Master of Public Health. Student Profiles

Transcription

1 Master of Public Student Profiles Master of Public Department of Public Sciences, SOM One Shields Ave. University of California, Davis Davis, CA Ph: Fax: Name: Jorge Andrews Degrees: B.A. History and Anthropology, UC Riverside (2007) Professional Interests: Tobacco Control, Autism Research Graduate Advisor: Irva Hertz-Picciotto, PhD Background/Interests: Jorge Andrews graduated from the University of California Riverside with a BA in History and Cultural Anthropology. He spent four years working with at-risk youth at a group home in the California foothills. Jorge has worked at UC Davis, in the Department of Public Science for the past three years, first with the National Children s Study, and more recently with the Tobacco Control Evaluation Center. It is his belief that through Public, communities can be strengthened and improved for the benefit of all. Name: Nikki Barrington Degrees: B.S. Biopsychology, Minor: Spanish Language & Anthropology, UC Santa Barbara (2013) Professional Interests: Epidemiology Graduate Advisor: Gerhard Bauer Background/Interests: Nikki has always been fascinated with the intricacies of the human body and the power of modern medicine. She has embraced the medical field in a variety of capacities: as a student mentored by a local pathologist, as an undergraduate researcher in UCSB's Lab for Computational Cognitive Neuroscience, as a scribe for the Santa Barbara County Public Department, and as a Clinical Care Extender Intern at St. John's Regional Medical Center. Nikki plans to use her education in public health and medicine to provide improved healthcare services to the underserved and become a leader in the physician community. Name: Rebecca Belloso Degrees: B.S. Environmental Toxicology, UC Davis (2014); A.S. Natural Science, Skyline College (2011) Professional Interests: Epidemiology, Environmental, Developmental and Reproductive Graduate Advisor: Deborah Bennett, PhD Background/Interests: While studying at UC Davis as a McNair Scholar, Rebecca had the opportunity to conduct research in public health. Through her research project looking into whether BisphenolA exposure in-utero is associated with a change in birth weight, she discovered her passion for combining her knowledge of toxicology with public health. With her MPH, she hopes to research health effects from exposures to environmental toxins. Rebecca is also an active member of the Society Advancing Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science and is an advocate for promoting higher education among minorities. In her spare time, she enjoys singing and performing. Name: Hana Blatter Degrees: B.S. Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa (2014) Professional Interests: Management and Policy, General Public Graduate Advisor: Byung Kwang Woo, MD, PhD Background/Interests: Hana first became interested in the field of public health when she began studying the prevalence of contaminants at popular beaches at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Noticing the need for improvement in public health programs in Hawaii led her to pursue a career in public health. During her undergraduate career, Hana received funding to study genetics and evolutionary biology among a genus of freshwater turtles commonly known as map turtles. With her MPH, Hana hopes to work on improving programs related to disease prevention and hospital management.

2 Name: Alexa Calfee Degrees: B.S. Biopsychology, UC Santa Barbara (2009) Graduate Advisor: Heike Thiel de Bocanegra, Background/Interests: Alexa is a fourth year in the Rural PRIME Program at UC Davis. Her interest in public health peaked during her undergraduate years at UC Santa Barbara when she participated in programs in both Mexico and Nicaragua. She was instrumental in starting the Knights Landing Student Run Clinic at UCD and hopes to use those skills starting clinics as a physician. Her current interests are in woman's health. In her spare time she enjoys skiing, trying to rock climb and dancing. Name: Kayla Carlson Degrees: B.S. Community Sciences; B.A. Spanish; Minor in Latin American Studies, University of Nevada, Reno (2013) Professional Interests: Epidemiology, International, Infectious Diseases Graduate Advisor: Marc Schenker, Background/Interests: Kayla s interest in Public began while studying Community Sciences at the University of Nevada Reno. Her main focus of study has been exercise science and rheumatoid arthritis. She has been working as a personal trainer and swim instructor since she graduated in May. While studying Spanish in a rural town in Costa Rica, she became aware of the health care and education needs in underserved areas. Therefore, she hopes to improve preventive health care in Latin American countries with her MPH. Name: Anshuman Chakravorty Degrees: B.A. Public Science, Minor in Chemistry, Santa Clara University (2014), Epidemiology Graduate Advisor: Marlene Von Friederichs-Fitzwater, Background/Interests: As an undergraduate at Santa Clara University, Anshuman experienced the health disparities firsthand while volunteering his time at various health clinics and community centers in downtown San Jose (as part of Santa Clara University s Experiential Learning for Social Justice Program). It was here that Anshuman realized the inadequate health care that many of the impoverished and chronically homeless faced on a day-day basis. With this experience acquired through the span of 4 years, Anshuman became even more interested in pursuing a MPH so as to create and implement public health policies that are geared towards serving those in underrepresented pockets of our society. Name: Eleanor Curtis (Hattery) Degrees: M.D. University of Cincinnati (2011) B.S. Biochemistry, Purdue University (2006) Professional Interests: Disaster and emergency management Graduate Advisor: Kathy DeReimer, MPH, PhD Background/Interests: Ellie is a Captain in the US Air Force doing a General Surgery Residency through Travis Air Force Base and UC Davis. She hopes to focus on the areas of Burn Surgery and Critical care and become involved in community disaster management. Name: Miriam Hartig Degrees: B.S. Biology, UC Santa Cruz (2011) Professional Interests: Community Graduate Advisor: Diana Cassady, DrPH Background/Interests: After earning a Bachelor s degree in Biology, Miriam worked in a neuroimaging center at UCSF researching brain changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases. During her time at UCSF Miriam became involved with a variety of volunteer projects around San Francisco, including health and fitness education for youth in low income schools and peer support and fundraising for the HIV/AIDS community. This work inspired Miriam to take on community health promotion as a career and she moved to Cambodia to help develop rural health education programs. Miriam returns to California to earn her Master s degree in Public with the goal of working to decrease health disparities in low income and minority communities. Name: Melissa Ibarra Degrees: B.A. Biological Sciences, Mount Holyoke College (2012) Professional Interests: Environmental Science Graduate Advisor: Woutrina Smith, DVM, MPVM, PhD Background/Interests: As an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke, Melissa became increasingly aware of the intersection between human health and environmental health. She became an advocate for greener practices by promoting healthy living habits, such as frequent water ingestion with the use of a reusable water bottle, with hopes to reduce the number of single-use plastics. Melissa s interest between human and environmental health only grew with an oceanographic sailing voyage, where she witnessed firsthand the magnitude of plastic in the ocean and

3 its effects on marine life. Melissa hopes to extend this research to human populations to investigate and help prevent potential health risks. Name: Courtney Jang Degrees: B.S. Nursing, UCLA (2010) Professional Interests: General Public, Maternal and Child Heath, Chronic Disease Prevention Graduate Advisor: James Marcin, Background/Interests: As a UCLA nursing student, Courtney Jang demonstrated her passion for healthcare while serving as an American Heart Association CPR/First Aid Instructor and coordinator of on-campus public health events for undergraduate student government. After graduation, Ms. Jang s experiences as a Clinical Nurse II in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at UC Davis Children s Hospital led her to pursue a MPH degree. At UC Davis, she hopes to further promote the importance of health prevention and access to healthcare to underserved communities to enhance child development. Name: Nicholas Jauhal Degrees: B.S. Public Administration: and Human Services, University of Arizona (2012) Professional Interests: Preventive ; Policy Graduate Advisor: Byung Kwang Woo, MD, PhD Background/Interests: Nick first came across the idea of preventive health while studying for his undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona. It has stuck with him ever since. After college he came to the San Jose to work for a nurse-staffing agency. At this job he was responsible for managing a flu and wellness-screening program in the South Bay. Nick also has an interest in public policy. In his last semester of college he interned as an Assistant Policy Analyst for the State Senate. With Sacramento as a resource, he wants to grow his knowledge of policy to learn how the state may improve the health of the community. In his spare time Nick enjoys skateboarding, reading in coffee shops, and kayaking. Name: Janine Johal Degrees: B.S. Psychobiology, UC Davis (2013) Graduate Advisor: Diana Cassady, DrPH Background/Interests: As an undergraduate student at UC Davis, Janine discovered her passion for serving underserved communities. She participated in a student-run clinic, and traveled to Honduras with UC Davis Global Medical Brigades. While in Honduras, she became interested in public health after observing that many of the medical problems they treated were due to lack of resources and education available. Today, she works as an emergency department scribe and volunteers at a shelter for women and children. She hopes to use her knowledge and skills acquired from the Masters in Public program to provide health education to underserved communities. Name: Colin Krusor Degrees: M.S. Epidemiology, UC Davis (2012); B.S. Microbiology/Molecular Biology, Minor in Chemistry, Portland State University (2010) Professional Interests: Infectious disease epidemiology, health care access and utilization Graduate Advisor: Christian Sandrock, Background/Interests: As an epidemiology graduate student, Colin studied the environmental transport of the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii, and worked toward development of improved methods for detection of T. gondii in water and soil. Colin has also been involved in epidemiology outreach programs and has delivered presentations and directed educational activities for students at elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools in the greater Sacramento area. Colin's professional interests also include health care access and utilization issues and public health policy. Name: Sophie Morris Degrees: B.S. Biology, The University of Durham, UK (2012) Professional Interests: General public health, nutrition, women s health Graduate Advisor: Lorena Garcia, Background/Interests: Whilst Sophie was an undergraduate in Durham, England, she volunteered with the charity FoodCycle, who use surplus food in the community to feed those in need. Here Sophie witnessed shocking health disparities as a result of socio-economic inequalities and she became inspired to make a difference to the lives of others through the medium of healthcare and thus pursue an MPH. As an aspiring doctor Sophie hopes to use her training in public health to enable her to realise her vision of not only treating individual patients but advocating for the underserved and empowering others to live healthier lives.

4 Name: Sara Naramore Degrees: B.S. Genetics, UC Davis (2013) Graduate Advisor: Patrick Romano, MD, MPH Background/Interests: Sara s interest in public health began when she volunteered at Shriner s Hospital for Children while in high school, and expanded rapidly as she took undergraduate public health courses at UC Davis. After completing her bachelor s degree, she became a certified personal trainer and has greatly enjoyed working with individuals to improve their health. She is eager to pursue her MPH and has a particular interest in the role that exercise and nutrition play in disease prevention and in public health measures to help individuals implement healthy lifestyle changes on a wider scale. Name: Blaire Nasstrom Degrees: B.S. Exercise Biology, Minor: Chicana/o Studies, UC Davis (2013), Sociocultural barriers to health Graduate Advisor: Roberto De Vogli, Background/Interests: Blaire s interest in public health grew while in Oaxaca, Mexico. She participated in UC Davis Public Brigades to educate local communities about relevant public health issues. She saw how emphasizing preventive medicine in a national healthcare system can improve overall population health. Blaire is also interested in the effects of multicultural barriers on healthcare. Her work as an Emergency Department Scribe in Sacramento has furthered her interest in public health and shown her the necessity of addressing underserved populations. She hopes to use the foundation of public health to more effectively treat future patients and address healthcare disparities. Name: Lisandra Ochoa Degrees: B.S. Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior; B.A. Chicano Studies, UC Davis (2013) Graduate Advisor: Marlene Von Friederichs-Fitzwater, Background/Interests: Growing up in an underserved community Lisandra was exposed to many social inequities, especially in healthcare. Despite the odds, she went to college and started working towards reducing these disparities. While at UC Davis, she was the Outreach Coordinator for the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students, part of the founding class of Knights Landing Clinic where she served as a board member and as the Patient Translator Coordinator, volunteered at Shriners Children Hospital, and was part of various research projects that targeted the underserved. These experiences and her passion for the underserved have led her to pursue a Master s degree in public health. Name: Christine Pinaglia Degrees: B.A. Anthropology, UC Berkeley (2012) Professional Interests: Community, and Aging, Preventive Graduate Advisor: Paul Leigh, PhD Background/Interests: Christine s interest in public health began when taking Medical Anthropology courses at UC Berkeley and was strengthened through volunteering at Lodi Memorial Hospital s Adult Day Care Center. It was here over the past year and a half that she observed the effects of social determinants of health and the importance of healthcare access and education on healthy aging. These experiences led her to want to pursue an MPH degree at UC Davis and she hopes to use this degree to help overcome health disparities that exist among aging populations of all scio-cultural backgrounds. Being born and raised in the Central Valley she hopes to be able to work within her own community after completing her degree. Name: Matthew Ponzini Degrees: B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UC Davis (2013) Professional Interests: Graduate Advisor: Roberto De Vogli, Background/Interests: Having a cousin with Autism, Matthew has long been interested in Autism Spectrum Disorders. He was fortunate to be employed as a Student Assistant with the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) study during his final year at UC Davis. After graduation, Matt continued with the CHARGE study as a Junior Specialist coordinating CHARGE-Back, a follow-up study looking at gastrointestinal function and autism. As he continues to work with the CHARGE study his curiosity in factors affecting developmental health has grown. In addition, he has become interested in the education and future employment opportunities for the disabled.

5 Name: Axana Rodriguez-Torres Degrees: B.A. Psychology; B.S. Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, UC Davis (2014) Professional Interests: Metabolic syndrome management and prevention. care access advocacy for underrepresented populations Graduate Advisor: Patrick Marius Koga, Background/Interests: Axana is originally from Colombia where she started medical school before having to stop for family reasons. She came to the US prepared to continue pursuing her dreams despite the difficulties. Axana discovered she could become an advocate in health care and education mainly for the Latino underserved population. In searching for tools on how to develop best her potential to serve and help, she encountered a great opportunity with the UC-MPH Program where she will develop her diabetes education program into a research project with possible intervention in the Latino urban community of Sacramento. She will continue being a public health advocate once she re-starts medical school after she graduates with her Master s degree in Public. Name: Luci Paula Schroeder Degree: B.S. Biology, Minor Psychology, University of Redlands (2014) Professional Interests: Epidemiology and control of vector-borne diseases, General Public Graduate Advisor: Lorena Garcia, Background/Interests: Luci s interest in public health first developed while volunteering at the St. Luke s Hospital in Idaho where she was first introduced to the medical field and was exposed to hands on experience with patient care. For the past year, she was a research intern at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA were she gained knowledge in musculoskeletal diseases and the cause and effect of diet and lifestyle on the body. This experience has motivated her to pursue an MPH degree. She hopes to use her knowledge and skills in disease prevention, community health and cardiovascular disease prevention. Name: Kristal Shelden Degrees: B.S. Nutrition, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (2010) Professional Interests: Nutrition, General Public Graduate Advisor: Lucia Kaiser, PhD Background/Interests: Kristal has been a Registered Dietitian for over two years providing medical nutrition therapy and education in the acute and long term clinical settings. Prior, she had completed a dietetic internship in New Orleans, LA where she gained experience working in a range of community programs including WIC, HIV clinics, and the Edible School Yard. By completing her MPH at UC Davis, she hopes to expand her knowledge and skills as a dietitian into the public health field with a goal to promote nutrition education at a community level in relation to chronic disease prevention and food insecurity. Name: Walid Sherif Degrees: B.S. Psychology with a Biology Emphasis, UC Davis (2014), Global Graduate Advisor: Patrick Marius Koga, Background/Interests: During his time at UC Davis, Walid gained insight and a passion for public health issues pertaining to the underserved while volunteering at Imani Clinic in Sacramento. By witnessing the lack of access to quality healthcare and the inequity that the community of Oak Park faces, Walid gained understanding of the importance of public health in society. While in Honduras with the UC Davis Public Brigades, Walid observed the impact of clean water and public health infrastructure on quality of life, sparking an interest in global health issues, which he hopes to pursue in the future. Name: Lukas Slipski Degrees: B.A., Behavior and Society, University of Rochester (2014) Professional Interests: Firearms Violence, Social Determinants of, Social Reform, Mental Graduate Advisor: Roberto De Vogli, Background/Interests: Luke became passionate about the social and structural determinants of health through his undergraduate degree in, Behavior, and Society. He is interested in community-based interventions to address the unique health needs of the world's marginalized populations. Luke is most interested in methods to better understand and prevent firearms violence.

6 Name: Samantha Smith Degrees: B.A. Psychology, Sonoma State University (2014) Professional Interests: International maternal and child health Graduate Advisor: Diana Cassady, DrPH Background/Interests: Samantha's interest in public health began classes in high school that specified in developing interests in health. She continued focusing on adolescent health in college when she became a sex health educator in Sonoma County. Samantha is most interested in exploring the sexual and reproductive health issues in underserved communities around the world. She hopes to further promote the importance of education and preventive healthcare at the international level. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys traveling, exploring and learning about new cultures. Name: Lonnie Thompson Degrees: B.S. Science-- Education, California State University-Chico (2013) Professional Interests: Patient-physician relationships as they relate to culturally competent care; and infectious disease and vaccinology Graduate Advisor: Robert Bell, PhD Background/Interests: The idea of approaching infectious disease from a broad perspective has become essential to protecting the public s health, especially with additional virulent and contagious diseases emerging. Over the course of his time working at CSU, Chico Lonnie was able to invest a great deal of time in studying relationships and interactions between physicians and patients within disparaged populations. About the MPH at UC Davis The UC Davis MPH program is designed for people interested in disease prevention and community health. The program includes instruction in epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental and occupational health, health services and administration, and social and behavioral science, and prepares students for an expanding range of professional opportunities and roles in public health and medicine. Questions and Information: Program Director Stephen A. McCurdy, Professor Department of Public Sciences samccurdy@ucdavis.edu Associate Director Diana Cassady, DrPH Associate Professor Department of Public Sciences University California, Davis dlcassady@ucdavis.edu MPH Student Affairs Officer Amber Carrere, Med Department of Public Sciences University of California, Davis PHSInstAffairs@phmail.ucdavis.edu MPH Student Affairs Officer Philip K. Meisch, MPA Department of Public Sciences University of California, Davis PHSInstAffairs@phmail.ucdavis.edu