Faculty Members
Colette (Coco) Auerswald, MD, MS
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Washington D.C.
Coco is a Professor of Community Health Sciences in the School of Public Health. She is a pediatrician and specialist in adolescent medicine. She is the co-Director/co-Founder of i4Y (Innovations for Youth(link is external)), a collaborative academic/community hub committed to improving youth wellbeing through structural change. For the last twenty-seven years, she has studied the social determinants of wellbeing among historically marginalized youth, particularly youth experiencing homelessness. She is committed to working in partnership with communities in ways that prioritize youth voice and partnership in research.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Benjamin Parry
Pronouns: He/him/his
Hometown: St. Albans, UK
Ben holds a PhD in sports psychology, applying his expertise to community-based settings, specifically within a youth development program for young people experiencing homelessness. His applied and scholarly research is grounded in strengths-based approaches, intervention science, and psychological theories. In a previous postdoctoral role, Ben specialized in youth development leadership, partnering with various youth organizations to complete program evaluations, managing community-based research initiatives, and teaching youth development classes. Currently, as a postdoctoral researcher with the YAAH team, Ben is continuing his early research path of conducting research that promotes engagement with and serves young people experiencing homelessness. As a mixed methods researcher, Ben values participatory qualitative data collection methods and is dedicated to community-informed program evaluations.
Laura Petry
Pronouns: She/her
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Laura Petry is a postdoctoral scholar on the evaluation of California's Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Youth Set-Aside funds. She has over a decade of experience working alongside and in service to youth experiencing homelessness, from direct services and program development to policy implementation and community-engaged research. Laura holds a PhD in Social Work from the University of Southern California, where her research focused on the socio-environmental and structural factors associated with couch-surfing and transactional sex among young adults experiencing homelessness.
Isaac Sederbaum
Pronouns: He/him/his
Hometown: Pleasantville, NY
Isaac is a postdoctoral scholar, working on the lab's population size estimate project. A mixed-method researcher by training, he has spent more than a decade conducting research and evaluations at the intersections of criminal justice, workers' rights, and the LGBTQ+ community. He is dedicated to participatory and community-based research and is excited to return to youth-focused work. Isaac holds a PhD from the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington, where his research focused on how the LGBTQ+ community interacted with government when applying for services. In his spare time he enjoys biking, trail running, and anything else that gets him outside.
Staff Members
Tessa Stapp
Pronouns: They/Them
Hometown: San Diego, California
Tessa Stapp holds a B.A. in Gender & Women’s Studies and Political Science from UC Berkeley. Their academic focus included feminist cultural studies and political psychology; with a strong emphasis on feminist research & ethics. Tessa has been a Berkeley Copwatch Organizer, Berkeley City Council Policy Aide, and a non-profit Program Coordinator in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. Tessa has a proven track record of working with vulnerable and marginalized populations. As the YAAH Research Coordinator, Tessa views this role as continuing their long-term goal of leveraging research to support unhoused and marginalized community members. In their spare time; Tessa enjoys printmaking, hiking, visiting museums, and sitting in the sun.
Graduate Student Researchers
Jennifer Pham
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: West Covina, CA
Jennifer Pham is a Master of Public Policy student interested in education, youth development, and quantitative methods. Previously, she worked as a data analyst in the public sector, evaluating programs at the City of San Jose and the San Mateo County Office of Education to improve services for residents and students. At the lab, she works on population size estimates to provide a more accurate count of youth experiencing homelessness throughout California communities. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical and Computational Science with a minor in Education from Stanford University.
Undergraduate Student Researchers
Kylie Huang
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Major: MCB and Business Administration
I am currently a second-year undergraduate studying Molecular and Cell Biology. I am part of the Covenant House International (CHI) team at the YAAH Lab which focuses on investigating primary prevention methods of youth homelessness in overlooked sub-populations. Outside of the lab, I am involved with the Advocacy Committee for USMO (Undergraduate Street Medicine Outreach), a student-run organization dedicated to serving the unhoused community in the East Bay. In my free time, I like to hike, read, and spend time with my family and friends!
David Pilling
Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Santa Clara, CA
Major: Applied Mathematics
I am a third year studying Applied Mathematics. I am particularly interested in statistics and their applications to public service and social welfare. In the lab, I work on population size estimates to produce more accurate counts of youth experiencing homelessness in California. I also play basketball on the weekends and I'm a big Warriors fan.
Wendy Flores
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Major: Psychology and Gender & Women's Studies
I am a first-generation, third-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Gender & Women Studies! Within the YAAH lab, I'm a part of the Communications & Dissemination team but I'm also an intern at the Gender Equity Resource Center and Educational Opportunity Program here at UC Berkeley. In my free time, I like to draw, buy stationery, and watch my favorite shows!
Sophia Nguyen
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: El Cerrito, CA
Major: Public Health | Minor: Geospatial Information Science & Technology (GIST)
Sophia is a third-year undergraduate studying Public Health and Geospatial Information Science & Technology. Her work focuses on addressing the systemic barriers that cause homelessness while engaging those experiencing it directly in the process. Within the YAAH Lab, she is part of the Youth Homelessness Systems Improvement (YHSI) team. She currently serves as the Homelessness and Housing Intern in the Office of Mayor Adena Ishii and as the Internal Director of the Suitcase Clinic.
Mahalet Habteyes
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Albequerque, NM
Major: Economics | Minor: Public Policy
Mahalet is a third-year undergraduate studying Economics at UC Berkeley and a member of the YHSI team at the YAAH Lab. Outside of the lab, Mahalet is a Staff Writer for the Berkeley Economic Review, and VP of Events for The Berkeley Forum. She is passionate about using research to inform public policy in housing, women's health outcomes, and where they intersect. In her free time, she enjoys writing, trying new coffee spots, and exploring the Bay Area.
We Love Our Alumni!
- Hazel Warner (she/her, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Jennifer Pham (she/her, Graduate Student Researcher)
- Kate Chung (she/her, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Shantel Bonet (she/her, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Madison DeVries (she/her, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Amber Peake (she/her, Graduate Student Researcher)
- Emma Hui Hu (she/her, Graduate Student Researcher)
- Natalie Change (she/they, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Jasleen Kang (Any Pronouns, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Jasmine Mah (she/her, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Maddy Cuyler (she/her, Project Coordinator)
- Karen Esparza Lopez (she/her, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Claire Genese (she/her, Graduate Student Researcher)
- Silvana Larrea Schiavon (she/her/ella, Graduate Student Researcher)
- Nicole Sears (she/her, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Shukri Suhir (he/him/his, Undergraduate Student Researcher)
- Sydney Tucker (she/her, Graduate Student Researcher)