PhD Student Candidates

I am a first-year PhD student and pre-doctoral fellow in the T32 Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program. My research focuses on the structural determinants of behavioral health across the life course. I am interested in the developmental pathways through which social policies, systems, and community contexts influence psychiatric and violence outcomes, with particular attention to the intergenerational transmission of risk. My prior research spans youth suicide, community gun violence, and child maltreatment. I earned an MPH from Columbia Mailman and a BA in Community Health from Tufts University.

I am an incoming PhD student in Epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, supported by the Global HIV Implementation Science Research Training (T32) Fellowship. I hold an MPH in Epidemiology from Columbia Mailman, and a BS in Public Health – Global Health and a BA in Medical Anthropology and Global Health from the University of Washington. I bring over six years of experience in HIV and global health research, including four years coordinating NIH-funded studies at the University of Washington Division of Infectious Diseases.

My research focuses on HIV implementation science, long-acting antiretroviral therapy and PrEP, and reproductive health integration, with a deep commitment to health equity among adolescents and marginalized populations in sub-Saharan Africa and immigrant communities in the United States. My fieldwork has taken me across Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa, and I have contributed to over 15 peer-reviewed publications.

As a Somali-American, I am passionate about centering the voices and experiences of immigrant communities in health research. Outside of work, you can find me trying a new recipe, hunting down NYC's best bakeries, or getting lost in a good book.

My research interests lie at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and epidemiology, with a focus on understanding how social, environmental, and biological factors across the life course influence cognition and brain health. I am particularly interested in identifying early-life prevention opportunities and examining the cumulative impact of risk factors on cognitive outcomes. My secondary research interests include methodological approaches for addressing bias and understanding disparities and heterogeneity in neurological disorders. I received an MPH from Brown University and a BS in Health Sciences from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Outside of research, I enjoy spending time with friends, playing volleyball, running, writing, baking, traveling, and exploring creative hobbies.

I am a doctoral student and predoctoral fellow in the Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program. My background spans clinical neurophysiology research with pediatric populations, program evaluation for nonprofits and foundations, and mental health research with communities impacted by war and conflict. My research lies at the intersection of psychiatric and translational epidemiology, with a focus on how social and physical environments shape mental health inequities across the life course. I am particularly interested in clarifying mechanisms to inform interventions and prevention strategies addressing mental health outcomes, such as non-suicidal self-injury and suicide, at critical developmental periods.

I received a BS in Health & Exercise Science and Anthropology from Wake Forest University and an MPH from Columbia Mailman in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, with a certificate in Public Health Research Methods.

Outside of research, I enjoy playing board games with friends, running and hiking with my partner, and spending time with our cat, Wilson

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 am currently in the Social and Spatial Epidemiology Lab and The Community Health Advisory & Information Network. My primary mentor is Dr. Dustin Duncan.

I have an extensive background in biostatistics, social epidemiology, and public health research. My overall goal is to understand the social determinants of health among marginalized populations and to identify effective interventions to improve health. My current research focus is identifying the impact of unmet basic needs (housing instability, food insecurity, and transportation barriers) on HIV antiretroviral therapy adherence.

Research Interests

• Social Epidemiology
• HIV Care and Prevention
• Causal Inference
• LGBTQ+ Health

I am an infectious disease epidemiologist, doctoral student, and Global HIV Implementation Science Research Training Fellow with ICAP. My research is focused on improving characterization of HIV treatment continuity in low and middle-income countries using routinely collected data, with the aim of guiding development and implementation of interventions to help people with HIV remain on treatment. Prior to coming to Columbia, I worked for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, where I supported a diverse range of activities including disease surveillance, care linkage and navigation programs, and research studies pertaining to HIV, STIs, hepatitis C, COVID-19 and mpox. I have a strong informatics background with approximately a decade of experience in relational database design and administration, data management, and statistical analysis. I earned a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2014 and an MPH in Epidemiological Methods and Applications from the University of Michigan in 2016. My dissertation sponsor is Dr. William Reidy.

Research Interests

• Infectious Disease
• Health Interventions
• Implementation Science
• HIV Treatment and Prevention
• Global Health

I am a PhD candidate and predoctoral fellow in the NIDA Substance Abuse Epidemiology T32 Training Program. I am a social and spatial epidemiologist, interested in neighborhood built and social environmental predictors of polysubstance use, particularly of alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis, among adolescents and young adults. I am also interested in injury and violence outcomes, sexual and gender minority health, and transportation safety research. I am a member of the Columbia Spatial Epidemiology Lab and conduct research under the mentorship of Dr. Dustin Duncan. I received my BS in Biology and Public Health Science from Santa Clara University in 2015 and my MPH in Epidemiology from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in 2021.

Research Interests

• Substance Use
• Social Epidemiology
• Spatial Methods
• Injury/Violence
• Transportation
• Sexual and Gender Minority Health

I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of Epidemiology and an NICHD F31 predoctoral fellow. I am interested in improving health outcomes for individuals with mental, neurological, and substance use disorders in low-resource, global settings. I have developed a program of research following two tracks, with the first focused on testing and adapting psychological and psychosocial interventions to address mental health and substance use conditions in conflict-affected contexts. My second research track is focused on improving the timely identification of children with neurodevelopmental conditions in a peri-rural South African community with limited resources and access to diagnostic and intervention support.

I received a BS in Biology from Brooklyn College (City University of New York) and an MPH in Epidemiology and Humanitarian Action at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. During my PhD at Mailman, I was a T32 predoctoral fellow in the Substance Abuse Epidemiology Training Program (SAETP), and in the Advanced Training in Environmental Health and Data Science Training Program.

Research Interests

• Global Mental Health
• Psychiatric and Substance Use Epidemiology
• Humanitarian Health
• Child and Adolescent Development
• Transdiagnostic Psychiatric Research

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

As a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology, my work sits at the intersection of epidemiology, implementation science, and public health practice. I use novel epidemiologic methods, observational research, and routinely collected data to assess impact, generate real-world evidence, and translate findings into decisions across research, policy, and practice. My dissertation, "Meaningful metrics - who needs PrEP and better measurements of PrEP need at population and individual levels in Eswatini," is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health under the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F31). My pre-doctoral work was supported by the Global HIV Implementation Science Research T32 Training Fellowship. I have over ten years of experience implementing, managing, and evaluating large-scale HIV programs with the New Jersey Department of Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Zimbabwe Office, and ICAP at Columbia University. 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.

Research Interests

• HIV
• HIV Prevention
• Implementation Science
• Health and Human Rights
• LGBTQ+ Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Quasi-Experimental Designs

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