Tonda Hughes, PhD, RN, FAAN

Principal Investigator
pronouns: she/her/hers

Dr. Tonda Hughes is Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC); previously she was Collegiate Professor and Associate Dean for Global Health in the College of Nursing, and Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health at UIC. She is currently a tenured professor at Columbia University School of Nursing where she is also Associate Dean for Global Health and a visiting professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She also holds honorary appointments in Australia (University of Technology-Sydney & Deakin University) and in England (Oxford Brookes University). Dr. Hughes has a distinguished career in substance abuse research focusing on women’s mental health and is an internationally recognized expert in sexual minority women’s health. Her pioneering studies on have received funding since 1999 from the National Institutes of Health and have grown into the world’s longest running longitudinal study of sexual minority women’s health. She has served as Co-Investigator on numerous other funded studies with researchers from major U.S. and Australian institutions, including the University of Melbourne where she was a Visiting Professor from 2009-2014.

Lauren Bochicchio, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Scientist
pronouns: she/her/hers

Dr. Lauren Bochicchio is a postdoctoral research scientist at Columbia University School of Nursing. Lauren received her PhD in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work where she previously received her MSW. Lauren’s research focuses on reducing mental health disparities in the LGBTQ+ community and identifying best practices for the treatment of suicidality. Her dissertation project, “‘Home Away from Home’: Affirmative Care Practices Among Leading LGBTQ+ Organizations Serving Youth”, identified recommendations for LGBTQ+ youth affirmative care. In addition to her work with the LGBTQ+ community, Lauren has also served as a research assistant on a NIMH-funded study examining the implementation and effectiveness of a peer-led healthy lifestyle program for individuals diagnosed with a serious mental illness. In her clinical practice, Lauren provides both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to individuals presenting with symptoms of emotional dysregulation.

Cindy Veldhuis, PhD

Research Scientist
pronouns: she/her/hers

Dr. Cindy Veldhuis (pronounced Veld-hice) is a research psychologist and a recent National Institutes of Health K99/R00 Pathway to Independence awardee. Dr. Veldhuis’ K99/R00 (Dr. Hughes is co-mentor with Dr. J. Pachankis at Yale) takes a novel mixed-methods approach to examining associations between stress and alcohol use among women in same-sex relationships. She received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2016 and completed her masters (Cognitive Psychology) and bachelors (double major: Theater and Psychology) degrees at the University of Oregon. She recently completed an individual NIH/NIAAA Ruth Kirschstein Postdoctoral Research Fellowship focused on intersectionality in the associations between relationships and alcohol use. In 2019, she was invited to give a talk on the effects of the 2016 election on LGBTQ+ people at the United Nations. She also is PI of an international study on mental health and relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Veldhuis has won multiple awards for her research, including from the American Psychological Association and the Research Society on Alcoholism/NIAAA.

Lizzie Chadbourne, MPH

Project Manager
pronouns: she/her/hers

Lizzie Chadbourne is primarily interested in the impacts of stigma, minority stress, and power and inequality on sexual and reproductive health and relationships, especially among LGBTQ individuals and communities. Outside of research, Lizzie writes and facilitates workshops about abortion access and history, disability and reproductive justice, and bias in medicine. She received her Master of Public Health in Sociomedical Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and earned a BA in Psychology from Vassar College.

Teresa Leonardo Fernandez

Pronouns: she/her/ella

Teresa has worked as a strategic field interviewer, site supervisor, and subcontractor with over 26 years of experience in public health, social science, and media research. Teresa was one of the first bilingual interviewers for the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), and she also spent many years working with MSM populations and trans community members as a data collector for the HIV Prevention Message and the National Drug Study. As the proud mother of a queer daughter, she is deeply invested in research that can better inform policymakers and promote health equity for the LGBTQ+ community.

Jenise Jackson, MPH

Pronouns: she/her

Jenise joins the CHLEW Couples study with extensive experience in community health education, research and evaluation, and project management. Jenise obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Women and Gender Studies from San Francisco State University, and a Master of Public Health in Community Health Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Outside of her work, Jenise loves to paint, practice yoga, and watch recipe videos on YouTube while learning to map the stars.  

Amita Joshua, MPH

Pronouns: she/her

Amita is passionate about justice and equity, especially as it relates to racial and gender disparities in historically marginalized populations. Outside her work as an interviewer for the CHLEW Couples study, she manages research studies focused on addressing depression and suicide, prolonged grief, substance use, and trauma in Black and Brown communities in Harlem. She is also pursuing certification as a full spectrum, community doula rooted in reproductive and birth justice, empowerment, and advocacy for women of color. Amita received her Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology with a certificate in Health Policy and Practice from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Ilana Newman, MHS

Pronouns: she/her

Ilana is committed to health justice and has supported projects dedicated to the health of queer women as well as other LGBTQ people. She serves as a city research scientist with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and her background is in public health administration, community-based research, and grassroots organizing. Ilana holds a Master's of Health Science in Social Factors in Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley.

Janet Schmidt, MA

Pronouns: she/her

Janet holds a master’s degree from Northeastern University and has 35 years of experience in the fields of education and psychology. She was a teacher and school principal in elementary and secondary special education before moving into clinical education and research at numerous hospitals and academic institutions, including Lurie Children’s Hospital and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Janet has also been a board member for the Gay Officers Alliance Legion chapter in Chicago. She is passionate about ensuring children and adolescents are granted appropriate school services to meet their individual academic, social, and emotional needs.

Kelly R. Martin, MPH, MEd

Project Director
pronouns: she/her/hers

Kelly has worked with the CHLEW study team since 2003. After working as public school teacher and then starting an alternative high school with friends from college and serving as the principal/teacher, Kelly Martin began her career in research as the Field Manager for an 8-year longitudinal study on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. She has also worked on colon cancer studies, sleep apnea studies and a clinical drug trial.  She has a master’s degree in educational administration from UCLA and a master’s degree in public health (MPH) from UIC.

Phoenix A. Matthews, PhD

UIC Principal Investigator
pronouns: they/them/theirs

University of Illinois Chicago
College of Nursing
Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion and Professor

Dr. Matthews is nationally and internationally known for their health disparities research with underserved populations. A professor and licensed clinical psychologist, they have more than 25 years of experience in examining determinants of cancer-related health disparities with a focus on racial/ethnic minority, sexual and gender minority, and other underserved populations. Their recent research focuses on the use of community-based and culturally targeted health promotion interventions, including smoking cessation, to reduce risk factors associated with cancer disparities. Dr. Matthews has served as the PI of six NIH funded grants and co-investigator for several others and is the author of over 140 peer-reviewed publications.

Pat Ruch, MA, MBA

Field Coordinator
pronouns: she/her/hers

Pat Ruch has worked in research and coordination across her career from network news research and production, to consumer marketing and university administration. She graduated with master’s degrees in International Studies and Business from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross.