Our Team

Dr. Bethany Rainisch
Project Director

E-mail: bethany.rainisch@csun.edu

Bethany Rainisch, PhD, MPH is a professor of Public Health and Chair of the Health Sciences Department at CSUN. She has been the PI on two prior SAMHSA-funded grants focusing on substance use prevention and rapid testing for CSUN students on campus. Dr. Rainisch also has 15+ years of experience working with young adult populations and studying biological markers of health.

Dr. Myriam Forster
Data Analyst

E-mail: myriam.forster@csun.edu

Myriam Forster, PhD, MPH is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences. Over the last 10 years, she has led or collaborated with researchers conducting large-scale effectiveness trials or evaluations of programs designed to foster adaptive functioning, positive school outcomes, and reduce health disparities in school, clinical, and community contexts. Through this program of research, she has developed theoretical expertise in the etiology of health-risk and health-protective behaviors, survey instrument development and validation, and recruitment and tracking of study participants.

Linn Dahlman
Program Manager

E-mail: linn.dahlman@csun.edu

Linn Dahlman, MPhil, has research and community fieldwork experience from Nicaragua (HIV prevention) and Peru (small-scale coffee farmers), as well as organizational work experience from Mexico, Norway, and Washington D.C. She has worked in grant and organizational management for over 10 years. Linn was the program coordinator for the previous iSTART and START grants at CSUN, which focused on substance use prevention and the provision of free rapid HIV testing. She has also administered an NIH-funded cancer research grant at UCLA.

Steve Silver, Psy.D.
Mental Health Specialist and University Counseling Services Liaison

E-mail: steve.silver@csun.edu

Steve earned his bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and his master's and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from California School of Professional Psychology. In addition to his general clinical work at UCS, Steve serves as the liaison for alcohol and other drug-related issues and concerns on campus. His clinical interests include: substance use disorders, men's issues, interpersonal trauma, identity development, and relationship issues.

Giselle Aguilar-Avila
Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator

Giselle is a graduate student in the MPH Applied Epidemiology program here at CSUN. In her free time, she enjoys drawing digitally, and playing video games.

Olivia Hamidzadeh
Graduate Research Assistant

Olivia is currently a second-year graduate student on the Applied Epidemiology track for Public Health. She is currently the department graduate Biostatistics TA and her public health interests include substance use prevention, adolescent physical activity and nutrition, as well as behavioral and social sciences. In her free time, Olivia enjoys cooking and hanging with friends.

Brittanya Moreno
Cultural Outreach Coordinator

Brittanya Moreno is a graduate student in the Teaching Credential program at CSUN. She is currently a student teacher for a 7th grade English Language Arts class. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Deaf Studies: Pre-Deaf Education. In her free time she enjoys playing table tennis, going on hikes, and playing video games.

Katie Skropos
Research Assistant

Katie Skropos has her Bachelor of Science in Public Health. Her public health interests are women's health (reproductive and sexual health), children and adolescents health, and mental health & substance misuse prevention. In her free time she enjoys playing video games, going to the gym, scrapbooking/junk journaling, and traveling.

Nick Szostkowski
Research Assistant

Nick Szostkowski has his Bachelor of Science in Public Health from CSUN. His public health interests include mental health, HIV research, and data collection and analysis which has led to the next goal of pursuing a Master of Public Health in Applied Epidemiology. His free time is filled with self-care activities such as hiking, crocheting, and spending time with his dog, Clark.

Stephanie Orjiakor
Graduate Research Assistant

Stephanie Orjiakor, MPH, is a recent graduate of the Community Health Education track in Public Health. She was selected as a Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar in the Health Professions track. Her research focuses on peer-led mental health interventions to promote mental health awareness and reduce stigma among college students. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new experiences, traveling, thrifting, and spending time with loved ones.

Luis Guzman
Web developer

Luis Guzman holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and has 8 years of experience in developing web applications. His background includes working in start-up environments, where he has honed his skills in adapting to and managing change effectively. He currently works in the CSUN IT department as a web developer.