Seema Clifasefi

Seema Clifasefi (she/her), PhD, MSW serves as the UW Faculty Sponsor and Doorway Project Director. She is an associate professor and also co-directs the Harm Reduction Research and Treatment (HaRRT) Center in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington-Harborview Medical Center. Her research interests lie at the intersection of substance use, mental health, criminal justice and housing policy, with an emphasis on populations with lived experience of homelessness, substance use and/or involvement in the criminal justice system. 

Over the past fifteen years, she has worked collaboratively with affected communities to develop, evaluate and disseminate programs and interventions that aim to reduce substance related harm, improve quality of life, and create positive social change. Ultimately, through her research, she aims to center the voices of the populations she is working on behalf of to create more equitable systems through community capacity building, self-determination, and compassionate pragmatism. In her spare time, she enjoys walks with friends, spending time near (or in) water, chasing the sun, food of all varieties, and watching clever comedy series with her partner and two teenagers (e.g., Parks and Rec, 30 Rock, Community, and Schitts Creek are some family favorites).

Aaron Davis

Aaron Davis (she/they) is a community health scientist, nationally certified health education specialist, and abolitionist who graduated with an MPH in epidemiology, with a focus on maternal child health from the University of Washington. Aaron believes strongly in the power of community and has a passion for public health research and community-led initiatives and activism to address health disparities. Currently, Aaron leverages their diverse lived experience to inform their work, and how they collaborate with communities. They work on many interdisciplinary projects as a harm reductionist, mental health writer, and racial health disparities researcher.

Emma Mancano

Emma is a fourth-year sociology major studying at the University of Washington. She began her internship at The Doorway Project through UW’s community-based internship (UCBI) program, continuing her work through the Jackson Munro Public Service Fellowship before joining as the program assistant.

Emma’s academic interests lie in understanding the way interconnected identity factors including race, class, gender, sexuality, and physical ableness shape lived experiences. She hopes to use this sociological framework of intersectionality as a steppingstone in supporting disadvantaged individuals through their healing processes. This works in tandem with an understanding of the necessary balance between holding emotional space for communities and taking proactive, concrete steps toward change.

Anahi Barragan

Anahi is a fourth year double degree student at the University of Washington studying Public Health - Global Health and Psychology. She was introduced to the Doorway Project through the community-based internship (UCBI) program available at UW. Anahi is interested in understanding how lived experiences shape one's identity and serve as factors towards having the ability to have a successful and meaningful life. She hopes to understand how the different factors that one interacts with in a daily environment influence a person's overall health both physically and mentally. She hopes to learn from the experiences of the U-District community to better understand how social influences impact livelihood. 

Anahi is interested in understanding how race, political, social, and environment factors are intertwined and reflected upon a person. She hopes to make a positive impact on communities who are stigmatized. To do this, Anahi seeks to engage directly with marginalized communities, learning from their experiences to inform meaningful change. Through her work with the Doorway Project and her studies at UW, she hopes to contribute to initiatives that promote equity, well-being, and systemic change.