Alka Dev (she/her) is the Principal Investigator of MATRIX CoLAB. Her work is inspired by the poverty she witnessed in the streets of her birth country, India, and a relentless childhood desire to understand and address human suffering. Thus, she chose to study and devote her career to issues related to poverty, discrimination, health, and justice. She received her BA in Chemistry and Women’s Studies from the University of North Carolina (‘91), followed by a MHS from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins (‘98). After her masters training, she worked in global health program development and implementation for nearly two decades before returning to school to get a doctorate in maternal health from the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC (‘16).

Alka is an expert program developer, implementor, and evaluator. She brings her implementation experience to her research, focusing on ideas that can transform the experience of maternal health care for pregnant, birthing, and postpartum people in the U.S. and internationally. Alka enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking, meditation, friends and family gatherings, and taking up new hobbies like knitting and skiing.

Sophia Allen, MPH is a PhD student at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI). Sophia grew up in Massachusetts and completed her BA in Neuroscience at Middlebury College, followed by her MPH at TDI. Sophia has a background in clinical research and previously worked at the intersection of mental health and substance use disorders. For the past several years, she has worked as research project coordinator and operations manager for the Dartmouth Health OB-GYN department. She collaborates with the MATRIX lab on a project focused on understanding and addressing social determinants of health in maternal healthcare, with the goal of better predicting the role of social risk in pregnancy management. Sophia's research interests center on developing and evaluating patient-centered interventions that address disparities in reproductive healthcare access, particularly in rural areas. Sophia loves adventuring outside (any combination of running, hiking, biking, or skiing) and cooking for friends.

Sukriti Beniwal is an applied microeconomist with research interests spanning health, labor, and public economics. Her work leverages large-scale administrative data and quasi-experimental methods to examine how healthcare policies and organizational structures shape provider behavior, service availability, and patient outcomes. She is particularly focused on maternal health and reducing disparities in underserved communities.

At The Dartmouth Institute, Sukriti’s research centers on two streams: investigating pregnancy outcomes and healthcare utilization among people with disabilities using large-scale Medicaid data, and examining how hospital ownership transitions affect institutional behavior and patient outcomes. Through this work, she aims to generate evidence that informs equitable health policy and improves care for underserved populations.

Sukriti earned her PhD in Economics from Georgia State University and is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring small towns, discovering hidden cafés, and soaking in the charm of scenic country roads.

Annika Nikhar (she/her) is a senior majoring in Mathematics with a focus in Biology. She currently works with MATRIX CoLab to explore the intersections of reproductive justice and the disability movement. By centering the lived experiences of people with disabilities, she seeks to better understand and map the landscape of this interdisciplinary field.

While primarily focused on qualitative research, Annika has a quantitative background and bridges analytical thinking with social inquiry to propel new perspectives on health equity. On campus, she is also involved in sexual violence prevention initiatives and works to expand health and wellness resources across the Upper Valley. She enjoys running, painting, and playing the piano.

Chae Lee (she/her), from Seoul, South Korea, is a senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Mathematics modified with Biology. She is deeply interested in the intersections of health equity, data, and medicine. Currently, she works as a Project Assistant with the Evergreen initiative, where she develops mental health resources and chatbot dialogues focused on cognitive distortions and cognitive restructuring. She is also conducting research on Medicaid disability policy and sexual-violence-prevention evaluation, bringing an evidence-based approach to equity-driven projects.

Her research interests include the use of quantitative methods and technology to address disparities in health access and outcomes, which she hopes to continue exploring in medical school and future physician-researcher training. She is particularly motivated by projects that bridge data, policy, and community-centered interventions.

Kenechukwu Sibeudu (she/her) grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and earned her bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science with an emphasis in Biology and a minor in Information Security at the University of Southern Mississippi ('22). She is currently pursuing a master’s in Health Data Science at Dartmouth College, where she works as a Research Assistant in the MATRIX CoLab. Her research applies machine learning methods to predict polysocial risk determinant outcomes in maternal health.

Kene brings experience in qualitative research, quantitative analysis, and direct healthcare service to her current work. She is particularly passionate about health equity, and within the field of health equity, she is committed to advancing research that improves maternal health outcomes, particularly for people of color. In her free time, Kene enjoys spicy food, traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Zinne Njoku grew up in Houston, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Biochemistry and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, along with a Pre-Health Professions Certificate for Science Majors (’25). She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health (MPH) at Dartmouth College and serves as a research assistant in the MATRIX Co-Lab. Her work focuses on how young women understand and make decisions about contraception use, and what knowledge or access gaps shape these decisions. 

Zinne is passionate about building equitable healthcare systems that advance the health of marginalized communities through research, policy, and hands-on care. She brings both qualitative research and clinical experience to the MATRIX Co-Lab. Outside of academics, Zinne enjoys reading BookTok recommendations, trying new baked good recipes, and embarrassing herself on pickleball courts.