AUCD-ASTHO Disability and Health Data Analysis Webinar

Nassira Nicola

Massachusetts Department of Health

Nassira Nicola (she/they) is the Deputy Director for Access and Inclusion in the Office of Health Equity and Community Engagement in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Their work focuses on building capacity within public-health programs to partner with people with disabilities and those for whom English is not a first language. They have a deep personal and professional background in disability, including many years in the Independent Living movement and consulting on disability data collection in health settings.

Bianey Cristina Ramirez

Massachusetts Department of Health

Bianey Cristina Ramirez (ella/she/her) is the Program Manager for the Health and Disability Program in the Office of Health and Community Engagement in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She is passionate about improving the quality of life for people with disabilities through innovative programming and collaborative initiatives. As a first-generation American and native Spanish speaker, she is committed to advancing disability rights and social justice. “Hacer visible lo invisible,” translates to “Make the invisible visible.”

Audrey Juhasz

Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice, Utah State University

Dr. Audrey Juhasz graduated from USU's Human Development and Family Studies department in 2019. She has expertise and experience in conducting evaluations in a variety of community programs. Her topical interests include early childhood education, specifically around diversity, inclusion, and equity and mental health. Current projects include developing a science curriculum for Indigenous preschoolers enrolled in Head Start, and latent profile analysis of the intersection of language and social emotional development in Spanish-English dual language learners in Head Start.

Rachel Byers

Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice, Utah State University

Rachel Byers has a Master of Public Health degree and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She became passionate about human services provision and research throughout her undergraduate degree while working with children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has experience in management for a residential habilitation service provider, where her interest in disability service provision and research piqued. She is passionate about quality disability service provision and improving health outcomes. She is currently a Project Coordinator in the Research and Training division at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice.

Liz Wood

Washington State University

Dr. Liz Wood is a scholarly assistant professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University. Her research focuses on health equity for people with disabilities, including those who are part of multiple health disparity groups.