NHP + PAUSE Joint Board:
Executive Director/PAUSE Board Member/NHP Community Outreach Director: Ryan Sutherland, YSM 2027 (ryan.sutherland@yale.edu)
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Ryan Sutherland is a student at the Yale School of Medicine. Ryan Sutherland completed a Master of Public Health degree at the Yale School of Public Health in the Social and Behavioral Science Department with a concentration in Global Health in 2020 and an MPhil in Development Studies as a Rotary Global Grant Scholar from the University of Cambridge in 2022. After completing his graduate education at Yale, he worked for Partners in Health to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts while serving as an inaugural fellow at the Harvard Public Health Review. While a graduate student at Cambridge, he was elected Director of the Cambridge Development Initiative, Cambridge’s largest student-run development NGO that partners with local change agents across Tanzania to collaboratively address development challenges. In addition to serving as the Executive Director of PAUSE, Ryan serves as a Coordinator of the Neighborhood Health Project and has worked with the Haven Free Clinic.
PAUSE Board Member/NHP Co-Special Projects Director: Ella Suh, YSPH 2026 (ella.suh@yale.edu)
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Ella Suh graduated from the Master of Public Health program at Yale School of Public Health, concentrating in Health Policy. She is a passionate advocate for health equity with a strong dedication to expanding access to care for underserved and low-income communities. With a background in health services research, she witnessed firsthand the gap between clinical practice and community-based health outreach, which inspired her to focus her work on bridging this divide. Building on this experience, she joined NHP to contribute to preventive, patient-centered, and culturally responsive health initiatives. Her work is grounded in the belief that collaborative care models—integrating medical, social, and educational components—are essential to addressing structural determinants of health. Through partnerships with local organizations and public health institutions, she supports efforts that promote long-term health equity and community resilience.
PAUSE Board Member: Ava Elizabeth Rios (avaelizabeth.rios@yale.edu), YC 2028
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Ava Elizabeth Rios is an undergraduate student at Yale. Born and raised in South Carolina, Ava is the second youngest of six children. She is passionate about the coalescing fields of housing and health. On campus, Ava is involved with UHOPE Haven, Youth in Motion, and the Community Healthcare Van. She is a member of the Housing and Health Equity Lab. In her free time, Ava enjoys playing soccer, painting, and gardening. She also enjoys cuddling her pet pug, Pierre. Ava is excited to contribute to the New Haven PAUSE project!
PAUSE Board Member: Yumi Yang (yumi.yang@yale.edu), YSPH 2026
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Yumi Yang graduated from the Chronic Disease Epidemiology program at the Yale School of Public Health. She is the recipient of both the Wilbur G. Downs Outstanding Thesis Prize in International Health and the Lowell Levin Award for Excellence in Global Health for her thesis, Assessing Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Healthcare Access Barriers to Identify Prevention Strategies Among Market Vendors in Uganda. Advised by Dr. Jeremy Schwartz and Dr. Drew Cameron, her research examined cardiovascular disease risk and barriers to healthcare among more than 360 market vendors in urban Uganda, generating findings that have informed future research initiatives focused on non-communicable diseases in low-resource settings. Throughout the project, Yumi independently secured research funding and led all aspects of international fieldwork and primary data collection. Since 2025, she has also served as the lead of the Community Health Pantry Project in New Haven, helping expand access to essential health and hygiene resources for underserved community members. Her work reflects a commitment to advancing global health equity through research, community engagement, and public health practice.
PAUSE Board Member: Inara Jalisi (inara.jalisi@yale.edu), YSPH 2027
- Inara Jalisi is an MPH candidate in Health Policy at the Yale School of Public Health, where her work focuses on health equity and improving access to care. Originally from West Virginia, she graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in accounting and management. Her early work in business led to a growing interest in how health systems shape the care patients receive and what determines whether that care is actually accessible. Through Yale’s Health Equity Fellowship, Inara worked with Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK), where she designed and led a program evaluation of the Drop-in & Resource Center. Her work examined the experiences of people facing homelessness and housing instability, and how community services can better respond to their needs. She now brings this community-centered perspective to the Health Justice Practicum at Yale Law School, where she supports local health justice projects serving LGBTQ+ communities in Connecticut, including work related to harm reduction and access to gender-affirming care. Across these experiences, Inara is interested in why people can remain disconnected from care even when services are available and how health and community organizations can better reach the people they serve. She hopes to carry this community-centered approach into a future career in medicine and is excited to contribute to PAUSE’s work in New Haven.
NHP Board Members:
NHP Resources and Referrals Director: Carlos Hernandez-Castillo, YSM 2027 (carlos.hernandezcastillo@yale.edu)
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Carlos Hernandez-Castillo is a medical student at the Yale School of Medicine from Ventura, CA. He completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry at Pomona College. He holds a Master of Science degree in Global Health from UC San Francisco. Carlos’s research has spanned bench and computational work in physical chemistry, clinical work aiming at improving diabetes diagnostics and finding biomarkers of diabetes complications prior to onset, epidemiological research exploring extrapulmonary tuberculosis in San Francisco, and community-based work focusing on a psychosocial intervention in a predominantly Latino, immigrant community in Southern California. Carlos’s passions include community health, community-based participatory research, immigrant health, and long-term management of disease sequalae (i.e., childhood cancer survivors, post neuroinfectious disease). Carlos is ecstatic about joining the NHP leadership because of its mission of improving health outcomes for the New Haven community through screening and referrals and its commitment to work with community partners to ameliorate health disparities.
Co-Director Flu Vaccine Clinic/YSN Liaison: Cristina Samaniego, YSN 2027 (cristina.samaniego@yale.edu)
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Cristina Samaniego is a Family Nurse Practitioner student at the Yale School of Nursing with 6 years of pediatric nursing experience. She has worked in children’s hospitals all over New England. Some of Cristina’s clinical interests are Global Health work in South America, infectious disease, and orthopedics. Cristina became interested in NHP after volunteering in the fall as a vaccine nurse and is looking forward to continuing serving the New Haven community in the fall! Cristina is a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) and Orthopaedic Nurse Certified (ONC).
Co-Director Flu Vaccine Clinic/YSN Liaison: Matthew Cieplick, YSN 2027 (matthew.cieplicki@yale.edu)
- Matthew Cieplicki is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Student at the Yale School of Nursing. He received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York. While completing undergraduate studies, he was a member of the student government, where he passed policies to improve access to mental health resources on campus and create a more equitable system for course registration. He also served in the city of Rochester in collaboration with the Salvation Army to provide food and other necessities to families. During his studies, he also worked in inpatient psychiatry as a Nursing Assistant, which strengthened his passion for mental health. Following graduation, he worked as a Registered Nurse in Orthopedic-Trauma at Upstate Hospital in Syracuse, New York. During this time, he witnessed frequent health disparities that ultimately led to worsened health outcomes, which reinforced his belief in the importance of community support in healthcare. Matthew is excited to work with NHP as a Flu Vaccine director to help facilitate positive change and improved health care access in the New Haven community!
Co-Special Project Director: Fabrizio Darby, YSM 2027 (fabrizio.darby@yale.edu)
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Fabrizio Darby is a Medical Student at the Yale School of Medicine who completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Miami with a double major in Biology and Health Science and Minors in Chemistry and Creative Writing. He has been involved in community initiatives such as the Science Made Sensible high school teaching program in Miami, co-coordinated the New Haven Voices panel, and mentored several pre-medical students through various programs. He has an interest in global health and has co-organized on-campus global medicine events and conducted research projects related to global surgery. He’s excited to continue his work with NHP as a director!
Community Outreach Co-Director: Anton Bankov, YSM 2029 (anton.bankov@yale.edu)
- Anton Bankov is a Medical Student at Yale School of Medicine who completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Neuroscience and Philosophy. He spent several years after graduation working in a research lab investigating molecular correlates of psychiatric disorders, during which time he also mentored pre-medical students and volunteered as a tutor with English language learners. Anton is greatly interested in initiatives seeking to improve community health and promote health equity, which is why he is excited to join the NHP board of directors as Director of Programming.
Supplies/Budget and Data Management Director: Andrés Cubero Cruz, GSAS 2030 (andres.cubero-cruz@yale.edu)
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Andrés Cubero Cruz is a PhD candidate whose research focuses on cardiac disease mechanisms and engineered heart tissue models aimed at improving therapies for patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. His work combines bioengineering, physiology, and translational research to better understand how genetic mutations contribute to heart failure and cardiac dysfunction. Beyond the laboratory, Andrés is deeply committed to community engagement, mentorship, and expanding access to healthcare resources for underserved populations. Through his involvement with Yale’s Neighborhood Health Project, Andrés has worked alongside students and healthcare professionals dedicated to providing education, outreach, and support to the New Haven community. In addition to his academic and service commitments, Andrés enjoys fitness, mentoring students interested in science and medicine, and participating in initiatives that bridge research with real-world impact. He believes meaningful healthcare extends beyond hospitals and laboratories and is built through trust, advocacy, and community connection. Andrés is excited to continue contributing to the growth and impact of the Neighborhood Health Project in the years ahead.
Volunteer Co-Director: Anna Efstate, YSPH 2026 (anna.efstate@yale.edu)
- Anna Efstate is a recent MS graduate in Chronic Disease Epidemiology at YSPH. She got her BS in Public Health Sciences at the University of Michigan, where her primary research focused on understanding the association between food insecurity and disordered eating behaviors by analyzing international survey data. She has since contributed to computational and clinical research in psychiatric genetics and hereditary cancer syndromes. In the fall, Anna will be taking on a role as Project Manager in the Breast Surgical Oncology department at Yale New Haven Health, where she will be overseeing projects pertaining to patient-centered approaches to improving breast cancer outcomes. She looks forward to merging her interests to serve the New Haven community as a volunteer co-director at NHP.
Volunteer Co-Director: Kesi Keziah Wilson, YSM 2032 (kesi.wilson@yale.edu)
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Kesi Keziah Wilson is an MD-PhD student at the Yale School of Medicine. She graduated from Yale College in 2021 with a B.S. in neuroscience and a certificate in Mandarin. Throughout college, many of her volunteer commitments focused on education, mentorship, and connecting New Haven students to science and medicine. After college, she traveled to Korea to study Korean language at Yonsei University as a Yale Light Fellowship scholar. Upon returning to the US, she conducted basic science research at the NYU Vaccine Center while also investigating vaccine hesitancy in minority communities disproportionately impacted by infectious disease. As a medical student, she has continued to make community-focused, holistic health care part of her professional identity by volunteering with a number of community groups including DESK, YPNP, and DIGNA. On the NHP leadership team, Kesi serves as a volunteer director. In the role, she is looking forward to serving the New Haven community while also learning more about tangible ways to address healthcare disparities in a sustainable community context.
Attendings Director: Stacy Uchendu, YSM 2028 (stacy.uchendu@yale.edu)
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Stacy Uchendu is a MD-PhD student at Yale Medical School with research interests in Neuroscience and clinical interest in Psychiatry. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in Chemistry. Stacy’s interest in creating healthy lifestyles for herself and the people around her began when she participated in a longitudinal clinical study on juvenile Type 2 Diabetes and lifestyle habits in middle school. She has fostered this interest by volunteering at Gather New Haven, teaching food science to kids, and serving as co-Director at Neighborhood Health Project.
