Director

Natalia Rodriguez, PhD, MPH
Dr. Rodriguez is an Associate Professor at Purdue University in the Department of Public Health and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. She earned BS degrees in Chemical Engineering and Biology from M.I.T., a PhD. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, an M.P.H. from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and completed postdoctoral training in the Medical Devices Unit of the World Health Organization. In 2019, she started the Health TechQuity Lab, an interdisciplinary research group focused on the design and implementation of rapid diagnostic tests to address health disparities. By meaningfully engaging underserved communities in translational science, her lab employs participatory methodologies to increase adoption of technological innovation, empower community health workforces, and improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Dr. Rodriguez is the recipient of a career development award from the National Cancer Institute and the 2023 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award.

Staff

Lara Balian, MPH
Lara joined the lab in 2020 and serves as the Research Program Lead, overseeing research across all HTQL projects. She earned her Master of Public Health from UNC-Chapel Hill and brings over a decade of experience as a researcher, project manager, and designer in public health settings. Her work sits at the intersection of community-engaged research, human-centered design, and health communication. She also mentors graduate and undergraduate students in qualitative research and science communication, and leads the Indiana Human-Centered Design Seminar Series.

Kalesia Smith
Kalesia is a Community Health Worker that joined The Center for Health Equity and Innovation (CHEqI) in 2023, serving in research with Hypertension patients at Gennesaret Free Clinic and the high school population at Purdue Polytechnical High School. She later joined HTQL, leading our efforts in women’s health with people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis. Kalesia earned her CHW Certification with INCHWA in 2021.

Graduate Students

Mrithula Suresh Babu
Mrithula is a PhD student in public health in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University. Her research interests include reproductive epidemiology and health disparities. She joined the lab in August 2022 and is currently working on the cervical cancer screening project. Going forward in her career, she hopes to build upon her research to bridge the gaps in health care quality and delivery.

Xue (Tracy) Wang Case
Xue is a PhD student in the Department of Public Health at Purdue University. She holds a MBA and a MS degree in Microbiology and Biochemical Pharmacy. Before joining the lab in August 2023, Xue has been working for the pharmaceutical and medical device industry as a clinical program manager. Her research inspiration is to utilize her industry experience in combination with her research to promote health equity and create positive impact to the society.

Gicelle Garcia
Gicelle is a Program Manager and Internship Coordinator for the Center for Health Excellence, Quality, and Innovation, where she supports program implementation, student engagement, and community-focused health initiatives. Gicelle holds an MPH from Indiana University-Indianapolis. She joined the lab in August 2025 as a PhD student. Her goal is to evaluate access to HPV screening delivered through a pharmacy setting to improve early detection. 

Samantha Mata Robles
Samantha is a biomedical engineer from Mexico. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. She earned her degree at the University of Arizona where she did research on point-of-care diagnostic equipment for COVID-19, Lyme disease, and PFOA detection in wastewater. Her research interests include working towards egalitarian health care by developing high quality, affordable medical devices targeting underserved communities using human centered design.

Rebecca (Becca) Ziolkowski
Rebecca is a trained CHW and a PhD student in Public Health at Purdue University. She began working for the lab in 2020 and transitioned from a frontline CHW role to leading research efforts focused on underserved populations, particularly those experiencing homelessness. She works closely with both lab researchers and partner organizations like LTHC Homeless Services and is currently involved in a project funded by a new NIH grant aimed at addressing cervical cancer disparities in homeless populations. Rebecca’s previous work for the lab was leading an onsite COVID-19 education intervention for people experiencing homelessness to assess changes in knowledge and attitudes on COVID rapid testing for a study that is part of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics- Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) program. A Wayne State University Public Health graduate, Rebecca is dedicated to improving health outcomes through community engagement.

Undergraduate Students

Deeksha Badugu
Deeksha is a fourth-year undergraduate student in Biomedical Engineering. She joined the lab in Fall 2025 with an interest in understanding how health solutions can be designed for equitable access. She is passionate about understanding the factors that shape patient access to medical technologies. After graduation she plans to work in healthcare operations, helping ensure that new technologies reach the patients and communities who need them most.

Lauren Hopkins
Lauren is a fourth-year undergraduate student in biology. She joined the lab in January 2024 and is currently a part of the cervical cancer screening for people experiencing homelessness project. After graduation, Lauren hopes to attend medical school, receive an MD/MPH to work in women’s health, and advocate for health equity.

Adeline Jolley

Adeline is a fourth-year undergraduate student in public health. She joined the lab in the summer of 2025 with an interest in health access for people experiencing homelessness, and has been involved with the cervical cancer self-screening for people experiencing homelessness project. Upon graduation she intends to pursue an MPH with a concentration in epidemiology.

Jessica Nwokeji
Jessica is an undergraduate student in medical laboratory sciences. She joined the lab in the fall of 2024 with an interest in the human centered design of health technologies research. After graduating, she plans to use the information learned in the lab to address and minimize health inequities in different communities and populations.

Katherine Schallwig
Katherine is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying brain and behavioral sciences. She has been with the lab since Fall 2025, and is passionate about understanding ways in which policy and medical technology could be used to address barriers to healthcare equality and accessibility. After graduation, she hopes to obtain her MPH and apply her interdisciplinary background to the healthcare space.

Affiliates

Rebecca Martinez
Rebecca is a PhD student in anthropology interested in the application of social theory and methods to understand health as it is situated in culture, society, and people’s lived experiences. As an applied cultural/medical anthropologist, Rebecca joined the lab in August 2020, working on the COVID-19 and Homelessness project. Her MS thesis explored the menstrual health experiences of people experiencing homelessness. After she graduates, she hopes to continue working across disciplines on reproductive health policies, organizational needs, and design and innovation applications.

Janelle Tipton, DNP
Jan is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Purdue University School of Nursing, with over 30 years of clinical experience in oncology as a staff nurse, clinical nurse specialist, and nursing manager. Collaboration and community partnership are central to both her teaching and practice — from cancer prevention to preparing the next generation of nurses. Her partnership with LTHC Homeless Services has brought meaningful clinical training opportunities to students while expanding assessment of women’s health issues, service navigation, and education at the shelter. Jan’s commitment to community and health equity has made her an invaluable collaborator to HTQL in our cervical cancer and homelessness work.

Alumni

Graduate Alumni
Undergraduate Alumni
  • Kamsiyochukwu Stacy Anaedu (2025)
  • Jasmine (Phuong) Bui (2023-26)
  • Gavin Chiu (2024-25)
  • Ivon Natalia Gaitan (2025)
  • Alyssa Arreola (2022-23)
  • Maggie Hesler (2022)
  • Abigail Higgins (2022-24)
  • Anders Hovstadius (2021)
  • Ishita Kataki (2022-24)
  • Jillian Kelley (2022-24)
  • Francesca Kimera (2021-24)
  • Lexi Lahey (2020-21)
  • Justin MacNeill (2020-21)
  • Priscilla Manriquez (2023-24)
  • Darya Mansoori (2022)
  • Jordan Mick (2021)
  • Mallili Morvans (2021)
  • Chimdi Offodile (2022)
  • Elise Oquendo (2022)
  • Sathveka Sembian (2021-24)
  • Shreya Sridhar (2022-23)
  • Nina Elizabeth Teo (2020-21)
  • Cealia Tolliver (2021-24)
  • Andres Torres (2020-21)
  • Hope Young (2021)
  • Brooke Yorio (2023)