Our Team
Dr. Philip A. Chan, MD
Dr. Chan is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Brown University and an Attending Physician in Infectious Diseases at The Miriam Hospital, a major Brown University teaching affiliate. Dr. Chan is also Chief Medical Officer at Open Door Health, the state’s first LGBTQ+ Health Care Center. Drawing on core competencies of conducting research, providing culturally competent care and training the public health workforce, Open Door Health offers educational training for medical and other health professions’ students. Open Door Health will also serve as hub for research focused on improving LGBTQ + health.
Dr. Chan also serves as Consultant Medical Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, and TB and is actively engaged in many clinical and community-based public health programs to respond to HIV, Hepatitis C, STDs and COVID-19 in Rhode Island.
Danielle Le Brazidec
Danielle Le Brazidec received her Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from Emory University and her Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Biology from Brown University. As Research Project Director her responsibilities involve contributing to scientific writing and publications. In her free time, Danielle enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Alexi Almonte
Alexi Almonte completed a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology at Brown University. On the team, Alexi is a research project coordinator. His primary responsibilities are data management and IRB management. He is also the program coordinator for Testing 1-2-3, an online testing service created by the Department of Health. In his spare time, Alexi plays the accordion.
Jun Tao
Dr. Tao is an assistant professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Brown University and is an infectious diseases epidemiologist at the Miriam Hospital. She had a Bachelor’s degree in Preventive Medicine at Tianjin Medical University and completed her Master’s degree in Immunology at the Chinese Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (China CDC). Subsequently, Dr. Tao went to Vanderbilt University for her Ph.D. education in Epidemiology. Her main research interest is HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Dr. Tao received a career award (K01) to promote pre-exposure prophylaxis among African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men. She is also interested in machine learning and implementation science to promote health behavior change. In her free time, she likes cooking and baking.
Matt Murphy
Dr. Murphy is an Assistant Professor of Medicine with a secondary appointment as Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Additionally, he is Medical Director of Open Door Health, an initiative of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute, and Rhode Island’s first comprehensive primary care clinic dedicated to meeting the needs of the state’s LGBTQ+ population. Dr. Murphy is also a staff physician at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections where he manages a number of population health programs including HIV prevention programming, Hepatitis C treatment and gender affirming care.
Dr. Murphy’s research interests align with his clinical work, which focus on reducing health disparities among marginalized populations. Dr. Murphy has significant experience working with vulnerable populations globally. His work has been supported by the NIH, the CDC, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization and the European Commission. He was a Fulbright research fellow in Morocco where he conducted descriptive analyses of the country’s national HIV program. He was an Erasmus Mundus fellow and completed the European Masters of Public Health in Spanish at the Andalucian School of Public Health in Granada, Spain and defended his Master’s thesis on global health system reform in French at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sante Public, France’s preeminent public health training institution. Through his global health work, he has acquired a fluency in Spanish, French and Arabic.
He has authored a number of articles that have been published in high impact journals such as the Lancet, the Bulletin of the World Health Organization and the American Journal of Public Health. For his contributions to public health, he has received national recognition from the United States’ Public Health Service and the American Medical Association.
Jack Rusley
Jack Rusley, MD, MHS is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Department of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University. He is an attending physician in the Department of Pediatrics at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital, and provides primary and specialty care to adolescents and young adults at the Adolescent Healthcare Center, the only adolescent and young adult-focused medical home in Rhode Island. His clinical and research interests include HIV prevention, improving primary care services for LGBTQ+ youth, and engaging families in sexual health interventions for youth.
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Brooke G. Rogers
Brooke G. Rogers, Ph.D., M.P.H. she/her is a Research Scientist and Assistant Professor (Research) in the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Washington University in St. Louis, master’s degree in public health at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the University of Miami, and pre-doctoral internship in the Department of Psychiatry at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Rogers research focuses on the intersection of mental health, substance use, and HIV risk and resilience with an emphasis on health equity and improving access to care for underserved and minority communities. In addition to research, Dr. Rogers is a licensed clinical psychologist who provides direct clinical services through our program, Project Break. In her free time she enjoys exercising, reading, and traveling.
Emily Toma
Emily Toma received her Bachelor’s of Arts from Wheaton College Massachusetts in 2019, with a major in public health and a minor in political science. She joined the Do It Right team as a research assistant in May of 2020. She is involved in projects focused on HIV prevention and PrEP in high-risk populations and keeping those newly diagnosed with HIV engaged in care. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, hiking, and playing guitar. Emily uses she/her pronouns.
Alexandra Zanowick-Marr
Alexandra Zanowick-Marr, MPH, graduated from the Case Western Reserve University Integrated Graduate Studies Program (’20), simultaneously earning her Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and Master of Public Health. During this time, she pursued independent, grant-funded research into pharmaceutical repurposing of Montelukast as a SOURCE Scholar, and partnered with the Ohio Center for Survivors of Torture to develop an expressive art therapy and digital literacy course for resettled refugees. Her interests include the provision of culturally conscientious, sustainable care to marginalized populations, and ethical humanitarian aid. Currently, she coordinates the R01 PrEP Continuum Study and Brown University AIDs Program (BRUNAP). In her free time, she enjoys photography and keeping her adopted wiener dog, Ellie, out of trouble.
Annaka Paradis Burnett
Annaka Paradis, ScM (she/her) is a senior research assistant on the Do It Right team. Following her graduation from Smith College in 2018 with a bachelor’s in psychology, chemistry, and community engagement, she spent a gap year working with adult learners in a high school equivalency program. She completed her ScM at Brown University in 2021, where she studied Behavioral and Social Health Sciences. Annaka’s research interests include rural health, opioid use disorder and its associated stigma, and health equity. Most recently, she served as second author on a paper with Dr. Rogers examining the effects of COVID-19 on street-based sex workers. In her free time, Annaka loves to bake, do Zumba, and lament the early cancellation of Veronica Mars.
JD Crooks
JD Crooks joined the Lifespan team as a Community Outreach coordinator/ODH Liaison in May 2021. He graduated from Roger Williams University with a masters in Forensic Psychology and has specialized in juvenile sex offender therapy, substance abuse group therapy, and sexual abuse and risk assessment. He has worked as a child and family therapist and a psychometrician.
Stacey Ferreira
Stacey Ferreira Received her BS in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island. As Budget and Financial Analyst, Stacey’s responsible for the team’s overall financial management, including budget preparation, financial planning and analysis. When not working, Stacey enjoys gardening and spending time with family and friends