PhD Student Candidates

I am an epidemiologist with experience in patient and population-based research utilizing large database schemas. At Columbia University Medical Center, I helped design and conduct studies on substance use and injuries. My research focuses on the intersection of substance use, policies, and harm outcomes, such as injuries from motor vehicle crashes, falls, and self-harm, particularly among vulnerable populations like older adults, amputees, and pregnant women. I have guest-lectured on injury research methods at Columbia University and directed the Injury Lab at the Columbia University Center for Injury Science and Prevention.

Previously, I utilized statistical methods such as hierarchical modeling, longitudinal data analysis, and structural equation modeling to assist researchers investigating the health impacts of medication and product exposures. This includes studies on prenatal anesthesia exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes, epidural use and maternal mortality and morbidity, and allogeneic blood transfusion and postoperative infections.

I hold an MPH in epidemiology with a certificate in advanced epidemiology from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. In my free time, I enjoy reading true-crime novels, cooking, playing soccer, and listening to podcasts.

Research Interests

• Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders
• Injury Prevention
• Research Methods 

I am passionate about understanding the drivers of disease persistence and the interplay of factors such as population immunity, human mobility, health inequities, and behavior in promoting disease persistence. My research focuses on linking these theoretical questions to real-world applications, optimizing public health interventions to reduce the burden of various infectious diseases. To achieve this, I employ a range of mathematical, statistical, and spatial models. Over the past year, I have held a dual appointment, dividing my time between the Yale School of Public Health as a postgraduate associate and the One Health Trust as a senior research analyst. At Yale, I have been evaluating the cost-effectiveness of different vaccine interventions for typhoid outbreaks. At the One Health Trust, I have continued my work on mpox persistence in the U.S., while also expanding my research to include evaluating the long-term impacts of doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) on bystander bacterial populations, modeling human behavior in mechanistic and agent-based models, and forecasting flu pandemics. Before my current roles, I spent nearly a decade in industry, leading global clinical programs for various biomedical start-ups. I hold an MS in Epidemiology from Columbia University (2023), an MPH in Global Health from NYU (2017), and a BA in English from Franklin & Marshall College (2014). My hobbies include distance running, hiking, and cooking.

I am a Columbia University graduate student pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health. I have an extensive background in data analysis, statistical programming, and public health research. My goal is to understand social determinants of health among those in the LGBTQ+ community and immigrant communities, and I hope to identify effective interventions to improve health.

I currently work with Dr. Dustin Duncan in analyzing data form the Trying to Understand Relationships, Networks and Neighborhoods in Trans women of color (TURNNT) Cohort. Specifically, I am looking into determinants of HIV prevention and treatment and identifying factors that affect them.

Research Interests

• Social Epidemiology
• LGBTQ+ Health
• Health of the Aging Community
• Intervention Science
• HIV Treatment and Prevention
• Biostatistical Methodologies
• Chronic Disease Epidemiology

I am a first year doctoral student, first year fellow on the Global HIV Implementation Science Research Training Fellowship with ICAP, and an infectious disease epidemiologist. I received a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2014, an MPH in Epidemiological Methods and Applications from the University of Michigan in 2016, and prior to coming to Columbia, spent about seven years at the San Francisco Department of Public Health in the HIV Epidemiology Section. My research interests are centered around infectious disease prevention and treatment interventions, and I have past work pertaining to HIV care navigation, hepatitis C treatment, mpox vaccination, and COVID-19 coinfection among people with HIV. Apart from my role as an analyst, as a database administrator and developer, I designed, carried out, and evaluated a surveillance system modernization project to increase the accuracy, timeliness, and accessibility of HIV test results for department case investigators and outreach staff. My current projects relate to PrEP demand creation among women in South Africa and HIV care retention patterns in Côte d'Ivoire.

Research Interests

• Infectious Disease
• Health Interventions
• Implementation Science
• HIV
• Global Health

I am a first-year pre-doctoral candidate in Epidemiology and a pre-doctoral fellow in the Advanced Training in Environmental Health and Data Science Training Program, jointly managed through the Department of Epidemiology and the Environmental Health Sciences Department. I received my BS in Biology and Public Health Science in 2015 from Santa Clara University, and my MPH in Epidemiology with a Certificate in Applied Biostatistics and Public Health Data Science from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in 2021. Previously, I worked as a data analyst at the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, working on research projects related to Hispanic/Latino health as well as women living with HIV. As a member of the Spatial Epidemiology Lab at Columbia, my current research investigates how discrimination against transgender women of color and sexual minority men affects health outcomes. I also examine activity space exposure to different features of the bult and social environment and how they influence criminal legal system involvement, sleep, access to gender-affirming health care, and other outcomes. My research interests include social and spatial epidemiology, novel spatiotemporal methods including GPS-based activity space analysis and geofencing applications, injury and violence outcomes such as transportation and police violence, and sexual and gender minority health.

Research Interests

• Social Epidemiology
• Spatial Methods
• Injury/Violence
• Transportation
• Police violence
• Sexual and Gender Minority Health

I am a second year pre-doctoral candidate in Epidemiology and a second year pre-doctoral fellow in the Advanced Training in Environmental Health and Data Science Training Program, jointly managed through the Department of Epidemiology and the Environmental Health Sciences Department. I earned a BS in Biology from Brooklyn College (CUNY) in 2019, and an MPH in Epidemiology with an Advanced Certificate in Public Health and Humanitarian Action from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in 2021. Previously, I served as a clinical research coordinator at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, where I managed all aspects of research and administration for the Stroke Division. My previous research has focused on a range of mental, neurological, and substance use issues in humanitarian settings. As a doctoral student, my research efforts are focused on evaluating neurodevelopmental outcomes amidst the complex landscape of mental health and substance use among adolescents and their caregivers in diverse conflict-affected settings. My research interests include global mental health, substance use epidemiology, child development, and disability advocacy. 

Research Interests

• Global Mental Health
• Substance Use Epidemiology
• Child Development
• Disability Advocacy

I started my PhD in Epidemiology in 2022 after finishing my MPH at New York University GPH. Before moving to NYC, I completed a MS in research and evaluation of health systems and a BS in industrial microbiology at the University of Puerto Rico. Previously, I have worked in evaluation of CDC funded public health programs at UPR Comprehensive Cancer Center, knowledge management at UNICEF HIV/AIDS section, and research regarding HIV/AIDS in Puerto Rico and vaccination hesitancy amongst PWID. Currently, I am a fellow in T32 Social Determinants of HIV and my research interest include disparities in HIV amongst racial and ethnic minorities as we as sexual and gender minorities. My current work also addresses changes in the gut microbiome and its effect in the body. 

Research Interests

• HIV/AIDS
• Microbiome
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities
• Social Epidemiology
• Sexual and Gender Minorities
• Spatial Epidemiology

I am a second-year pre-doctoral candidate in Epidemiology and a second-year pre-doctoral fellow in the Global HIV Implementation Science Research Training Fellowship. I received my BA in Anthropology and Global Public Health from New York University and my MPH, with a focus on the evaluation of international health programs, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In my work with the New Jersey Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Zimbabwe Office, I implemented, managed, and evaluated large-scale HIV programs. My research currently focuses on using novel epidemiologic methods to evaluate the impact of HIV programs using routinely collected data. I also perform research to determine drivers of HIV acquisition and opportunities for prevention in various contexts and populations using population-based HIV impact assessments and other data sources. My research interests include HIV, implementation science, health and human rights, LGBTQ+ health, and infectious diseases.

Research Interests

• HIV
• Implementation Science
• Evaluation
• Health and Human Rights
• LGBTQ+ Health
• Infectious Diseases

My research focuses on policy impacts and social disparities within psychiatric epidemiology. I'm passionate about exploring related areas and have been involved in a wide range of projects. These include studies on reproductive health policy, firearm legislation, naloxone access laws, adolescent political beliefs, and suicide trend forecasting. My goal is to identify emerging mental health trends among vulnerable populations, to help improve treatment efforts and inform policy decisions. I've co-authored several publications and enjoy using my skills in statistics to deepen my understanding of these complex issues. I graduated with an MPH from Columbia University in 2020 and, in a past life, worked in filmmaking and fashion.

Research Interests

• Psychiatric Epidemiology
• Policy Research
• Reproductive Health
• Adolescence

I am a 3rd-year PhD Candidate in the Department of Epidemiology and a pre-doctoral fellow in the NIDA-funded T32 Substance Abuse Epidemiology Training Program (SAETP). I received my BSc in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of British Columbia in 2018 and my MPH in Epidemiology with a certificate in Advanced Epidemiology from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in 2021. My research focuses on substance use, including polysubstance use, fatal and nonfatal overdose, social networks, and psychosocial factors (e.g., loneliness). My work is often situated at the intersection of substance use and HIV. In addition, I perform research exploring the impact of various social and substance use policies on substance use outcomes.

Research Interests

• Substance Use Epidemiology
• HIV
• Social Networks
• Social Determinants of Health
• Social Policies
• Substance Use Policies

As a PhD Candidate in the Department of Epidemiology, my research aims to improve HIV programs and research methodologies for mobile populations, from truck drivers to cross-border migrants. My dissertation - Unpacking The HIV Epidemic Among People On The Move In Uganda - is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health under the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F31). My research employs demographic, missing data, and spatial network methods to relate human movement to HIV outcomes. I have ten years of global experience at CDC, UNICEF, and ICAP designing HIV surveillance studies, modeling the epidemic for children and adolescents, and conducting implementation science to improve service delivery for vulnerable populations. I received my MPH in epidemiology from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine with a concentration in infectious diseases.

Research Interests

• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• HIV/AIDS
• Global Health
• Migrant Health
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

I am a 5th year PhD candidate in Epidemiology and an NIH F31 predoctoral fellow. Prior to joining Columbia, I earned my BA and MPH degrees at Tufts University, and I also gained valuable experience in data engineering and predictive modeling as a Data Scientist in the healthcare industry. As a PhD student, I am currently employing causal inference methods to investigate the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors, cardioprotective drugs, and dementia. My dissertation focuses on using machine learning methods, notably Bayesian Additive Regression Trees, to estimate the heterogeneous treatment effects of statins on dementia. I am particularly interested in utilizing data-driven approaches to help understand how treatment effectiveness varies across subgroups.

I have also been recognized as a national finalist for the 2023 Epidemiology Tyroler Student Prize Paper Award. My nominated paper, “Practical Guide to Honest Causal Forests for Identifying Heterogeneous Treatment Effects,” highlights my dedication to advancing statistical methodologies within the field of public health. As I continue my academic journey, I remain committed to combining the powers of big data and advanced analytics to help propel medical advancements forward.

Research Interests

• Machine Learning
• Causal Inference
• Predictive Modeling
• Heterogeneous Treatment Effects
• Cognitive Aging

I am a fifth-year doctoral candidate in Epidemiology. I received my BHSc in Health Sciences and MSc in Epidemiology from the University of Ottawa in Canada. I was a fellow in the Environmental Health and Data Science training program from 2020-2023 at MSPH. I currently receive the Kirschstein-NRSA predoctoral fellowship (F31) award under the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. My current research uses existing and novel epidemiologic methods to evaluate the impact of phthalate metabolites and their mixture on maternal-fetal outcomes such as maternal gestational weight gain and fetal growth.

Research Interests 

• Maternal Child Health
• Environmental Health

I am a pre-doctoral candidate in Epidemiology and a graduate research assistant with the Global Psychiatric Epidemiology group at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. I received a BSc in Computer Science and Statistics from the University of British Columbia and a MHS in Mental Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. My research is currently focused on using novel causal inference methods, including causal mediation, to evaluate the pathways for the unintended consequences of Section 8 housing voucher receipt on adolescent mental health outcomes. In addition, I conduct research to determine the effect of neighborhood and family environments on sleep quality and the risk of obesity among high-risk adolescents. My research interests include epidemiological methods, adolescent mental health, and social determinants of health. 

Research Interests

• Epidemiological Methods
• Adolescent Mental Health
• Social Determinants of Health