Current PhD Candidates & Students
Alpha Order by last name, concentration is notedda
Jason Bonham
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Tim Allen Bruckner, MPH, PhD
Brenda Bustos, MPH
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Tim Allen Bruckner, MPH, PhD
My research interests lie in the Latino/a paradox, health disparities among immigrant populations, and maternal and child health. I am interested in examining child health outcomes by comparing US-born mothers to foreign-born mothers in order to better understand potential protective factors among immigrant populations. Currently, I am working on projects that examine state-level birth data.
Xueting (Mimi) Ding
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: Bernadette Boden-Albala, MPH, DrPH
As a data and policy analyst in healthcare for two more years, she is eager to apply insights from economics and methods from statistics to investigate possibilities of benefiting the vulnerable population through the lens of empirical research. Her research interests include health disparities, infectious disease prevention, social epidemiology, and women’s health. Mimi’s current work is focusing on COVID-19 preventive behaviors.
Darnisha Draughter, MPH
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Bernadette Boden-Albala, MPH, DrPH
An important experience I gained in my career was interning for Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAP OC), a nonprofit dedicated to alleviating the cause and effects of poverty. Interning at CAP OC helped pinpoint my specific interest in public health. I am highly interested in learning and understanding the challenges and barriers vulnerable populations face to in turn, help mobilize, advocate and direct programs and services to assist in alleviating those challenges. With the guidance of my advisor, my current research focuses on the social epidemiology of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
Yihang Fan
PhD Student (Disease Prevention )
Emilia Fields
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Suellen Hopfer, MS, PhD
My research interests lie in better understanding vaccination behaviors among African American and Latinx communities and improving health disparities as they relate to infectious diseases. I am interested in intervention design, mixed methods approaches, and health communication strategies as ways to address these disparities. My current work is focused on investigating COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among parents and understanding risk perceptions via mask-wearing discussions on social media.
Mihoka Fukurai
PhD Candidate (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Lisa Grant Ludwig, PhD
My research interests include natural disaster risk perception, preparedness, and other factors influencing the two variables. I am currently focused on the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and how risk perception and preparedness have changed after experiencing, or not experiencing, the disaster. My training is in gerontology, and I received my MPH from Columbia University with a concentration in Aging and Society. I have received my Bachelor’s degrees from UC Davis.
Natasha India Glendening
PhD Candidate (Global Health)
Advisor: Daniel Parker, PhD
My research interests lie in infectious diseases, particularly neglected tropical diseases and public health responses to infectious disease outbreaks in low-resource settings. My interests are informed from my educational background at The London School of Economics where I studied for a BSc and then an interdisciplinary MSc in African Development during which I researched the barriers to the international response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. Building from this previous work, I am now trying to research how local and international health responses coexist, interact and how they influence health behavior in outbreak situations.
Gabrielle Marie Gussin
PhD Candidate (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Oladele Ogunseitan, PhD
My research focuses on contagious disease threats that disproportionally affect vulnerable populations. I am particularly interested in the epidemiology and prevention of antibiotic resistant pathogens in long-term care settings. I received an NIAID F31 Pre-Doctoral Training Award to conduct an epidemiological investigation that will inform potential strategies to mitigate the burden of two key drug-resistant organisms in nursing homes: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and the emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris. Through this work, I seek to bridge my background in systems biology and genomics with advanced training in epidemiology, clinical research, and disease prevention.
Shutong Huo, MPH
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: Tim Allen Bruckner, MPH, PhD
My research interests include mental health and its health services utilization, aging and dementia, and health inequality. I am especially interested in the time-serious evidence and trajectory of health outcomes and health services performance. I completed my MPH degree at Yale School of Public Health in the Health Policy track, with a research thesis on “Early Life Environments and Health Inequality among Chinese and American Older Adults: Comparative Evidence from Machine Learning.”
Michael Huynh, MPH
PhD Candidate (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Annie Ro, PhD
My research interests encompass social determinants of chronic and mental health in marginalized populations. Specifically, I aim to better understand adversity and resilience on outcomes like depression, anxiety, and suicide in ethnic minority groups and immigrants. My current work includes coping from COVID-19 pandemic stressors in Asian American adults, how structural racism affects health outcomes over time, and the role of friend support on mental health in Asian American adolescents. Awards & Fellowships: Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI) Graduate Scholar Fellowship
Brook Jeang
PhD Candidate (Global Health)
Advisor: Guiyun Yan, PhD
My research interests lie broadly in global health and vector-borne disease epidemiology. I aim to apply my previous experiences in materials science, bioengineering, and translational research towards my current research, which focuses on developing a better understanding of the transmission dynamics and drivers of malaria infection in malaria elimination settings.
Shade Avery Kirjava
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Alana Lebrón, MS, PhD
I am a board certified audiologist and PhD student, and my research focus is how people get the hearing healthcare they need. I am particularly interested in the unique challenges that historically marginalized communities such queer folks experience when they interact with the American hearing healthcare system. Awards & Fellowships: Los Angeles Basin CSU Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training Program (MHRT) Lived and performed research in Chiang Mai, Thailand in Summer 2023 in partnership with Chiang Mai University and California State University, Fullerton.
Alissa Kurzman
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Mengyi Li, MPH
PhD Candidate (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Jun Wu, PhD
Li achieved her MPH in epidemiology & Biostatistics from USC in 2019 for her capstone, “Association between prenatal and adolescent exposure to air pollution and IQ/cognitive function in emerging adulthood.” Her research interests lie in modeling the Spatio-temporal trends of environmental exposures such as biodiversity, green space, air pollution, etc. to better understand its impact on health outcomes.
Karen Marie Llave, MPH
PhD Candidate (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Michael Hoyt, PhD
My research interests focus on understanding multilevel predictors of successful transition of care among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors. I am particularly interested in how interpersonal relationships with family, friends, and healthcare providers shape the AYA cancer survivorship experience and further predict engagement in long term follow-up care. Prior to starting at UCI, I served as a project manager for an NIH-funded study investigating Filipino migrant health and as a project coordinator for the Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research at UCLA.
Moones Mansouri, MPH
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: Ogunseitan, Oladele
Hawa Mariko
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Kristina Uban, PhD
I have a passion for protecting the health of mothers and babies. My current research interests include understanding the role of physiologic biomarkers of maternal allostatic load on birth outcomes and subsequent child development. In addition, I am interested in the racial patterning of perinatal allostatic load. In the long term I seek to translate findings of physiologic stress that contribute to perinatal disparities into tangible public health results.
Hemangi Bipin Mavadiya
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Yunxia Lu, MSc, PhD
My research interests include investigating disparities in cancer incidence, prevalence and survival. I am also interested in looking at diet quality and quality of life among cancer survivors by enhancing nutrition related knowledge and reducing risk factors such as obesity.
Minhazul Mohsin
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Kristina Uban, PhD
My current research focuses on understanding how maternal substance exposure during pregnancy alters children’s brain and endocrine development. I am a physician by training from Bangladesh. My interest in public health research ignited during my work in the International Center for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh, where I explored several public health issues like childhood stunting, malnutrition, and antimicrobial resistance.
Celina Morales
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: Annie Ro, PhD
Her research interests primarily focus on the interaction between sociocultural and social ecological factors in health behaviors among ethnic minority and immigrant populations around the globe. Celina looks forward to contributing to the fields of epidemiology and demography, and hopes her research findings will contribute to the development of culturally competent interventions and policies which are urgently needed. She is currently working on projects focusing on violence, socio-cultural stressors, and chronic health conditions.
Christine Tonhu Nguyen
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Tanjasiri, Sora Park
Jacob Paredes
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Timberlake, David
Kalani Phillips, MPH
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Cynthia Lakon, PhD
Her research interests are focused on social networks, social media, reproductive health, student wellness, and violence prevention. In addition to this, she is also interested in social determinants of health, focusing on the role that both individual and structural factors play in impacting health disparities among immigrant communities. Earning both her B.A. in Public Health Policy and MPH in Sociocultural Diversity & Health from UCI in 2016 and 2021, she is now back for a third program at UCI to earn her doctorate degree. Awards & Fellowships: UCLA CSW – Survivors + Allies Report Fellow & UCSF CHAT Study GSR
Tessa Pulido, MPH
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Payán, Denise Diaz
Darshana Rawal, MPH
PhD Candidate (Global Health)
Advisor: Brittany Morey, MPH, PhD
My research interest lies in the social determinants of health, primarily as they relate to sexual and reproductive health within the Asian American community. Specifically, I am interested in understanding how socio-cultural perspectives and expectations impact the sexual/reproductive health and help-seeking behaviors of South Asian Americans, focusing on underserved populations such as gender and sexual minorities. My work seeks to destigmatize the topic of sexual/reproductive health within the Asian community as well as improve access to care and information. I also have the goal of contributing to research and policies that address the reproductive health disparities within the United States.
Joshua Unbin Rhee
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Timberlake, David
Victoria E. Rodriguez, MSW, MPH
PhD Candidate (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Alana Lebrón, MS, PhD
Victoria’s research focuses on cancer disparities, cancer treatment, cancer survivorship, and health outcomes among marginalized populations utilizing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. She is focused on the structural, racialized, and gendered processes that contribute to women’s health outcomes. Specifically, Victoria is interested in Latina women’s quality of life and social and health-related experiences after surviving gynecologic cancers. Awards & Fellowships: NIH/NCI (1F31CA 271700-01)
Juan Carlos Ruiz Malagon, MS, MA
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: LeBrón, Alana
My research interests lie in structural determinants of health, health injustices among minoritized populations, and Latiné marginalized communities. I am interested in examining LGBTQIA+ farmworker health inequities and the way structural determinants of health influence these conditions. Currently, I am working on projects looking at the impact of gun violence on farmworker well-being, ways to reduce workplace violence for farmworkers, the social outcomes of immigration trauma on Latiné immigrants, and the impact criminalization has on HIV preventative care for transgender Latinas. Awards & Fellowships: Climate Justice Initiative Fellowship UCI Environmental Racism and Health Equity Fellowship Health Equity Research Summer Scholarship…
Gaelle Tatiana Sehi, MPH
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: Parker, Daniel
I am interested in studying vector borne diseases in Sub Saharan Africa. I have a background in biochemistry and worked extensively in a lithium battery lab (the project focused on the discovery of new analytical techniques) and marine molecular biology lab (where I studied the genomic selection of different species of brown algae).
Gomathi Basham Sriperumbudur
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: Hopfer, Suellen
Mst Sadia Sultana
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Lipton, Brandy
I have a passion for tailoring appropriate health policies and interventions. My research focus is on health disparities, healthcare access, nutrition, and non-communicable diseases to ameliorate the global health burden. I am particularly interested in serving the community people, elucidating the mechanisms by which their health and well-being can be ensured, and making a significant contribution to the scientific world.
Maia Celine Tarnas
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: Daniel Parker, PhD
My research interests center on infectious diseases during times of conflict and war. I am particularly interested in how conflict affects infectious disease trends and how warring parties can weaponize health infrastructure and healthcare. I am also interested in the use of informal and syndromic disease surveillance systems during conflicts. Prior to beginning my PhD, I ran the Massachusetts Tuberculosis Drug Assistance Program, which provides medication access to patients with tuberculosis in Massachusetts at no charge. I am also a fellow with the Tufts Initiative for the Forecasting and Modeling of Infectious Diseases.
Adriana Urrutia Pozzi-Escot
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: Parker, Daniel
Adriana is a political scientist with a Master’s Degree in Comparative Politics (Sciences Po Paris). She worked in the public service in Peru as an advisor for the Minister of Development and Social Inclusion and the Minister of Education. She was the chair of the Political Science School at Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University. From 2017, her research is focused on the linkages between rural and urban environments, through research projects about rural youth. She is now focused on analyzing the way those linkages impact health, specially through infectious diseases such as dengue fever.
Zixia Wang, MPH, CPH
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Kameko Washburn
PhD Candidate (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Alana Lebrón, MS, PhD
Kameko’s research examines how climate change impacts health inequities within social-ecological systems, focusing on how climate-related hazards, particularly wildfires, influence the (in)equitable distribution of the social and ecological determinants of health and how current systems influence and respond to these impacts. Her work emphasizes centering lived experiences, and she is active in community-driven academic partnerships and community-engaged research.
Alec Xia, MA
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: Vieira, Veronica
Alec Xia’s research focuses on understanding the confluence of environmental exposure (e.g., air pollution, noise, and area deprivation) and prenatal substance exposure (prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure) on structural brain development in children and adolescents. Prior to joining UCI, he obtained his MA in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience from San Diego State University, with a research focus on the impact of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders on brain.
Helena Tamene Zena
PhD Student (Global Health)
Advisor: Noymer, Andrew
Arianna Flores Zimmer
PhD Student (Disease Prevention)
Advisor: LeBrón, Alana
Recent Biology graduate from the University of Riverside, Zimmer is part of the Dean’s Fellowship.
Abhery Das
Disease Prevention
Thesis: Structural racism in the criminal justice system and psychiatric emergencies among Black Americans
Wenjun Fan
Disease Prevention
Thesis: Multifactorial Cardiovascular Disease Risk Estimation and Preventable Cardiovascular Events Among Patients with Diabetes
Dustin Michael Moore
Disease Prevention
Thesis: An Intervention for Improving Diet Quality Among College Students Through Small and Simple Diet Related Behaviors
Vida Rebello
Global Health
Thesis: Investigating the Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy on Adolescent Neurodevelopment and Pubertal Maturation: A Study of Neuroimaging and Salivary Biological Measures
Ivy R. Torres
Disease Prevention
Thesis: Racial and Gender Stratification, Occupational Exposures, and the Early Onset of Disability among Latina Immigrant Women
Connie Valencia
Disease Prevention
Thesis:
Robert Weltman
Global Health
Thesis: Emissions from Solid Fuels in Traditional Indian Cookstoves
Biblia Cha
Disease Prevention
Thesis: Contextual and Structural Pathways to Intention to Seek Professional Mental Health Services among Korean American Church-goer and Clergy Populations in Southern California
Huong (Theresa) Duong
Disease Prevention
Thesis: Let’s talk about it: Peer sexual health and HPV vaccine communication among Vietnamese American young adults
Samantha Garcia
Disease Prevention
Thesis: Individual, interpersonal and community factors associated with HPV vaccine delay and refusal among Mexican American young adults: A mixed-methods study
Sara Goodman
Disease Prevention
Thesis: Using public health surveillance and electronic medical record data to examine socioeconomic factors for hepatitis C diagnosis and testing in Orange County, California
Ngozi Nwosisi
Global Health
Thesis: Understanding Smoking Cessation Challenges among People Living with HIV: A Crossroads of Chronic Disease and Behavioral Health
Brandon Osborn
Disease Prevention
Thesis: The Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Type II Diabetes Among Latino
Yachen Zhu
Global Health
Thesis: Understanding the Health Impacts of PFAS and Air Pollution on Susceptible Populations in the U.S.
Jamie Allgoo
Kathleen Carlos
Georgia Halkia (Global Health)
Tamara Jimah
Parvati Singh
Hugaisa Villanueva
Margaret Whitley
Tze-An Yuan
