Leadership
Jenell Coleman, MD, MPH
she/her/hers
Co-Founder, CMO and Medical Director
Dr. Coleman is an OB/GYN with 20 years of experience as a physician. Her areas of clinical expertise include comprehensive gynecologic care of women from adolescence to menopause, with a large focus on STI and HIV prevention. Her hope to create a platform like Violet stemmed from a desire to serve young girls and women in the Baltimore area and beyond and support them in having a reliable place to learn about their sexual and reproductive health, reach providers, and have access to free and confidential reproductive healthcare to protect their futures.
Saumya Sao, BA
she/they
Co-Founder, Previous CEO and Creative Director
Saumya Sao is a researcher and social entrepreneur with a passion for transforming access to healthcare and healthcare service delivery. Saumya studied Global Health and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies at Duke University. She conceptualized the Violet brand, built the website, and developed Violet's community-oriented initiatives such as the Youth Community Advisory Board and Violet Patient Volunteering. Saumya expanded and mentored the student team, procured funding, did graphic design and video production, and generated areas of expansion for Violet. Saumya also worked with Dr. Coleman to conduct research in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Saumya hopes to spend her life improving equitable access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, and loves that Violet is doing exactly that for young people in Baltimore!
Margaret Greer, MHS
she/her
Program Manager & Creative Director
Margaret (she/her) received her bachelor's in Gender and Health, with minors in Science, Technology, and Society, as well as Anthropology at University of Michigan. She then completed her Masters in Health Science, which focused on the Social Factors of Health, and an epidemiology certificate at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Margaret joined the Violet Project in November, 2023, and now runs the daily operations of the project - from running the social media to writing grants and coordinating partnerships. She is passionate about sexual and reproductive health and its intersections with health equity, and is excited to be working with the Violet Project to achieve its goals and support the youth in the Baltimore and greater Maryland area!
Violet Team
Camille Shantz
Director of Violet Patient Volunteering
Camille (she/her/hers) is a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University and majored in math. Camille excitedly joined Violet as a patient volunteer in Fall of 2022 and served as the clinic lead for the Bayview ED site before transitioning to the director position. She’s passionate about furthering equitable access to sexual and reproductive health care and education. Outside of Violet, she’s engaged in research at the Johns Hopkins Fetal Therapy Center and the JHCC Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center; an intern with Future Doctors for Progress; and an officer in HOPthon, a fundraising organization for the JHCC. She hopes to pursue a medical career centered around equity, patient empowerment, and clinical research.
Aastha Kapadia
Director of Violet Patient Volunteering
Aastha (she/her) is a senior majoring in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She joined Violet as a sophomore in the fall of 2022 and after serving as a Clinic Lead in the Harriet Lane Clinic, she is now the Director of the Violet Patient Volunteering Program. She was initially drawn to Violet because she recognized the wide-spread stigma commonly associated with sexual and reproductive health and acknowledged that educating youth would be the best starting point of battling it.
After graduating, Aastha plans on attending medical school, where she hopes to focus on the intersection between reproductive health and mental health in healthcare. Outside of Violet, Aastha is also involved in Eating Disorders Research, is a Certified Personal Trainer and an EMT, and loves exploring cities and trying new foods.
Amelie Valles
Community Outreach Chair
Amelie (she/her) is a sophomore studying neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. She has the goal of attending medical school and has been a Violet volunteer for the past year. Amelie organizes social events for the Violet program and packing parties for the wider Baltimore community. Outside of Violet, she is a peer listener for A Place to Talk and works at the Glowatzki lab, where she studies how behavior relates to auditory pain. She hopes to become a physician who provides compassionate care to patients from diverse background.
Sadie Abboud
General Support Staff
Sadie (she/her) graduated from Johns Hopkins University in December 2022 with bachelor’s degrees in Public Health Studies and Natural Sciences Area. She has been with Violet since June 2021 where she has worked in a variety of roles including as a research intern, website developer, YCAB facilitator, and clinic lead, and content creator. She aspires to become a physician and continue to advocate for health care equity.
Youth Social Media Influencers
Don McClain
Don McClain (they/them), aka “Don the Don”, is a 17-year-old youth advocate, entrepreneur, and artist who attends the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. At BPI, they hold numerous leadership positions. Outside of school, as someone who happens to be queer & non-binary, they use their voice and artistic ability to uplift their fellow youth & promote healthy community relationships! Part of their advocacy entails being an example for youth who want to do something other than the well-known jobs that interest everyone but them; they do this by advocating for young people as a member of JHU’s Center for Adolescent Health’s Youth Advisory Board! They also currently run their own social media management company, The D.O.N. Way, which is a platform for entrepreneurs BY entrepreneurs that aims to help people manage their social media presence and connect with their target audiences. They are an example of a “leader of leaders” and they want YOUth to know that it’s okay not to be OK!
Sara Freeman
Sara (she/her) graduated from high school at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and is currently studying Neurobiology & Physiology at University of Maryland. Sara creates content for our TikTok and Instagram accounts. She aspires to one day become a pediatric surgeon. She started with The Violet Project in our youth advisory board to learn more about sexual & reproductive health. In her free time, she likes to read, crochet, and hang out with her friends.
Nella Tummula
Nella (she/her) is currently a sophomore Public Health Major at Johns Hopkins University. She joined Violet in the Fall of 2024 as a content creator with the intention of educating young people in sexual and reproductive health on various platforms. Outside of Violet, Nella works in Fibroid Research at the Borahay Lab and is a medical assistant at the Phoenixville Free Clinic. She hopes to pursue gynecology as a physician and continue to work towards healthcare equity in the future.
Temi Adeniyi
Temi Adeniyi (she/her) is a junior at Mercy High School and a key content creator for our TikTok account. Aspiring to become a dermatologist, she is deeply committed to addressing the health disparities in skincare that disproportionately affect people of color. Temi is particularly focused on ensuring that people of color receive proper diagnosis, care, and treatment in dermatology, as skin conditions can often present differently on darker skin tones, leading to misdiagnoses or neglect. Through her work with The Violet Project, she has sought to gain a deeper understanding of sexual and reproductive health, enhancing her holistic view of health equity. In her free time, Temi enjoys listening to true crime podcasts, volunteering, and spending quality time with her friends and family. Her passion for healthcare justice and creativity is evident in everything she does.
Khadija Ennajhi
Hi! I’m Khadija, an artist who loves using creativity to make a positive impact. Whether it’s through freelance work or collaborating on meaningful projects like The Violet Project, I’m passionate about helping others and sharing stories that matter. I’m currently studying at CCBC, continuing to learn and grow in my creative journey. I believe that art can bring people together, and I’m excited to keep exploring new ways to inspire and make a difference!
Violet Patient Volunteering Leads
Arionna Bell
Arionna (she/her) is a junior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Molecular & Cellular Biology. Understanding that education leads to empowerment, Arionna loves the mission of the Violet Project and is now the Clinic Lead for the Johns Hopkins Hospital Adult and Pediatric Emergency Department sites. She hopes that her conversations with patients and parents will remove the stigma and confusion surrounding adolescent and sexual health. Outside of Violet and academics, Arionna enjoys traveling domestically and abroad, theater, stand-up comedy, and napping! After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to attend medical school on her path to becoming a Neonatal Surgeon.
Valeria Marci
Valeria Marci (she/her) is a junior at the Johns Hopkins University majoring in Molecular & Cellular Biology and French. She is looking to attend medical school and potentially become an OB/GYN. Valeria began volunteering with Violet in Fall 2023 at the ED clinic, and became a clinic lead for the ED in Spring 2024. Valeria's passion for sexual and reproductive health awareness and education stems from her upbringing in Texas, where sexual health education is often seen as taboo and not discussed. Outside of Violet, Valeria works in a lab researching uterine fibroids, is a counselor for the national nonprofit Kesem, and enjoys watching movies!
Naydelin Garcia
Naydelin (she/her) is an undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in Public Health. She joined Violet in the fall of 2023 and aspires to attend medical school in the future. Naydelin is passionate about increasing health equity, with a particular focus on women's health. She is dedicated to learning more abut this filed and aims to make healthcare resources more equitable for all. In her free time, she enjoys cycling and baking.
Dianne Strauss
Dianne (she/her) is recent grad from Johns Hopkins University originally from Miami, Florida. She is double majoring in Neuroscience and Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in History with aspirations to attend medical school. Dianne joined Violet in the summer of 2022 and is serving as Co-Clinic Lead for Harriet Lane Clinic and Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center as part of Violet’s Patient Volunteering program. She was originally inspired to join Violet because of the ability to play a part in empowering patients to advocate for their health, and values continually learning about inequities in healthcare through the project. Outside of Violet, Dianne is a college advisor for low-income high schoolers with college-access nonprofit, Matriculate, and serves on the board for Agara Bio, a community lab at Johns Hopkins dedicated to independent undergraduate research.
Faith Obilo
Faith (she/her) is a senior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Public Health Studies and Natural Sciences. She is passionate about issues relating to women’s health, particularly gynecological disorders. Faith is interested in understanding the barriers that prevent young people in Baltimore from accessing quality and equitable healthcare and how she can effect change to bridge those gaps. Faith joined Violet because she resonated with the educational mission of Violet and desired to contribute to the efforts of destigmatizing sexual and reproductive health. Faith is the Violet Patient Volunteering clinical lead for the JHH Emergency Department. In her free time, she loves to dance, read, and re-watch Marvel movies in chronological order. Faith aspires to pursue an MD/MPH and eventually become a gynecologist equipped with the tools to provide compassionate care and be a patient advocate.
Cody Emerson
Cody (he/him) is a sophomore majoring in Medicine, Science, and the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University. He has been working for the Violet Project since Fall of 2023 and now works as a co-clinic lead of the Harriet Lane Clinic and the Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center. Coming from Maine, Cody recognizes how important accessibility to affordable healthcare is, especially in the field of women's health, and he believes that everyone should understand and advocate for menstrual, sexual, and reproductive health topics. After college, Cody hopes to attend medical school to become an OB/GYN where he can focus on topics such as sexual health education, menstrual product accessibility, as well as miscarriage and postpartum depression awareness. In his free time, Cody works as a student intern in a lab that studies the possible effects of psilocybin on co-occurring depression and alcohol use disorder, and in addition enjoys going to the beach, reading, and playing tennis with friends.
Nina Nair
Nina Nair is an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University and one of the clinic leads in the Johns Hopkins Hospital Emergency Department!
Past Members
Maddie Piona
Maddie (she/her) was an intern with Violet during her freshman year at Johns Hopkins University. She helped with social media and at-home STI testing kits for the Violet Project. She is passionate about working to fix health disparities that exist in the Baltimore community and loves working to provide sexual and reproductive healthcare for youth in Baltimore. She hopes to have a career where she can help provide equitable and high quality sexual and reproductive healthcare to those who need it.
Fatima Baloul
Fatima (she/her) was an intern with Violet as a freshman and sophomore at Johns Hopkins University, pursuing a major in Public Health studies while on a Pre-Physician Assistant (PA) track. Fatima is highly interested in child and maternal health and addressing the health inequities that adversely affect underserved populations, specifically pregnant, marginalized women and children. She enjoys applying her creative mind in the context of healthcare related projects. Fatima was heavily involved in the Violet Patient Volunteering program. Fatima hopes to be a pediatric or OB/GYN PA and to join an equitable health care practice.
Divya Nair
Divya Nair (she/her) was an intern with Violet during her senior year at Johns Hopkins University, studying Molecular & Cellular Biology and the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology. She hopes to serve her queer community by becoming an OB/GYN dedicated to healthcare equity in the future. With Violet, she worked to organize donations of products and educational materials to over 25 Baltimore middle schools, high schools, and community centers. Outside of Violet, she was involved in evolutionary genomics research, the Women's Pre-Health Leadership Society, a mural art club, and the JHMI NICU.
Liliana Rodriguez
Liliana (she/her) was an intern with Violet during her junior and senior years at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in neuroscience. She has always been passionate about women's health and reproductive health. In her free time, she loves Latin dancing. She helped develop content for the Violet Project and served as the social media team lead.
Janya Budaraju
Janya was an intern with Violet during her sophomore and junior years at Johns Hopkins University, double majoring in Public Health Studies and Computer Science. As a member of the Violet team, Janya worked on content development with a focus on inclusivity & representation, furthering Janya's primary academic interests in technology, advocacy, and public health. In the future, Janya hopes to pursue an MPH and PhD with the goal of driving public health research centered around reproductive and social justice.
Samantha Sarlin
Samantha (she/her) was a clinic lead for the Violet Project during the fall of 2023 as a senior at Johns Hopkins University, pursuing a Bachelor's of Science degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a minor in Music. She joined Violet due to her deep appreciation of Violet's mission to provide access to sexual and reproductive healthcare products and educational resources for youth in Baltimore, and due to her desire to learn more about the current barriers that prevent equitable access to healthcare in Baltimore for many populations. Outside of Violet, Samantha engages in research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, acts as Student Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Social Concern's volunteering organization, Baltimore First, and enjoys running with friends. She ultimately hopes to pursue an MD following her undergraduate career.
Miranda Jimenez
Miranda (she/her/hers) was the Community Engagement Chair while an undergrad at Johns Hopkins University. She majored in molecular and cellular biology and Spanish and has the goal of attending medical school in the future. Miranda joined Violet during the 2022 summer and currently serves as the Community Engagment Chair. She organizes social events for the Violet Patient Volunteering program and packing parties for the greater Baltimore community. Miranda is interested in the role that sex and gender have on the quality of healthcare received, and she currently works in the Kelin Lab where she studies how sex hormones impact viral pathogenesis and vaccination. Miranda is also very passionate about being active and she leads hiking trips and fitness classes in her free time.
Elaine Yang
Elaine (she/her) was clinic lead and a Johns Hopkins student who majored in Neuroscience as well as Medicine, Science and the Humanities, with a minor in the Writing Seminars. She joined the Violet Project as a Violet Patient Volunteer in the summer of 2022 and is now the Clinic Lead for the Pediatrics and OB/GYN clinics located at Yard 56. Elaine is passionate about Violet's missions to expand the accessibility of healthcare and promote educational equity, and she is also involved with Charm City Science League and Writers in Baltimore Schools to empower Baltimore youth.
Helen Taylor
Helen (she/her) was an intern with Violet during her junior and senior years at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in Public Health Studies and minoring in Spanish for the Professions. She aspires to be an OB/GYN. She is passionate about providing health access, education, and resources to Latine/POC women and gender minorities. With Violet, she supported content-writing and outreach for Spanish speaking youth.
Michelle Nazareth
Michelle (she/her) was an intern with Violet during her sophomore and junior years at Johns Hopkins, studying neuroscience and philosophy. She is passionate about healthcare issues surrounding women's health and neonatology. She is involved with research in neonatal memory in HI mice. Michelle helped write content for Violet and coordinate outreach.
Sadhana Pani
Sadhana (she/her) is a recent graduate from Johns Hopkins University after double majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Medicine, Science, and the Humanities with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. Sadhana has been at the Violet Project since the summer of 2022, and has been a patient volunteer at both the main Johns Hopkins campus and at Bayview. Sadhana works as the Spanish Language Coordinator for the Violet Project, translating educational materials into Spanish and leading a team of Spanish translators. Sadhana is also a clinic lead for volunteers at the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus. Outside of the Violet Project, Sadhana has also worked on projects that helped provide free pads and tampons to menstruators at the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus, and also helps facilitate menstrual cup distribution to undergraduate students on campus. She is very passionate about improving accessibility and education regarding menstrual and sexual health and working towards a more equitable future in terms of reproductive justice as well.
Yordanos Degefe
Yordanos (she/her) was a Violet intern during her junior and senior years at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in Public Health Studies and minoring in Psychology on the pre-medical track. Yordanos helped secure product donations for Violet. She joined the team to be involved in a project that directly works to address the social determinants of health that prevent Baltimore youth from accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Michael Liew
Michael (he/him) is a senior at Johns Hopkins University double-majoring in Neuroscience and Applied Mathematics. Michael joined Violet in Summer 2022 and currently is a Violet Clinic Lead for volunteering at Johns Hopkins Bayview campus. He also has helped create content for social media. He is passionate about reducing the stigma around menstruation and improving knowledge around sexual health in adolescents.
Naima Gordon
Naima (she/her) was a Violet social media influencer as a junior in high school at Baltimore City College. Naima hopes to help spread awareness to her peers through Violet. She has a passion for film and aspires to be a filmmaker in the future. In her free time, she loves to read, write short stories, edit content, and watch scary movies.
Lillee Izadi
Lillee (she/her) was a content creator and general support for the Violet Project, as well as a Doctoral Diversity postbaccalaureate student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She graduated from undergrad with a major in biology in 2022. She is a research assistant with the Division of GYN Specialties and creates content for the Violet Instagram and TikTok. She also supports multiple Violet research projects and is the Violet Patient Volunteering Clinical Lead for the Bayview Emergency Department site. She is now completing medical school!
Maclaine Barré-Quick
Maclaine (she/her) graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor's degree in Public Health Studies and a minor in Women's Studies (Class of 2023). She was one of the first students involved with Violet, starting in June 2021. Maclaine supported the research team on a variety of projects and supported Violet's effort to form partnerships with community-based organizations and schools in Maryland. She was also a clinic-based volunteer and Youth Advisory Board Facilitator. She is excited by the opportunity to work with the Violet Project to increase accessibility to sexual health resources and education in the Baltimore area for young people. Maclaine is currently an MSPH student in Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and aspires to become a pediatric surgeon.
Sydney Santos, MSPH
Sydney Santos (she/her) graduated from Johns Hopkins in May 2022, majoring in Behavioral Biology and received her Masters of Science in Public Health at JHSP, with a concentration in Social and Behavioral Interventions. As an undergraduate, she was involved with increasing accessibility to sexual and reproductive health resources on the Johns Hopkins campus, including launching the first free barrier methods program with the Center for Education and Health and Well-Being. In Violet she was the patient educator clinic lead for the Family Planning Clinic at Bayview. In addition to reproductive health, she is also passionate about food systems and chronic disease disparities in Baltimore City, which is her primary research focus. After completing her MSPH, she is planning on attending medical school.