Reproductive Health Interest Group
The Reproductive Health Interest Group (RHIG) is a registered graduate student group at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Founded in 2002, RHIG brings together students, faculty, and staff to learn about and discuss reproductive health issues, share information, and engage in service and advocacy projects.
Leadership
Justin M. Arguel
Co-President
Co-President
Justin Mark Arguel is a second-year MPH student in the Community Health Sciences Department. He discovered his passion for community health and health education and promotion while working in COVID-19 prevention and outreach at UC Davis. His interests include addressing sexual and gender minority health disparities, including the promotion of sexual, reproductive, and mental health among queer communities. He is currently serving as an intern at APLA Health, an organization dedicated to reducing health inequities for and providing support services to individuals thriving with HIV. A Bay Area native, you can find Justin exploring Los Angeles’s many public libraries, eating at Seoul House of Tofu in Sawtelle, signing up for 5k races, and learning songs on the piano.
Autumn Frlekin
Co-President
Co-President
Autumn Frlekin is a second-year student in the MPH/MSW dual degree program. Her interests include health insurance policies and their impacts on reproductive healthcare. She spent the summer as a Health Policy Research Intern with the Institute for Medicaid Innovation supporting projects related to maternal health. In her free time, she enjoys going to Pilates classes, playing with her cats, and cooking.
Natalie Pulvino
Treasurer
Treasurer
Natalie Pulvino is currently earning her masters in public health at UCLA with a focus in population and reproductive health. With a bachelor’s degree in economics and professional experience as a yoga instructor and integrative health coach, she seeks to understand the systems at play that both prevent and promote community health and wellbeing. Natalie is especially interested in improving maternal/parental health outcomes through expanding access to perinatal and sexual health education in under-resourced communities, and has spent time developing sexual health educational materials for UCLA’s Prevention Center of Excellence. In her time outside of school, Natalie enjoys reading fiction novels, hiking through the Santa Monica mountains with her dog Lark, and listening to live music!
Samantha Deveaux
Secretary
Secretary
Samantha Deveaux completed her BS in Health Sciences with a minor in Infection Control from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. She is currently a first-year MPH student in the department of Health Policy and Management and is passionate about addressing social justice issues and promoting health equity. Her research interests include improving access to quality healthcare among underserved populations, improving the quality of life for people living with HIV, and reproductive health access. A Florida native, Samantha enjoys discovering California state parks, hiking, and growing her never-ending houseplant collection.