Dr. April Idalski Carcone, PhD

Principle Investigator

Dr. Carcone is a social worker with over 18 years' experience conducting behavioral health research to improve the lives of children, adolescents, and young adults living with chronic illnesses, and their families. The IDEA Project aims to improve the health of emerging adults (16-25 years old) with type 1 diabetes by helping them ensure their daily diabetescare is completed. The IDEA Project builds on her previous work to develop eHealth interventions and understand how Motivational Interviewing counseling works. To learn more about Dr. Carcone's work, visit her faculty page here.

Abigale Vaquera, MPH

Project Manager

Abigale Vaquera graduated from Wayne State University in May of 2022 with her Master's in Public Health. She received her BS in Public Health with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies in December of 2020. She was also a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta Women's Fraternity at Wayne State University, where she was an International keynote speaker for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in February 2021. She has interned at W'Sup, an HIB prevention clinic in the heart of Detroit, in the summer of 2020. In Abigale's graduate program, she interned at Karmanos Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Health Equity and Community Engagement (OCHECE), where she worked primarily with their LGBT Cancer Action Council. She became involved in WSU's Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences Behavioral Health research in April of 2022. First, as primary RA in the Achieve Greater Center's Community Engagement Core and now, as the Project Manager for IDEA. She enjoys working with youth and those from urban settings. In her free time, Abigale enjoys reading in her 101-year-old Detroit apartment and spending time with loved ones.

Kaylianna McCormick

Research Assistant

Kaylianna McCormick is from Orlando, Florida and is currently a researcher here at Wayne State University. Kaylianna graduated from Belmont University (Nashville, TN) with a Bachelor's in Psychology and Education in December of 2022. In her undergraduate studies, she was able to conduct and participate in research labs, engaging with rodent and human subjects. She has examined such subjects as: the science of art and mindfulness, learning and conditioning in psychology, and the dynamics of personality. Kaylianna has interests in clinical research, child psychology, and public health. She has presented in Belmont University Research Symposiums in 2021 and 2022. In addition, Kaylianna is also a Phlebotomy Technician. She enjoys trying new restaurants, as she just moved to Michigan, and taking her two dogs to the park. As a recent college graduate, Kaylianna has joined the IDEA Project to help those learn more about themselves as emerging adults and utilize the resources offered in their community.

Deepika Baskar

Undergraduate Student Research Assistant

Deepika Baskar is an undergraduate student at Wayne State University majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology Honors, minoring in Musical Theatre. Deepika is a pre-medical student with research interests in community health and preventive medicine. Deepika began volunteering on the project in January 2020. She conducted a qualitative data analysis of pre-clinical trail interview data assessing the acceptability of an eHealth intervention to improve diabetes self-management among high-risk emerging adults with type 1 diabetes. She presented a poster of her work at three local conferences (https://familymedicine.med.wayne.edu/researchday2021/baskard.pdf).She is also interested in understanding the relationship between psychological or behavioral risk factors and chronic disease management. Deepika completed a directed study in the summer of 2022 and is currently working on her Honors thesis guided by two research questions: what is the impact of the patient-provider relationship on T1D illness management behavior and glycemic control in emerging adulthood and how does this relationship vary among ethnically underrepresented emerging adults? During her free time, Deepika enjoys teaching music and dance to students in the metro-Detroit community. As an emerging adult herself, Deepika joined the IDEA Project to help bridge the healthcare access gap for individuals similar to her age.

Alisa Gefter

Graduate Research Assistant

Alisa Gefter is a graduate student at Wayne State University majoring in Public Health. She is interested in educating the public about ways to prevent chronic diseases in the future while improving the public's overall quality of life. She began working on the IDEA Project in September of 2022 and has been working on social media posts along with making recruitment calls for potential research study participants. Throughout her time at Wayne State University, she has presented at the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences Research Day this past summer of HIV/AIDS education for young adults and has been doing internships in order to educate the public about different chronic health issues. During her free time, she enjoys going on walks and dancing.

Sarah Morrison

Undergraduate Student Assistant

Sarah Morrison is an undergraduate student at Wayne State University majoring in Public Health, minoring in Global Health and Social Medicine, and Nutrition and Food Science. She is a junior with a research interest in the relationship between nutrition and chronic illness. Sarah enjoys volunteering at an urban farm on the east side of metro-Detroit. When not in school of working on the IDEA Project, Sarah spends her free time reading. Sarah joined the IDEA Project after finding that the project aligned with her interest in chronic illness management and public health.

Duaa Alshumari

Social Media Manager

Duaa Alshumari is an undergraduate student at Wayne State University majoring in Public Health and minoring in Neuroscience and Psychology, on the pre-medical track. Some of her research interests include developmental psychology, neurobiology, and behavioral health. During her spare time, she enjoys reading, drawing, painting, and anything nature. Duaa chose to be a part of the IDEA Project to find ways to better understand and improve the treatment and admittance of care for emerging adults managing type 1 diabetes.

Divya Sruthi, BDS

Research Assistant

Divya is a second-year Masters of Public Health at Wayne State University student and a research assistant trained in Motivational Interviewing qualitative coding, data analyses, EMR screening, and recruitment calling. Her research interests include chronic disease management, social risk screening strategies, and improving adolescent health by strengthening family relationships. To pursue her research interests, she decided to join the IDEA Project and support the team to improve young adults' diabetes health.

Madelyn Slamka, BA, MPH

Research Assistant

Madelyn studied kinesiology at Albion College and recently completed her master's in public health at Wayne State University. Madelyn began working with the IDEA Project through her experiences in researching motivational interviewing in clinical care. Madelyn has previously assisted in researching gender-based violence and plans to continue to incorporate her research interests into her work as she begins her career as a family advocate.

Sarah Martinez, BA

Project Manager

Sarah received her Bachelors of Psychology from Wayne State University in 2014. Her research experience includes chronic illness (such as diabetes, HIV, chronic pain), romantic relationships, and patient-provider communication. Sarah began as a student volunteer with Dr. Carcone's lab, transitioned to a paid research assistant, and now is the project manager of the IDEA Project. She is currently working on her Masters of Business Administration at the Mike Ilitch School of Business here at WSU

Sarah Elmarakby

Undergraduate Student Volunteer

Sarah is currently a pre-health undergraduate student from Wayne State University and is majoring in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise and Sports Science. Her clinical experience includes working as a scribe, medical assistant, and physical therapy technician. This is Sarah's first year of being a research assistant with Dr. Carcone's lab and is involved in the IDEA Project. 

Sarah will be attending the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fall of 2023.

Jeren Gougheghi

Undergraduate Student Volunteer 

Jeren is a second year Honors Public Health student at Wayne State University. She joined Dr. Carcone's lab as a student research assistant in October 2021. She aspires to become a physician, and she believes that this experience will aid her in further developing her problem-solving and teamwork skills. Outside of the lab, Jeren enjoys longboarding, exercising, and spending time with loved ones. 

Nailah Henry, BS

Project Manager

Nailah is a second-year Masters of Public Health student and has received her Bachelors of Science in Public Health from Wayne State University. Her research interests include maternal health, chronic diseases, and issues relating to health equity. She joined the IDEA Project after working for a behavioral health lab focused on dementia care.

Sahar Eleminini, BA

Medical Student Volunteer

Sahar graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn where she received her BA while working at the Cognitive Neuroscience Research Lab and completed her Honors thesis in the field of social psychology. Sahar joined as a first-year student at Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) after finding that the project aligned with her research interests. Currently, Sahar is a third-year medical student and has worked on a research project: "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Emerging Adults with Type 1 Diabetes" and a fellowship: "The Relationship Among Depression, Motivational Factors, and Diabetes Management in Emerging Adults with Type 1 Diabetes". Sahar also works on research with the WSUSOM learning communities (https://www.mericonference.org/2021-research-posters). She has presented her research at the Annual Michigan Family Medicine Research Day, winning Best Poster: COVID-10 (https://epostersonline.com/mfmrd2022/poster/p060) and the Wayne State Medical Student Research Symposium, winning second place award for Public Health and Community Engagement (https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/som_srs/184/). During her free time, Sahar enjoys teaching reading to special-needs kids in the metro-Detroit community.