Julia M. Applegate, MA
Director

Julia M. Applegate (she, her, hers) directs the Institute, where she leads LGBTQ+ health education, research and community engagement efforts to improve the health and wellness of LGBTQ+ communities across Ohio. Prior to joining Equitas Health, Julia directed the LGBTQ+ Health Initiative at Columbus Public Health.

Julia has over 20 years of experience in curriculum design, education and public health programming/policy development. She has worked in public health programs focused on women’s health, HIV/AIDS, and LGBTQ+ Health. With over 10 years of academic teaching experience, Ms. Applegate is a skilled trainer and experienced presenter who has designed curricula, conducted Train the Trainer programs and presented at local, state, national and international conferences on public health, HIV/AIDS, gender and sexual orientation topics. Her trainings have focused on questions of health equity, diversity and inclusion-focusing primarily on marginalized and underserved communities. Ms. Applegate has worked on numerous federal grants and is an experienced grant writer. She has done policy and program development at the local, state and international level as a government employee and as a member of a Board of Directors. Ms. Applegate has several years of management experience as a public health professional and is currently working on obtaining a Master of Public Health degree from The Ohio State University. Julia lives in the Glen Echo area of Clintonville with her partner of 15 years, Liv Gjestvang, their two children, Karsten and Solveig.

Michelle Battle-Fisher, MPH
Research Manager

Michele Battle-Fisher (she, her, hers) is the Research Manager at the Equitas Health Institute where she leads the organization’s research efforts to improve the health of LGBTQ+ and medically underserved populations. She has degrees in public health and African American Studies from the Ohio State University. She has also completed doctoral studies in public health and communication studies.

Michele is an astute researcher and college instructor. Prior to joining Equitas, she was an Instructor and Assistant Program Director of the Wright State Master of Public Health program. She remains on faculty as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, where she wrote Application of Systems Thinking to Health Policy and Public Health Ethics- Public Health and Private Illness (Springer). The book has been recognized as a 2016 Doody’s Core Title, a title given to books that are deemed essential to medical education. She is a member of the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science, a Research Scholar for the Ronin Institute, and was a 2018 TEDxDartmouth speaker where she talked about systems science. Michele has over 20 years’ experience in practical public service as well as academic teaching experience at various colleges. She has worked for Ohio Medicaid, KidsOhio.org, Columbus AIDS Task Force, and Ohio University Heritage College of Medicine (HCOM).

Originally from Portsmouth, Ohio, Michele resides in Central Ohio with her spouse and two children.

Ramona Peel, MA
Lead Trainer

As the Lead Trainer for The Equitas Health Institute, Ramona Peel (she, her, hers) collaborates on creating the Institute’s training programs and leads the delivery of training to internal and external audiences. Ramona is also a Political Science Lecturer at the Newark branch of The Ohio State University. In addition, her lived experience as a trans woman informs and enriches her work.

Ramona has 17 years of classroom teaching experience, and her work was recognized by the Ohio State University Political Science Department in 2004 when they awarded her the Henry R. Spencer Award for Distinguished Teaching. Her varied background also includes social science research, broadcasting, and journalism. In April 2017, she was a contributor and guest editor for that month’s issue of (614) Magazine. In February 2018 she was featured in an article that ran in Harper’s Magazine. Her writing has appeared in PRIZM Magazine and the Ohio Family Physician Magazine.

Ramona has a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from Western Washington University, where she graduated Cum Laude in 1997. She lives in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus and has two wonderful, supportive children. She is a lifelong Seattle Seahawks fan and Star Wars geek.

Viola Pagliaro
Education Coordinator

Viola Pagliaro (she, her, hers) serves as the Education Coordinator at the Equitas Health Institute. Vi is responsible for coordinating training activities, summits, conferences and other educational activities for Equitas Health. She coordinates the Continuing Education Certificate process and maintains a training calendar for the organization.

Viola first came in contact with Equitas Health as a patient.  Inspired by the welcoming and inclusive environments the organization fostered for the LGBTQ+ community, she sought to get involved in any way possible, and eventually became an intern for the Institute for over a year.

As a recent Capital University graduate, Viola lives in Bexley with her partner and fiancé, Nick, and their cat, Sparkles.

Brittany Feeling
Training and Engagement Intern

Brittany Feeling (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Community Engagement Intern for Equitas Health Institute. Brittany has been responsible for creating and delivering Patient Empowerment Workshops to community members in Ohio cities with Equitas Health locations. She has also provided support with other Institute initiatives and events including creating content for the Sex Ed 2.0 workshop, helping to organize the upcoming 50+ Wellness Weekend and assisting with research opportunities.

Brittany is completing her Master’s degree in public health from the Ohio State University and will officially receive her MPH in May 2020. She plans to use this degree to continue creating and supporting health promotion initiatives to decrease health disparities in LGBTQ+ and QTPOC communities.

Brittany lives in Columbus, Ohio, loves traveling and is a major foodie.