OUR TEAM

Dr. Leia Belt

she/her

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Leia Belt, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts (SSHA) Department of Sociology since January 2024. She holds an interdisciplinary PhD specializing...

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Rafael Lomeli

he/him

Research Assistant

Rafael Lomeli is a 2025 graduate of UC Merced, earning a bachelor's degree in Public Health with a minor in Psychology. Originally from Tracy, California, he enjoys listening to music, playing guitar...

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Ana Quintana-Ceja

she/her

Student Researcher

Ana Quintana-Ceja is an undergraduate Sociology and Economics student. She is a native of Merced, where she has been involved in various community organizations since high school. Ana has an interest...

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Dr. Irene Yen

she/her

Principal Investigator

Irene Yen is the principal investigator and director of the HOPe Lab. She received her B.A. from Stanford University and her MPH and PhD from UC Berkeley. She is a social epidemiologist, a public...

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