PEP Team

Meet the Period Education Project Team

Leadership Team

Melisa Holmes, MD, FACOG

Executive Director

Co-Founder, Girlology
Co-Founder, Period Education Project
Adjunct Faculty, UofSC School of Medicine
Greenville, SC

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Katrina Graczyk, MBA

Chief Operations Officer

Chief Operations Officer
Period Education Project

Greenville, SC

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Maggie Hamberis

Director of Partnerships

Nashville, TN

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Lonna Gordon, MD, PharmD, FAAP, FSAHM

National Coordinator of Med School Partnerships

Associate Chief of Adolescent Medicine
Nemours Children’s Hospital
Orlando, FL

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Staff & Interns

Sophia Deluca

Lead Writer & Editor

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Priyanka Parikh

National Student Coordinator

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Claire Armstrong

Social Media Intern

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Melisa Holmes, MD, FACOG

Founder & Interim CEO
Co-Founder, Girlology
Lead, Education & Training
Adjunct Faculty, UofSC School of Medicine

Greenville, SC

Dr. Melisa Holmes always knew she wanted to be a physician, but during college, she took a detour from science to major in drawing & painting before heading to The Medical College of Georgia where she received her MD, then Virginia Commonwealth University for her Ob-Gyn residency. Melisa joined the faculty at the Medical University of S.C. (MUSC) where she held joint appointments in Obstetrics/Gynecology and Pediatrics. She served as director of the MUSC Teen Clinic and created a clinic for sexual assault survivors. As a nationally recognized advocate for adolescent health, she has served on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Adolescent Health Care and Chaired the Board of Directors for the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Amaze.org, a global sexuality education project. In addition to co-authoring the Girlology series of books, she has written numerous scientific papers and textbook chapters as well as articles and guest blogs. As a passionate teacher for her patients, Dr. Holmes received a national award from the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists for patient education. As an excellent clinician respected by her peers, she was also named among the Best Doctors in America. When she’s not Girlologizing, she’s cooking, making playlists of new music, or doing something crafty and artistic.

Katrina Graczyk, MBA

Chief Operations Officer

Greenville, SC

Katrina is a New Jersey native who received her undergraduate degree in Economics and her MBA from Rutgers University. She has always had an innate passion for positive youth development and connecting with young people. She grew up involved in an international youth group, with highlights including speaking engagements and performances at international and national youth congresses. She spent many hours volunteering as a youth advocate, attending mission trips, and volunteering at summer youth camps. After spending most of her career working in sales for large corporations, she is excited to contribute to the growth of an organization dedicated to educating & empowering youth.

Katrina participates in a broad range of PEP operations and particularly enjoys working with the medical student volunteers who teach menstrual health to youth in their communities. When she’s not cheering on the rallies, you can find Katrina enjoying the outdoors with her family, cooking, or looking for a binge-worthy series on Netflix!

Maggie Hamberis

Director of Partnerships

Nashville, TN

Maggie has come full circle on her women's health journey from attending her first Girlology class in middle school, led by Dr. Holmes, to joining the PEP Team in 2022! Growing up in a healthcare family, she always had an interest in women's wellness and felt strongly about fighting stigmas.

Maggie spent most of her youth involved in a wide-range of activities and organizations, from student government, basketball, choir, Greek dance, piano and more, to satisfy her enjoyment of fellowship. She especially loved participating in music-based pursuits!

Her zeal for connecting with people and building meaningful relationships led her to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina. Throughout college, she participated in non-profit work with Girl Scouts of America, Prevent Child Abuse America, and Pendleton Place Youth Center.

Maggie made her way to Nashville, Tennessee in 2019 where she worked in sales and account management for technology companies. Her interest in wellness continued in her daily activities of yoga, meditation, running and cooking. Eager for something more fulfilling, she shifted her focus back to bettering lives through nonprofit work as the Director of Partnerships with PEP. Maggie is thrilled to join the team and put her communications skills and passion for women's health to great use!

Lonna Gordon, MD, PharmD, FAAP, FSAHM

National Coordinator of Med School Partnerships
Associate Chief of Adolescent Medicine
Nemours Children’s Hospital

Orlando, FL

Dr. Lonna Gordon is the older daughter of Llewellyn & Lorna from Jamaica, older sister to Lori and godmother to 9 girls. She was born in our nation’s capital, which explains her passion for child advocacy, and raised in Jacksonville, FL. She has a PharmD from Florida A&M University & an MD from the University of South Florida. She currently practices Adolescent Medicine at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Fl where she is the Division Chief of Adolescent Medicine and the Director of Diversity for Graduate Medical Education. Dr Lonna is a foodie, photographer, and world traveler. She loves to empower her patients to fuel their bodies using creative and healthy meal and snacks ideas that she shares with them. She has combined her love of educating and cooking to pursue board certifications in Obesity Medicine & Culinary Medicine. She sits on the Society of Adolescent Health & Medicine – Nutrition and Obesity Committee. Additionally, Dr Lonna is a nationally recognized advocate in the areas of healthcare access and adolescent reproductive health. She has also spearheaded community health education programs utilizing faith based organizations in three different cities.

Sophia DeLuca

Lead Writer & Editor

Sophia DeLuca is a second-year honors student at the University of Georgia studying International Affairs, Sociology, and Women’s Studies, from Decatur, GA. Sophia is passionate about public health, specifically as it relates to comprehensive reproductive health and sex education for adolescents. Sophia is also interested in advocating for the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals and increasing awareness and knowledge about traditionally stigmatized topics in healthcare. Sophia first started working with Girlology in March 2020 as the Communications Intern, designing and curating health education content for Girlology social media. As the Lead Writer and Editor for the Period Education Project Website, she is excited to continue working to expand awareness about the need for adolescent health education. When she’s not working with Girlology, Sophia can be found reading a good book, going for a run, attempting to cook, and most recently, learning to rollerblade.

Priyanka Parikh

National Student Coordinator

Priyanka is a second-year honors student from Colunmbus, GA attending the University of Georgia. As a Foundation Fellow, she is studying biochemistry and economics with the goal of becoming a physician-scientist and shaping healthcare policy in the future. She joined Girlology in October 2020 to out of her interest in helping maximize the impact that medicine can have on communities by equipping people with tools to understand their own health.

As the National Student Coordinator, Priyanka connects with medical students across the country and coordinates their training to deliver youth focused workshops that help destigmatize menstrual health and dismantle barriers to care. When she’s not studying or advocating, Priyanka enjoys biking, camping, rewatching Harry Potter movies, and listening to ‘The Last Time’ by Taylor Swift on repeat.

Claire Armstrong

Social Media Intern

Tampa, FL

Claire Armstrong is a second-year honors student at the University of Georgia studying Biology, Sociology, and Women’s Studies. Claire is from Tampa, FL, and plans to attend medical school to become a pediatrician. She is passionate about children’s health, development, and education, especially as it relates to menstrual health and equity.

Claire has worked with the Period Education Product since January 2021. As the Communications Intern, she designs medically accurate, inclusive, social media content to promote menstrual health education and engage with PEP’s community of “Period Pros,” medical schools, donors, and partner organizations. Claire is thrilled to promote comprehensive menstrual education among adolescents and create a positive online conversation about periods. Claire loves running, hiking, and eating at her favorite sushi restaurant in Athens.

PEP Team

Leadership Team

Melisa Holmes, MD, FACOG

Katrina Graczyk, MBA

Maggie Hamberis

Lonna Gordon, MD, PharmD, FAAP, FSAHM

Staff & Interns

Sophia Deluca

Priyanka Parikh

Claire Armstrong

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Melisa Holmes, MD, FACOG

Katrina Graczyk, MBA

Maggie Hamberis

Lonna Gordon, MD, PharmD, FAAP, FSAHM

Sophia DeLuca

Priyanka Parikh

Claire Armstrong