Our Advisors
Dr. Kimberly Dong Breen, Dr.P.H., M.S.
Dr. Dong Breen’s research focuses on food and nutrition security, dietary quality, and health care access as determinants of health. Current projects explore HIV prevention among carceral-impacted individuals, unmet nutritional needs among people participating in methadone treatment programs, and a community health worker (CHW)-led intervention to improve lung cancer screening.
Dr. Dong Breen’s education interests focus on bolstering inter-professional educational opportunities, CHW trainings (Tufts COHERE) to focus on cultural traditions and building linguistic capacity in the health care workforce, community-driven development of nutrition curricula for CHWs, and culinary medicine.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH & COMMUNITY MEDICINE, TUFTS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Dr. Sara Suzuki, PhD
Dr. Sara Suzuki is a Senior Researcher and Research Assistant Professor at CIRCLE. She studies how young people develop as civic actors, and what conditions—in families, schools, organizations, movements, and broader social systems—propel that development. She leads national studies on voter registration, political homes, and capacity building within movement ecosystems. Her research also traces how political engagement shapes young people's physical, socioemotional, and financial health, with sustained attention to youth who face structural barriers to participation.
Her own background in community organizing shapes this work, as does her use of quantitative methods that can account for complexity rather than flatten it. She is a Democracy Visiting Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, and holds a PhD in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology from Boston College.
SENIOR RESEARCHER AND RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, TUFTS UNIVERSITY, CIRCLE
Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Neville, PhD
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Neville focuses on child welfare in low-resource contexts, with a particular research focus on ensuring the well-being of orphaned and vulnerable children in low- and middle-income countries while respecting their right to grow up in family care. Drawing upon implementation science, community-based participatory methods, and mixed methods, her work crosses the continuum of care, including family preservation and strengthening, family reunification, residential care institutions, foster care, and domestic and intercountry adoption.
Dr. Neville obtained her PhD in Social Work at Boston College and completed a NIH T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Brown University School of Public Health and the Brown Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior.
She is an elected member of the school committee in the city of Chelsea, Massachusetts, and founded and organizes the annual Chelsea Research Festival, which brings research results and data impact back to the communities where research is conducted in an effort to promote equitable research practices and dissemination.
Former Advisors
Sushma Barokoti holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from India and Masters in social work from Marywood University in Pennsylvania. Sushma believes in feminist philosophy and practices participatory approach of community development to empower women, men and children.
She has been instrumental in growing the programs, staff and revenues at RWN significantly to enhance access to services for refugee and immigrant families, especially women. Sushma loves gardening in her free time and loves exploring the great outdoors with her husband, daughter and son.
Sushma Barokoti, MSW
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, REFUGEE WOMEN’S NETWORK (RWN)
Asian American Women’s Political Initiative
LEADERSHIP TEAM
The Asian American Women’s Political Initiative (AAWPI) is the only national-level political leadership organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women. AAWPI’s mission is simple: they work to ensure that AAPI women have a voice in our democracy.
Research Within REACH would not exist without the support, mentorship, and leadership of the AAWPI fellowship team and community. What began as an idea rooted in community-based research and storytelling was nurtured, challenged, and made possible through AAWPI’s investment.
Diana Hwang is the Founder and Executive Director of AAWPI. Described by POLITICO as “nothing short of a change agent,” Diana has built transformative spaces for Asian American women and gender-expansive leaders to grow, organize, and lead.
Darlene Vu serves as AAWPI’s first Chief Operating Officer. She oversees the organization’s operations, hiring, and finances, and plays a critical role in sustaining and strengthening AAWPI’s mission and impact.
Aubrey Tang was one of AAWPI’s inaugural National Civic Impact Innovators and currently serves as the Massachusetts State Director and Social Media Coordinator.
Ahra Cho was a 2024 AAWPI Georgia Fellow, a 2025 Selection Committee Member, and now serves as the Georgia State Director and Curriculum Director.
Claire So was an AAWPI Pennsylvania Fellow in 2024, and now serves as the Pennsylvania State Director, continuing to support leadership development and community-building efforts across the fellowship network.
Victoria Huynh is a longtime community organizer with more than 18 years of experience. As AAWPI’s former Chief Program Officer, she led programs that cultivated civic leadership and community empowerment.
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