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Meet The Team
Steven Ondersma, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Ondersma is a Professor in the Michigan State University Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health at Michigan State University. His primary interest is in population-level interventions promoting maternal and child health in underserved communities, particularly via technology-based brief interventions for substance use in the perinatal period. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 37), former Editor of the journal Child Maltreatment, and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. He currently co-chairs the Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome subgroup of the NIH’s Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) initiative. He has led multiple NIH and CDC studies focusing on the development, validation, and implementation of novel screening techniques and electronic/mobile (mHealth) interventions in healthcare settings. He is also the developer of the Computerized Intervention Authoring System (CIAS 3.0), an NIH-funded, free research resource facilitating development of interactive and sophisticated digital interventions for any platform.
Lisa Todd, MS, JD
Project Coordinator
Women's eHealth Study
Lisa Todd is the project coordinator for the Women’s eHealth Study. She has worked in behavioral health clinical research since 2007, focusing primarily on pregnancy health and chronic disease management. She is also a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and has worked extensively with medical and mental health providers to implement MI in clinic settings. Her educational background includes an MS in clinical behavioral psychology and a law degree. She is currently working on a PhD in political science with a concentration in public policy. When she is not engaged in research activities, Lisa enjoys spending time with her family and horses.
Jessie Spencer, BA
Project Coordinator
High Touch High Tech (HT2),
MIRACLE Center Project 2
Jessie Spencer is a project coordinator under Dr. Steve Ondersma in the Division of Public Health at Michigan State University. She received her Bachelor's degree in International Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a concentration in Global Environment and Health. Post-graduation, Jessie completed an internship on the Maternal and Child Health Research and Development team at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. While at WHO, her work focused primarily on increasing community engagement in quality improvement for maternal, newborn, and child health, as well as on social protection policies affecting women working in the informal sector. Jessie began as a research assistant in MSU's C.S. Mott Department of Public Health in 2019 under Dr. Julia Felton, working on projects related to adolescent and adult substance use and mental health. Her interests include maternal, child, and adolescent health issues, particularly those affecting underserved and marginalized communities.
Mary Katherine Crawford, MPH
Project Coordinator
CIAS 3.0
MIRACLE Center Project 2
Mary Katherine Crawford is a project coordinator under Dr. Steve Ondersma in the C.S. Mott Department of Public Health. Mary Katherine serves on the Computerized Intervention Authoring System's investigative team. She obtained her Master of Public Health degree in January of 2020 from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, where she is currently pursuing her doctorate in Public Health. She has worked as a Research Assistant and Project Coordinator in the CS Mott Department of Public Health in the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University, Flint campus since March of 2020. Ms. Crawford is particularly committed to translating her public health research outcomes and knowledge into policy changes that increase health equity for disadvantaged groups.
Atoysha Bassene, MPH
Research Assistant
Women's eHealth Study
Atoysha Bassene is a research assistant for the Women’s eHealth study under Dr. Steve Ondersma in the Division of Public Health at Michigan State University. She graduated from Oakland University in 2021 with her Master’s in Public Health. During graduate school, she completed an internship with Dr. Kwame Sakyi and The Center for Learning and Childhood Development which is a research-based, non-governmental organization dedicated to early childhood development in Ghana. While interning, she worked on researching and analyzing West African media reports on COVID-19 in 2020. Atoysha became interested in public health in 2015 while visiting her in-laws in Senegal. She is most passionate about maternal and child health, global health, and vulnerable populations. In her free time, she enjoys reading, travelling, and spending time with family.
Marlee Sherrod, BA
Research Assistant
Women's eHealth Study
Marlee Sherrod is a research assistant on the Women's eHealth Study. She graduated from Michigan State University in 2015 with her degree in Comparative Cultures and Politics. She is also an AmeriCorps VISTA alum and has experience working with development and fundraising technologies and practices. She is interested in social justice and creating impactful change for low-income communities in the US and beyond. After spending her early career in non-profit fundraising, she is excited to pursue research in public health. She enjoys reading, practicing her Spanish, traveling, and dancing.
Ella Coulter
Student Research Assistant
Women's eHealth Study
Ella Coulter is a research assistant on the Women’s eHealth Study. She attends Michigan State University where she majors in Psychology with a minor in Law, Justice, and Public Policy. Ella is expected to graduate in the spring of 2024, she then intends to attend law school in the fall of 2025. She is passionate about pursuing a career where she can create social change for underserved children and families. Outside of her professional career, Ella enjoys spending time with friends and family outdoors. She especially enjoys hiking, snowboarding, and horseback riding.
Jonné McCoy White, DrPH, MPA
Academic Specialist-Research
Parent eHELP Lab
Jonné McCoy White, DrPH, MPA, a native of Flint, who work with Flint Community members on Jennifer Johnson and Steve Ondersma teams. Jonné works on the Maternal Health MIRACLE Project, an NIH-funded multilevel intervention study on African American maternal morbidity and mortality in Genesee and Kent Counties. She also works to develop a series of computer-delivered messages, videos, and interactive micro-interventions to promote vaccination among pregnant patients and newborns.
Her most recent position was as Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine Community Outreach Specialist for the Flint campus. Jonné recruited volunteer physician preceptors, helped get medical students involved in Flint, and facilitate the Missouri Community Action Poverty Simulation for MSU-Flint medical students, U of M-Flint nursing students, and three healthcare facilities residents.
Jonné enjoys spending time with family husband Erick and children Ruby (Freshman at MSU), Damauri (sixth grader at Grand Blanc East Middle School), Malik (Fifth grader at Mason Elementary), and Marie (First grader at Cook Elementary). She also enjoys cooking, mentoring, and volunteering. Jonné am excited to be able to serve my community.
Brandi Bartell
Student Research Assistant
Parent eHELP Lab
Brandi Bartell is a student research assistant under Dr. Steve Ondersma in the Division of Public Health at Michigan State University. She is a dual degree student at Michigan State University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies: Health and Society with an anthropology cognate and a minor in Environment and Health. She is also pursuing a Master of Science in Epidemiology. Brandi’s interest in public health intensified during a seven-day public health service trip to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where she worked with the Suyapa community to ensure long-term sustainability and maintenance. As a future public health contributor and epidemiologist, Brandi's interests are in chronic and infectious diseases, health disparities, and health equity. She aims to improve population health by examining political, social, and health factors that exacerbate the risk of disease for vulnerable populations.