An academic-community partnership among San Diego researchers, residents, & organizations.

We are a diverse, multidisciplinary team led by faculty in City Planning, Criminal Justice, Public Administration, and Public Health, and we supervise a team of highly talented students with expertise in fields including Social Work, Public Health, Sociology, Anthropology, Engineering, Psychology, Political Science, and Medicine.

Faculty Leads

A woman with long, wavy gray hair standing outdoors in front of a large tree with broad leaves, wearing a dark button-up shirt.
Founding Director & Faculty Mentor

(She/Her/Ella)

Dr. Megan Welsh Carroll

A woman with long dark hair smiling outdoors near a large tree with peeling bark and green foliage, wearing a green blouse with white speckles and gold earrings.
Faculty Mentor
(She/Her)

Dr. Madison Swayne

A young woman with short blonde hair, wearing a green long-sleeve top and large earrings, smiling outdoors with trees and greenery in the background.
Faculty Mentor

(She/Her)

Dr. Jennifer Felner

A young man with glasses and short dark hair smiling outdoors, standing in front of large banana plants with green leaves and brown trunks.
Faculty Mentor

(He/Him)

Dr. Jerel Calzo

Research Team

Young woman with glasses, long dark hair, wearing a black blazer, white shirt, and a lanyard, smiling in front of a white background with red text.

Tavee Binavi, BS

Web & Social Media Director
Close-up portrait of a young woman with wavy brown hair and light skin, smiling softly outdoors.

Elsa Barakos

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a leopard print top, smiling in a bedroom.
Undergradute Researcher

Annie Mewkill, MS

Graduate Researcher - Mapping Lead

Sergio Olivas Coto

Undergraduate Researcher
A smiling man with dark hair, beard, and fair skin, wearing a navy blue button-up shirt, standing outdoors in front of a brick wall.

Nicholas Gutierrez III, MS, MA

Doctoral Researcher
Young person with long, wavy dark hair, wearing a light blue T-shirt with text, standing against a beige wall.

Nicholas Lindlar

Undergraduate Researcher 
A young man with black hair, wearing a black shirt, standing outside in front of a beige building with trees and bushes in the background.
A smiling man with a dark beard and a shaved head, wearing a gray suit jacket and light blue shirt, posing against a cloudy gray background.

Andy Jose Lopez, BA

Graduate Researcher
A woman with dark hair smiling on a city street with buildings in the background.

Yashvi Sanam

Undergraduate Researcher
Close-up of a smiling woman with long, wavy hair with highlights, wearing a black top and a gold heart necklace, standing against a plain white background.
A young man with curly dark hair smiling, wearing a light green sweater, standing outdoors in front of green foliage.

Ben Cupani

Undergraduate Researcher
A woman with glasses and shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a black and white patterned blouse, standing in front of a backdrop with the words "Hologic" and "Student Symposium," smiling with her eyes closed.

Erin Petersen, BA

Undergraduate Researcher
A young woman with long black hair, smiling and wearing a black polo shirt with a logo that says Friends of MSF, standing in front of a teal green window/door.

Brian Castillo

Graduate Researcher 
A woman with curly black hair taking a selfie outdoors with bright sunlight, grass, and trees in the background.

Cherita Kowalec

Undergraduate Researcher 

Abigail Wan

Undergraduate Researcher 

Zoie Sablan

Undergraduate Researcher 

Want to Join?