Recipient of the Henry Spencer Scholarship, is a public health nurse and PhD student at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore. She earned her Master of Science in Advanced Practice Public Health Nursing with a minor in HIV/AIDS from University of California School of Nursing in San Francisco, after receiving her BSN from Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. Pursuing a PhD was motivated by her work in San Francisco, where she provided ongoing medication adherence support and nurse case management to HIV-infected adults who were unstably housed, underinsured, and experiencing substance abuse and/or mental illness. Her research focuses on improving access to and utilization of, healthcare among persons co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C virus. Laura is devoted to decreasing health disparities and mentoring the next generation of nurses to care for historically underserved populations.