Project Coordinator
Cassandra Gastelum Lugo, M.S. is the Clinical Research Coordinator for the SUPERA project at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital for the University of California, San Francisco. Cassandra received her B.A. in Psychology and her B.S. in Human Biology from UC Merced in Winter 2018 and her M.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Western University of Health Sciences in 2021. Within the SUPERA project she helps manage, organize and implement digital cognitive behavior therapy for patients from underserved backgrounds with a diagnosis of depression and anxiety. Cassandra hopes to pursue her PhD and continue to research different methods of intervention for depression and anxiety for underserved communities.
Leonel Ochoa, B.A. is the Research Coordinator for the Digital Health Equity and Access Lab (dHEAL). Leonel earned his B.A. in Psychology from UC Berkeley in Summer 2021, and as an undergrad, was a Research Assistant with the Family & Culture Lab at UC Berkeley and the Addiction Research Program at UCSF & SF VA Medical Center. Prior to joining dHEAL, Leonel helped establish an intensive bilingual case management program in SF's Mission District, and he is passionate about using digital mental health interventions as a bridge to create broader public access to evidence-based behavioral health treatments. Currently, Leonel jointly coordinates the SUPERA project, and in the future hopes to pursue medical training with a focus on community health.
Jennifer Rosario Arriaga, B.A., is the research coordinator for the SUPERA project for the Technology and Mental Health (TEAM) Lab at UC Irvine. Jennifer was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. at a young age. She received her B.A. in Psychology with minors in Chicano/a and Central American Studies and Applied Developmental Psychology from UC Los Angeles (UCLA) in Spring 2023. At UCLA, Jennifer researched mental health disparities for BIPOC youth through the Culture, Race, and Ethnicity (CARE) in Youth Mental Health Lab. Through fieldwork research and as a previous assistant director of a child care facility, she is also passionate about providing developmentally appropriate and culturally inclusive care to under-resourced communities. In the future, Jennifer aspires to pursue her PhD to research culturally and linguistically competent mental health interventions for low income, undocumented, and Latine families.
Jaylen Lee, Ph.D. is a statistician for the Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design unit for the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science at UCI. He completed his PhD in Statistics at UCI in 2022 where his thesis was in developing statistical methods to quantify functional connectivity between brain regions using fMRI data. His current research interest is in Bayesian methods for spatio-temporal data. Before coming to UCI, Jaylen spent a year as a high school math teacher in his home state of Virginia. He is passionate about diversity and inclusion in academia, serving as a mentor to UCI undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds during his time as a graduate student. Jaylen is an avid NBA fan and enjoys all things Disney.
Karina Rosales, B.A. is the Research Coordinator for the Digital Health Equity and Access Lab (dHEAL). Karina received her B.A. in Psychology and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley in Summer 2020. During her time as an undergrad, Karina volunteered as a Health Advocate for Alameda Health System at Highland Hospital where she supported patients by connecting them to community resources with the goal of minimizing health disparities. Within the Digital Health and Equity Lab she organizes, manages, and implements a variety of different digital health interventions. Karina is passionate about reducing mental health disparities in underserved communities of color by bridging behavioral health care and primary care.
Yazleen Reyes, M.S. is the project coordinator of SUPERA and the Technology and Mental Health Lab (TEAM). Yazleen recieved her B.A. in International Studies from UC Irvine in Spring 2018 and her M.S. in Counseling Psychology from California Baptist University in 2022. In the past, Yazleen has worked providing mental health services to underrepresented populations and connecting them to community resources. Yazleen intends to pursue her PhD and work on expanding access to mental health services for disadvantaged populations. When she is not working, Yazleen enjoys spending time with her loved ones (this includes her cats!), working out, reading, and traveling.
Rosa Hernandez-Ramos, B.A. is the Project Coordinator of LMHRP and the Digital Health Equity and Access Lab (dHEAL). Rosa received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Education Studies from UCLA in Spring 2018. During her time as an undergrad, Rosa worked as a Research Assistant for UCLA’s Department of Psychology where she studied the needs of underserved groups including children with anxiety disorders, Latinos, and rural populations. Rosa’s current research interests include analyzing the impact of socio-demographic factors in treatment adherence and the linguistic analysis of depressed populations. She is involved in the management and implementation of a variety of different digital interventions for patients from underserved backgrounds with a diagnosis of depression and diabetes. Rosa intends to pursue a PhD in the near future and focus on alleviating racial mental health disparities in underserved populations.
