OUR TEAM

Leadership and Administration:

JoAnne Foody, MD, FACC, FAHA
Medical Director, ClimbCorps
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
JoAnne M. Foody, MD, FACC, FAHA, is the medical director of ClimbCorps, the Cardiovascular Wellness Service, and the Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and editor in chief of the American College of Cardiology's CardioSmart website. Dr. Foody has active and international roles in cardiac disease prevention and rehabilitation with a particular focus on women and heart disease. Her research centers on identifying and fostering greater use of clinical strategies that prevent adverse cardiovascular events in people with and without coronary artery disease. Dr. Foody received her BA from Princeton University in 1986, and her MD from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine in 1990. She completed her internal medicine training at Brigham and Women's Hospital and general cardiology and preventive cardiology trainings at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Dr. Foody is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

Annette Rubin
Director, ClimbCorps
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Annette Rubin is the director of ClimbCorps, the Cardiovascular Wellness Center, and the Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She brings more than 20 years of leadership and management experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, particularly in the areas of program planning, fundraising, public relations, marketing, and organizational development. From 1997 until 2005 she served as president of Executive Service Corps of New England (ESC), a Boston-based nonprofit organization that provides consulting services and resources to New England’s nonprofit community. In this role, she led the organization through a period of extensive growth, restructuring, and expansion into new markets. Before joining ESC, Annette was a key player in the growth and development of Project Bread/Walk for Hunger as deputy director and interim executive director. Annette holds a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University Graduate School of Urban Planning and Policy Development and a Bachelor’s Degree from Clark University.

Caitlin Johnson
Communications Specialist, ClimbCorps
As the communications specialist for ClimbCorps, Caitlin oversees the communications and research aspects of the program. Caitlin joined the Brigham and Women’s Hospital team in 2008 after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Management from Providence College and is currently obtaining her MPH with a concentration in epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health. In addition to her role at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Caitlin is a health writer for the American College of Cardiology’s patient education website, CardioSmart.

Aileen Sauris, MS, ANP
Nurse Practitioner and Health Educator, ClimbCorps
Aileen received a BS from SUNY Stony Brook in 1991 and an MS from the Adult Health Program at SUNY Stony Brook in 1995. She has over 15 years of experience in cardiovascular patient management, beginning in Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, where she assisted in the development of an inpatient nurse practitioner cardiology service which provided collaborative care to patients in general cardiology, heart failure, electrophysiology, and cardiac cath lab services. She then joined Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2003, becoming an integral member of the Advanced Heart Disease Division. In her practice, one of her main areas of interest has been to provide cardiovascular education and awareness for the Hispanic community. Her bilingual skills have been an asset in offering integral cardiovascular care and education for Hispanic patients.

Jessica Charles
Supervisor
Jessica joined ClimbCorps at the start of its pilot year to execute the program’s goals and create effective programming for the Boston community. As a ClimbCorps Supervisor, she serves as a resource to corps members, providing field based supervision and support. Jessica brings more than 5 years of experience in community outreach, health education and resource management working with underserved populations in Western MA and the Greater Boston area. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology and in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and will pursue a dual Master’s degree in Public Health and Social Work.

Micho Pilotte
Supervisor
As a Program Supervisor for ClimbCorps, Micho oversees the management of Corps Members and program execution. Micho joined the ClimbCorps team in 2012 after holding various positions in the non-profit sector, including a year of service as an AmeriCorps*VISTA Member. She possesses a passion for health and wellness and currently campaigns for Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. Micho holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Michael’s College.

Corps Members:

Sanaya Daruvala
Sanaya Daruvala is from New York. She recently graduated from Tufts University with a major in biology and a minor in art history. In her spare time she enjoys ceramics, ice skating, and baking. She plans on working at ClimbCorps during her gap year and starting medical school next fall.

Elizabeth “Ellie” Deshaies
Ellie graduated from Northeastern University with a BA in international affairs and a minor in social entrepreneurship. An avid cyclist and occasional runner, she hopes to build upon her interest in health and wellness by pursuing an MPH after serving with ClimbCorps.

Avery Epstein
Avery graduated from Tufts University with a double major in Sociology and Community Health. At Tufts, she was a health educator with Peer Health Exchange and a captain of the Mock Trial Team. She is passionate about using education, research, and policy to improve health outcomes, and hopes to eventually pursue an MPH degree.

Stephanie Hardy
A native Long Islander, Stephanie recently graduated from Boston University with a major in Sociology and minor in Public Health. She is passionate about life itself and dedicated to helping others, with intentions of pursuing a Masters of Public Health.

Audra Hite
Audra attended UMass Boston and received a degree in Exercise and Health Science with a concentration in Health Science this past May. Her career goal is to become a surgical physician’s assistant; concentrating in orthopedic surgery.

Aaron Janik
Aaron is a 23 year old Biology and Jazz Trumpet Performance student who graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music this past May. He is interested in the medical field as well as studio performance for all styles of music. He hopes to be able to continue pursuing his two passions at a high level for his entire life.

Clevanne Julce
Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Clevanne recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Public Sciences. She is passionate about integrating both the preventive aspects of Public Health and Clinical Medicine practices to help reduce health disparities seen within Urban Communities. Following her year of service, she plans to enroll in a dual MBA/MPH program before pursuing Medical School.

Laura McCabe
Originally from Arlington, Massachusetts, Laura graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a major in Public Health Sciences and minors in Psychology, Economics, and Public Policy and Administration. She has a passion for health and helping others by promoting healthy lifestyles and physical activity. Laura’s passion has led her to work in health and wellness centers with people of various physical and cognitive abilities in order to better the well-being of communities. She hopes to continue to raise awareness on the importance of physical activity to lead to a healthier nation.

Berlyn Olibrice
Berlyn graduated with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Public Health Science from UMass Amherst. Her professional goals are to obtain a second Bachelor's degree in Nursing and a Master's degree in Public Health. Berlyn hopes to combine the skills that she will gain clinically and in the public health field to help provide holistic health care to underserved populations abroad and in the U.S. Her favorite pastime is dancing.

Aymbré Page
Aymbré graduated from UMass Amherst with a B.S. in Psychology. She has a background in fitness and wellness working as a group exercise instructor and personal trainer. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, dancing, and boxing.

Trishna Sadhwani
Trish is originally Indian but was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa. She graduated from Clark University with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a minor in Management. Trish loves to dance, swim and play basketball and hopes to get her masters in public health or go to on to pharmacy school.

Peter Siclari
Peter Siclari, native of Providence, RI, is a 2010 graduate of Holy Cross; where he majored in History. While at Holy Cross he was a member of the Men’s Soccer team. He has spent the last three years serving as the Assistant Men's Soccer Coach at Assumption College, and completed a post baccalaureate premedical program at Worcester State in May 2013.

Eliza Shirazi
Eliza is a recent graduate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and earned degrees in Public Health and Communication. She is the founder of the fitness brand, Kick It With Eliza, which encompasses her group fitness classes and health & wellness coaching. She looks forward to furthering her education as a Public Health professional through ClimbCorps, while simultaneously helping and working with others.

Hannah Tadley
Hannah grew up in the Boston area and went to school at Tufts University. She double majored in Child Development and Community Health. While at Tufts, Hannah was involved with the Equestrian team. She loves to travel and studied abroad in South Africa.

Brendan Toohey
Brendan graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a degree in Public Health Sciences. He has volunteered domestically with numerous organizations including the Big Brother Big Sister of America program and internationally traveling to Ecuador and Peru. In addition to ClimbCorps, he spends his time coaching young kids soccer and ski racing and eventually hopes to pursue an MPH or medical degree.

Vinayak Sinha
Vinayak graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology with chemistry minor from Clark University. He is from India and grew up in 8 cities in 6 different countries. Vinayak thoroughly enjoyed his past year with ClimbCorps and is excited to work with the new Corps Members and continue to work with the Boston community. He has always had a keen interest in healthcare and leadership and will therefore be pursuing a Master’s in Public Health focused in Health Management and Policy in the near future.

Linda Valsdottir
Linda is originally from Iceland, and grew up in Colorado and Maine before moving to Massachusetts for school. She recently graduated with a BA in environmental science and an MS in biology through a dual degree program at Clark University. Linda plans to pursue a career in environmental health, and enjoys hiking, reading, and traveling.

Nicole Wright
Originally from Wells, Maine, Nicole graduated from Saint Michael's College with a major in English and minor in Biology. She is passionate about living well and hopes to pursue further education in nutrition or genetics.