Claudia Brewer, Board Chair
Claudia is pursuing a B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology with a Minor in Society and Genetics at UCLA. Her goal in college is to gain a deep understanding of human health, from the complex molecular mechanisms underlying disease to the broader social and political implications of the latest bioengineering technologies, and her background is rooted in biological research and healthcare. She hopes that through her activities with MCI, including educating herself more about the field of male contraceptive research, she is able to engage others in meaningful conversations about gender inequity in contraception.

Meghana Reddy, Vice Chair
Meghana is pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience with a Minor in Computer Science at Santa Clara University. She is the president and founder of the Women in Entrepreneurship Club at SCU, and is also the Director of Projects at Medical Herstory, and founded an online women’s magazine, Her Campus SCU, dedicated to women and women’s health.  She is interested in gender inequity in contraception, women’s reproductive health, safe sexual health, and undoing the stigma around a woman’s body. Meghana’s background is based in healthcare and life sciences, but she also hopes to understand how hospitals can effectively serve patients and how healthcare can become more affordable for all. Along with MCI, she hopes to motivate other women to be comfortable and empowered with their sexual health, and learn how to provide access to safe contraceptive methods for all individuals. Meghana is grateful to be a part of MCI, and is excited to witness the progress in the reproductive health field.

Tyrone Fields, Secretary
Second Lieutenant Tyrone Fields is a force support officer in the United States Air Force. Born and raised in rural northeastern North Carolina, he is a graduate of the Public Health Education Department of North Carolina Central University (NCCU). Tyrone previously worked as a Halifax County Public Health Department health education intern. He is interested in men’s health, sexual assault and domestic violence, sexual health, and minority health disparities. Tyrone is an inaugural member of the North Carolina “Be Smart’ Family Planning Male Outreach Team.

Jaylan Weaver, Treasurer
Jaylan is a recent graduate of the Public Health Education Department of North Carolina Central University (NCCU). Jaylan was born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He served as an intern at MCI where he focused on the mental and social impacts of unintended pregnancy on men. He is interested in epidemiology and public administration as it relates to mental health, and he hopes to positively impact the reproductive health of future generations.

Connie Dean, YAB Member
Connie grew up in London, England, and was one of the founding members of the YAB while a sophomore at Duke University. She came to America on a swimming scholarship that allowed her to study and swim at Duke in North Carolina where she was introduced to MCI. She did her senior thesis on preference data regarding novel male contraception and how these were influenced by masculinity. She is now in her first year of medical school at the University of Oxford. She misses being in the USA a lot but is still following her passion for reproductive health and justice.

Michelle Kwan, YAB Member
Michelle is an undergraduate student at Duke University pursuing a B.S. in Biology with Minors in Computer Science and Global Health. She's interested in women's health and conducts research in breast cancer diagnosis with the Duke Global Women's Health Technologies Center. Moreover, Michelle is also focused on promoting education about safe sexual health, including information about STIs, contraception, and the mental health associated with it. Overall, she hopes that her work at the MCI helps empower others in their reproductive health and foster discussions about gender inequality.

Molly Ring, YVC Member
Molly is pursuing a BSc degree in Neuroscience at the University of Bristol. She currently leads a team of student consultants with 180 Degrees Consulting advising charity organizations and social enterprises. She feels strongly about empowering individuals to engage in conversations about their experiences with contraception, as the strain that current offerings place on individuals and relationships is such an unspoken issue. She is delighted to work with the MCI with the shared passion for eliminating inequality in sexual and reproductive health and hope to see the initiative progress in achieving its mission.

Essence Hughes, YVC Member
Essence is pursuing a B.A. in Global Health and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies at Duke University. Born and raised in Mississippi, she is currently on a research team surrounding sexual and gender minority health and is interested in the intersection of race and sexuality with reproductive health. Through her involvement with MCI, she hopes to learn more about male contraceptive and reproductive health and is grateful to be a part of such an innovative project and team.

Olwyn Bartis, YVC Member
Olwyn is an undergraduate at Duke University studying economics and medicine. She is from Charlotte, North Carolina, a member of Duke's varsity swim team, and a Baldwin Scholar. While interested in the possibility of a career in reproductive medicine, she is passionate about fostering conversations related to sexual autonomy and contraception, as current social dynamics present reproductive health as a burden rather than a facet of one's autonomy. She is thankful for her ability to engage with MCI in a meaningful way, and hopes that her experience will enable her to both learn more about scientific advances in male contraception research while also partaking in important conversations with others.

Diba Dindoust, YVC Member
Diba is a teen innovator from Toronto, passionate about solving the biggest problems in medicine and biotech. She has researched gene editing applications to treat HIV, built projects using machine learning to find cheaper drugs for HIV and is now using computational screening methods to find FDA approved drugs that can be repurposed as a non-hormonal male contraceptive pill. She’s an avid science communicator, speaking at multiple science and technology conferences and publishing on her Medium and YouTube channels about her research.

Simran Mayra, YVC Member
Simran is a teen from Toronto, Canada and her mission is to solve hard problems in reproductive biology, and enhance quality of life by improving reproductive health. Currently, her focus lies in developing a non hormonal male contraceptive, by repurposing FDA approved compounds which cause temporary and reversible male infertility. This summer, Simran is working in the University of Minnesota’s Medicinal Chemistry Lab to advance her work and assist with other male contraceptive projects. She is determined to accelerate the slow development of a male birth control pill, to reduce female contraceptive burden, and provide men with more autonomy over their reproductive health. Simran hopes that through her work and involvement in MCI, she can shift the paradigm in contraceptives we have today.

Bianca Sjoenell, YVC Member​
Bianca is currently on a pre-med track at Duke University, and in the process of creating her own major that focuses on the intersection of gender, sex, sexuality, and medicine. She is specifically interested exploring how gender, sex, and sexuality function as social determinants of health for those who identify as non-binary. During her years volunteering at Teen Line, a teen-to-teen mental health and crisis hotline, she witnessed first- hand the anxiety that surrounds sexual health and sexual relationships for a variety of different genders on the gender spectrum. Bianca is not only passionate about advocating for reproductive autonomy for all, but dedicated to working towards deconstructing the social stigmas that surround mental, sexual, and reproductive health. She aims to encourage others to reimagine gender norms in such a way that promotes gender equality in health care.

Lennox Masika, YVC Member
Lennox is an undergraduate student at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology pursuing Bachelor of Science in pharmacy. He is passionate about Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, focussing on, but not limited to, safe contraception, menstrual hygiene, mental health, gender based violence, and drug and substance abuse. Moreover, he has a keen interest in pharmaceutical and general public health research and believes that MCI’s YAB/YVC is a significant success over the same. He looks forward to positively impacting his generation and those ahead on SRHR through awareness and solution oriented research.

Claudia Opper, YVC Member
Claudia is a Public Health Analyst at RTI International where she works on the Substance Use, Gender, and Applied Research team. In this role, she performs data analysis as well as contributes to journal manuscripts, reports, and scientific presentations to support NIH-funded, gender-focused health research projects. She graduated from the University of North Carolina summa cum laude with a B.A. in Human Rights. She is driven by the belief that every individual, without discrimination, has the right to the highest attainable standard of health. With a background in leading volunteer organizations and advocating for policy reform, she is passionate about promoting gender equity in sexual and reproductive health.

Kathryn Carpenter, MCI Staff YAB Liaison
Kathryn Carpenter is an MCI staff member and the liaison for the Youth Advisory Board. She is a past MCI Fellow and co-founder of the Youth Advisory Board, and is a graduate of UNC’s Health Behavior MPH program. She is interested primarily in health communication and advocacy, and works with MCI to support community-focused advocacy and research, especially with youth.