About Us

About Our Research

About Our Research: We aim to improve the lives of adolescents and young adults living with chronic illness. Our goal is to develop and test better ways to deliver healthcare by using digital health technology.

Lisa Duffy PhD, MPH, RN, CPNP-PC

Principal Investigator

Dr. Duffy is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Northeastern University. Dr Duffy is also a pediatric nurse practitioner who has worked with chronically ill children, adolescents, young adults, and their families at Boston Children’s Hospital for over 20 years. Dr. Duffy’s program of research focuses on improving how we use digital health to provide care for patients and their families. Dr. Duffy completed a postdoctoral fellowship in patient-centered outcomes and a second master’s degree in public health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which included advanced training in qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Dr. Duffy is currently an inaugural fellow in the Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators where she has been given the opportunity to advance her program of research.

Rebecka Evans, RN, CPNP, PMHCNS-BC

Research Assistant
Ms. Evans is a research assistant on Dr. Duffy’s team who is pursuing her PhD nursing at Northeastern University. Ms. Evans received her BS in Nursing and BA in Sociology from the University Pennsylvania. She then went on to Yale University to begin studies in the pediatric nurse practitioner program, then continued at Boston College to complete her Master’s degree and Post-Master’s certificate. She has been working as a pediatric and psychiatric advanced practice nurse for more than 10 years, with a focus on adolescent and young adult mental health. When she is not studying or working, she spends time with her 3 children and training for triathlons.

Veronica Bennett

Research Assistant
Veronica (Ronnie) Bennett is a third-year PhD nursing student at Northeastern. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Simmons University. In college, she was inspired by her nursing professors, conducted research projects with them, and took statistics courses that confirmed her interest in research. After graduating, she worked as a nurse in the community with adults with intellectual disabilities. As a graduate student, Ronnie continues to work part time in the community, and is training for rowing and triathlon races.

Priya Palaniappan

Research Assistant
Priya is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University, majoring in health science. She completed her first co-op working as a medical assistant at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and is currently on her second co-op working as a clinical research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Through academic coursework and prior experiences, Priya has developed strong interests in patient care and public health, which align with her aspiration to pursue a career in medicine. She is also passionate about research that aims to diminish health disparities and to improve the quality of care for various patient populations. In addition to working on Dr. Duffy’s team, Priya is involved in research at the Institute of Health Equity & Social Justice Research at Northeastern University.

Muneeka Munir

Research Assistant
Priya is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University, majoring in health science. She completed her first co-op working as a medical assistant at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and is currently on her second co-op working as a clinical research assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Through academic coursework and prior experiences, Priya has developed strong interests in patient care and public health, which align with her aspiration to pursue a career in medicine. She is also passionate about research that aims to diminish health disparities and to improve the quality of care for various patient populations. In addition to working on Dr. Duffy’s team, Priya is involved in research at the Institute of Health Equity & Social Justice Research at Northeastern University.