Meet the Team

From the humble beginnings of three friends believing in changing the conversation of what life with Lupus looks like, The Lupe Ends Here (TLEH) Foundation began to take shape. TLEH is actively working towards developing a strong sense of community made up of those personally affected by lupus, as well as those who may not even know what an autoimmune disease is. We believe you don’t need a diagnosis to be part of the solutions and that together, as a community, we can change how life with lupus is viewed, researched, and experienced!

The Lupe Ends Here is a 501c3 Non-profit organization based in San Diego.

There are effective strategies to manage your health after diagnosis so you can continue conquering life!

-TLEH

Cofounders

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Jessica

Jessica Manning is a native San Diegan with a passion for advocacy and community development. She obtained her Master’s degree in Social Work in 2013 from SDSU and is currently pursuing her licensure to become a LCSW.

Her range of experience includes working with adults with developmental disabilities, community organizing with Peace Corps Ghana 2016-2018, and facilitating end of life supports and services for those on hospice. She is excited to be a founding member of The Lupe Ends Here Foundation and looks forward to redefining the ways in which people living with Lupus and other autoimmune diseases are engaged within the greater San Diego community.

Dieanira

Born in San Diego, Dieanira Erudaitius is passionate about bridging the gap between scientific advances and actual patient needs. She obtained her Ph.D. in Bioengineering in 2017 from UC Riverside.

Her experience ranges from scientific bench work to computational modeling of complex diseases. With a particular interest in lupus and other autoimmune diseases, Dieanira looks forward to developing patient-driven tools, serving as a liaison, and creating a new landscape that provides a transformative approach for research within the greater San Diego community.

Adam

Adam Lucier is a San Diego transplant with a steadfast commitment towards making the world a happier, healthier home.

He joins the team with a background in event coordination, and a passion for health and fitness. In his words, he is "STOKED" to be a founding member of The Lupe Ends Here Foundation and can't wait to bring the San Diego community together to raise awareness and resources for those affected by SLE.

App Development Team

Dieanira Erudaitius, Rohith Mohan, and Chris Hale are actively working on the first prototype of this app. Check our their bios to learn more!

Rohith Mohan

Rohith Mohan is excited to be a part of the TLEH team and is currently living in San Diego. He obtained his Ph.D. in Bioengineering in 2018 from UC Riverside.

With a background in computational chemistry and the development of scientific software and tools, he looks forward to contributing to the efforts of TLEH.

Chris Hale

Chris Hale is dedicated to developing technology that will benefit patients. He obtained his Ph.D. in Bioengineering in 2018 from UC Riverside.

His experiences range from laboratory experiments and computational modeling, to machining and medical device fabrication. He is excited to join the TLEH team and is looking forward to developing tools to assist patients in tracking and monitoring their condition

Patient Advocacy Team

Zohreh Akhavan and Alliey Lau are advocates for individuals living with autoimmune diseases and support the lupus community in their unique ways. Check our their bios to learn more!

Zohreh Akhavan

Zohreh is passionate about utilizing science communication to help patients and drive novel scientific discoveries. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biology in 2017 from UC San Diego and has stayed in San Diego since.

Currently, she is a Field Application Scientist at 10x Genomics where she combines her passion for biology and education by training scientists to master the technology, enabling them to discover previously unknown cell types or biology contributing to human diseases. She looks forward to using the communication skills gained from this role to provide educational resources for patients and empower them to manage their health.

Alliey Lau

Allison is a journalist based in New York City. Having grown up in a family of photographers, she found her calling for visual storytelling at a young age. She specializes in creating short form documentary-style videos. Through her reporting, she has featured social justice leaders, immigrant business owners, sex trafficked victims, activist artists, and people who have been formerly incarcerated. Alliey partners with TLEH to also help those living with chronic illnesses share their story. Learn more by checking out her website.

She earned her master's degree in journalism at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and bachelor's degree at the University of California, Irvine, where she studied literary journalism and political science.

Past Interns

We're so excited to partner with Northern Arizona University (NAU) because they've referred absolutely AMAZING interns to our organization! Jessica Manning works closely with each intern to ensure they meeting NAU's program requirements while making an impact in the lupus and autoimmune community. Thank you for all your hard work!

Read more about the work they are doing on our pipeline page.

Jessica Ortega

Jessica Ortega is a graduate student from San Diego with a passion for physical and mental wellness. She is currently earning her Master of Social Work at Northern Arizona University.

She has worked in outpatient coordination with Northern Arizona Healthcare and is excited to be able to bring her experiences and skills into her work at TLEH, learning more about the experiences of those living with autoimmune diseases as well as exploring ways that people with autoimmune diseases can have a better quality of life.

Lori Hildon

Lori Hilden is currently employed with Exodus Recovery Health Homes as a Care Manager. Her clients have chronic health conditions, substance use, and mental diagnoses.

Lori’s three achievements to date have been to work with the homeless population, return to school for her Master of Social Work at Northern Arizona University, and purchase a home for herself and children. Lori’s goals are to be come a licensed social worker, keep growing at her current company , and to eventually run her own private practice to continue helping others while prioritizing the minority population.

Why the Wolf & Butterfly?

You may have noticed that the TLEH logo is a combination of a wolf and a butterfly, but why? We pulled inspiration from the history of lupus. Dating back to the 4th century, it was believed that lupus originated from wolves because the common skin rash of lupus resembled wolf bites. Lupus, Latin term for wolf, was thus forever associated with the disease. The facial malar rash is also commonly referred to as the “butterfly rash” and is one of the classic presentations of the disease.

Take a look at the video to see how artist Ivan Preciado brought our vision to life.

[a] Norman, R. (2016). The History of Lupus Erythematosus and Discoid Lupus: From Hippocrates to the Present. Lupus Open Access 1:102.

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