New Jersey Nayon

Persephone Vargas, DNP, APN-BC, FNP-BC is an Assistant Professor at William Paterson University. She is also a nurse practitioner specializing in cardiology. Her research interests include Asian American health disparities with a focus on Filipino American health. She is particularly interested in promoting the use of appropriate obesity guidelines for the Asian American population to improve their health outcomes. Her work on this subject has been presented in several national and international oral presentations as well as written publications. She was the recipient of the National Award for the Nurse Practitioner of the Year by the Philippine Nurses Association of America.

Veronica Lavarro is currently the Marketing and Communications Manager at Jersey City Medical Center, part of RWJBarnabas Health. Veronica’s career in Communications and Media Relations spans 20 years, with industry expertise in government and politics, consumer products, technology, and most recently in the health care industry. Other notable prior roles include as Director of Strategic Communications for Asian Health Services at Holy Name Medical Center and as New York Region Media Specialist with the US Census Bureau during the 2010 Census. Veronica earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at New Jersey City University.