Nicole Fortune Hernandez - UM Scholars Summer Research Intern 

Nicole is a research intern participating in the MPower UM Scholars Summer Research Program in Summer of 2025. She graduated with a BS in Public Health Science from the University of Maryland College Park in 2021 and with a MSPH in Health Policy and Management from the Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2023. She is currently a medical student pursuing her MD at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. After graduation, Nicole hopes to become a physician advocate in her field of practice.   

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park
B.S. in Public Health Science

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
MSPH in Health Policy and Management

University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
M.D. (expected May 2028)

Maria Lukz - Undergraduate Research Assistant

Maria is an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the University of Maryland pursuing a dual degree in Public Health Science and Geospatial Data Science. She is passionate about disease prevention, health equity, and epidemiology and will be working primarily with the Emergency Department Drug Surveillance (EDDS) project under CESAR. Maria has experience working in tobacco prevention, occupational health, GIS, and additionally works as a science communications intern at the Moore Lab.

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park 
B.S. Public Health Science (expected May 2027)

B.S. Geographical Sciences -- Geospatial Data Science Specialization (expected May 2027)

Sophia Chau - Undergraduate Research Assistant

Sophia Chau is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Neuroscience and Public Policy. She primarily works on the PRISM, Henry Ford, GOCPP COAP, and MMF projects under CESAR and GMAP.
She is currently interning at the FEMA Office of Resilience Strategies through UMD’s Federal Fellows Program. Passionate about leveraging research to promote health equity, she aspires to pursue a career related to healthcare. Additionally, Sophia is involved in the Maryland Student Legislature club at UMD and has previously worked with TerpsVote to increase student turnout in recent elections.

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park
B.S. Neuroscience and Public Policy (expected December 2026)

Alexis Stonebanks - Undergraduate Research Assistant

Alexis Stonebanks is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland seeking a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health and minoring in Science, Technology, Ethics and Policy. She recently joined CESAR as a research assistant on the Khanya and Peer Bridge projects in the Spring of 2024. She also created the Playtime Project at UMD that works to help children experiencing housing insecurity build resilience through play. Additionally, Alexis works as a medical assistant at a dermatology and internal medicine office. After graduating, she hopes to attend school to become a Physician’s Assistant.

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park 
B.A. Public Health Science (expected May 2027)

Hakima Hussaini - Graduate Research Assistant

Hakima majored in biology and pre-med for her undergraduate degree. Initially, she wanted to pursue medical school and become a psychiatrist. After graduating with a B.S. during the pandemic surge, she began working in the biotechnology industry for about two years. Upon learning the medical field is more focused on the body as a collection of organs rather than having a holistic approach to human health, she decided to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Behavioral and Community Health (BCH) at the University of Maryland, College Park. Hakima became increasingly immersed in mental health and psychology during her MPH program. Before GMAP, Hakima worked with Dr. Kirsten Stoebenau for two years at the UMD School of Public Health on a study of mental health and HIV status in sub-Saharan Africa. During her internship with Roberta's House in Baltimore, she recognized a deeper commitment to contribute to systematic changes that can reduce the prevalence of addiction, substance use, and overdose in Maryland and has recently joined GMAP/CESAR.

Education:
University of the District of Columbia
B.S. Biology

University of Maryland, College Park 
M.P.H. Behavioral and Community Health (expected May 2025)