General Info

Wellness Center Professional Staff

Emily Dexter Page, Director 

Emily Dexter Page has been the Director of the Wellness Center at Rice University since 2003. She is a graduate of Missouri State University with a BFA in Dance Performance and an MS in Health Promotion and Wellness Management. Emily is a member of the American College Health Association, the Association for Reproductive Health Professionals, and the American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists . She is an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society and advises the Rice Chapter of Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) . Emily enjoys trying new restaurants, watching old movies, reading a good thriller and spending time with her family.  She and her husband, Eric, have a little boy, Andrew, and an old pup, Louis.  They are totally stoked to be Associates at Baker College!
 

Marissa Howat,  Assistant Director

Marissa is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) with a BS in community health. She's been at Rice for six years and most enjoys her role as advisor for the Rice Health Advisors. Marissa is a member of the American College Health Association and NASPA and is a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor and Wellness Coach (WM360). She enjoys pirates, meeting new people and eating guacamole. She is entering her fifth year as an RA at Jones College where she lives with her handsome Australian Shepherd dog, Jack.
 

Patrick Lukingbeal, Social Responsibility Specialist

Patrick is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies and an MS in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education.   He also is currently a doctoral student at The University of Houston in the Educational Psychology and Individual Differences program, focusing in higher education.  Before coming to Rice, he worked at Georgetown University and Texas A&M University in residence life, student activities and wellness capacities.  He has several areas of interest including: alcohol education, sexual assault and relationship violence prevention, student development and social justice education – with a focus in LGBTQI inclusion and support.  He currently is serving as the national co-chair of the GLBT Knowledge Community of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), where he assists in supporting national research and best practices, and strives to support LGBTQI-identified faculty and staff across the country.  He is a seventh generation Texan and a Duncan College Associate!

Patricia Canales, Office Assistant

Patricia Canales is one of the newest members of the Wellness Center team. She is a graduate of the University of Houston with a BA in History. Her previous experience includes working for the Houston Public Library and volunteering with the Houston Holocaust Museum. Patricia is very excited about her new position and being able to work at such a great place as Rice University. She is an avid reader and a newlywed!

Wellness Center Interns

  

 

 

  

Menaka Yadav 

Menaka Yadav is a Texan native, born and raised in Lubbock, Texas. She is currently a senior at Wiess College and plans to graduate with a B.A. in Kinesiology.  After college, she plans on pursuing both an MD and an MPH. In her spare time, she enjoys going to Zumba classes, watching great TV shows, and indulging in her guilty pleasure of celebrity gossip. Menaka is a student intern at the Wellness Center and hopes to promote peer-driven awareness and wellness at our wonderful University. 

 

 

 

  

  

  

Sofia Zapata

My name is Sofia Zapata and I am from McAllen,Texas. I am a Health Science Major and a Biochemistry minor. I am a junior at Baker College and I have hopes of going on to get a dual degree in Pharmacy and Public Health (PharmD/MPH) once I have graduate from Rice. I enjoy being outside as much as possible, reading, and watching bad TV shows. I look forward to working in the wellness center to learn and gain valuable learning experience that I can carry on to whatever I do in the future. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Staff

  

Vinita Israni, Graphic Design Assistant

Vinita Israni is a junior studying psychology and studio art at Rice. Aspiring to go into medical illustration for graduate school, she is currently the graphic designer for the Rice Visual and Dramatic Arts department and the Co-Director of Design for Catalyst, an undergraduate research publication. With a background in advertising, she hopes to put her skills in communication and illustration to raising awareness for the Wellness Center! 

 

 

 

  

Daniel Burns, Student Office Assistant

Daniel Burns has been working at the Wellness Center since September, 2011.  He is a sophomore at McMurtry college and a Rice Health Advisor.  Daniel also is a Head Caregiver at his college, as well as a director for the O-Week Wellness Documentary.  In his free time, Daniel enjoys writing novels and climbing mountains, and he currently holds the record for being the only student at Rice to do a backflip in every building on campus. 

 

 

 

  

Breanna Chachere, Student Office Assistant  

 

Breanna Chachere is currently a Junior at Wiess College. She is a Psychology major and a Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities Minor. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Clinical Psychology Ph. D. with a focus on children. She enjoys working at the Wellness Center and being involved in their Public Health/Wellness initiatives including the Rice Health Advisors Program, Love Your Body Month Celebration, and the Wellness Lecture Series. 

 

 

 

  

Stephanie Marten-Ellis, Student Office Assistant

 

  Stephanie is a native Texan from the small town of Killeen. She plans on graduating from Rice with the class of 2013 with a major in Cognitive Science and a minor in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. She is a proud Martelian and serves the best college ever as a Rice Health Advisor. She enjoys writing for the Rice Standard, a good spin class or tennis session, and exploring Houston's many coffee shops.