About Us
With rising smartphone ownership and advances in digital health technologies, mobile Health (mHealth) interventions have demonstrated promising effects on prevention and self-management of health conditions, however, there are limited apps specific to the needs of women on community supervision. Therefore, we developed a mHealth app, JUNTM, which may be effective in symptom tracking, reporting, and transmitting healthcare resources to hard-to-reach groups such as women with risks associated with criminal legal system involvement. JUNTM is short for the Junonia shell, a native shell to South Texas, which is the region where this research originated and means strength and self-sufficiency. In addition, JUNTM was informed by women with criminal legal system involvement to address their healthcare and safety needs. JUNTM, has the ability to bridge channels of care by giving resources and information in a discreet and non-stigmatizing format around issues such as symptom management, safe health behavior, and strategies to identify violence.
JUN Research
JUN Research Meet our JUN Team
Allison Crawford PhD, RN
Principle Investigator
Dr. Allison Crawford, PhD, RN is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Health at San Antonio’s School of Nursing, where she conducts health disparity research involving childbearing communities influenced by incarceration. As a registered obstetrical nurse with post-doctoral training in digital health, Dr. Crawford has been engaging in research with women with criminal legal system involvement since 2016 and is an expert on the barriers women experience who have criminal justice oversight. Her research directly informed two Texas state laws passed in 2019 (HB 1651) and 2021 (HB 1308) to improve healthcare for women in Texas county jails. The long-term goal of her research is to culturally tailor and test a technological intervention her research informed, JUNTM, to enable self-efficacy and access to care discreetly and affordably for hard-to-reach groups. Dr. Crawford’s research is currently funded by IIMS CTSA and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01HD103634-03S2 (PI, Crawford; Parent PI, Rebecca Shlafer, UMN).
Crystal Berryhill
JUN Team
Crystal Berryhill is a former Emergency Medical Technician and a US Army veteran currently working towards her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UT Health San Antonio. She has a passion for women’s health with a focus on addressing systemic barriers and racial disparities that contribute to the high maternal death rate among Black women. Her goal is to earn a doctorate degree and be a part of change that would alleviate disparities in minority healthcare.
Adriana Duran
JUN Team
Adriana is a current undergraduate student at UT Health San Antonio's school of nursing. She has a strong passion for nursing and is extremely excited to start this new journey with Dr. Crawford’s Research Team.
Matelynn Soules
JUN Team
Matelynn is a current undergraduate student at UT Health San Antonio's school of nursing. She is passionate about maternal-child and pediatric healthcare. Her role is assisting with tailoring the content in JUN for the needs of underserved populations.
Christina Strauser, LVN
JUN Team
Christina is a licensed practical nurse currently working toward her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She has a strong passion for women’s health with a goal to earn her doctorate and be part of advancing care and research for women at every stage of life.
Breann Wicks, BSN RN
JUN Team
Breann is a PhD student at the School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX. Her research interests are genetics co-occurring with neurodevelopmental disorders. Inspiration for this interest is her personal and professional experience as a nurse. As she develops and refines her goals throughout the program, expansion of areas she would like to focus on is currently working to understand the art of artificial intelligence in hopes to aid in communication for non-verbal individuals in the future.
Denisse Aguilar Zepeda
JUN Team
Denisse is currently a 7th semester TBSN student. She chose nursing to represent Latina’s in healthcare which is currently limited. She hopes to graduate and work in the ICU to later become a CRNA. She also has an interest in social justice in healthcare and hopes to help individuals to achieve health equity.
Collaborators
Kavita Radhakrishnan, PhD, RN, FAAN: UTATX
collaborator
Rebecca Shlafer, PhD: UMN
collaborator
Rocky Slavin, PhD: UTSA
collaborator
Min Wang, PhD: UTSA
collaborator
Jacqueline McGrath, PhD, RN, FAAN: UT Health San Antonio
collaborator
Ariadna Forray, MD: Yale
collaborator
Cristina Mendoza, LCDC: Lifetime Recovery
collaborator
Emily Herbert, DrPH: OUHCS
collaborator
Tonya Van Deinse, PhD: University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
collaborator
Past Students
Stacy Braddy, BSN, RN
Student Assistant
Ashlynn Estrada, BSN, RN
Student Assistant
Destiny Francis
Student Assistant
Laura Pavitt, OTD
Student Assistant
Richard Powell
Student Assistant
Gregory Quiroz
Student Assistant
Farhan Tajwar Romit
Student Assistant
JUN Team Photos
Office of Nursing Research Staff Recognition Celebration
On-campus training and Office of Nursing Research Staff Recognition Celebration (February 2025)
Undergraduate Sunshine Research Student
Denisse Zepeda Aguilar, presenting at the Academic Contortion on Criminal Justice Health (ACCJH) Conference in Austin, Texas (March 2025)
Team Building Dinner
Pam’s team building dinner, weekly meeting, and end-of-the year celebration (May 2025)
Redeemer House Annual Fundraiser Luncheon
Redeemer House Annual Fundraiser Luncheon (May 2025)
On-campus training and team building lunch
On-campus training and team building lunch (July 2025)