I specialize in qualitative research and analysis. I am familiar with coding software such as MaxQDA for in-depth qualitative data analysis. I have worked in both the field of anthropolgy, as well as public health. I have conducted studies as principle investigator, and also worked as a researcher on team projects. As a medical anthropologist, my research centers on population health sciences, vulnerable populations, im/migration, health disparities, violence, trauma, and mental health, with particular interest in the United States (Florida and Texas) and Italy (Sicily). My research with im/migrants and refugees includes participants from Latin America and across the Middle East and North Africa.
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From 2024-2026 I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Central Florida. This research focused on structural interventions to improve the overall health and well-being of communities living in North Texas, as well as the law enforcement officers that serve the community. From 2025-2026 I conducted a pilot study on the mental health of immigrants living in Central Florida, focusing on anxiety and depression.
From 2022-2023 I worked as Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Central Florida. I taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in Medical Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, and General Anthropology.
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From 2020-2022 I worked as an adjunct instructor at UCF. During this time I taught courses such as Ethnographic Methods, Cultural Anthropology, and Global Health.
I graduated with my doctorate in Applied Anthropology from the University of South Florida. My dissertation entitled, “Mental Health and the Effects of Stress and Violence on Migrant Farmworker Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic," focused on im/migrants living in Apopka, Florida. This research focused in im/migrant mental health and the health disparities that affected im/migrants in Central Florida during the pandemic.
I received my M.A. in Anthropology and a certificate in non-profit management at the University of Central Florida. My M.A. thesis, "Life After the Boat: Understanding the Needs of Refugees in Siracusa," focused on adult and unaccompanied minor refugees living in Siracusa, Sicily, and won the UCF Outstanding Thesis Award for the College of Sciences.
I earned my B.A. in interdisciplinary cultural studies at the University of Alabama.
From 2010-2012, I served as an AmeriCorps volunteer, working with migrant youth and socioeconomic inequalities in the Apopka community.
My research interests include medical anthropology, public health, applied anthropology, cultural anthropology, mental health, im/migration, refugees, non-governmental organizations, and health disparities. I specialize in the geographic regions of the United States, Italy, and Africa.