Meet the Team

Dr. Lina Begdache PhD, RDN, CNS-S, FAND, is the team mentor and advisor for BMINDS. A distinguished professor with expertise in nutrition, dietetics, and neuroscience, she oversees all research assistants and their work. She is a registered dietitian, certified nutrition specialist-scholar, Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. Dr. Begdache has been researching diet and its interaction with a variety of factors for many years. She has successfully published several of these studies.

Katelyn Wasilenko is the current Lead Researcher on the team. She guides her fellow research assistants and monitors all research, projects, and events to ensure they are carried out with accuracy and excellence. Katelyn also served as the Outreach and Education chair for the 2024-25 academic year. 

Danielle Crivelli is the current Assistant Research Lead for the team. She provides support and mentorship to fellow research assistants and works closely with the Lead Researcher to help coordinate ongoing projects. Danielle also served as the Public Relations Chair for the 2024-25 academic year. 

Rania Khan is a Research Assistant and the current Lead Outreach Strategist for the team. Her contributions include overseeing all outreach events and implementing strategies to promote awareness of the team's mission and findings. She leads the planning of the annual Walk for Wellness. Rania also served as the Finance Chair for the 2024-25 academic year. 

Maha Naeem is a Research Assistant and the current Internal Outreach & Education Chair for the team. She coordinates with campus resources to create events that grow the public's knowledge, involvement, and awareness of nutrition research. One of Maha's key initiatives is the semesterly BMINDS Healthy Eating Cooking Workshops.

Joseph Darrell is a Research Assistant and the current External Outreach & Education Chair for the team. His duties include building relationships with external organizations and community groups to engage diverse audiences and raise awareness about the team's mission. Joe helps to create meaningful, positive change outside of Binghamton University. 

Vaishu Saravanakumar is a Research Assistant and the current Manuscript Chair for the team. Her responsibilities include overseeing the writing, editing, and submission of research manuscripts, ensuring all work meets high academic standards through close collaboration with team members.

Marissa Pagnutti is a Research Assistant and the current Public Relations Chair for the team. Her tasks include devloping and managing social media platforms to expand our audience. She works alongside the Ongoing Outreach Chairs to develop reliable and engaging educational posts. 

Sarah Al-Aubaidy is a Research Assistant and the current Financial Chair for the team. Her duties include creating fundraisers and managing BMINDS finances. Sarah tracks expenses, maintains accurate financial records, and supports funding opportunities to help advance the team's goals. 

Ushima Chowdhury was the Lead Researcher on the team during the 2024-25 academic year. Her duties involved leading her fellow research assistants alongside overseeing all research work, projects, and events. She also served as the Outreach and Education chair for the 2023-24 academic year and the Public Relations chair for the 2022-23 academic year. Ushima will be attending Stony Brook Medical School this fall.

Gabrielle Castillo was the Assistant Research Lead for the team during the 2024-25 academic year. Her responsibilities included supporting and guiding her fellow research assistants and assisting the Lead Researcher. Gabrielle also served as the Public Relations Chair for the 2023-24 academic year. Gabrielle is taking a gap year and plans to attend medical school afterward.

Katerina Nagorny was the Lead Researcher on the team during the 2023-2024 academic year. Her duties included guiding her fellow research assistants and overseeing all research projects. Katerina also served as the Outreach and Education Chair during the 2022-2023 academic year. Katerina will be attending Upstate Medical School in Fall 2025.

Sabrina Bubis was the Assistant Lead Researcher on the team during the 2023-2024 academic year. Her duties included supporting and guiding her fellow research assistants and assisting the Lead Researcher. Sabrina also served as the Financial Chair during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Sabrina has been accepted at New York Institute College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she aims to develop into a compassionate physician and contribute to the healthcare field! 

Sarah Livshits was the Financial Chair of the team during the 2023-2024 academic year. Her duties included creating fundraisers and keeping track of BMINDS finances. She also worked alongside the Outreach and Education Chair to organize events, such as the semesterly BMINDS Healthy Eating Cooking Workshops. 

Alexis Valerius was the Co-Presentation Chair on the team during the 2023-2024 academic year. Her duties included coordinating potential presentations for the team and creating presentations catered to the audience BMINDS is presenting for.

Alexis is currently attending UNC Chapel Hill to pursue her Master’s in Public Health in the Health Behavior Concentration. She hopes to address chronic disease prevention through both research and program implementation in her future career in public health.

Elliott Ifraimov was the Co-Presentation Chair on the team during the 2023-2024 academic year. His duties included coordinating potential presentations for the team and creating presentations catered to the audience BMINDS is presenting for.

Lexi Rosenberg was the Lead Researcher for BMINDS during the 2022-2023 academic year. Her responsibilities included guiding and supporting all research assistants to help the team reach its ongoing goals of continuing its research and disseminating its findings. Lexis also served as the Presentation Chair during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Lexi is currently attending Kansas City University: Osteopathic Medical School 

pursuing her dream of becoming a physician

Megan Welch was the Assistant Lead Researcher for BMINDS during the 2022-2023 academic year. Her responsibilities included supporting and guiding all research assistants, recording meeting minutes, and updating the website. Megan also served as the Financial Chair during the 2021-2022 academic year. 

Lindsey Moser was the Social Media Chair during the 2021-2022 academic year. Her responsibilities included creating different social media accounts and increasing our audience. She worked alongside the Ongoing Education Chair to develop reliable and valid posts. 

Lindsey has completed her masters degree in Nutrition and she became a Registered Dietitian 

Gerard Dempsey was the Lead Researcher for BMINDS and one of the co-founding individuals for this group during the 2021-2022 academic year. His responsibilities included guiding and supporting all research assistants to help the team reach its ongoing goals of continuing its research and disseminating its findings. He is also one of the founders of the team.

Michael Colabelli was the Assistant Lead Researcher for BMINDS during the 2021-2022 academic year. His responsibilities included supporting and guiding all research assistants. He also served as the financial chair during the spring semester of 2020. Michael is currently a registered nurse at Weill Cornel Medical Center

Tharsana Kumarasivam was the Communications Chair during the 2021-2022 academic year. Her responsibilities included reaching out to organizations and conferences to set up presentation opportunities for the group.

Rachel Molzon was the Ongoing Education Chair during the 2020-2021 academic year. Her responsibilities included developing informative social media posts and continuing the team's literature review to keep our posts current and accurate.

Alexandra Pritsker was the presentation chair during the 2020-2021 academic year. Her responsibilities included leading presentation planning and creation for all presentations for the team. 

Casey McKenna was one of the founding individuals of BMINDS and played an integral role in creating and organizing BMINDS into the official team it is today. She served during the 2019-2021 academic years.

Casey is currently attending The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine School