Michelle Firestone served as Project Coordinator for Project El Cuete from 2004-2005. During this time she was also enrolled as a MHS student at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr. Strathdee acted as her Masters thesis advisor and her work resulted in a first-author article published in AIDS and Behavior ("A Qualitative Exploration of Gender in the Context of Injection Drug Use in Two USÐMexico Border Cities")

Michelle currently works as a Research Coordinator for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Toronto, Canada. She hopes to pursue doctoral studies in the near future.