Who are we?

Vanessa Burnett (she/they)

Vanessa lives in Lansing and recently completed her Master of Public Health degree at MSU. She works as a community health associate at the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI) working primarily on the Michigan Child Death Review Program, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death case registry, and facilitating health equity trainings. Vanessa’s focus is health equity and social justice. Her primary interests with Queering Medicine are community outreach and queer-friendly healthcare spaces. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys traveling, reading, seeking out delicious food, dancing, and spending time with her significant other, family and friends!

Grey lived in the Lansing area for nearly twenty years before relocating to Oregon in late 2022. They served as the Chair of the Power of We Consortium, facilitated Lansing's Nonbinary Support Group at the Salus Center, helped run Voting with Disabilities in Michigan, and were an active participant in many other community groups, including the Capital Area Sexual Assault Response Team, Ingham County Health Department's Racial Equity Data Initiative, and TRHT (Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation) of Metro Lansing. Grey continues to help lead QM's projects focused on public health crises, and previously led QM's vaccine hesitancy and healthcare intake form projects. They are passionate about issues related to LGBTQ+ identities, disabilities, racial equity, and sexual assault survivors, and the intersections between them.

Ross Rogers (he/him)

Ross is an undergraduate student at MSU studying Social Relations and Policy with minors in Health Promotion and LGBTQ Studies, and intends to pursue postgraduate education in public health. Originally from Plymouth, he joined Queering Medicine in order to help make a positive impact on the health of Lansing's queer community and to gain experience working with a grassroots organization. In his free time he enjoys learning languages and coding, petting his cat Smoke, and reading about a variety of subjects.

Patrick Munar Ancheta (he/him/his)

Patrick is from Gilroy, CA & The Bay Area. He is a medical student. He is working with Queering Medicine to provide public health education, especially on barriers queer folx face when accessing and attaining culturally sensitive healthcare. Additionally, he wants to spread general public health awareness in regard to other issues including COVID-19, nutrition, and outbreaks. His hobbies include: gardening, dragon boating, weightlifting, singing, and biking. Folks can reach out to him for venting, collaboration, advice from his personal experiences, or questions regarding his own cultural/ethnic barriers to medicine. He acknowledges that new perspectives can lead to more understanding and empathy.

Originally from Paw Paw, Michigan, Wyatt is currently pursuing a dual degree MSU as a student of both the College of Human Medicine (CHM) and the Broad MBA program. He is also affiliated with the American Medical Association, Mental Health & Wellness at CHM, and CHM Alumni Board. Wyatt conducts research with Dr. Jamie Bernard in the Pharmacology & Toxicology Department as well. His primary interests in joining Queering Medicine are community outreach and improving the LGBTQI+ health services and their accessibility to folks in the Lansing area. In his free time, Wyatt plays on an IM volleyball team, which has been a lot of fun. He loves dogs & cheese, and spending time with friends and family is very important to him.

Felix Brown is a third-year MSU undergraduate majoring in Psychology with minors in Cognitive Neuroscience & Spanish. Felix is active in both MSU’s Breedlove-Jordan Lab & Transilience Lab. Though not originally from the city, they now call Lansing home and are glad to serve in an array of community organizations. His background lends itself to a jack of all trades skill set and network, so they hope to bring unique perspective to all groups in which they serve. His primary interests in working with Queering Medicine presently center on community outreach and standardization of competent queer and trans healthcare. In their free time, Felix enjoys spending time with their delightful partner, appreciating and creating art, direct action, ballroom dancing, adventuring, and lusting after menswear he can’t afford.

Linden lives in East Lansing & spends their time as a proud stay at home Mapa to 3 kids. They are affiliated with the Salus Center, where they act as Admin Coordinator. Their primary interests in working with Queering Medicine include LGBTQ Families and general community access and outreach.

Andrew-Huy Dang (he/him/his)

Andrew is originally from San Diego, California but now calls Lansing, Michigan his home. He is a medical Student and is part of: LGBTQIA+ CHM, Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, and several CHM Student Advisory boards. Andrew joined QM to learn about the unique health needs of the LGBTQ+ Lansing community and to figure out creative and holistic approaches to address those needs. Andrew enjoys dancing, playing video and table top games, watching Disney movies, and being spontaneous. Andrew and his husband are absolute Disney nuts. They visit a Disney Park at least once a year. Their wedding ceremony involved a fairy godmother, a Magic Castle, and plenty of pixie dust. Reach out to them if you're also a Disney fan!

Antonio is a medical student in MSU College of Human Medicine hailing from Los Angeles, California. His primary interest in working with Queering Medicine is general community outreach. In his free time, Antonio loves getting fresh air or having a movie night with friends.

Wilfredo Flores (he/him/his)

Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Wilfredo is currently a first-year writing instructor at MSU and a fourth-year PhD candidate in The Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures. He also acts as Treasurer for the Michigan Indígena/Chicanx Community Alliance & Ambassador for Foster Academics, Mentoring Success in the School of Social Work. His primary interests in working with Queering Medicine include community outreach, health communication, sexual health, and accessibility. In his free time, Wilfredo likes going to the gym, reading, and playing/streaming video games.

Mauricio is affiliated with MSU College of Human Medicine & also LGBTQIA+ CHM. Originally from Los Angeles, he now calls Lansing home. Aside from his daily responsibilities as a medical student, Mauricio finds balance in spending time with his husband and their furbaby Gizmo (who is 14 years old!). He also enjoys writing and being an amateur photographer. His decision to be part of Queering Medicine is to act as a bridge between CHM/ medical institutions and queer communities in the surrounding area. He is passionate about narrative medicine, social justice in medicine and working to make healthcare more queer friendly. He also finds it incredibly important for him to create and support community driven work whenever he can. In his free time, Mauricio loves trying new foods and spending time in the sun. 

Vera Nattler (they/them/she/her)

Vera is from Ann Arbor, MI. They are a medical student and are involved with the Medical Student Pride Alliance (MSPA). Vera joined QM in order to work together to bring a safe, affirming, and trustworthy healthcare to the Queer community. Vera enjoys drawing, playing board games,  and trying to hold a conversation with her houseplants.

Jae Puckett (they/them)

Jae lives in Lansing, MI but is from North Carolina. They work as an assistant professor of Psychology at Michigan State University and as the director of Trans-ilience: The Transgender Stress and Resilience Research Team. Jae is affiliated with: MSU; Trans-ilience. They joined QM in order to: increase access to competent and affirming providers, provide education about trans health, and to provide resources to support the health and resilience of LGBTQ+ people and communities. Jae enjoys to garden and is open to collaborations.

Daniel Wheeler-Pfau (they/them/their)

Daniel is a parent of three, partner, and postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan in Biomedical Engineering and Obstetrics and Gynecology. Originally from San Luis Obispo, California, they moved to Michigan in 2012 and earned their PhD in Neuroscience at Michigan State University. Daniel, their partner and their three adopted nephews live in Lansing, together they enjoy neighborhood and nature walks, cooking and gardening. At U of M they study a mouse model that mimics gender affirming hormone therapies to understand and improve them. Their work with Queering Medicine focuses on translating relevant scientific findings to the queer community.