Past Awardees

Renee Mehra is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology. Her research interests are the social and psychosocial factors that contribute to racial inequities in health across the life course, particularly in the context of intergenerational effects. Based on Nancy Krieger’s ecosocial theory, Renee's research explores how social factors (i.e., socioeconomic status) and psychosocial factors (i.e., discrimination, stress, and social support) at the individual, interpersonal, community, and societal level influence racial inequities in health outcomes. She uses mixed methods research to explore mechanistic pathways and identify social policies that may reduce these health inequities.

Meet Yale School of Public Health's Jillian Armstrong.

Abigail is an MD/PhD candidate in the lab of Todd Constable. She received her PhD in 2021, with anticipated graduation in 2023. She received her A.B. with highest honors from Princeton in 2013, where she studied psychology in the lab of Jonathan Cohen, and received certificates in Quantitative and Computational Neuroscience and French. Following graduation, Abigail received a ReachOut56-81-06 fellowship to support a year working in the healthcare department of ProMujer Nicaragua.Abigail's research focuses on the application of computational modeling and machine learning techniques to human neuroimaging data to reveal the neural bases of complex cognitive processes, traits, and clinical symptoms. She hopes to integrate this skillset with training as a psychiatrist to yield more precise understandings of the macroscale neural circuits underlying (dys)function. Outside of lab, Abigail worked with the Behavioral Health Department at Yale's student-run free clinic (HAVEN), which she directed from 2017-2018, and as a Pivotal Response Treatment clinician at the Child Study Center under the supervision of Dr. Pamela Ventola. She has presented her work at various conferences, including the Society for Neuroscience, Organization for Human Brain Mapping, and Flux Congress meetings, and has received various recognitions for her work, including an F1000 recommendation, the NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience award, and the YCCI Multidisciplinary Pre-doctoral Training Program in Translational Research Fellowship.

Mary is a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. Her research primarily focuses on investigating the genomic epidemiology of emerging RNA viruses, including the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, using a combination of wet lab and computational methods. She is also involved in the development of novel saliva-based diagnostic assays for respiratory pathogens. Before coming to Yale, Mary received a two year Post-Baccalaureate Research Training Award through the National Institutes of Health, where she worked in Dr. Anthony Fauci's laboratory and studied the efficacy of experimental functional cures for HIV.

Andrew J. Arakaki is a doctoral student in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. His research is focused on assessing the impact of everyday discrimination on patient-reported outcomes, outpatient care utilization, and biomarkers of systemic inflammation among young adults with acute myocardial infarction. Andrew completed his MPH at the Yale School of Public Health in 2020 and conducted research at the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) using data from the National Cardiovascular Disease Registry (NCDR). He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Washington.

Meet Yale School of Public Health's Jillian Armstrong.

Tiffany E. Chang is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health. Her dissertation research examines the sex-specific impact of patient- and system-level factors on hypertension outcomes among young Veterans. Prior to her doctoral studies, Tiffany worked as a health services researcher (contractor) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as a quality improvement director at the American Heart Association. Tiffany earned her MPH from Yale School of Public Health and her BA from Cornell University.

Rebecca is a PhD candidate in the Grubaugh Lab in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. Her research focuses on the outbreak dynamics of emerging viruses in human and animal populations. Previously, Rebecca was a Research Analyst in the Prevention Policy Modeling Lab at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where her work focused on modeling the potential impact of changes in disease control strategies. She received a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and also has four years of experience in global and domestic health consulting.

Mallory Ellingson, MPH, is a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial diseases. Her research interests include vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, with a specific focus on improving vaccine communication and understanding vaccine acceptance and refusal. Prior to starting at Yale, she earned her MPH in Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She also worked as a Public Health Program Associate in the Global Health department on projects related to maternal immunization and interventions to improve vaccine uptake.

Danielle is a PhD candidate conducting her research in the Mood Disorders Research Program. Born and raised in New York City, she initiated her research curiosities while in high school, where she studied the role of GABA in the dimensionality of symptoms in adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder in the laboratory of Dr. Vilma Gabbay. For this work, she was named a 2012 finalist in both the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search and Intel Science and Engineering Fair. She continued this work while in college at Columbia University, extending her experience in fMRI and genetic techniques for studying developmental psychopathology. Also while at Columbia, she diversified her interests by delving into the realm of development of normative emotion regulation strategies under the mentorship of Dr. Kevin Ochsner, as well as the realm of prenatal biomarkers of neurodevelopmental risk, under the mentorship of Dr. Frances Champagne. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Behavior, she loved the academic and collaborative environment so much that she remained at Columbia to pursue her interdisciplinary interests. She received her master’s degree in Bioethics where her thesis work focused on the utility of genetic technologies in diagnosing heterogeneous pediatric neurology patients, with a secondary interest in the utility of neuroimaging evidence in the juvenile justice system. She has presented her work academically at numerous national and international conferences (SOBP, ISDP, Flux, AACAP), as well as in more widely public settings (social media correspondent for Society for Science and the Public), and continues to eagerly disseminate her findings and passion for science. Danielle now conducts research under the mentorship of Dr. Hilary Blumberg where her research interests broadly revolve around examining the neurobiological correlates of, and risk factors for, abnormal developmental trajectories in mood-related psychopathology. Outside of the laboratory, Danielle is ardently passionate about outreach and mentorship opportunities (INP Outreach Executive Committee, Yale Science Diplomats, Flipped Science Fair, INP Recruitment Student Committee).

Leah Puklin, MPH, is a PhD student in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology. As a member of Dr. Melinda Irwin's research team, her doctoral work focuses on nutritional epidemiology and breast cancer. Her mission is to use implementation science strategies to make nutrition and physical activity counseling part of routine care for all cancer patients. She earned her MPH from the Yale School of Public Health in 2019. Before returning to Yale, she spent a year at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy working on the Global Dietary Database; the most comprehensive and reliable estimates of food and nutrient intake worldwide. She attended Connecticut College for her undergraduate and graduated in 2015 with a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Mathematics.

Andrew J. Arakaki is a doctoral student in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. His research is focused on assessing the impact of everyday discrimination on patient-reported outcomes, outpatient care utilization, and biomarkers of systemic inflammation among young adults with acute myocardial infarction. Andrew completed his MPH at the Yale School of Public Health in 2020 and conducted research at the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) using data from the National Cardiovascular Disease Registry (NCDR). He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Washington.

Tiffany E. Chang is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health. Her dissertation research examines the sex-specific impact of patient- and system-level factors on hypertension outcomes among young Veterans. Prior to her doctoral studies, Tiffany worked as a health services researcher (contractor) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as a quality improvement director at the American Heart Association. Tiffany earned her MPH from Yale School of Public Health and her BA from Cornell University.

Rebecca is a PhD candidate in the Grubaugh Lab in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. Her research focuses on the outbreak dynamics of emerging viruses in human and animal populations. Previously, Rebecca was a Research Analyst in the Prevention Policy Modeling Lab at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where her work focused on modeling the potential impact of changes in disease control strategies. She received a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and also has four years of experience in global and domestic health consulting.

Meet Yale School of Public Health's Abigail Girgis.

Yale Medical Student

Kelly is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. Her research interests focus on reducing vector-borne and zoonotic diseases in low income countries by identifying social, biological, and environmental risk factors of disease. Specifically, she hope to use molecular epidemiological studies to gain insight into pathogenesis and to improve the prevention and control of infectious diseases.

Guneet is a fourth-year medical student. Prior to medical school, he got a degree in biochemistry at the Ohio State University and then engaged in structural biology research at the National Cancer Institute. His research interests include regulatory science and microbial dysgenesis in autoimmune disease. At CRIT, he is investigating the feasibility of using Real-World Data and Real-World Evidence for drug approvals.

Meet Yale School of Public Health's Sarah Lapidus

Katerina Santiago is a PhD student in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health. She earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine and her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Biology with Honors from the University of Miami. Prior to her doctoral studies, Katerina worked as a research associate at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine where her research focused on occupational exposures and their association with various health effects such as injuries and cancer and how such risks vary by race and ethnicity. Her current research interests are epidemiology of cancer, with a specific interest in gastrointestinal cancers, and how genetic risk interacts with environmental and occupational exposures.

Sunny Siddique is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. He holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Molecular Biology from Princeton University. Prior to Yale, Sunny served as a Cancer Research Training Award Fellow at the National Cancer Institute where he studied age-related functional outcomes among cancer survivors, pain management among cancer patients visiting the ER, and follow-up and surveillance strategies to improve detection of cancer recurrence. Sunny has also conducted substantial work in analyzing cancer center catchment areas and identifying neighborhood level disparities in cancer treatment and outcomes. His current research interests include: risk factors and screening for early-onset gastrointestinal cancers (particularly colorectal, pancreas, stomach, and liver cancers), access and utilization of novel treatments, and the functional outcomes of long-term cancer survivors.

Melanie H. Chitwood is a doctoral candidate in the Ted Cohen Lab. She is interested in using mathematical models to understand the transmission and prevalence of tuberculosis in high burden settings. She has previously worked as a Research Associate in the Cohen Lab, where she was involved in projects in Brazil and on COVID-19 estimates and projections. Melanie received her BA from Hampshire College and her MS in Global Health and Population from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Andin Fosam is a 4th year MD/PhD student at the Yale School of Medicine, currently completing her PhD focused in muscle metabolism and physiology. Prior to starting medical school, Andin earned her Bachelor of Science, double majoring in Biological Sciences and History of Philosophy and Science, and minoring in Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). While at Pitt, she also competed as an NCAA Division 1 Track and Field athlete, where she currently holds the school record in the hammer throw. Andin is highly motivated by her experience as an athlete and spends her time in the lab studying how to adapt strength training protocols to help prevent muscle loss after surgery. She leads both clinical and translational studies to better understand how modified strength training protocols may improve post-surgical recovery. Andin is also heavily involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at Yale and initiatives to recruit and retain underrepresented individuals in science and medicine.

Meet Yale School of Public Health's Abigail Girgis.

Kelly is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. Her research interests focus on reducing vector-borne and zoonotic diseases in low income countries by identifying social, biological, and environmental risk factors of disease. Specifically, she hope to use molecular epidemiological studies to gain insight into pathogenesis and to improve the prevention and control of infectious diseases.

After completing her undergraduate degree at Georgia Tech, Ann spent 9 months in India conducting public health research with a Fulbright research fellowship. Ann plans to continue public health research during her PhD with a mixed-methods approach. Ann enjoys spending time hiking and outdoors.

Meet Yale School of Public Health's Sarah Lapidus

Katerina Santiago is a PhD student in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health. She earned her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine and her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Biology with Honors from the University of Miami. Prior to her doctoral studies, Katerina worked as a research associate at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine where her research focused on occupational exposures and their association with various health effects such as injuries and cancer and how such risks vary by race and ethnicity. Her current research interests are epidemiology of cancer, with a specific interest in gastrointestinal cancers, and how genetic risk interacts with environmental and occupational exposures.

Thi Vu is a PhD student in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale University. Prior to coming to Yale, she led various projects at the UNC Center for AIDS Research, Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, and the UNC School of Nursing. She has experience in qualitative methods and community-engaged research in the areas of PrEP, HIV/AIDS, safety in assisted-living, and transitional care for persons with dementia. She is interested in psychosocial aspects of aging and caregiving among older adults with HIV/AIDS and older adults with dementia, and is currently working with Professor Joan Monin at the Social Gerontology Health Lab.