PHCP Students
Jaffna Mathiaparanam
Start Year: 2019
Graduate Group: NGG
PhD Advisor: Michael Granato
Jaffna graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 2017 with a degree in neurobiology. She is interested in studying molecular and circuitry characteristics of substance abuse and neuropsychiatric disease. She hopes to use her PhD with her public health experience to improve access and treatment for groups vulnerable to these conditions.
Seble Negatu
snegatu@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2019
Graduate Group: IGG
PhD Advisor: Kellie Jurado
Seble is currently an IGG graduate student with research interests in host-pathogen interactions during viral infections. She is interested in understanding how to incorporate knowledge about infectious diseases into real world public health scenarios. Outside of lab, Seble enjoys painting, going to museums, hiking, and exploring new restaurants.
Jorge Acuña
Jorge.Acuna@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2020
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Sara Cherry
Jorge is a Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology student within the CAMB program. His interests revolve around virology, specifically in host-pathogen interactions involving immune evasion and pathogenesis. Implementing his PhD and public health experiences, he aims to contribute to the prevention, containment, treatment, and eradication of emerging infectious diseases. Outside of the lab, he enjoys weightlifting, playing intramural sports, and traveling.
Daniel Kim
kimdanny@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2020
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Elizabeth White
Daniel graduated from Emory University with degrees in neuroscience and Spanish in 2017. Afterwards, he completed a postbaccalaureate research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in virology where he studied noroviruses in immunocompromised patients. As an MVP student, Daniel is currently interested in exploring biomedical research that has implications in shaping public health initiatives for managing infectious diseases at the population level.
Grace Li
ShukHang.Li@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2020
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Scott Hensley
Grace is an MVP student with an interest in virology and immunology. At Penn, she hopes to focus on studying host immune response to viral infection and vaccination and developing immune-based interventions to prevent infectious diseases. She is eager to develop competencies in the field of public health through PHCP and explore the intersection of infectious disease research and public health with the goal of contributing to decision making in infectious disease-related public health concerns.
Eliana von Krusenstiern
elianav@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2020
Graduate Group: PGG
PhD Advisors: Kelly Jordan-Sciutto and Judith Greenspan
Dale Brokaw
dale.brokaw@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2021
Graduate Group: CAMB G&E
PhD Advisor: Syd Shaffer
Samuelle Delcy
Samuelle.Delcy@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2021
Graduate Group: PHRM
PhD Advisor: Akiva Cohen
Samuelle graduated from Brooklyn College in 2021 with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Neuroscience. She was also a MARC Scholar which is how she became involved in research! She is primarily interested in neurodegeneration and understanding some of the neural mechanisms disruptions that contribute to diseases such as Alzheimer’s. For Samuelle's public health project, she is specifically interested in looking at populations who are often overlooked in scientific research, yet have the highest prevalence for neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., African Americans and Hispanics). In her free time, she enjoys trying new foods, traveling, and occasionally also crochets.
Emily O'Rourke
emily.orourke@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2021
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Sunny Shin
Emily O’Rourke is pursuing a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Biology. As an undergraduate, Emily took a course in South Africa about the evolution of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This experience piqued her interest in public health. Through PHCP, she hopes to explore the interface of infectious disease research and community health education. In her research, Emily is interested in uncovering the molecular basis of infectious diseases. Outside of lab, Emily enjoys running, fashion, and trying coffee shops around Philly.
Galina Rozenberg
Galina.Rozenberg@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2021
Graduate Group: PGG
PhD Advisor: Klaus Kaestner
Jaydeen Sewell
jaydeen.sewell@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2021
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Sunny Shin
Jaydeen is a PhD student in the CAMB MVP program. She grew up in Jamaica but has been living in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for the past 11 years. She received her bachelors in Biological Sciences from the University of Connecticut and her masters in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in microbiology from Quinnipiac University. Jaydeen is passionate about public health and science communication. Her goal is to take what she knows about pathogenic organisms in the infectious disease and link it back to public health.
Kirsten Mallon
Kirsten.Mallon@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2022
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Michael Povelones
Rachel Richards
Rachel.Richards@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2022
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Sunny Shin
Rachel Sklutuis
Rachel.Sklutuis@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2022
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Tempera Italo
Rachel is a Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology student within the CAMB program. She graduated Towson University with a B.S. in Biology and Hood College with a M.S. in Biomedical Science. She has an interest in virology and host-pathogen interactions and through PHCP she hopes to explore how science is communicated to the public in order to promote public health. Outside the lab she likes to read, knit, and spend time with her cats.
Jordan Williams
jo.williams@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2022
Graduate Group: PGG
PhD Advisor: Rob Lee
Jordan is a PGG student, coming to Penn from a postbac fellowship at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and a Chemistry B.S. from Boise State University. She’s an aspiring science communicator and feels that the program will give her a foundation in public health necessary to advance her scicomm skills. Outside of the lab, Jordan plays the clarinet, enjoys winding down with cozy video games, takes nature walks/beach trips, and loves to explore Philly.
Francine Baker
Francine.Baker@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2023
Graduate Group: IGG
PhD Advisor: Joel Babdor
Francine is a Ph.D. student in the IGG program. She holds a B.S. in Public Health Science from the University of Maryland and an M.S. in Biology from the University of the District of Columbia. Prior to her Ph.D. studies, Francine worked as a Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow at the National Cancer Institute, where she developed her skills in translational cancer biology and molecular epidemiology. Her current research focuses on understanding the interplay between the immune system and the microbiome in the context of sickle cell disease. She desires to use her PhD with her training in public health to bridge the gap between bench science and public health to improve health outcomes for marginalized communities.
Patricia I. Guadalupe Castro
Patricia.Guadalupe@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2023
Graduate Group: CAMB CPM
PhD Advisor: Paul Titchenell
Patricia graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in 2023 with a degree in Microbiology. She is interested in studying obesity and related diseases, with a focus on improving weight loss outcomes after treatments. Her goal is to leverage her PhD and the experiences from the Public Health Certificate program to help improve access to these treatments in underrepresented communities. Outside of lab, Patricia enjoys painting, reading and spending time in nature.
Nelida Robles Ramirez
nelida.robles@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2023
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Ken Cadwell
Wendy Su
wendy.su@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2023
Graduate Group: GCB
PhD Advisor: Joseph Romano
Wendy Su graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.S. in Computational and Systems Biology. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Genomics and Computational Biology. Wendy's research interests focus on utilizing biomedical informatics and environmental exposure data to study women's health. She hopes her training through PHCP will further shape her research by incorporating a public health lens and emphasizing health equity considerations. In her free time, Wendy enjoys yoga, hiking, cooking, and getting ice cream with friends.
Gaby Zuckerman
Gaby.Zuckerman@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2023
Graduate Group: GGEB
PhD Advisor:
Before pursuing a PhD in epidemiology, Gaby graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a BSPH in biostatistics and a math minor. After college, she completed a two-year postbaccalaureate research fellowship at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities where she worked on research aimed at leveraging health information technologies to improve minority health and reduce health disparities. She hopes to use her time in PHCP to strengthen her knowledge around public health methods and get involved in community service.
De'jah Coates
De'jah.Coates@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2024
Graduate Group: PGG
PhD Advisor:
Laura Gong
Laura.Gong@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2024
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor:
Laura Gong is a PhD student in the CAMB MVP program. She graduated from UCLA in 2022 with a BS in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. Her research interests include host pathogen interaction, infectious diseases, virology, and immunology. She aims to enhance her biomedical research training with a public health perspective with the goal of better understanding how discoveries at the bench shape public health strategies and decision-making.
Michaela Olabisi
michaela.olabisi@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2024
Graduate Group: GGEB
PhD Advisor:
Debby Park
Debby.Park@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2024
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor:
Debby graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in Molecular Biology in 2022. She then worked as a research assistant at the Rockefeller University, studying HIV resistance to bNabs . Debby is passionate about virology and immunology and hopes to make scientific research more accessible to everyone. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing the bass, attending concerts, adding new restaurants to her Beli profile, and gymnastics.
Marlene Probst
Marlene.Probst@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2024
Graduate Group: CAMB GTV
PhD Advisor:
Morgan Watson
Morgan.Watson@Pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Start Year: 2024
Graduate Group: GGEB
PhD Advisor:
Morgan is a PhD student in the GGEB - Epidemiology program. She graduated from UNC - Chapel Hill with a BSPH in Biostatistics and a minor in Health & Society. Her research interests lie in the field of social epidemiology with a specific focus on the relationship between the built environment, mental health, and chronic health conditions. She hopes that her training through the PHCP will provide a deeper understanding into the systems which affect how people live and allow for her research to be translated into effective interventions. In her free time, Morgan enjoys running, traveling, and trying new coffee shops/restaurants in Philly!
PHCP Requirements Completed
Brianne Roper
Start Year: 2019
Graduate Group: CAMB MVP
PhD Advisor: Audrey John
Brianne Roper is an MVP student interested in virology, particularly diseases that disproportionately affect people of lower income. Her interest in global health was started from a month long global health course she took during undergrad at a research center in Macha, Zambia. While in the PHCP, she plans to find an intersection of her biomedical and public research interests.
Mike Noji
Start Year: 2018
Graduate Group: CAMB CB
PhD Advisors: Kathryn Wellen and Zoltan Arany
Mike is a Cancer Biology student within the CAMB graduate group with an interest in cancer metabolism. He received his Bachelor's degree in Biology from Rutgers University in 2015 where he studied the effects of diet and exercise on the microbiome. Outside of lab, Mike enjoys participating in Intramurals at Penn, reading, and attending concerts around Philadelphia.