DaRel Barksdale
Health Behavior
BS, Morehouse College
MPH, Emory University
DaRel began his career with laboratory-based research positions at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the Schering-Plough Research Institute, the Wadsworth Center (New York State Department of Health) and the United States Department of Agriculture. He decided to formally pursue his graduate education in public health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
His interest in public health was first piqued through an elective course during his senior year at Morehouse College. One of DaRel’s progessors brought public health to life while speaking on topics such as health disparities, research ethics, and the need for more minority leaders in the field of public health.
DaRel is originally from Washington, DC and is interested in the ways in which messaging can be used in addition to addressing structural factors to eliminate health disparities, especially with regards to the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Morgane Bennett
Health Behavior
BS, Dickinson College
MPH, The George Washington University
Following her undergraduate studies, Morgane worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer case manager at a non-profit community health clinic in Denver, CO, assisting homeless patients in accessing health care and other social services. The experience of working closely with underserved individuals suffering from chronic conditions and struggling to access necessary treatments highlighted, for her, the importance of health promotion and disease prevention efforts. This interest led Morgane to pursue an MPH in Health Promotion at GW.
Originally from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Morgane is excited about the opportunity to influence young people to make good choices when it comes to their health, and develop positive health behaviors, in order to instill positive health behaviors and set them on a trajectory towards a life of good health and well-being.
Ichhya Pant
Health Behavior
BA, CUNY – Hunter College
MPH, Georgia State University
After completing a Master of Public Health degree at Georgia State University, Ichhya was excited to work on public health projects that focused on collaborative prevention and community health promotion efforts across sectors and topic areas. These projects often involved technological approaches to solve emerging public health challenges with ingenuity.
While pursuing her DrPH degree, Ichhya will continue working in her current role as a Senior Associate at ICF International serving the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Prevention Communications Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ichhya is originally from Kathmandu, Nepal and has had the privilege of traveling to or living in over twenty countries. She is excited about the transformative technological advances that currently provide established and emerging public health practitioners a critical window of opportunity to broaden their horizons and set the agenda to harness these capabilities to its fullest potential.
Erica Sedlander
Health Behavior
BA, University of California – Santa Cruz
MPH, University of California – Berkeley
Prior to beginning her doctoral studies at George Washington University, Erica was a Research Coordinator in the Department of Population Health at New York University (NYU) School of Medicine where she managed several qualitative and mixed methods studies.
During her doctoral studies, Erica is working on a study to understand the barriers and facilitators to modern contraception use in Ethiopia. She is interested in improving health for underserved women and incorporating their voices into programs and policies.
Hanna Tessema
Health Behavior
BA, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
MA, University of Michigan
MPH, New York University
Before becoming a DrPH student, Hanna began her public health career conducting research on the social determinants of HIV infection among young women in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Shortly afterwards, and started working on maternal child health and infant mortality reduction in the South Bronx with women of childbearing age. She spent the last 9 years working for ACRIA in New York City on a first-of-its-kind program on HIV & Aging, where she is now Director of Policy & Advocacy and leading the agency’s expansion efforts into Washington DC.
Originally from Ethiopia, Hanna is excited by the possibility of improving lives and health outcomes for communities most affected by preventable disease.
Aubrey Villalobos
Health Behavior
BS, Bates College
MA, Ed., Christian Brothers University
MPH, The George Washington University
Aubrey’s background is in biological chemistry, cancer control and health education. Before beginning her MPH in Health Promotion at GW, she worked at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital coordinating a school-based cancer prevention outreach program. Prior to her time at St. Jude, Aubrey taught high school biology at a school for girls in Memphis, TN
While studying, Aubrey will continue serving as Director for Comprehensive Cancer Control at GW Cancer Institute, the patient-centered initiatives and health equity arm of the GW Cancer Center, where she will lead a team of seven focused on education, cancer control and health equity.
Aubrey has lived all over, but is originally from New Jersey. She is most excited about steadily growing evidence that suggests that many cancers can be prevented and the opportunities to be a part of the critical interventions at multiple socioecological levels that may help modify many of the behaviors that lead to some of the largest chronic dieseases.