EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by June Chan -

Welcome to EPI 207!

We have a lot of ground to cover tmrw in lecture, thus in anticipation that we may not get a chance to do individual introductions, please use this forum to introduce yourselves to us (the teaching team) and each other.

Please REPLY to the forum here with your name, program/affiliation, research topic(s) of interest, and a fun fact. I've started with my example below. We look forward to meeting you all tomorrow and over the quarter. 

Wishing you well, 

June M. Chan (course co-director with Dr. Graff)

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Name: June M. Chan, ScD

Affiliations:  Professor, Depts. of Epid Biostat & Urology, Prostate Cancer Program of the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center, & UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine

Research Interests: modifiable health behaviors for cancer survivorship, molecular biomarkers for prostate cancer progression, exercise oncology, cancer health disparities

Fun Fact: I play Battlefront and Halo with my teenage son.

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Nita Mukand -

Name: Nita Mukand, PharmD, MBA, MPH

Affiliations:  PhD student, DEB

Research Interests: cancer survivorship, second cancers, breast cancer, health inequities 

Fun Fact: I can sew, weave, spin yarn, knit, embroider, and needlepoint


Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Rebecca Graff -

Name: Rebecca E. Graff, ScD

Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Research Interests: shared genetic basis of distinct chronic conditions, genetics of prostate-specific antigen levels, prostate cancer metabolomics, lifestyle factors in urologic cancers

Fun Fact: I foster animals for the SPCA



Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Alexander Marr -
Name: Alexander Marr, MPH
Affiliation: Technical advisor for university pandemic initiative for equity and action, PhD in IGHS

Research Interests: Pre-Covid: HIV and STD behavioral surveillance for key populations; Covid: Applied epidemiology for outbreak management in CA

Fun Fact: I did musical theater and worked in advertising on madison avenue before i went back to science

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Saul Rosenberg -

Name: Saul Rosenberg, PhD

Affiliations: independent researcher, retired Assoc. Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCSF

Research interests: interventions to increase the health span (the period of elderhood of good health and freedom from disability) and to prevent or slow down cognitive impairment and dementia in elders 

Fun fact: in my thirties I ran the New York City marathon at a 7:30 pace; now in my 70s I can run a quarter mile at a 7:30 pace. 

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Sarah Goldberg -
Name: Sarah Goldberg, BS

Affiliations: Master's Student, DEB

Research Interests: COVID-19

Fun Fact: My family and I starred in an MTV music video

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Emily Siegel -
Name: Emily Siegel
Affiliations: Master's student and medical student in 5-year MD/MAS program
Research Interests: acute respiratory distress syndrome, sudden cardiac death
Fun Fact: I enjoy making various breads and ice creams from scratch!

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Erin Ferguson -
Name: Erin Ferguson, MPH

Affiliation: 1st year epidemiology PhD student, DEB

Research Interests: risk factors for Alzheimer's disease/dementia (currently working on a project looking @ statins), aging

Fun Fact: I have 2 sisters and we were all born in different countries!

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions

by Jacquelyne Odak -

JJ ODAK (MBA; MPH – Epidemiology & Population Health)

I am a PhD student at Maseno University, Kenya; and a Sustainable Development for HIV Health (SD4H) Program Fellow, which is a graduate training program in partnership between UCSF, Maseno University and Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI). I am currently at UCSF taking the Advanced Training in Clinical Research (ATCR) course.

My research interest is around spatial, climatic and behavioral determinants of HIV health among food and water insecure PLHIV in resource-poor settings in Kenya with the aim of improving HIV health outcomes, livelihoods, and resilience in a sustainable manner.

Fun Fact: I have never seen snow...

EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Carolyn Hughes -
Name: Carolyn Smith Hughes, MS

Affiliations: PhD student, DEB; research analyst, IGHS MNCH Team

Research interests: Severe maternal morbidity and mortality, birth trauma, maternal mental health, experience of care in childbirth

Fun fact: I grew up on a small dairy farm in rural Wisconsin

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Chuan Mei Lee -
Name: Chuan-Mei Lee, MD

Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; First-year KL2 scholar

Research Interests: access to pediatric mental health care, disparities in child and adolescent mental health, adolescent depression

Fun Fact: I love to travel, which has been harder during the pandemic, but recently went see Mayan ruins in Guatemala

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Jackline Odhiambo -
Name: Jackie Odhiambo, MSc

Affiliations: PhD student, Sustainable Development for Health Fellowship at UCGHI

Research Interests: Health during widowhood: HIV, stigma and widowhood among African women

Fun Fact: I love basking in the sun

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Katerina Protsenko -
Name: Katerina Protsenko
Affiliation: 5th year student in the joint UCSF MD/MAS student, applying to residency in psychiatry
Research Interests: intersections of psychiatric and somatic health; biological aging (epigenetic aging) in depression
Fun Fact: I have very big and very fluffy cat named Pushkin, after the Russian poet

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Jonathan Witonsky -
Name: Jon Witonsky

Affiliations: UCSF Pediatric Allergy/Immunology (Clinical Fellow), Clinical Research Informatics (Research Fellow), TICR (2nd year Master's Program student)

Research Interests: Use of genetic data and/or race/ethnicity in clinical prediction algorithms; causal models to assess algorithmic fairness

Fun Fact: I rode my bicycle across the U.S.

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Ashley Mitchell -
Hello!

I'm Ashley Mitchell. I have an MPH from the University of Minnesota and I'm a Certified Perinatal Educator via the Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery.

Affiliations: doctoral student with IGHS, course assistant for MS global health program, and research assistant with Dr. El Ayadi (OBGYN & Reproductive Sciences) and Dr. Diamond Smith (Epi & Biostats).

Research Interests: reproductive justice, health, and wellbeing among immigrant, refugee, and displaced populations.

Fun fact: We raised backyard chickens at our home in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Maia Scarpetta -
Name: Maia Scarpetta, MPH

Affiliation: First year epidemiology PhD student, DEB

Research Interests: social epidemiology and infectious disease epidemiology

Fun Fact: I can make old school New York-style bagels from scratch

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Melissa Carvalho -
Name: Melissa Carvalho

Affiliations: First-year Ph.D. student in Global Health Sciences

Research Interests: Global health, cancer prevention and control in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), cancer health disparities, implementation science, health system strengthening

Fun Fact: I lived in eight countries during my childhood

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Adam Zakaria -
Name: Adam Zakaria

Program: Final year of 5-year MD/MAS Program

Research Interests: teledermatology, dermatologic care for the underserved, infectious diseases, ectoparasitic disease

Fun Fact: I like to disc golf in GG Park and recommend everybody try it out!

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Cathy Samayoa -
Name: Cathy Samayoa, PhD

Affiliation: Postdoc in the DREAM Lab, Department of Epi and Biostats

Research Interests: Molecular mechanism of breast cancer health disparities

Fun fact: I am a foodie. I enjoy cooking and taking photos of food.

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Nasim Sobhani -
Name: Nasim Sobhani, MD

Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology/Reproductive Sciences, UCSF

Research interests: Pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy, Maternal congenital cardiac disease in pregnancy, Placentally-mediated complications of pregnancy (preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, fetal growth restriction)

Fun fact: I don't know how to ride a bike!

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Shivani Mehta -
Name: Shivani Mehta, MPH

Affiliations: PhD Student (year 1), Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Research Interests: machine learning methods to predict and quantify overdose risk on a patient-level basis, examining links between causal inference and ML methods, using bioinformatics methods (i.e. natural language processing) on health disparities

Fun fact: I bungy jumped off of Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa which is one of the world's highest commercial bridge bungy at 709 feet.

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Matt Durstenfeld -
Name: Matt Durstenfeld, MD
Affiliations: Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiology at ZSFG & TICR MAS student 2nd year
Research Interests: HIV & COVID associated cardiovascular disease; global cardiology
Fun Fact: I love playing Duplo with my almost 4 year old daughter; my 3 month old daughter just wants me to hold her.

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Soka Moses -
Name: Soka Moses, MD, MSC

Affiliations: Masters student, TICR, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Research Interests: HIV natural history and treatment outcomes, viral hemorrhagic fever, epidemic preparedness and response, and health systems

Fun Fact: I raise ducts.

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Carrie Chan -
Name: Carrie Chan, NP, MSN, MPH

Affiliations: First year PhD, Epidemiology & Translational Science

Research Interests: Pediatric health promotion, clinical informatics

Fun Fact: I have run 34 half marathons since training for my first 5k in 2015 (unfortunately races have been on hold for a couple years because of COVID)! I also love board games and escape rooms!

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Tanvi Srivastava -
Name: Tanvi Srivastava, MBA, MPH

Affiliations: PhD Student - First Year, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics

Research Interests: reduction in population cancer burden through research in cancer epidemiology, health disparities, and modifiable risk factors of cancer

Fun Fact: I am a certified scuba diver, and used to work in video games.

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Sara LaHue -
Name: Sara LaHue MD
Affiliation: Department of Neurology
Research topics of interest: Delirium pathogenesis, geroscience, women's health in neurology, quality improvement
Fun fact: I was taught how to make my first flipbook by Matt Groening

Re: EPI 207 W22 - Brief Introductions - PLEASE REPLY

by Mai Sedki -
Name: Mai Sedki, MD MPH

Affiliations: PhD student, DEB

Research Interests: gastrointestinal cancer, cirrhosis outcomes, hepatocellular carcinoma risk factors and optimization of screening protocols

Fun Fact: I have a black belt in karate.