María J. Marquine, PhD | Principal Investigator; Director
Dr. Marquine is Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, and Director of Disparities Research in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Care. She is a Hispanic/Latina bilingual (Spanish/English) clinical scientist with expertise in cross-cultural neuropsychology and disparities in neurocognitive aging. The goal of her research is to promote brain health in the Hispanic/Latino community.
David Yassai-Gonzalez, BS | Research Coordinator
David coordinates several research studies at the Brain Health Disparities Lab.
Jordana Breton, BA | Research Assistant
Jordana is a bilingual (Spanish and English) research psychometrist for HOLA 2 at UCSD’s HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center. She is particularly interested in cognitive aging trajectories, particularly of those from ethnically/racially and linguistically diverse backgrounds. She hopes to obtain a clinical psychology doctorate degree, with an emphasis in neuropsychology, to continue her research in cognitive aging and to serve diverse populations.
Lesley A. Guareña, BA | Research Assistant
Lesley serves as research assistant in the Brain Health Disparities Lab. As an aspiring neuropsychologist, Lesley is interested in the impact of adversity and stress on cognition in late-life.
Lila Brody, BA | Research Assistant
Lila is a research assistant in Geriatrics and Palliative care at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and earned her BA in Cognitive Science from Yale University. Lila aspires to obtain a PhD in Clinical Psychology and become a practicing psychologist with a research and clinical focus on mood disorders.
Diana Obregon | Staff Research Associate
Diana is currently enrolled in National University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. In the lab, she performs blood draws, collects lab specimens, and conducts assessments on participants. Her goal is to be better than she was the day before. She aspires to travel and learn about different places and cultures.
Lily Kamalyan, MA | SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) in Clinical Psychology Student
Lily Kamalyan is a 4th year student at the SDSU/UC San Diego JDP in Clinical Psychology, in the Neuropsychology track. She is interested in cross-cultural neuropsychology and how social determinants of health can explain racial/ethnic health disparities in aging and HIV. She hopes to establish a career in neuropsychology that serves Middle Easterners in the US.
Mónica Acevedo-Molina, MA | University of Arizona Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology student
Monica is a fifth-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Arizona. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, where she majored in Psychology. She was awarded an F31 fellowship from the National Institute of Aging in 2020; ever since she has been collaborating with the Brain Health Disparities Lab and Dr. Marquine. Currently, she began working on a study in the lab that examines rates of amnestic mild cognitive impairment among Hispanics with HIV.
Jeremy Delgadillo, BA | UAB Doctoral Program in Developmental Psychology Student
Jeremy is a 1st year at the UAB Doctoral Program in Developmental Psychology, in the Aging track. His research interests are primarily focused on investigating health disparities among chronically ill and older adult populations. He is currently interested in the role that religiosity and spirituality have on mental health and HIV-related health outcomes among older adults living with HIV.
Kayle Karcher | MADURA Student
Kayle is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego, and is a MADURA (Mentorship for Advancing Diversity in Undergraduate Research on Aging) student. She aspires to become a Physician and is interested in research about mental health and diseases related to aging.