MEET OUR TEAM

HAILEE DUNN, PHD, MPH

Founder

Hailee is a community research and evaluation consultant and Adjunct Assistant Professor of the Practice in Epidemiology at Brown University's School of Public Health. Hailee has been working in public health since 2007. Since beginning her career in public health, she earned a Master of Public Health at Brown University and a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Rhode Island. Her interests and approach to evaluation and community research are largely influenced by her clinical training and experiences in different hospital and community-based settings. She works in the service of projects that focus on getting children, adolescents, and adults fair access to mental health and related services - whether through the school system, community-based health centers, hospitals, or other settings. She is especially interested in collecting and using data to help organizations figure out what needs to change (root causes) in current systems, institutions, policies, or practices so that those who need services most are able to get them.

Natalie Fleming, MA, CAGS

Systems Change Specialist

Natalie has been working with youth, families, communities, and schools through various school-based, clinical, and leadership positions since 2006. Earlier in her career, as she learned to help others navigate the different systems that govern success, she became intrigued by the unique opportunities schools provide in fostering connections between families, schools, and health systems of care. This interest prompted her to pursue a Master’s Degree in Educational Counseling and an Advanced Graduate Degree, leading to a career in School Psychology. During her rewarding career as a School Psychologist, Natalie served in several leadership roles, including Project AWARE Grant Coordinator for Providence Public Schools, School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Coordinator and School Health Policy & Program Specialist for the Rhode Island Department of Education, and Director of SEL and Mental Health for Providence Public Schools. She also contributed to various state and national professional organizations. In her role as a Systems Change Specialist for HDC, Natalie actively supports the continued advancement of evaluation, policy, and implementation processes, helping teams effectively meet the needs of the whole school, whole community, and whole child.

KRISTIN GRIMONE, BA

Project Manager

Kristin has been working in research since 2012. Prior to joining HDC in 2020, she worked as a coordinator for clinical research trials at Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island and The Ohio State University. Kristin brings with her extensive experience in recruiting and interviewing participants from diverse backgrounds, developing data collection protocols and standard operating procedures for maintaining confidentiality and integrity of data, assisting with Institutional Review Board submissions, and managing day-to-day operations.

Aleksa Kaye, MPH

Evaluation Specialist

Aleksa brings a dynamic background in public health advocacy, wellness program implementation, and social entrepreneurship. They earned their Master of Public Health from Brown University in 2024, specializing in anti-oppressive mental healthcare and qualitative research methods. Their thesis, published in the Rhode Island Medical Journal, evaluated the performance of a child abuse screening tool in a pediatric emergency department. Passionate about community-driven research, Aleksa focuses on addressing structural violence and advancing collective liberation through public health and social justice initiatives. They are also a clinical herbalist with experience in disability, environmental, and social justice movements. As an Evaluation Specialist at HDC, Aleksa supports collective impact initiatives and professional development strategies to improve systems at the state, district, and school levels that promote the health and well-being of staff, students, and families.

DEBORAH PEARLMAN, PHD

Consultant

Dr. Pearlman is an Associate Professor of the Practice of Epidemiology at Brown University's School of Public Health and a part-time consultant at HDC. Dr. Pearlman earned her Ph.D. in Health Policy at Brandeis University with a concentration in quantitative research methods and program evaluation. Her applied public health research is guided by four core principles: (1) equity, (2) effectiveness, (3) sustainability, and (4) community engagement. The breadth of her work reflects a long-standing commitment to understand how the social ecology of a community has a profound effect on a wide range of health outcomes across the lifespan. Dr. Pearlman has extensive applied research experience in the ways in which gender-based inequity, discrimination, and gender-based violence intersect to undermine the health of girls and women.

IAN SCHMID, PHD, ScM

Applied Statistician

Ian has been working at the interface of statistics and public mental health research since 2012. His primary research interest is in evaluating programs and policies that are intended to improve behavioral health outcomes. He received a Master's degree in Biostatistics from Brown University in 2016 and a doctoral degree in Public Mental Health from Johns Hopkins University in 2023.

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