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Principal Investigator
Dr. Rebecca E. Lee is a professor in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University. She is a community health psychologist, specializing in participatory research to promote physical activity and healthy eating. Her work focuses on environmental and policy strategies, capitalizes on innovations in technology and improves the quality of neighborhood environments. She draws on community partnerships to maximize impact and outreach for her work with Hispanic and Latino children and families in the U.S. and Mexico.
Program Manager
Montserrat Ganderats Fuentes is a public health professional with a background in nutrition and global health. Her work centers on promoting health equity among Latino communities through culturally grounded initiatives, including school and community food gardens. She has led and supported programs across the U.S. and Latin America that integrate nutrition education, agriculture, and policy strategies to improve food environments. She focuses on participatory approaches that strengthen local capacity and advance sustainable, community-driven solutions to improve health.
Program Coordinator
Joseph (Joey) Rhodes has a background in psychological research with a Master of Science in Psychology. Joey has a strong interest in cultural and social psychology, with an emphasis on how an individual's environment shapes their behavior and interventions that can change these behaviors. Joey hopes to further develop his research skills and interests and contribute to the greater scientific community as a whole while doing so
Volunteers/Students
Cindy Herrick
Cindy is pursuing her PhD in Nursing and Healthcare Innovation and specializes in maternal mental health disorders and mental health policy. Her current research focuses on maternal mortality and suicidality during the perinatal period. In addition to her academic pursuits, Cindy serves as the Senior Editorial and Research Manager at the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, where she leads the development of publications and briefs that highlight policy gaps, evidence-based recommendations, and emerging considerations in maternal mental health (MMH).
Rebecca F. Nelson
Rebecca is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Arizona State University, with a specialization in social and behavioral sciences. Her expertise extends to research methodologies and software, particularly SPSS, ATLAS.ti, NVivo, and the REDCap systems.
Rebecca’s research focuses on analyzing relationships between sociological factors and biological outcomes. She also researches public health nutrition and activity promotion targeted to underserved youth in Maricopa County.
Chris Tsoumou
Chris recently graduated from USC with a degree in Health and Human Sciences and a minor in Spanish. Her experience includes volunteering in an elementary school garden program teaching kids about food and sustainability, as well as working in healthcare research and outreach. She is passionate about bridging education, nutrition, and healthcare to promote long-term well-being, and outside of work she loves cooking and planning dinner parties.
Heaven Perkins
Heaven Perkins is a research student. Throughout this experience, she has learned valuable skills from the staff on how to design and conduct social science research. Her time at SAGE WISE has strengthened her interest in community health through the implementation of gardens in pre-schools, teaching children about nutrition and sustainability.
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