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Audrey Harkness, PhD
(She/Her/Hers)
aharkness@miami.edu |
Principal Investigator
Dr. Harkness was previously faculty in the Department of Public Health Sciences, and a postdoctoral fellow in the Psychology Department at University of Miami. Dr. Harkness is currently Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies, PI of the REACH Equity Team, and Director of the Equitable Implementation Science Core of the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM). As the PI of the REACH Equity Team, Dr. Harkness’ program of research is focused on developing, adapting, and evaluating interventions and implementation strategies to achieve health equity among key populations affected by HIV and mental health disparities. She has been awarded several NIH and other research grants to develop and evaluate culturally grounded interventions and implementation strategies to improve the reach of HIV-prevention (e.g., PrEP) and mental health/substance use treatments populations experiencing health disparities, including Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Dr. Harkness works closely with REACH Equity team members, including undergraduate and graduate students as well as research staff, a community advisory board, community partners throughout South Florida, and collaborators within and beyond the University of Miami. Dr. Harkness is also co-author of companion books on LGBTQ-Affirmative Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and involved in implementation research to evaluate strategies for implementing this treatment in community and clinical settings accessible to LGBTQ communities. As Director of the CHARM Equitable Implementation Science Core, Dr. Harkness leads efforts to build local knowledge and expertise in implementation science to advance the goals of the Ending the HIV Epidemic plan in our region. Dr. Harkness enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and dog.
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Jorge Limia, MS
(He/Him/His)
jml843@miami.edu
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Lab manager
After graduating with his BA in Psychology in 2018, Jorge became a research assistant for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. A few years later while pursuing his MS in Psychology, he became the project manager for the RECOVER Study, a sub study focused on better understanding the effects of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2("Long COVID") on teen's health and why some teens remain sick many months after getting COVID. He would then go onto join the REACH Equity Team in 2024. His academic interests include the intersectionality of psychology and the workplace, including talent development, organizational development, and the quality of work-life. When he's not in the lab, Jorge can be found kayaking, reading fantasy/sci-fi novels, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.
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Jahn Jaramillo, MPH
(He/Him/His)
jxj2046@miami.edu |
PhD Student and Graduate Research Assistant
Jahn Jaramillo, MPH, is a Ph.D. student in the Division of Prevention Science and Community Health. He has over 10 years of public health experience in the areas of HIV prevention, infectious disease surveillance, and communications and has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Guatemala City and Atlanta, the World Health Organization in Thailand and the Philippines, RTI International in Seattle, and at an HIV/AIDS community-based organization in New York City. Jahn was also a Fulbright scholar in Thailand, where he taught English to Thai youth. Jahn's research interests include the health of sexual and gender minorities, the application of identity and cultural considerations to health promotion and HIV prevention strategies, and the development and testing of HIV interventions to deliver medically appropriate and culturally competent care to diverse populations including Latino sexual minority men. He is also interested in initiatives that support the HIV peer workforce. Outside the lab, Jahn is at the gym, enjoying horror movies, or exploring South Florida. |
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Nikki Reyes, MPH
(She/Her/Hers)
nxr780@miami.edu |
PhD Student and Graduate Research Assistant
After graduating with her Master’s in Public Health from Boston University’s School of Public Health, Nikki went on to work as Biostatistician/Epidemiologist at the Center for Community Health Improvement at Mass General Hospital (MGH CCHI) where she assisted with primary and secondary quantitative data analyses for community coalitions and community health needs assessments. She worked at MGH CCHI for 2.5 years before starting her doctoral degree at the University of Miami. Nikki’s research interests include: Latinx sexual and gender minorities, HIV prevention, Mixed methods, and Dissemination and Implementation science. Outside of the lab, you can find Nikki immersing herself in pop culture, spending time with her family and friends, and going for walks around her neighborhood and favorite parks of Miami/South Florida. |
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Araceli Garcia, BA
(She/Her/Hers)
axg6042@miami.edu
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CHARM EIS Core Coordinator
After graduating from The University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in Psychology and Philosophy, Araceli worked on the Behavioral study of the Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC). The BBRC is a multidisciplinary team focused on assessing HPV-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices in a Hispanic majority community sample, identify barriers and facilitators of vaccine uptake and utilize targeted interventions to improve vaccination, screening, and health literacy. Concurrently, she worked on a National Institute of Justice funded project which examined factors related to crime and victimization among U.S. citizens and immigrants to the U.S. in El Paso, Texas. In 2023, Araceli joined the Center of HIV and Mental Health Research (CHARM), and AIDS Research Center, at the University of Miami as the Core Coordinator for the new Equitable Implementation Science core. Araceli’s research interest includes mental health treatment disparities in Latinx populations, implementation of evidence-based interventions, help-seeking behaviors, and mental health treatment stigma. Araceli wants to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the near future. Outside of the lab, Araceli enjoys spending time with her cat Cardigan, exploring nature, reading fiction books, and doing yoga.
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Nicole Altenberg, BS
(She/Her/Hers)
nxa1040@miami.edu
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Research Assistant
Nicole joined the lab as a research assistant after graduating from the University of Mary Washington with a double major in Psychology and Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and an applied statistics minor in 2023. She primarily works on the JUNTOS Referral Network and SOMOS Alianza. Nicole’s research interests center around sexual and gender minority populations, romantic relationships, intimate partner violence, PTSD, and mental health outcomes. During undergrad, she was involved in research projects examining romantic relationships and mental health outcomes, as well as minority stress and psychopathology symptoms among IPV survivors who identified as sexual minority women. Outside of the lab, Nicole loves trying new recipes, going to the beach, and spending time with her cat, Milli.
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Yareli Sosa Antunez, BA
(She/Her/Hers)
Yxs1200@miami.edu
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Research Assistant
Before joining the REACH Equity Lab, Yareli graduated from Hollins University with a double major in Spanish and Psychology and a concentration in Clinical and Counseling skills. She also took part in cognitive psychology research projects and mental health stigma projects as an undergraduate research assistant. More broadly Yareli’s research interests are the following: LGBTQ+ health, Substance use, and Latine Mental health. In Yareli's free time you can find her at yoga, going for an early morning run, going out to poetry readings, and catching up on reality TV!
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Daniel HA Maya, BA
(He/Him/His)
dxh724@miami.edu
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Lead Research Analyst
Daniel is a lead research analyst for the REACH team assisting in REDCap programming for all of our studies. His research focuses on HIV prevention and treatment. He earned a B.S. Psychology from the University of Colorado Denver. After graduation, Daniel worked for the Health Promotion and Care (HPAC) lab on HIV prevention and treatment research.
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Xema Quirino
(She/Her/Hers)
xxq84@miami.edu
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Xema is pursuing a BS in Health Studies on the Pre-Medical track with a Minor in Public Health. Xema’s research interest include identifying needs among different age groups in racial and gender minorities, HIV prevention, and sexual health. During her time at UM, she received an opportunity to do research at Washington, DC to study and present secondary data about the PrEP continuum for HIV among transgender people in Puerto Rico. The project aimed to study how age, gender, access to gender-affirming care, history of mental illness, housing instability and perceived safety of transgender and non-binary people in Puerto Rico among the PrEP continuum, more specifically awareness, use, and intention to use PrEP. Outside of classes and lab, you can find Xema in the day at a cycling class on campus or in the night at Kan Sushi enjoying all-you-can-eat deliciousness.
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Camila Sanchez-Perez
(She/Her/Hers)
cxs2032@miami.edu
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Camila is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Miami majoring in Sociology and Global Health Studies, with minors in Public Health and Geography. Her research interests primarily revolve around health disparities and how they affect the mental & physical well-being, material conditions, attitudes, and overall life outcomes of different communities/populations. Prior to joining the REACH Equity Team, Camila served as a student research assistant for Miami Dade College's Social Sciences Department, where she studied the potential impacts of artificial intelligence on learning in the social sciences. In her free time, Camila enjoys reading, playing Just Dance or Dance Dance Revolution, and discovering new music.
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Brandon Quiroz
(He/Him/His)
baq6@miami.edu
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Undergraduate Research Assistant
Brandon is pursuing a B.S in Health Sciences & French. He competed a SURF program during his time at REACH, which focused on the use of Virtual Reality as a stress reduction device! His research interests lie in public health and disease prevention. Outside of the lab, he enjoys working out and reading books. He also enjoys watching Netflix and going out with friends!
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