SALUD Faculty Advisors
Provides faculty mentorship, program guidance, and institutional support for SALUD.
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- Leonor Corsino, MD, MHS
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- Scarlet Soriano, MD, ABOIM
Program Founder — Alex Villeda, MD
Pediatric Critical Care Fellow,
Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Program Medical Student Advisors
Carmella and Natalie previously served as Program Directors and continue to support SALUD through mentorship and program guidance.
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- Carmella Verrastro, MS4
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- Natalie Sanchez Farez, MS4
Program Directors
The Program Directors lead curriculum planning, student mentorship, and overall program coordination for SALUD.
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- Sebastian Perez-Espina, MS3
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- Angelina Nasthas, MS3
SALUD–LMSA Mentorship Coordinator
In this role, Lisbel supports SALUD’s mentorship programming and serves as a liaison between SALUD and the Duke Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA).
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- Lisbel Guzman, MS1
Undergraduate Student Leaders
SALUD Undergraduate Student Leaders are members of the Duke Bass Connections team who serve as both mentors and program architects for the Spring Academy. Beginning in Fall 2025, they met weekly to design curriculum, recruit high school students and mentors, and collaborate closely with program directors to thoughtfully plan and execute the Academy. Their leadership bridges mentorship, curriculum development, and community-building to bring SALUD’s mission to life.
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- Jaqueline Villanueva Govea ’26
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- Hanna Regassa ’26
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- Richard Zhou ’27
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- Sofia Gonzalez ’27
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- Alondra Solis-Barrales ’28
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- Rian Sharp ’28
SALUD 2026 Mentors
SALUD Saturday Mentors dedicate their time each spring to support students throughout Academy sessions. Working in squad-based groups alongside one undergraduate student leader, mentors provide guidance, encouragement, and academic support while fostering a strong sense of belonging and community.
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- Sidney Rojas | DUSOM MS1
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- Taliyah Breeden
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- Giussepe Yanez | DUSOM MS4
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- Paola Rodriguez Freitez | DUSOM MS1
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- Oralia Quinones | DUSOM MS1
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- Lucero Hernandez | DUSOM MS4
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- Valentina Barraza | DUSOM MS1
Previous Team Members
Program Coordinators (2019-2020): Nikki Diaz, Tim Ochoa, Ariana Paniagua, Ana Gomez, Camilo Toro
Undergraduate Mentors (2019-2020): Alex Diaz, Kim Ward, Devi Lakhlani, Fernanda Corona Rizo, James Jackson IV, Erin Lee
Dr. Brigit Carter: Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Duke School of Nursing
Dr. Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda: Dorothy L. Powell Term Chair of Nursing, Duke School of Nursing
Dr. Miriam Feliu: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
Dr. Leonor Corsino: Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Duke University School of Medicine
Dr. Kenyon Railey: Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, Duke University School of Medicine
Girija Mahajan: Program Director, Duke College Advising Corps
Rafay Malik: College Adviser, Duke College Advising Corps
Dr. Gabriela Nagy: Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine; Assistant Clinical Professor, Duke University School of Nursing
