I am a graduate student in Medical Anthropology at Michigan State University and currently conducting research in Costa Rica on the effects of a court ordered and country-wide ban of clinical trials on the livelihoods of those who had been employed within the drug development industry locally.

I worked for twenty-one years in the HIV/AIDS community in Southern California. I held various positions in prevention education, treatment education, peer education, case management and finally outreach for clinical trials enrollment at the UCLA CARE Center.

My professional interests include global health; infectious disease prevention and treatment; global health policy; and the effects of globalization on local health, policies, and economy. My avocations include reading, writing, sailboat racing, cooking, and disco dancing. I am enjoying learning Spanish, living in another country, and starting a new blog.