Graduate Studies

CHP Graduate Students

Jeni Pierce is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology from the University of Michigan and is currently working on her Masters in Disability and Human Development.

Jeni is a graduate assistant providing administrative and financial support for several projects at the Center on Health Promotion for Persons with Disabilities. Her duties include the processing of vendor payments and other financial documents and the management of telephone services, equipment inventory, and facilities issues.

Ming-De Chen, M.S., is a registered occupational therapist in Taiwan. He received his undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy from the National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, and his Master’s degree in Special Education and Technology from the National Hualien University of Education, Taiwan. Ming is a doctoral student in Disability Studies and works as a Graduate Assistant at the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability. He assisted with the development of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans chapter on disability. His current role is to examine the effects of exercise on health outcomes for people with disabilities by conducting a systematic review of the lifespan and meta-analysis.

	Chitra Gurung, M.A., is from Nepal and works as a Graduate Assistant at the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Disability and Human Development with a concentration in Social Policy and Advocacy. For the past twelve years, before entering UIC’s graduate program, Chitra worked in a variety of Nepalese national and international non-profit organizations that work with and for the people with disabilities. She has extensive experience working in community based rehabilitation services including inclusion and advocacy program activities for persons with disabilities. As a sibling of a brother with multiple physical and intellectual disabilities, she has had first hand exposure to disability related concerns and issues. Her research interests include inclusion and advocacy of persons with disabilities with focus on the empowerment of women with disabilities.
	Dhairy Mamnia is from Mumbai, India and is currently working in the Department of Disabilities and Human Development as a Graduate Research Assistant in instructional technology. He is pursuing his Masters in Management Information Systems. His undergraduate degree and Diploma was in Information Technology. He worked with Tata Consultancy Services as an Assistant Software Engineer for a year.
	Ryan McGraw, B.A., is from Dearborn, Michigan and works as a Graduate Assistant at the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability. He is currently enrolled in the Masters program in Disability and Human Development, with a concentration in social policy and advocacy. Before coming to UIC, he attended Kalamazoo College, receiving his undergraduate degree in Political Science. After receiving his degree in 2006, he worked on an inclusive recreation grant in Kalamazoo. Ryan’s interests in the disability field include advocacy, education policy, and inclusive recreation.

	Jess Tourtellotte, B.A., is from Olympia, Washington and received her undergraduate degree from The Evergreen State College with an academic emphasis in Humanities and Disability Studies. She is currently a student in the Master’s program in Disability and Human Development at UIC where Jess is interested in public and social policy work and also the development and maintenance of grass root/non-profit organizations, which focus on disability. Currently, Jess also, works as a graduate assistant for the National Center of Physical Activity and Disability.

	Carolyn Lullo, M.S., is originally from the Chicagoland area. She completed her B.S. from Miami University in Oxford, OH in Exercise Science and her M.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Kinesiology. She then spent two years as an Assistant Director of Fitness at Miami University's Recreational Sports Center. Carolyn is currently in her first year of the Ph.D. in Disability Studies at UIC. Her interests include fitness center/programming accessibility, with a specific emphasis in the role (education, training, perception, attitude, knowledge, etc) of the fitness professional/future fitness professional in relationship to accessibility and individuals with disabilities. She is currently working under the RERC RecTech grant.
	Lisa Dixon has a bachelor's degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Currently, she is working towards her Masters in Early Childhood Education with a certificate in Special Education. As a graduate assistant for the PEP project, she assists with newsletter production, gathering information, telephone surveys, and various other projects.
	Victoria Jones coaches participants in the PEP program. She is a graduate student in UIC's Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition and is completing her dietetic internship to become a Registered Dietitian.
	Kalycia Trishana Watson, MUPP, is a graduate assistant with the Health Empowerment Zone Study. Kalycia received her undergraduate degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Spanish and Speech Communication. She is currently in the Urban Planning and Policy program, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, working on a Masters in community development, international development (globalization of health care), and health planning and policy.
	Vandana Chaudhry, M.S.W., is a doctoral candidate in Social Work and Disability Studies at UIC. Originally from India, she joined the program on an International Ford Foundation Fellowship in 2002, and is currently writing her dissertation. Her dissertation focuses on issues of disability and development in the context of rural India. She specifically examines a World Bank project which seeks to empower rural disabled people through self-help groups and the possibilities and paradoxes such participatory development presents in the light of globalization. She is currently working as a research assistant on the Health Empowerment Zone Study.


	Vijay Vasudevan, M.P.H., graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science and a Master’s in Public Health. His current research interests include how race/ethnicity affects barriers and facilitators to physical activity for people with disabilities. Vijay is a graduate assistant under the Health Empowerment Zone grant.


	Abhijit Prabhughate, MPhil, MA, is a doctoral candidate at the Jane Addams College of Social Work. His areas of interest are health disparities and mental health of immigrant minority groups. Before coming to UIC he worked as a mental health researcher and practitioner in Mumbai, India. He has a Masters in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India and a Masters in Philosphy from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, India. As a graduate research assistant at CHP he assists in setting up and managing datasets for different research projects.
	Theresa Vidalon, MSW, is an advanced doctoral student in the Jane Addams College of Social Work at UIC. She is a graduate assistant and member of the Research Core at the CHP. Additionally, she is currently teaching research courses at the Institute for Clinical Social Work and working on her dissertation. Her current research interests focus on exploring family involvement when a relative with severe mental illness resides in a nursing home.
	Emilie Buscaj, B.A., is from Denver, CO. She received her undergradute degree in Anthropolgy from the Univeristy of Colorado at Boulder. She is currently working on her Master's in Public Health in the division of Community Health Sciences with an emphasis is Behavior Science and Health Promotion at UIC. She is a graduate assistant for the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research on the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project.
	Robert Gould, B.A., is from Deerfield, IL. He completed his undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in English Education, with his class work focused on students with disabilities. He is in the Disability and Human Development Master's program in the College of Applied Health Sciences at UIC. Since graduating from Iowa, Robert has worked for various non-profit agencies assisting with the recruitment and retention of people with disabilities to the workforce. Rob's interests include outreach to underserved populations and workforce development. He is currently a graduate assistant for the DRRP project.

Jennifer Zimmerman, M.A., is from Chicago, IL. She received her Bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Master's degree from DePaul University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at DePaul. She is an instructor and researcher in psychology at DePaul University. She is also a research specialist for the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability and the Universal Design and Health Promotion project at UIC.