Staff and Students
Staff
Arlette Chavez-Iniguez, MD
Research Scientist III (October 2023-present)
Dr. Arlette Chávez-Iñiguez is a Research Scientist in the Department of Cancer Health Equity and Engagement at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. She collaborates within Dr. Evelyn Arana’s research program, which is dedicated to developing culturally and linguistically tailored interventions aimed at reducing cancer disparities among historically marginalized populations, with a particular focus on Hispanic communities.
Previously, Dr. Chávez-Iñiguez served as a Staff Scientist at the Wilmot Cancer Institute’s Community Outreach and Engagement Office, affiliated with the University of Rochester. In this role, she concentrated on addressing cancer disparities affecting migrant farmworker populations, utilizing community-based participatory research methods to understand and mitigate barriers to cancer prevention and care.
As a Latina immigrant from Cuernavaca, Mexico, Dr. Chávez-Iñiguez brings a deeply personal perspective to her work. Her lived experiences fuel her commitment to advancing health equity in cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship, particularly within Latino communities.
Camila Capurro, MPH
Research Assistant (February 2025-present)
Camila Capurro is a Research Assistant on the project team. She earned her Master of Public Health from Rutgers School of Public Health. Camila’s academic and professional interests center on public health, preventive medicine, and addressing health disparities affecting Hispanic and Latino communities.
She is also preparing to pursue a career in medicine, with the long-term goal of integrating clinical practice with public health research to promote health equity and improve outcomes for underserved populations.
Students
Jonathan Julian
RUYES Intern (Summer 2024, Summer 2025)
Jonathan Ray Julian is a Rutgers undergraduate at the beginning of his public health career. Majoring in public health and biology, he aims to unite the principles of medicine and community health together to address the needs of underserved Queer and Latino populations. Rooted in New Jersey, Jonathan Julian coordinates community-based sexual health programming for the Rutgers Student Health Department, indicative of his future in addressing community health. Filling many roles that facilitate student development on campus, Jonathan Julian has his sights set on multidisciplinary fields of medicine that utilize his interest to advance our well-being.
Alex Varela Reyes
MPH Applied Practicum Experience student (September 2025-January 2026)
I am a second-year Master of Public Health Student specializing in Epidemiology at Rutgers University. My research area of interest encompasses how the built environment, social factors, and policies shape human health. I have prior experience in community health outreach interning at a mobile health in New Jersey. Most recently, I was part of the Climate Change Corps team representing Rutgers Global at Korea University, where I was able to propose Public Health solutions using an Environmental perspective.