Assistant
Hana Suliman (they/them) is a Graduate Research Assistant for the VIBE Research Lab and an MPH Candidate in Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University. Their research interests lie at the intersection of race and health, the ways in which structural determinants of health create differential treatment in marginalized communities, and how this differential treatment later manifests into health disparities. Hana is committed to applying their research to historically underserved and overlooked populations, especially youth, women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ communities. They hope to use the skills they are currently acquiring during their MPH education to advocate for greater health equity and social justice for those who haven’t traditionally been centered in conversations surrounding health care access. Prior to pursuing their MPH at Columbia, Hana received two BAs in Global Public Health and African/African American Studies from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Although Hana is originally from Northern Virginia, they currently live in NYC with their cat, Minnie, and enjoys spending their free time café-hopping around the city, creating art, and catching up with friends!
Graduate Research Assistant