I am a primary care physician who works with community partners to improve health in immigrant and minority communities. My research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is on understanding and reduce cardiovascular disease disparities in South Asian immigrants. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, bicycling, and reading fiction.
Emily Anderson, MA (Research Project Manager)
Emily holds a Master’s degree in Psychology and is a Research Project Manager in the Feinberg School of Medicine, Center for Community Health at Northwestern University. Her research focuses on how people make decisions about engaging in health-related behaviors and ways to improve health and healthcare through the efficient coordination of health promotion and disease prevention activities across healthcare and community settings. Her additional interests include advancing health equity, eliminating health disparities, and healthcare quality improvement.
Sara Welch, MPH (Manager of Evaluation Core)
Roshita Pandey (Grants Manager)
I supervise all the welfare programs at MAFS to ensure effective implementation as well as bring in the much-needed funds to support these programs. It is a gratifying experience to raise funds for programs and services that empower and transform the lives of countless immigrants from South Asian community!
Apart from work, I am an adventurous fun-loving person and a passionate actor. I also enjoy cooking for my family and friends and going on fun family vacations.
I live by the motto- “if you do good to the world it comes back to you in much greater measure”!
Ayesha Akhtar, MPH (SAB Co-Chair, Director of Education with Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago)
Ayesha Akhtar is the current Director of Education, after having been an Education Coordinator with the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago since 2011. Ayesha is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, where she earned a B.B.A. in accounting, and in 2010 she earned her M.P.H. from the University of Illinois-Chicago, focusing on culturally sensitive approaches to health care. She has over 18 years of experience in public health as an educator in a variety of settings, such as schools, hospitals, and communities at large. She is passionate about improving health literacy and outcomes in communities through education and example in order to help people live empowered and informed lives.
Michael Charley, Director Health and Human Services, (Site Principle Investigator)
Michael Charley is the Director of Health and Human Services at the Skokie Health and Human Services Department. He is the Skokie site’s Principal Investigator.
Margaret Clauson, PhD, Superintendent of Skokie – Morton Grove School District 69
Subia Javed, BSc (Family Liaison/Community Health Specialist)
I work as a family liaison at Skokie School district 69. I help families not only in interpretation and translation (Urdu, Hindi and Gujrati) but also work as a bridge between parents, school and community. I support families in an area needed and also engage them in our community.
Additionally, I work as a community health specialist at Northwestern University in South asian research studies. The main part of my work is to recruit and provide health education which I really enjoy.
In my free time, I like to enjoy the outdoors, hang out with friends and travel.
