Speakers:

Allyson S. Hughes, PhD, MA (she/her/hers)

Allyson S. Hughes, PhD, MA (she/her/hers) is a disabled health psychologist who is an assistant professor at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in the department of Primary Care. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1995. She received her PhD in Health Psychology and a graduate certificate in Quantitative Methods from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2018 and her MA in Clinical Psychology in 2015. Her research is committed to enhancing the lives of blind people with diabetes. Her work centers on understanding the psychosocial challenges associated with diabetes management and health equity. Dr. Hughes is dedicated to advocating for health policy reforms, and she holds leadership positions with the American Diabetes Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

Nazanin Heydarian, PhD

Dr. Nazanin Heydarian holds a PhD in Health Psychology with a certificate in Quantitative Methods from the University of Texas at El Paso. She completed her National Heart Lung and Blood Institute T32-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin in cardiovascular health disparities. Dr. Nazanin Heydarian’s expertise include (1) characterizing health disparities and (2) identifying social-cognitive barriers within the disabled population as well as (3) identifying and developing disability-competent practices for healthcare providers.