Meet the team

Alka Dev (she/her) is the Principal Investigator of MATRIX CoLAB. Her work is inspired by the poverty she witnessed in the streets of her birth country, India, and a relentless childhood desire to understand and address human suffering. Thus, she chose to study and devote her career to issues related to poverty, discrimination, health, and justice. She received her BA in Chemistry and Women’s Studies from the University of North Carolina (‘91), followed by a MHS from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins (‘98). After her masters training, she worked in global health program development and implementation for nearly two decades before returning to school to get a doctorate in maternal health from the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC (‘16).

Alka is an expert program developer, implementor, and evaluator. She brings her implementation experience to her research, focusing on ideas that can transform the experience of maternal health care for pregnant, birthing, and postpartum people in the U.S. and internationally. Alka enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking, meditation, friends and family gatherings, and taking up new hobbies like knitting and skiing.

Sophia Allen (she/her) grew up in Massachusetts and completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience with a minor in Global Health at Middlebury College (‘19), followed by her MPH from the Dartmouth Institute (’22). Sophia currently works as a Project Coordinator for the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center OB-GYN department as well as a Research Assistant in the MATRIX CoLAB. Her current work focuses on the implementation and evaluation of programs designed to identify and respond to social needs among low-income pregnant and postpartum people in rural northern New England, with a strong focus on food and nutrition access.

Sophia brings research, evaluation, and public health fieldwork experience to her current work. In the past, she has worked at the intersection of mental health and substance use. Sophia's professional interests include reforming policies and systems to improve maternal health equity, specifically the provision of affordable, high-quality, patient-centered reproductive health and family planning services. In her free time, Sophia loves to adventure outside (especially while hiking, skiing, and running), as well as spend time with family, friends, and their dogs.

Sophia Perez (she/her) is a Research Assistant in the MATRIX CoLAB and Lab Coordinator of the Health Equity and Advocacy Lab. She studied at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, earning her Master of Public Health in 2022. During her Master’s program, Sophia focused her efforts on epidemiology, especially in maternal health. In her role as a maternal health equity researcher, Sophia’s current projects focus on disability, postpartum mental health, social determinants of health, and gender-based equity. She also manages the MATRIX website, social media, and newsletter.

Sophia is skilled in data analysis, interpretation, and communication, including through writing. Project implementation is another strength of hers. Sophia is driven to continuously learn more skills in data, writing, and project implementation. Outside of work, some of Sophia’s favorite things are baking, sewing, reading, and weekly family dinners.

Justin Herrera (he/they), from Brooklyn, NY, is currently a rising senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Public Policy. Currently he is working as a Research Assistant in the MATRIXCo Lab. His research focuses on health equity with some past subjects being black maternal mortality and LGBTQ+ affirming equity. He has previous qualitative research experience at Dartmouth, MIT, and the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network.

In the MATRIX CoLAB, Justin researches access to care for people with disabilities and other subjects in the maternal health field. His research interests include the interactions of health policy and communications in the field of health equity, all of which he hopes to pursue in graduate studies after Dartmouth. He has a passion for community-centered research and hopes to continue to expand his research repertoire and find new ways to help underserved communities.

Outside of the lab Justin spends his time co-leading the Dartmouth Alliance for Children of Color, reading, writing and playing video games.

Uma Alagappan (she/her), from Oyster Bay, NY, is a graduating senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Quantitative Social Science with a focus on the critical study of humanitarianism. She currently works as a Research Assistant in the MATRIXCo Lab. Her research focuses on the maternal healthcare experiences and outcomes of folks with disabilities.

Uma brings qualitative research experience, quantitative analysis skills, and direct service experience within healthcare to her current work. Within the field of health equity, she hopes to contribute to work that centers quality of life for folks living with disability and chronic illness, mental health support for LGBTQIA+ communities of color, and the social and emotional dimension of palliative care. In her free time, Uma enjoys reading, singing, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

Sharanya Subramaniam grew up in Troy, Michigan, and graduated from Michigan State University (‘22) in Neuroscience with a minor in Anthropology. She is completing her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Dartmouth Institute (‘24). She is a research assistant in the MATRIX Co-Lab. Her research focuses on the maternal healthcare experience and the disparities that affect those with disabilities in this population.

Sharanya is dedicated to providing compassionate and empathetic healthcare to individuals. She brings research and clinical experience to her work in the MATRIX Co-Lab. She has enjoyed working in various healthcare jobs with a diverse patient population. Sharanya is on a pre-medical path with hopes to become a doctor and has interests in Psychiatry. She is interested in patient-centered care and healthcare delivery to improve health equity. She is excited to enter a new field of research and continue to expand her understanding of health inequities. In her free time, Sharanya can be found reading a book from her never-ending “to-be-read” list or trying out a new artsy hobby every few months.

Alan Ngouenet is a junior at Dartmouth College completing a major in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research and a minor in Statistics. He currently works as a research assistant in the MATRIX CoLAB under the Class of 1974 Health Equity Scholarship but has prior experience working with Dr. Dev to explore female health and autonomy across 13 developing countries. His current research focuses on health outcome disparity through the lens of race and gender.

Alan bridges his analytical background with strategic problem-solving to efficiently contribute to his research. He hopes to dissect the health outcome disparities and dive deeper into these critical issues to generate insights that can help remedy the pervasive health equity disparities that are embedded within the healthcare system. Aside from MATRIX CoLAB, Alan likes to read and loves the outdoors; he currently finds repose in skiing and fly fishing.

Esmeralda Abreu (she/her), from the Bronx, NY, is a junior at Dartmouth College studying Geography and Quantitative Social Sciences with a focus on the intersection between health and race. She currently works as a Research Assistant in the MATRIXCo Lab under the Class of 1974 Health Equity Scholarship. Her current research focuses on maternal healthcare outcomes for people with disabilities.

Esmeralda brings quantitative analytical skills, qualitative research experience, and health equity organizing experience to her work. Within the field of health equity, her research interests lie at the intersection of data and Black maternal care. After Dartmouth, she plans to pursue this through graduate studies aiming for an MPH/PhD. Outside the lab, Esmeralda spends her time working with the FUERZA Farmworkers’ Fund, reading, singing, and watching movies with friends.