HEALTH EDUCATION & LITERACY ORGANIZATION
Keep an eye out on the GroupMe for our next event dates!
2024 OFFICERS
Advisors
Kim Walsh-Childers, Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor
Title: Professor of the Department of Journalism
​
Dr. Kim Walsh-Childers has taught at UF for over 30 years in journalism and mass media ethics, with a particular interest in news coverage of health issues and how mass media affects individual health and health policy. She also serves as the chair of the Behavioral Institutional Review Board, protecting research subjects and ensuring project validity.
Executive Board
Andy Rodriguez
Co-President
Year: 4th Year
Majors: Biochemistry and Sociology Dual Degree
​
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
I like to read, listen to music, and paint for fun.
​
​
I joined HELO in an effort to help bridge the health literacy gap that affects many in our community, especially those who are marginalized. It is amazing that we get to teach cultural competency and push for equal access to healthcare while meeting others and making a direct impact.
Ava Theng
Treasurer
Year: 4th Year
Major: Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
Minors: Health Disparities & Early Childhood Studies
​
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
I love traveling and fishing! I also enjoy reading, writing, and painting, as well as playing billiards if I get the chance!​
​
I joined HELO because I aspire to progress more equal accessibility to healthcare and I felt that this organization's work provided a perfect opportunity to do so. Health literacy is a profoundly underrepresented barrier to care, but this club allows one to make an active effort in reducing health disparities and holds amazing potential in sustaining positive change.
Daniel Rojas
Treasurer
Year: 2nd Year
Major: Applied Physiology and Kinesiology
​
Hobbies/Fun Fact: Current hobbies include pickleball and cooking, and a fun fact about myself is that I am a registered Emergency Medical Technician! ​​​
The reason that I chose HELO is because I strongly believe that a lack of health literacy should never be a barrier to accessing quality healthcare. Through HELO’s editing of medical documents, improved accessibility for those of low health literacy is facilitated, keeping patients well-informed and potentially improving patient outcomes as a result. This is a tangible impact on the community that I strongly desire to be a part of, influencing my decision to join HELO.
Hannah Lester
I helped co-found HELO because I believe that every human has the right to accessible health information and as someone who is interested in a future career in healthcare, I want to help reduce health disparities that are currently present. HELO works hard to create documents that are more easily understandable and informative from the patient's perspective and brings awareness to the topic of health literacy and its importance.
Graduate Director
Co-founder
UF Graduate with a BA in Biology Summer 2020
Current MPH Student at Tulane University
​
Hobbies/Fun Fact: I love nature, traveling, Animal Crossing, painting/coloring, and my dog, Maple.
​
Directors
Jazmin Velez
Committee Director
Year: 2nd Year
Major: Health Sciences
​
Hobbies/Fun Facts:
Yoga and stand-up paddle boarding are some of my favorite activities. I also love going to animal sanctuaries!
Becoming a part of HELO has given me the opportunity to help make knowledge regarding healthcare more obtainable and easier to understand across communities. I believe health literacy is an important step to achieving quality healthcare, which should be within reach to everyone.
Nicole Gomez
Committee Director
Year: 2nd Year
Major: Pre-Professional Health Science
​
Hobbies/Fun Facts: I like journaling and art, and I love most things outdoorsy, especially gardening.​
I think HELO is great for the chance to get to know different niches in the healthcare field and the clear positive impact we can bring to people wanting to learn more about their own health.
Alicia Gleacher
Committee Director
Year: 2nd Year
Major: Pre-Professional Biology in CALS
​
Hobbies/Fun Facts:
I like to watch movies with friends and walk around campus searching for cats to pet.
I wanted to make an impact in the health community. I love English and grammar. I wanted to polish up my graphic design skills from highschool. HELO is like the perfect storm of my favorite extracurriculars. It pushes me to consider accessibility. Working with my peers to make a difference, one pamphlet at a time, has been such a rewarding process.
Rishi Gadikota
Secretary
I have always had a passion for countering misinformation, especially since the COVID pandemic. I think that HELO addresses that and allows me to really impact people through easier communication of critical health-related information.
Year: 2nd Year
Major: Microbiology & Cell Science
​
Hobbies/Fun Facts:
I enjoy reading and biking!