Student Research Assistants

Natalie Chong is a doctoral student at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management where she studies health policy and health services research. Her research interests include access to and quality of end-of-life care, as well as aging and health policy issues that impact older adults. She is also an analyst in RTI International’s Quality Measurement and Health Policy Program, where she works to develop performance measures for federal quality reporting programs in post-acute care settings.

Fernanda Escobar is a doctoral student in the Economic and Racial Equity concentration. Her research interests include American immigration policy, immigrant children's and families' experiences, intergenerational mobility, poverty, and equality of opportunity in the United States. She holds a master's degree in public policy with a concentration in poverty alleviation from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Prior to her doctoral studies, Fernanda was a research associate at the Institute for Economic and Racial Equity (formerly IASP), where she did quantitative analyses of national data to help understand the impact of policies on the racial wealth gap. Fernanda has extensive experience in immigration and refugee policy.

Sarah J. Jerome is a doctoral student in the Children, Youth, and Families concentration at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. A public-health researcher and training and technical assistance specialist at Education Development Center, Sarah is dedicated to eliminating health disparities and promoting health equity for disenfranchised, marginalized, and underserved communities through education, capacity building, and advocacy. She is a member of the steering committee for the Arc of Massachusetts and a member of the board of directors of the Haitian Health Institute. Her research interests include exploring intersections of race, disabilities, and systems-navigation and their impact on individual wellness. She aims to apply this knowledge to inform advocacy efforts and relevant policy and practice. Sarah holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Boston University, a certificate in Disability and Health Policy from Suffolk University, and a bachelor's (BS) degree in biology from Oglethorpe University. In 2019, she completed the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship program.

Nicholas Mirin (MPH, MA) is a doctoral student in the Health Policy concentration at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Before joining the doctoral program Nick worked in clinical research environments for several years, both at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, and the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. He received his Master of Public Health degree from the NYU School of Global Public Health in 2021 and a Master of Arts in Social Policy from Brandeis University in 2025. As a social and behavioral scientist with public health training, his research interests center around older adults, long-term care, family caregivers, and the impacts of dementia as a population health issue.