Urban Bioethics Spring 2025 Presentation of Graduates

Master of Arts & Certificate in Urban Bioethics Presentation of Graduates

Spring 2025

Message from the Director It is a very important time to graduate with a degree focused on health equity, justice, ethics, and structural marginalization. Those of us in the health care field are called upon, in this era, to make clear where we stand. Do we speak up for marginalized patients and communities, near and far, when their access to health care is being attacked, abridged, or denied? Do we join the system with a critical eye, noting the ways that a system meant to do good can also perpetuate harm?

Do we attend to our own personal development, so that when we encounter individuals we can keep ourselves regulated, despite our own baggage and biases?

I hope that you’ve developed answers to these questions and more, throughout your time in this program. Our goal is to cultivate scholars and practitioners who are equipped to advance justice, even at some personal risk. Knowing many of you and watching your journeys—I think we have achieved that.

I hope you will stay in touch with us, as we continue to build the intellectual community of Center faculty, staff, students and alumni—you are now in the latter category. We will watch your careers with excitement and cannot wait to see what you do to advance justice and ethics in your corners of the world.

Congratulations!

Prof. Nicolle Stand

Associate Professor, Center for Health Justice and Bioethics Director, Center for Health Justice and Bioethics

Message to Graduates During your time in this program, you’ve engaged directly with some of the most urgent ethical, structural, and social challenges facing health and healthcare today. You’ve examined how race, class, incarceration, immigration, language, disability, and place shape the conditions of health and illness. And you’ve done so with humility, integrity, and purpose. You haven’t just studied these issues— you’ve lived them, questioned them, and worked to transform them. You’ve asked whose voices are heard and whose are silenced.

The world needs ethical leaders who can speak hard truths, build bridges across difference, and advocate for those too often left out of our systems of care. We believe that’s exactly who you are. The degree you’ve earned is more than a credential—it is a commitment. You now join a growing community of scholars and practitioners who are trained not only to interpret the world, but to change it. Your work affirms that health justice is not a solitary pursuit—it is collective, courageous, and ongoing. We are so proud of what you’ve achieved—and even more excited to see what’s next.

Dr. Brian Tuohy, PhD

Dr. Brendan Hart, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Sociology Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Co-Director of Education Co-Director of Education Center for Health Justice and Bioethics Center for Health Justice and Bioethics

1

Presentation of Graduates

Master of Arts August 2024

May 2025

Joseph S. Capalbo, MD

Zachary Alexander Manuel Bides

The Ethical Dilemma of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

A New Framework for How the Physical and Built Environment Affects Stroke Care and Recovery

Tiffany Anise Cooke, MD

Patient and Provider Breastfeeding Discourse

Caitlyn Brenner

Access to Life: Advanced Heart Failure Therapies for Undocumented Immigrants

Hugh Alexander Davis, MD

Reimagining the Transplant Evaluation Process: A Review of the Ethical and Evidentiary Basis Behind the Psychosocial Evaluation of Lung Transplantation

Jenna Meredith Collazzo

Intersecting Inequities: Multiple Sclerosis, Postpartum Depression, and the Ethical Imperative to Support Black Women in the Postpartum Period

Kerith Duggan

Sembrando Juntas: A MixedMethods Exploration of Gardening's Therapeutic Potential for Adolescent Latinx Females with Mood Disorders

Maria Tsegaye Gebreyesus

Overlooked Barriers Faced by Underrepresented Students Pursuing Plastic Surgery: An Urban Bioethics Perspective

Angie Polanco, MD

A Framework for Creating TraumaInformed Spaces in Medical Education Centering Intimate Partner Violence

Allison Elizabeth Hand

Barriers to Abortion Care Access in North Philadelphia: A Call for Bottom Up Change

Katherine Hanna

Challenges and Public Health Concerns of Chronic Disease Management in United States Prisons

December 2024

Janhavee Suneel Deshpande, MD

Harm Reduction in Opioid Use Disorder - The Role of Safe Injection Facilities

Priyanka Kolli, MD

DeMario Malone

Fighting for Our Health: Barriers and Pathways to Increase Primary Care Participation in African American Men

Carlos Martin Martinez

Psychiatric Care for Undocumented Immigrants and Their Families: Ethical Frameworks and Clinical Approaches

Navigating the Urban Bioethical Landscape of Incidental Findings Within Radiology: A Look at Disparities

3

Master of Arts Douglas Truman Moss III Wounds that Echo: Intergenerational Trauma and the Development of Cluster B Personality Disorders

Kristell Michelle Taylor

Ethics of Medical Management of Chronic Pain in Patients With Substance Use Disorder

Daniel James Volpone

Brittany Opokwu

Treatment Decision-Making in Black Men with Prostate Cancer Treated at Temple University Hospital: An Interview Study

The Pediatric Mental Health Crisis: Urban Cities and Its Effects on Behavioral Outcomes in Black Children

Eric M. Rawot

Tia Walker

The Ethical Considerations of Consumer Sleep Technologies Health Data, Medicalization, Sleep Tracking, The Quantified Self

Medical School Pipeline Programs: A Solution to Improving Diversity in Medicine and Enhancing Local Education in Philadelphia

Joshua B. Somers

Parental Decision-Making and RSV Immunization: Bioethical and Qualitative Insights From North Philadelphia

Graduate Certificate Brianna S. Spell Brianna Huang-Talbot

4

Zachary Alexander Manuel Bides A New Framework for How the Physical and Built Environment Affects Stroke Care and Recovery Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy

Zac is a current LKSOM medical student and soon-to-be resident neurologist at University of Southern California (USC).

Born and raised in Northern California, he gained tremendous sense of humility and gratitude after doing community work in San Francisco, working at a brain injury and stroke rehabilitation center, and serving in various capacities along the spectrum of medical care. He is very interested in the integration of design, arts and media into the field of medicine, in hopes that he can utilize these interests to tackle health inequities that occur for patients suffering from neurologic diseases.

Caitlyn Brenner

Access to Life: Advanced Heart Failure Therapies for Undocumented Immigrants Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy

Caitlyn is a fourth-year medical student at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine.

She is an alumna of Washington & Jefferson College with a degree in Chemistry and Philosophy. Her research interests include health equity, heart failure, and normative ethics. Originally from Bedford, PA, she is excited to continue calling Philadelphia home as she pursues her next chapter as an internal medicine resident at Temple Hospital.

5

Joseph S. Capalbo, MD

The Ethical Dilemma of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Thesis Advisor: Dr. Nora Jones

Joe Capalbo completed the Master of Arts in Urban Bioethics program during his Internal Medicine residency at Temple University Hospital. His thesis focused on the ethical considerations of artificial intelligence in medicine. A graduate of the Drexel University College of Medicine, he will continue to focus his career on the care of the greater Philadelphia community as a Hospitalist at Cooper University Hospital.

Jenna Meredith Collazzo

Intersecting Inequities: Multiple Sclerosis, Postpartum Depression, and the Ethical Imperative to Support Black Women in the Postpartum Period Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy

6

Jenna Collazzo is a fourth-year medical student at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, pursuing a dual MD/MA degree in Urban Bioethics. She is a member of both the AOA Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Her research focuses on the intersection of neurology, women’s health, and structural inequities in care.

Her thesis, Intersecting Inequities: Multiple Sclerosis, Postpartum Depression, and the Ethical Imperative to Support Black Women in the Postpartum Period, examines systemic barriers in postpartum neurological care. Jenna will begin her neurology residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center following graduation.

Tiffany Anise Cooke, MD Patient and Provider Breastfeeding Discourse Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy

Dr. Cooke is a community pediatric hospitalist within the CHOP Care Network. She is also a certified lactation counselor and was awarded the Pennsylvania Resource Organization for Lactation Consultants Advocate of the Year award in 2024. She is currently the chair of the PA -AAP DEI Committee.

Her research interests include health inequities and community-based participatory research. In September 2024, she will be the Medical Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital.

Hugh Alexander Davis, MD

Reimagining the Transplant Evaluation Process: A Review of the Ethical and Evidentiary Basis Behind the Psychosocial Evaluation of Lung Transplantation Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy

Hugh Davis is currently a first year pulmonary/critical care fellow at Georgetown University. He completed his master's degree while completing his internal medicine residency at Temple University Hospital. His clinical and research interests include the ethics around lung transplantation as well as mental and physical sequalae bore from ICU stays.

7

Kerith Duggan

Sembrando Juntas: A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Gardening's Therapeutic Potential for Adolescent Latinx Females with Mood Disorders Thesis Advisors: Dr. Nora Jones and Dr. Brian Tuohy

Keri Duggan is a pediatric nurse practitioner in North Philadelphia where she has been providing primary care to her patients for the past seven years.

As a Pincus Fellow in the Center for Urban Bioethics, she investigated the power of alternative mental health interventions by inviting adolescent females with mood disorder diagnoses to participate in a pilot study gardening club at her clinic. She continues to be passionate about adolescent mental health and the importance of equitable access to mental health care.

Maria Tsegaye Gebreyesus Overlooked Barriers Faced by Underrepresented Students Pursuing Plastic Surgery: An Urban Bioethics Perspective Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy

Maria Gebreyesus is a fourth-year medical student at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, where she also completed a dual MA in Urban Bioethics. She is passionate about anesthesiology, health equity, and immigrant health.

Her research focuses on Safe Haven laws and supporting postpartum women. Maria is the co-founder of a nonprofit serving orphaned children in Ethiopia and a volunteer health escort for refugees. She plans to begin anesthesiology residency this summer, where she hopes to continue serving underserved communities and advocating for patient-centered care.

8

Allison Hand

Barriers to Abortion Care Access in North Philadelphia: A Call for Bottom Up Change Thesis Advisor: Dr. Laura Igarabuza

Allison Hand is a Colorado native graduating the Lewis Katz School of Medicine as a dual degree student earning an MD and a Master's in Urban Bioethics. Allison's research interests include urban bioethics, health disparities, reproductive justice, and reproductive health care. Following graduation, Allison is excited to pursue Family Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago starting in July 2025.

Katherine Hanna

Challenges and Public Health Concerns of Chronic Disease Management in United States Prisons Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy

Katherine is a fourth-year medical student from northern Virginia. She attended the University of Virginia for her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Sociology. Upon graduation from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine in May 2025, she will be completing residency in Internal Medicine at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Katherine is graduating as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society and is looking forward to a career focused on health equity, compassionate patient care, and medical education.

9

Brianna Huang-Talbot Graduate Certificate

Brianna is excited to start as a resident in St. Luke's Rural Psychiatry program this year. A 2013 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College, she worked as a published researcher in Boston prior to medical school. Her interests include advocacy, community outreach, holistic and integrative medicine, health impacts of trauma, and collaborative patient care models. She is currently working on a QI project at St. Luke’s to improve mental healthcare access through direct collaboration between PCPs and psychiatrists. Brianna hopes to one day establish an integrative behavioral health practice in an underserved rural area.

DeMario Malone

Fighting for Our Health: Barriers and Pathways to Increase Primary Care Participation in African American Men Thesis Advisor: Dr. Cornelius Pitts

DeMario is DeMario Malone is a 4th-year medical student from St. Louis, Missouri.

Before coming to Temple University, DeMario received his BS in Biology with minors in Psychology and Black Studies at the University of Missouri. DeMario has held many roles at LKSOM, including Community Service Chair of the Temple Student National Medical Association, Political Support Chair of the Student Diversity Council, and a member of the class of 2025 honor board. After Temple, DeMario will begin his family medicine residency at Delaware Valley Community Health in Philadelphia, where he hopes to continue to advocate for underrepresented communities.

10

Carlos Martin Martinez

Navigating the Urban Bioethical Landscape of Incidental Findings Within Radiology: A Look at Disparities Thesis Advisor: Prof. Nicolle Strand

Carlos Martinez is a 4th year dualdegree LKSOM medical student completing the MAUB program and was inducted into AOA. He received a B.A. in Environmental Biology from Columbia University. His passion for ecology evolved into an interest in social determinants of health and in the intricate connections between broader technological influences on health outcomes. While at LKSOM, he created a novel elective at NYU-GSOM (Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Foundations and Ethics) and completed his thesis on disparities within radiology on the management of incidental findings.

Next, he will be attending NYU for Diagnostic Radiology Residency.

Douglas Truman Moss III Wounds that Echo: Intergenerational Trauma and the Development of Cluster B Personality Disorders Thesis Advisor: Dr. Peter Simonsson

Douglas Moss is a candidate in Urban Bioethics at Temple University and is currently pursuing an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Georgia State University. His research explores the intersection of intergenerational trauma and structural violence, with a focus on ethical, trauma-informed public health interventions. He is also interested in zoonotic spillover mapping and infectious disease epidemiology in carceral settings. Douglas aims to advance community-based public health strategies that address behavioral health disparities and systemic inequities, and plans to continue his work at GSU. 11

Brittany Opokwu

The Pediatric Mental Health Crisis: Urban Cities and Its Effects on Behavioral Outcomes in Black Children Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy Brittany Opokwu is a native of Pottstown, Pennsylvania and a proud graduate of Temple University. Before graduating with her Bachelor's of Science in Biology in 2018, Brittany established herself as an advocate for minorities in medicine.

Today, Brittany is enrolled as a dual-degree student at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM), simultaneously pursuing her Doctor of Medicine degree as well as a Master of Arts in Urban Bioethics. At LKSOM, she previously held leadership positions as the co-President of Local Affairs of the Student National Medical Association, the President of the Pediatric Interest Group, and a committee member of the annual Racism In Medicine Conference. She is currently the social media manager of the Student Diversity Council. Brittany has a strong passion for pediatric health care and has dedicated her master's thesis work to exploring the nuances of pediatric mental health in urban Black youth. With the utmost gratitude, she has recently matched into her desired pediatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, TX. As a result of her various impactful experiences, she ultimately plans to continue her passion for the promotion of Black students in medicine, and learn new ways in which she, as a soon-to-be physician, can begin to practice patient advocacy and achieve healthcare equity at the local, national, and international level.

Angie Polanco

A Framework for Creating Trauma-Informed Spaces in Medical Education Centering Intimate Partner Violence Thesis Advisor: Dr. Whitney Cabey

Angie Polanco is a first-year emergency medicine resident physician at Cook County Health in Chicago, IL. Originally from the Bronx, NY, and as a nontraditional career changer, she received her medical degree from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in May 2024. She was inducted as a member of the national medical honor society, Alpha Omega Alpha in 2023. Her research interests include trauma-informed care practices and applications in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education, focusing on urban patient populations.

12

Eric M. Rawot

Urban Bioethics, Consumer Sleep Technologies, Health Data, Medicalization, Sleep Tracking, The Quantified Self Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy

Eric Rawot is a fourth-year medical student at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. He previously earned a BA from the University of Pennsylvania in Neuroscience and Philosophy. Eric has research interests in bioethics, bioinformatics, neurology, epilepsy, and sleep. He will be starting his Neurology residency next year at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Joshua B. Somers

Parental Decision-Making and RSV Immunization: Bioethical and Qualitative Insights From North Philadelphia Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brian Tuohy

Josh was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he stayed to complete his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University. He worked for two years at the FDA in an Allergy and Immunology lab before starting medical school, and is currently a fourth-year medical student. He has a strong interest in caring for and supporting pediatric patients and will be starting his Pediatric Residency at Vanderbilt University this summer. Outside of medicine, Josh loves to bike, play tennis and golf, hike and cook. He enjoys trying new restaurants and spending time with his friends and family.

13

Brianna S. Spell Graduate Certificate

Brianna Spell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and is completing her Graduate Certificate in Urban Bioethics, where she has examined the intersection of ethics, health, and social justice. She will earn her Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences in Summer 2025 and begin her Master of Social Work at Rutgers University in Fall 2025. With a strong interdisciplinary foundation and a passion for mental health, health equity, and community empowerment, Brianna is committed to bridging the gap between research and ethical, compassionate care. She aims to drive meaningful change through advocacy, education, and socially responsible practice.

Kristell Michelle Taylor

Ethics of Medical Management of Chronic Pain in Patients With Substance Use Disorder Thesis Advisor: Dr. Brendan Hart

Kristell M. Taylor is a fourth-year medical student enrolled in the dualdegree M.D./Master of Arts in Urban Bioethics program at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

Previously she earned a Master's of Science in Clinical Research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her research interests include pain management and disability. Kristell will be beginning her residency training in 2025.

14

Daniel James Volpone

Treatment Decision-Making in Black Men with Prostate Cancer Treated at Temple University Hospital: An Interview Study Thesis Advisor: Dr. Melanie Cosby

Daniel is a fourth-year medical student graduating with an MD and MA in Urban Bioethics. He previously went to the University of Pittsburgh, where he majored in Neuroscience and Psychology and minored in Sociology and Chemistry. Next, he will begin Psychiatry residency at the University of Maryland.

Tia Walker

Medical School Pipeline Programs: A Solution to Improving Diversity in Medicine and Enhancing Local Education in Philadelphia Thesis Advisor: Dr. Melanie Cosby

Tia Walker is a fourth-year medical student at Temple University. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biology, with a minor in Spanish, from Penn State University. Her thesis was inspired by a program she developed at a high school in North Philadelphia, aimed at introducing students to careers in medicine. Tia has been recognized for her academic excellence and compassion in care through induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. She will be pursuing a residency in General Surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York.

15

Congratulations, Graduates!

Our best wishes toward your continued success in advancing health equity in communities and building a more ethical and socially just society.