Menu
Arleen Lopez is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit and a Master of Public Health student at the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a B.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience and Biology with a minor in Psychology and an Honors College concentration from Rutgers University-Newark. As a first-generation college graduate and immigrant, Arleen’s passion for health equity is deeply rooted in her own experiences as a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patient. Her professional journey spans roles in patient advocacy, medical scribing, and patient registration in Newark, NJ, to her current work in clinical research in Philadelphia, where she has witnessed firsthand the barriers LEP patients face in accessing care. Arleen plans to attend medical school to combine her interest on primary care and health equity research using behavioral science.
Motivated to address these challenges, Arleen co-founded Interlingual, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects multilingual student volunteers with community facilities to provide healthcare information in patients’ native languages. As the Director of Interlingual, she oversees operations, mentors undergraduate members, and applies her research expertise to drive the organization’s impact. Her contributions have earned recognition, including the OZY Genius Award in 2021 and acknowledgment from the Mount Sinai Diversity Innovation Hub. In 2024, Arleen presented Interlingual’s work at the Salud Summit in Washington, DC, highlighting its role in advancing health equity for underserved communities.
Arleen is committed to creating equitable healthcare systems through innovation and implementation research. She plans to pursue an advanced degree focused on language access, healthcare quality improvement, and equitable clinical practices. In her free time, Arleen enjoys painting, running, attending concerts, and curating Spotify playlists.
Harrison Chiu is a PGY-1 Family Medicine and Psychiatry resident at Iowa Health Care. Harrison received his MD from New Jersey Medical School, and B.A in Biology with a minor in Spanish at Rutgers University-Newark Honors College. He was involved in the theoretical background in the Translation & Interpreting Program and helped develop Interlingual as an Innovation Coach from Mt. Sinai’s Diversity Innovation Hub.
His background includes work in governance and advocacy, where he implemented a $200,000 emergency funding grant, the first cross-campus Basic Needs Coalition during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently a tenants association for 500+ residents. He has seen the impact of identity-based barriers as a child of immigrants, a former Newark resident, and a medical student. Along with the confounders and other Board of Trustees, he believes in Interlingual as an empathetic solution.
Reyna Moreira-Trochez is a student doctor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School with a B.S. in Sciences, a minor in French and Francophone Studies from Pennsylvania State University and an M.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences. A first-generation college graduate, she draws inspiration from translating for her mother in clinics growing up, a Global Medical Brigade service trip to Honduras, her mother’s home country, and as an EMT, which inspired her to pursue medicine in underserved areas to help bridge access. Due to this exposure and her personal life experiences as a proud daughter of immigrants raised in Newark, NJ, her passion for the intersection of language and health equity has inspired her to help develop Interlingual. She wants to make positive impacts as a future physician, both locally and globally.
As Community Outreach Chair for Interlingual, Reyna has contributed through the Mount Sinai Diversity Innovation Hub, OZY Genius Awards, poster presentation at Medical Organization for Latino Advancement (MOLA) in Chicago, and helped establish the RU-N Interlingual Chapter.
Recently moving to NYC, Reyna likes to spend her free time running in Central Park, binge watching anime or reality TV, and exploring restaurants with friends and family as a passionate foodie.
Katherine Chavarria is a student doctor at Rowan-Virtua School of Medicine and an alumnus of Montclair State University (MSU) where she obtained a B.S in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. While at MSU, she was Lab Manager of the Cognitive Neuroimaging Lab and a member of the EMS squad at Montclair State University and Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP). She has experience working as a Certified Nursing Assistant and Medical Assistant, where she served a large Spanish-speaking patient population in understanding their health, diagnoses, and treatment plans through interpreting. Her experiences in the healthcare field have led to the development of Interlingual, in an effort to break down the language barrier that exists in healthcare and improve the quality of care given to non-English speaking individuals. As she looks to her future, Katherine aspires to become a family medicine physician and continue to serve a large underserved minority population to help improve their health.
Katherine enjoys listening to music, singing/karaoke, watching documentaries, and spending time with family and friends
Brithany is a junior at Rutgers University-Newark on the pre-medical track and part of the Honors Living Learning Community (HLLC). She is majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior and double minoring in Social Justice and Chemistry. This academic school year she is serving as the President for Interlingual. At RU-N, Brittany works as a Scarlet Ambassador at the Admissions Office. Additionally, she is an undergraduate research assistant for the Headley Neuro Lab on campus. She works as the community service director and as Peer Mentor to freshman students at the HLLC.
Drawing from a range of experiences, including those stemming from her own background with immigrant parents, she has firsthand knowledge of the language gaps that often exist between healthcare professionals and patients. Motivated by a desire for transformation, she aims to contribute to narrowing this divide. Additionally, her concern for minimizing healthcare inequalities and fostering a seamless connection between language and top-notch care underscores her commitment to making a difference.
Alisson López Donado is a junior at Rutgers University-Newark. She is pursuing a major in Neuroscience and Behavior on the premed track. She is also part of the Honors Living Learning Community at RU-N. Alisson is deeply dedicated to raising awareness about health inequities and working together with peers to tackle these issues through solutions that are rooted in both cultural understanding and evidence-based approaches.
Rewan Ahmed is a junior at Rutgers University-Newark on the pre-dental track part of the Health Professions Learning Community (HPLC). She is majoring in Biology and double minoring in Health & Society and Chemistry. This academic school year she is serving as the Volunteer & Partnership Liaison for Interlingual in which her main focus is to recruit new volunteers and partnerships for the chapter. At RU-N she works as a Peer Advisor with the Office of Academic Services (OAS) and is the Internship Officer for Project Dental All (PDA). Off-campus she serves as a Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) ambassador, and volunteers at Children’s Specialized Hospital.
With her various experiences including personal ones having immigrant parents, she has witnessed the language disparities prevalent between healthcare providers and patients and wants to be part of the change to help mitigate the gap. She also has an interest in reducing oral health disparities and bridging the gap between access and oral care. As a future dentist, Rewan strives to provide the best experiences to her community and have a positive impact on their overall health.
Marleen Hanna is the secretary for the Interlingual chapter at Rutgers Newark. Currently a sophomore, she is pursuing a major in Biology with a minor in Chemistry within the Honors College, all while following the pre-dental track. Marleen’s aspirations are driven by a desire to enhance access to dental care and reduce oral health inequalities, particularly in underserved third-world countries. The mission of Interlingual strongly resonates with her, given her firsthand experience of communication challenges within the healthcare sector. As a dedicated member, Marleen is committed to mitigating language barriers and promoting awareness on this critical issue through the implementation of innovative language service approaches.
