Doctoral Students and Alumni

Current

Sarah (Sadie) Bergenis interested in histories of reproductive health policy and practice. Her dissertation project examines the history of neonatal intensive care and the problem of low birth weight in the twentieth-century United States. Sadie’s research is supported by the Department of Sociomedical Sciences’ predoctoral fellowship in Gender, Sexuality, and Health. 

Caitlin E. McMahon’s research interests include the development of the health consumer identity and its influence on the U.S. health care system, as well as the history of activism in health social movements, public health policy, and the history of public health.

Kristen Meister’s dissertation examines American rehabilitation policy and disability surveillance from World War II to 2000.  Kristen has received the James Harden Public Health Scholarship, the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Fellowship, and the Provost Diversity Fellowship. She plans to defend her dissertation and graduate in the spring of 2023.

Valentina Parisi’sdoctoral research interests include the history of domestic environmental health and policy; shifting environmental risk perceptions and characterizations during the twentieth century; and health social movements related to environmental threats, such as toxic exposures and climate change.  She is currently engaged in primary research on the conceptualization and management of epidemic- and pandemic-prone diseases as pressing social and environmental problems during the twentieth century. 

Sara Jane Samuel’s doctoral research examines the intersection of public health and national security using diplomatic and historical frameworks. Sara's work specifically examines the intellectual roots and sociopolitical consequences of American medical diplomacy in South Asia in the mid to late 20th century. She is an Elizabeth Milbank Fellow and 2020-2021 recipient of a Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship.

Yoka Tomita’s dissertation explores the social history of death and dying in New York City in the 20th century. Her research interests include the history and ethics of public health, particularly the histories of end-of-life care in the United States. She has received funding for her doctoral studies and dissertation research from the Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health, the Fulbright Program, and the JAA-Honjo Scholarship. She plans on defending her dissertation in Spring 2021.