Our team.

Public Health is one of Terrell Engmann’s foremost passions. As a recent Molecular Biology graduate from the University of Washington, he embarked on a five month international journey spanning eight countries via the Bonderman Fellowship. Terrell spent his time as a Bonderman Fellow gaining perspective in regard to health equity and biological interventions abroad, visiting hospitals, labs, and reproductive health facilities along the way. With this experience in mind, Terrell is determined to see unprecedented change in his community by dismantling practices that disparately affect health outcomes. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Biomolecular Sciences. Community health, environmental justice, and educational outreach are all areas he hopes to leverage for the benefit of all.

With a commitment to serving his community, Jordan Jackson works to change the modern urban landscape from a place of inequity and heavy pollution into an accessible, green, and clean place to live. He has a passion for community building projects, founding an annual supply drive, and being involved in tutoring and mentorship programs for underrepresented students. As he moved deeper into his studies, he learned techniques like gene editing and bioremediation could be used in the communities he came from and worked with. Jordan is currently a second-year PhD student at the University of Washington studying the gut microbiome and colorectal cancer development. He looks forward to bringing about a more equitable and forward thinking era of this world.

Lexi Rohrer graduated. from the University of Washington (UW) in June 2021 with a degree in Human Centered Design and Engineering. She aspires to create usable technology that sits at the crossover of sustainability and social justice. Her experience as director of Northwest Women at UW has motivated her to support underrepresented communities’ equitable access to environmental resources and activities. At Basilica Bio she’s working to to make information and involvement in initiatives more accessible to volunteers and frontline communities.

Lauren Sarkissian (she/her), MPH, is an infectious disease researcher and science communicator at the Washington State Department of Health. She strives to make health information accessible so individuals can make informed choices. Her professional interests include zoonotic and vector-borne disease, One Health, environmental justice, and innovative communication. She has been a part of the Basilica Bio team since 2021. Lauren loves getting to bring science into the community and collaborating with others. In her free time, she spends time making art and taking her corgi Pebbles on walks around the lake.

Isis Garcia believes in the power of community engagement to achieve health equity and social justice across all aspects of life. As a Latinx women, she is passionate about collaborating with the LatinX and Hispanic community towards a shared goal in environmental health, community health, and equity. At Basilica Bio, she is working as the Action Team Lead on the Gardening Under the Microscope (GUM) program to bridge education and community. She graduated Virginia Tech with a B.S in Biology. After graduation, she served in the MedServe AmeriCorps program, in a primary care clinic in rural NC, where she worked as a community health worker and a certified health coach. This experience prepared her to follow her passion and seek a Master’s in Public Health degree, where she is currently a graduate student at the University of Washington (UW) under the Community Oriented Public Health Program (COPHP).

Alicia Kusaka is committed to health equity and transparency. With a background in bioethics, she strives to change the reality of a zip code determining your health and ensuring everyone is educated on the environmental health factors present in their community. As a Master of Environmental Health - Toxicology student at the University of Washington, she will be learning and researching the way environmental toxins adversely affect one’s health. At Basilica Bio she’s working to make this scientific information understandable and accessible to all communities through educational material.

Rachel graduated from the University of Washington (UW) in 2014 with an MS in Environmental Health. After that, she worked as a research fellow studying disparities in climate change adaptation and mitigation planning between municipalities in Lima, Peru. She is currently a research scientist at the UW where she spends her time working to improve diagnostic sampling for tuberculosis and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. Additionally, she taught Environmental Health as an adjunct professor at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. Through her education and experience, Rachel recognized how all aspects of environmental health hinge on health equity and environmental justice. She is committed to pursuing opportunities to advance sustainability and equity, and to supporting others along the way.

Ammy (she/her) completed her Sociology degree at the University of Washington in June 2022. Her interest in environmental issues blossomed during her time as a graphic design intern at a fashion company with a focus on sustainability and ethical practices. At Basilica Bio, Ammy aims to delve deeper into environmental justice, integrating her passion for social media and content creation. Equipped with marketing experience, she aspires to enhance brand awareness and educate individuals on the subject, while learning more about the topic herself and seeking continual personal growths at the same time. Outside of her professional pursuits, she enjoys exploring activities beyond her comfort zone, such as skiing, weightlifting, and connecting more with nature by doing outdoorsy activities.

Morgan studied environmental biology and scientific illustration at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. While in school, she also developed a passion for gardening through work at a botanical garden and sustainability initiatives including an urban gardening project designed to increase community access to fresh produce. She is now a research manager in the conservation genetics lab at Boise State University. While her research concentrates in biology and wildlife, she is passionate about conserving the natural world for all, fostering the healthful and innate connection between humans and our environment and food systems, environmental justice, and knowledge dissemination through science communication and outreach.

Amanda is an Urban Ecologist and biologist with an excitement to foster connections of environmental justice issues and IDEA into science and her community. Previously she spearheaded a grassroots DEA group STRIIDEA with four other researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. From issues within STEM to critical ecology, encouraging multilingualism in STEM and combating barriers to STEM careers for underserved communities, she has a natural passion to ensure that everyone has a seat and voice at the table. She is currently a Masters Student at Boise State University, studying bats, and moths and the effects of urban pollutants on the ecosystem as well as their disproportionately negative effects on historically underserved human communities. As a Basilica Bio team member, she hopes to tie her creativity and enthusiasm to better urban pollutants with science, art, social action and education working with community partners across Idaho’s treasure valley.