Meet the research team
Principal Investigators
Aprilfaye Manalang, PhD, MA
April (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Liberal Arts at Norfolk State University. Her research interests include immigration, transnationalism, sociology of religion, questions of citizenship, as well as race and ethnicity.
Christian (he/him) is an Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences in the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University Medical Center. His present research is focused on the health and well-being of Filipino communities locally in New York and nationally across the United States.
Christian Gloria, PhD, MA, CHES
David (he/him) is the Director of the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary. He teaches courses and organizes programs on Asian American theology. His research and writing focus on the faith and practice of ordinary Asian Christians in diasporic context.
David Chao, PhD, ThM, MDiv
Project Associates
Janice “Apple” Dantes, JD
Janice (she/her) is a passionate attorney specializing in family law serving the legal needs of the Filipino community in Chicago, IL. She is a former president of the Filipino American Lawyer Association and currently runs the organization’s pro bono legal clinic AGiLA (Attorneys Giving Legal Advice), a satellite clinic of Chicago Volunteer Legal Services.
Geo Mirador
Geo (he/him) is an investor at True Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley. He graduated from Norfolk State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Business. He takes great pride in having been a first-generation college student and American.
Research Associates
Melanie (she/her) is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Instructor in the College of Nursing at Lewis University with over two decades of bedside nursing experience. In addition to teaching and mentoring, she is a Nursing PhD student at Loyola University of Chicago researching growth mindset in undergraduate minority nursing students.
Melanie Obispo-Young, RN, APRN
Joanne Michelle (she/her) holds a Doctor of Public Health from Columbia University and a Master of Science from Georgetown University. She specializes in global public health and humanitarian crises. Her doctoral work examined how the COVID-19 pandemic affected mental and psychosocial health in low- and middle-income settings in Southeast Asia.
Joanne Michelle “JM” Ocampo, DrPH, MS
Research Assistants
Hans Carlo Rivera
Carlo (he/him, they/them) is a Mental Health Specialist at Virginia Tech. They are pursuing a Master of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a focus on global mental health research and advocacy. Their work highlights sustainable and equitable community-based solutions to mental health issues and stigma.
Kianna Mahony
Kianna (she/her) is a Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School. She is a student participant in the Religious Literacy and the Professions Initiative, where she is focused on researching how religion presents itself in public life.
Maria Theresa Largo
Ther (she/her) is a Master of Arts Clinical Psychology student at Teachers College, Columbia University with a degree in Psychology from the University of the Philippines. Her primary research interest is cultural psychopathology, particularly the intersections between culture, other social determinants, and mental health and well-being.
Katalyna Weir
Katalyna (she/her, they/them) is a recent Interdisciplinary Studies graduate of Norfolk State University with concentrations in English, Japanese, and Business. They are pursuing further education at the University of Tokyo and are dedicated to the expansion and sharing of knowledge through ethical research.
Yanan Rahim Melo
Yanan (he/him) is a writer from Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, whose work has been featured in Christianity Today, Sojourners, Bittersweet Monthly, Geez Magazine, Inheritance Magazine, Interfaith America, and more. He is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary, studying the intersections of race, religion, and ecology.
Aimary Rubio
Aimary (she/her) is a recent graduate of the Master of Arts Clinical Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has two years of experience working on community-based projects in the nonprofit sector and is interested in health equity and health systems strengthening.
Research Interns
Gloria Oladejo
Gloria (she/her) is a high school student passionate about research, fact-finding, and ethical storytelling. She aspires to pursue a career in journalism and integrate scholarship into her work.
Mary Balid
Mary (she/her) is a high school student deeply interested in the intersection of health and care of Filipinos. In 2022, she co-founded HaluHalo Journal, an international teen journal, in an effort to highlight the voices of Southeast Asian youth.