Calvin Labendia

Calvin Labendia is a clinical research assistant at PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Craig-Dalsimer Division of Adolescent Medicine. Mr. Labendia is working on projects aimed to improve transition from pediatric and adolescent care to adult care for youth living with HIV. Mr. Labendia received his BS in health sciences and minor in health service administration from Drexel University. Before joining PolicyLab, Mr. Labendia was a Dermatology medical assistant as well as a senior nursing aide at CHOP’s Medical Behavioral Unit where he supported adolescents and young children. His previous research experiences include working as a Drexel co-op in nursing outcomes research, a student researcher with Dr. Joanne Wood’s team involving PriCARE, and a research technician at Penn’s translational core lab. Mr. Labendia is passionate about improving healthcare access to underserved populations and hopes to eventually pursue a career as a Physician Assistant serving adolescents and young adults, specifically LGBTQ youth.