about us
What is it really like to be a young person in America?
Policymakers, school boards, community leaders, and the media talk a lot about young people and make laws on behalf of young people, without ever asking what youth really think.
MyVoice was created to give young people an effective way to share their real-time thoughts and opinions on the issues that matter most in their lives.
Many young people feel like their voices aren’t heard by the people shaping their schools, communities, and country. With MyVoice, young people across the United States can sound off on issues that matter today, in our weekly, text message-based polls. We chose text messaging as the way to hear from young people because this fits so easily with their day-to-day lives. Do you know anyone that doesn’t text? Responses are quickly analyzed so they can be shared with the policy makers, public agencies, and community groups that are making decisions that impact young people’s lives.
Here is a link to learn more about us!
The goal of MyVoice is to lift up the voices and experiences of today’s youth in ways that help local and national leaders create more youth-friendly policies and programs!
Our Team
Tammy Chang
Tammy Chang is a family doctor and researcher with a passion for helping young people stay healthy. Her research uses text messaging and social media to understand what young people think is important. Her favorite food is ice cream and she loves to dance!
Xochitl Amaro
Xochitl Amaro is a student at the University of Michigan and is interested in studying Public Health. She joined the MyVoice team in October of 2019 as a member of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, and she hopes to pursue a career in the medical field working with youth. In her spare time, Xochitl enjoys playing with her dog Kane, watching movies, and baking.
Mikayla Barry
Mikayla Barry is a doctoral student in the departments of Nutritional Sciences and Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Her research primarily focuses on the intersections of food insecurity (lack of money for food) and disordered eating. In her free time, she enjoys reading/writing poetry and exploring new places.
Claire Chang
Claire Chang is a medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School. She is interested in primary care and chronic disease management and prevention. She loves ice cream, dogs, and spending time outside.
Melissa DeJonckheere
Melissa DeJonckheere is an assistant professor in the University of Michigan’s Department of Family Medicine, with expertise in community-based participatory research (CBPR) as well as qualitative and mixed methodological study design. Her primary interest is use of CBPR and mixed methods approaches to investigate health disparities in childhood and adolescence, including chronic stress and social determinants of health.
Abby Frank
Abby Frank is a student at Community High School in Ann Arbor. She has been interested in medicine for years and hopes to become an OB/GYN. In her free time she loves to cook, paint, help others, and spend as much time outdoors as possible.
Tim Guetterman
Tim Guetterman is a researcher in the Department of Family Medicine at University of Michigan who specializes in mixed methods research which is a combination of quantitative (numbers) and qualitative (based on words) research. He is so well known in this area that he teaches a class on it to junior researchers.
Nicole Hadler
Nicole Hadler is a lieutenant in the United States Navy and a first-year resident in the Department of Psychiatry, Naval Medical Center, San Diego and a recent graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School. She is interested in studying and improving mental health among adolescents and young adults. In her free time, she enjoys going on hikes, running, and playing tennis.
Aspen Hanson
Aspen Hanson is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan planning to major in engineering. She hopes to pursue a career in theme park engineering and help create a place that encourages everyone to have fun and be themselves. She joined the MyVoice team in the fall of 2020 as a member of Michigan Research and Discovery Scholars. In her spare time, Aspen enjoys hiking with her dogs Jax and Charlie, playing softball, and reading.
Kelsey Herbert
Kelsey Herbert is a medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her passion for adolescent health stems from her prior years spent as a middle school teacher and coach. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, and entertaining friends and family.
Jack Nawrocki
Jack Nawrocki is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan majoring in Biology, Health, and Society. He plans to go onto dental school and one day become an Orthodontist. In his free time, Jack enjoys weightlifting, playing sports, and spending time with friends and family.
N’dea Moore-Petinaki
N’dea Moore-Petinak is a doctoral student in the Department of Health Management & Policy at the University of Michigan. She is interested in the impact of federalism on health disparities, as well as political involvement in health. Outside of work, she is on a mission to visit 30 countries before she turns 30.
Kelsey Rose
Kelsey Rose is a dietetian at Michigan Medicine who focuses on care of eating disorders. She completed her internship for the treatment of eating disorders at Simmons University and received a Master of Public Health from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the prevention of eating disorders and disordered eating, with a specific interest in promoting body diversity and challenging weight biased beliefs. In her spare time, she loves to spend time outside, especially with her dog, Abeline.
Kendrin Sonneville
Kendrin Sonneville is a Registered Dietitian and researcher at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Her research focuses on adolescent nutrition, and preventing eating disorders. She has experience working with large adolescent cohort studies.
Park Szachta
Arianna Strome
Arianna Strome is a medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School. She is interested in disease prevention and the influence of communication technologies on public health. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, practicing yoga, and spending time with friends and family.
Megha Uberoi
Megha Uberoi is an MPH candidate in the Department of Health Behavior & Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is interested in applying health policy and researching questions in bioethics. In her free time she likes to read and travel!
VG Vinod Vydiswaran
VG Vinod Vydiswaran is a computer scientist in the Department of Learning Health Sciences at University of Michigan. He has expertise analyzing health related data posted on social media. He is also one of a few national experts in natural language processing of online health data, or the automated analysis of online information.
Eric Waselewski
Eric Waselewski is a resident physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan pursuing a career in primary care and sports medicine. When he isn’t in the hospital, he enjoys watching all kinds of sports (especially UofM), lifting, running, video games, and spending time with his friends and wife. His research interests lie in education…maybe.
Marika Waselewski
Marika Waselewski is a research program manager with a background in Biomedical Engineering and Public Health. Her research interests are in use of technology to improve public health outcomes and quality of care. In her free time Marika enjoys cheering on Michigan sports, laughing non-stop with her friends, and being active!
Ian Williams
Ian Williams is a dental student at the University Of Connecticut School Of Dental Medicine. After dental school, Ian plans to specialize in the field of orthodontic medicine. In his free time, Ian enjoys working out, hiking, and playing fetch with his labradoodle.
Astrid Zamora
Astrid Zamora (she/her/ella) is a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is particularly interested in understanding the health implications of exposure to environmental toxicants on youth, as well as the knowledge and perceptions youth have of said environmental toxicants. Outside of her research interests, Astrid enjoys mentoring FGLI students applying to graduate studies, making homemade noodles, and exploring all of the local walking trails with her partner and her Goldendoodle, Dalton.
Our Alumni
Caroline Bartholomew
Caroline Bartholomew joined MyVoice in December 2017 as a research assistant. She graduated from the University of Michigan in April 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Community Action and Social Change. Caroline is interested in parenting and other environmental impacts on child mental/physical health. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school and pursue either a PhD in developmental or clinical psychology.
Kiren Chaudhry
Kiren Chaudhry is the interventionist for the Child Health and Development Lab at the University of Michigan. She graduated from Wayne State University in 2015 with dual degrees in Psychology and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies.
Matt Davis
Matt Davis is a doctor trained in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, with a deep interest in policy issues around child and family health. He is a researcher and director of the Smith Child Health Research Program at the Manne Research Institute at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. He was the previous director of the National Poll on Children’s Health and the National Voices project, two national polling organizations.
Alyshia Dyer
Alyshia M. Dyer is an Ypsilanti native and first-generation college student pursuing a dual masters in Public Policy and Social Work from University of Michigan. Alyshia is interested in policy relating to the justice system, restorative justice, poverty elimination, and enhancing equity on a local level. Her hobbies include improvisational theater (improv), traveling, strategy games, and collecting rocks.
Matt Dunn
Matt Dunn is an MPH candidate in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He is interested in social and environmental determinants of health, as well as how public policy can be used to improve population health. Outside of work, he can always be found in Michigan Stadium on college football Saturdays.
Nathan Elder
Nathan Elder is a summer student researcher and attends the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is interested in promoting healthy lifestyle through patient education and empowerment. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, hiking, and exercising.
Jayde Frederick
Jayde Frederick is a pre-med student at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama and aspires to attend medical school to become a physician. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and drawing as a freelance artist. Her goal is to inspire as well as mentor young women to follow their passion in pursuing STEM-related fields and to use their knowledge as a way of giving back to their communities.
Vinaya Gogineni
Vinaya Gogineni is a medical student at the University of Toledo College of Medicine & Life Sciences. She is interested in adolescents’ reproductive health, preventive medicine, and health communication. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, painting, and exploring new dessert places!
Alice Guo
Alice Guo is a coding coordinator at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Her research interests include child and adolescent development; within My Voice, she is focuses on youth and social media use.
Omar Ilyas
Omar Ilyas graduated from the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan in 2019. He analyzes the intersection between health outcomes and water contamination as a research fellow with the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) based in Pakistan and manages a nonprofit called Paani to provide water infrastructure to low-income countries. His interests range from international development to domestic inequities.
Noa Kim
Noa Kim is the informatics lead for MyVoice project. Noa is a user experience designer working for the University of Michigan Medical School. MyVoice aligns with their professional mission to develop digital and analog experiences that provoke, nourish curiosity, and support communities. In their spare time, they enjoy riding their scooter, listening to podcasts, and posting elaborate instagram stories of their cat BB.
Karissa Koomen
Karissa Koomen is a Research Assistant and an undergraduate nursing student at the University of Michigan. Her professional interests include labor and delivery, nutrition, and women’s health. In her free time she enjoys running, playing soccer, camping, and cooking/eating.
Sunghee Lee
Sunghee Lee is a researcher at a University of Michigan research center, the Institute of Social Research. She has expertise in in survey sampling, or the science of ensuring the representation of diversity among study participants.
Kerrie Leonard
Kerrie Leonard is a research assistant for the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. In Fall 2018, she will be attending graduate school at North Dakota State University, where she will study Developmental Science. In her free time, she enjoys cooking with friends, being outside, and reading.
Anish Mandala
Anish Mandala is currently a first-year medical student at Northeast Ohio Medical School as part of the joint 6-year BS/MD program with the University of Akron. After medical school he wants to pursue a career in cardiology. Anish is originally from Grand Haven, MI and outside of school he enjoys watching football and participating in fantasy football leagues with his friends. He also enjoys playing tennis, which he played in high school, and spending time with his family.
Michelle Moniz
Michelle Moniz is an Obstetrician Gynecologist at the University of Michigan with an interest in adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and health policy. She pursues this interest both through her research and her time seeing patients in clinic.
Lauren Nichols
Lauren Nichols is the coordinator for the MyVoice project in the Department of Family Medicine (at University of Michigan). At work she is interested in helping all people get and stay healthy, and in delivering information about healthy behaviors that makes sense to them. Outside of work, she likes to shop, chase her cats around the house for attention, and spend time outside.
Cathy Park
Cathy Park is a user experience designer at University of Michigan Medical School and a graduate from the School of Information at University of Michigan. She is interested in improving users’ experience on websites to support the community of MyVoice. In her spare time, she enjoys watching movies and exploring different types of food and coffee.
Missy Plegue
Missy Plegue is statistics and data lead and an early and essential member of the MyVoice project. Missy works as a biostatistician at the University of Michigan Medical school, where she supports and assists faculty, residents and staff with statistical analysis at all stages of research including writing of grants, development of methods, data collection, analyzing data and preparation of manuscripts.
Keagan Pratt
Keagan Pratt is an undergraduate at the University of Michigan and a research assistant with MyVoice. His professional interests include healthcare administration and healthcare policy. In his free time he enjoy reffing and playing hockey, finding new music, being active, and spending time with friends and family.
Maggie Riley
Maggie Riley is a family medicine doctor at University of Michigan and the Medical Director of the Ypsilanti Health Center. She is interested in keeping adolescents healthy in clinic, and is experienced in asking and applying youth input to research and project development. Outside of work she likes to spend time with her kids, run, and eat chocolate.
Sam Schuiteman
Sam Schuiteman is a medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School. He has experience shaping policies affecting young people from his years working on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. Outside of school he likes exploring coffee shops and trying out new recipes.
Alison Schulte
Alison Schulte is a senior at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She interned with the Healthy Minds Network at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health in 2016. Her overarching goal is to promote fair treatment of and effective support for mental health patients.
Kate Siroky
Kate Siroky is a medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School who is pursuing Family Medicine as a career. She is interested in adolescent health and reproductive policy. Outside of school she enjoys exploring Ann Arbor’s many running trails.
Tamara Terraza
Tamara Terraza was born and raised here in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is currently going into her senior year at Skyline High School, with the anticipation of graduating in the summer of 2019. After she graduates, she plans on majoring in nursing, to pursue her dream as a registered nurse.
Our Partners
