Epidemiology - PhD
The mission of the GW Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Epidemiology program is to educate individuals who are committed to making a difference by solving public health problems. Graduates from this program learn to apply critical and analytical skills to better understand disease and human health. Our graduates bring these skills into the world in order to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative health practices and policies.
In addition, the PhD in Epidemiology degree coursework helps enhance students' focus on theoretical and applied epidemiological and statistical methods. At the George Washington University, we are proud to educate students who are committed to improving public health and engaging in and promoting public service. We emphasize these qualities in the PhD Epidemiology program because they are essential for future health professionals and public health practitioners. The program ensures that graduates:
- Gain knowledge across a wide range of epidemiologic and biostatistical theories and methods.
- Gain specific knowledge of epidemiology in one or more of the following areas: infectious disease, chronic disease, environmental and occupational health, or physical activity
- Understand general and specialized advanced epidemiologic concepts.
- Understand how to apply statistical methods to biological/biomedical sciences and health services
- Understand and abide by guidelines for ethical treatment of research participants.
- Conduct and analyze data from a research study.
- Disseminate research findings to scientific and lay audiences.
Applicants to the program must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. Although not required, most admitted students have completed a master’s degree prior to admission.
- Watch our PhD Epidemiology Information Session from Fall 2024!
Program Director: Heather Young, PhD, MPH
GWSPH Doctoral programs admit students for the Fall term each academic year. Applications will be accepted beginning in August and are due no later than December 1st for the next matriculating cohort beginning in the following Fall term. Find GWSPH graduate admissions information here.
Applicants who have completed an MPH degree from a Council of Education for Public Health (CEPH) accredited Program, or who hold a graduate degree in a related field will be considered for admission to the PhD Program. Applicants may indicate their relevant training, work and/or research experience, or educational background that may have prepared them for doctoral level training in Public Health.
In general, a minimum of a B average (or equivalent) in undergraduate and/or graduate coursework from an accredited college is required. With evidence of special promises, such as high Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, an applicant whose academic record falls short of a B average may be accepted on a conditional basis. All students are required to submit current GRE scores (within 5 years of matriculation date).
Meeting the minimum requirements does not assure acceptance. Admittance to the PhD Epidemiology is highly competitive and there are a limited number of spaces available each Fall for new students. Applicants must provide evidence of the completion of their undergraduate and/or graduate work before registration in Milken Institute SPH is permitted.
- Academic Prerequisites
Required Prerequisites* for applicants to the PhD Epidemiology are:
- Calculus I and II - 6 credits
- Human Biology - 8 credits (6 credits lecture, 2 credits lab)
- Principles and Practice of Epidemiology - 3 credits
Transcripts are required for verification. Transcripts provided must reflect these courses (undergraduate or graduate level), without exception, to be considered for admission.
And, these courses are Highly Recommended Admissions Prerequisites^:
- Linear Algebra - 3 credits
- SAS - 3 credits
^ Applicants may still be admitted if these courses have not yet been completed, however, these credits must be earned no later than the end of the first semester after matriculation. Credits for these courses do not count toward the 72-credit graduation requirement, nor are grades earned in these additional courses reflected in the overall grade-point average.
Applicants should be aware that graduate courses taken prior to admission while in non-degree status will be considered, but may not be transferable into this program. With approval of the program director, up to 12 graduate credits that have not been applied to any previous graduate degree may be transferred to the PhD program. External credits must have been earned from an accredited institution in the last 6 years with a minimum grade of 3.0 (B) in each course.
- Required Core
Required PhD Foundations Courses
PUBH 6080 | Pathways to Public Health (0 credits)*
PUBH 6421 | Responsible Conduct of Research (1 credit)
PUBH 6427 | Epidemiologic Methods 1: Design of Health Studies** Basis for PhD General Comprehensive Exam (3 credits)
PUBH 8099 | PHD Seminar: Cross Cutting Concepts in Public Health (1 credit)
Required Program-Specific Courses
PUBH 6252 | Epidemiologic Methods 2: Advanced Epidemiologic Methods Basis for PhD General Comprehensive Exam (3 credits)
PUBH 6866 | Principles of Clinical Trials (3 credits)
PUBH 6865 | Applied Categorical Data Analysis (3 credits)
PUBH 8419 | Measurement in Public Health and Health Services Basis for PhD General Comprehensive Exam (3 credits)
PUBH 8877 | Generalized Linear Models in Biostatistics Basis for PhD General Comprehensive Exam (3 credits)
PUBH 6868 | Quantitative Methods (3 credits)*Pathways to Public Health (PUBH 6080) may be waived for students who matriculate with a prior Public Health degree from a CEPH accredited institution.
**Students with an MPH and an equivalent course may waive and replace this course with elective credits.REQUIRED CORE TOTAL: PhD Foundation Credits - 5 Credits + Program Specific Courses - 18 Credits = 23 Credits
- Tailoring Courses
Epidemiology Elective Courses Sample List
PUBH 62xx | Epidemiology Topical Courses (1-3 credits)
PUBH 6242 + 8242 | Clinical Epidemiology and Public Health: Reading the Research + Doctoral Topics (2 + 1 credits)
PUBH 6244 + 8244 | Cancer Epidemiology + Doctoral Topics (2 + 1 credits)
PUBH 6245 + 8245 | Infectious Disease Epidemiology + Doctoral Topics (2 + 1 credits)
PUBH 6250 + 8250 | Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS + Doctoral Topics (2 + 1 credits)
PUBH 6259 + 8259 | Epidemiologic Surveillance in Public Health + Doctoral Topics (2 + 1 credits)*These courses may be taken for 3 credits by adding a 1-credit PUBH 82xx Doctoral Topics course that goes by the same name as the 2-credit course at the PUBH 62xx level.
Biostatistics Elective Courses Sample List
PUBH 6862 | Applied Linear Regression Analysis for Public Health Research (3 credits)
PUBH 6864 | Applied Survival Analysis for Public Health Research84 (3 credits)
PUBH 6887 | Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis for Public Health Research (3 credits)
PUBH 6860 | Principles of Bioinformatics (3 credits)
PUBH 6861 | Public Health Genomics (3 credits)
PUBH 68xx | Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Topical Courses (1-3 credits)
PUBH 8878 | Statistical Genetics (3 credits)REQUIRED TAILORING COURSES TOTAL: MINIMUM 11 CREDITS
- Consulting/Dissertation Requirements
PUBH 6869 | Principles of Biostatistics Consulting (1 credit)
PUBH 8283 | Biostatistics Consulting Practicum (2 credits)PUBH 8435 | PhD Proposal Development
(Note: May be waived by the Program Director. Waiver of the course credits replaced by dissertation credits.) (2 credits)
PUBH 8999 | Dissertation Research for PhD Epidemiology Students (9 credits taken in units of 3 credits)CONSULTING & DISSERTATION TOTAL: 14 CREDITS
- Non-Academic Requirements
Professional Enhancement
Students in the PhD, Epidemiology program must participate in eight (8) hours of Professional Enhancement. These activities are pre-approved by an advisor and may be Public Health-related lectures, seminars, or symposia related to your field of study.
Professional Enhancement activities supplement the rigorous academic curriculum of the SPH degree programs and help prepare students to participate actively in the professional community. You can learn more about opportunities for Professional Enhancement via the Milken Institute School of Public Health Listserv, through departmental communications, or by speaking with your advisor.
Students submit a completed Professional Enhancement Form to the Office of Student Records which is required documentation to be cleared for graduation.
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training
All students are required to complete the Basic CITI training module in Social and Behavioral Research. This online training module for Social and Behavioral Researchers will help new students demonstrate and maintain sufficient knowledge of the ethical principles and regulatory requirements for protecting human subjects - key for any public health research.
Academic Integrity Quiz
All Milken Institute School of Public Health students are required to review the University’s Code of Academic Integrity and complete the GW Academic Integrity Activity. This activity must be completed within 2 weeks of matriculation. Information on GWSPH Academic Integrity requirements can be found here.
- Past Program Guides
Past Program Guides
Students in the PhD in Epidemiology program should refer to the guide from the year in which they matriculated into the program. For the current program guide, click the "PROGRAM GUIDE" button on the right-hand side of the page.
**For graduation requirements, please download the program guide.**
See the program guide and the SPH Graduate Student Handbook for additional information.
There are two parts to the examination requirements for the PhD Epidemiology.
Part I of the general comprehensive examination includes one exam in biostatistics and three in epidemiology.
- Students are expected to take the comprehensive examination within 24 months from the date of enrollment in the program. In addition, students are required to make up any deficiencies prior to taking the examination, by enrolling in appropriate masters-level courses as needed.
Part II of this process is the research proposal.
- This section consists of an oral examination based on a written dissertation research proposal. As soon as possible after successful completion of Part 1, the comprehensive exam, students work with the Program Director to identify a dissertation advisor, committee members from the Department of Epidemiology, and a research topic.
PhD Candidacy
Upon successful completion of the required coursework and both parts of the General Examination, the candidate will be recommended for promotion to PhD Candidacy in order to complete the dissertation research. More information is available in the Program Guide and from the Program Director.
Current Epidemiology PhD students
Blair Altman
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2024
Blair was born and raised in Dallas, TX. She completed her B.S. in Public Health from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019 before moving to Washington, DC to begin her career in public health research. Blair worked at ICF, a government contracting agency, for 5 years as an applied researcher on a number of NIH, CDC, and SAMHSA health communication and program evaluation projects. Blair mainly leveraged qualitative and survey research methods to inform the development of new federal health initiatives, modify existing ones, and evaluate outcomes. She worked on almost every public health topic under the sun ranging from HIV viral suppression, to diabetes prevention, prescription opioid misuse, hypertension control, tobacco cessation, and appropriate antibiotic prescribing, among many others. While working, Blair completed her MPH in Epidemiology at GWU part-time, graduating in December 2023. Through her MPH practicum and CE, she was fortunate to work closely with Dr. Manya Magnus on an analysis of hallucinogenic drug use in sexual minority groups. Excited to embark on her PhD journey, Blair looks forward to supporting Dr. Magnus’ work related to the HIV Prevention Trials Network and growing her skills in epidemiologic methods (especially community-engaged ones) and applied biostatistics.
Madhu Balachandran
Email: [email protected]
Start year: 2020
A Virginia Native, Madhu Balachandran earned his Bachelors’ in Neuroscience and Biology from the University of Virginia. He completed his MPH in Epidemiology at The George Washington University and has been working as a Data Manager for the GWU HIV Prevention Trials Unit (HPTN) and COVID Prevention Trials Unit (CoVPN) since 2015. He has previously worked as an Instructional Assistant in the GWU Department of Epidemiology for Advanced Epidemiology Methods, Principles of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and Analysis of Complex Surveys. His primary research interests are in structural barriers to HIV prevention services and in HIV/AIDS prevention interventions.
Recent publications:
M. Magnus, M. Levy, M. Balachandran, L. Wilton, M. Siegel, S. Calabrese, S. Fields, R. Brewer, A. Dright, J. Peterson, I. Kuo. Structural Barriers and Reasons Why We Are Still Failing to Stop HIV in an Era of Effective Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): A Mixed-Method Study. Abstract - 9th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2017).
Levy, M. E., Watson, C., Balachandran, M., Kuo, I., Wilton, L., Brewer, R., Fields, S., Peterson, J., Magnus, M. Correlates of Uptake of HIV Prevention Interventions Among Black MSM in DC, 2013-2014. Poster Presentation - CROI Conference, February 2016.
Gaykema RP, Balachandran MK, Godbout JP, Johnson RW, Goehler LE. Enhanced neuronal activation in central autonomic network nuclei in aged mice following acute peripheral immune challenge. Autonomic Neuroscience. Jan 2007:137-42. E-publication August 14 2006.
Joya Bhattacharyya
Email: [email protected]
Start year: 2023
A Northern Virginia native, Joya Bhattacharyya earned her Bachelor’s degrees in Cognitive Neuroscience and Global Public Health from the University of Virginia. She went on to complete her MPH in Epidemiology at Columbia University. She currently works as Project Coordinator for the Healthspan Lab at GWSPH, and as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Power Lab. She has previously held research positions at the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Global Mental Health, the Nathan Kline Institute of Psychiatric Research, and the UVA Cognitive Aging Laboratory. Her research interests include the psychiatric epidemiology of mood and personality disorders and building capacity for mental health research and care in low- and middle-income countries.
Recent publications:
Chen Y, Power MC, Grodstein F, et al. Correlates of missed or late versus timely diagnosis of dementia in healthcare settings. Alzheimer's Dement. 2024; 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14067
Sydney Bornstein
Start year: 2020
Email: [email protected]
Sydney was born and raised in New Jersey. She received her BS in Biology from Lehigh University in 2018 and her MPH in Epidemiology with a Certificate in Global Health from Columbia University in 2020. While pursuing her MPH, she worked on HIV research studies in the United States and South Africa. Currently, she works as a Research Associate at the GWU HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) site. She has previously worked as a teaching assistant for the GWU Department of Epidemiology. Her primary research interests include HIV and aging, barriers to HIV prevention and treatment services, and access to mental health care.
Recent publications:
Bornstein, S., & Magnus, M. Feeling lonelier during the early COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional analysis of adults living in the United States. Psychiatry Research, 2022, 114759.
Thomas, G., Bornstein, S., Cho, K., & Rao, R. D. Industry payments to spine surgeons from 2014 to 2019: trends and comparison of payments to spine surgeons versus all physicians. The Spine Journal, 2022, 22(6), 910-920.
Mark Bova
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2019
A native of Connecticut, Mark earned his Bachelor’s degree in Immunology & Infectious Disease from Penn State University and his MPH in Epidemiology from Boston University. He has been working as an Epidemiologist for the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division since 2019, and previously worked as a Surveillance Epidemiologist with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. His research interests include infectious disease surveillance.
Recent publications:
Bova ML, McGee SA, Elliott KE, Ubiera JI. Predicting COVID-19 and Respiratory Illness: Results of the 2022-2023 Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division Forecasting Challenge. MSMR. 2024;31(5):24-30.
Young JM, Stahlman SL, Clausen SS, Bova ML, Mancuso JD. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Infection and Hospitalization in the Active Component US Military. Am J Public Health. 2021;111(12):2194- 2201.
Morgan Byrne, MPH
Start Year: 2018
Email: [email protected]
Morgan is from Pittsburgh and obtained a BS in Biological Sciences from The Ohio State University in 2012 and an MPH in Biostatistics from GWU in 2015. Currently, she is a Research Scientist supporting the Department of Epidemiology at the Milken Institute School of Public Health and the Biostatistics and Epidemiology Consulting Service at George Washington University. Her projects have concentrated on longitudinal health outcomes for people living with HIV. She has served as an instructional assistant for several courses offered in the department. Her primary work provides analytical support for the D.C. Cohort, a multi-center prospective cohort study of people living with HIV who are engaged in care in the District of Columbia. Before her role at the Milken Institute SPH, Morgan served as a biostatistician at the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program in support of the Henry Jackson Foundation, working primarily on the National History Study. Morgan intends to continue her Ph.D. work in areas of infectious disease.
Recent publications:
Arnold JD, Byrne ME, Monroe AK, Abbott SE; District of Columbia Cohort Executive Committee. The Risk of Anal Carcinoma After Anogenital Warts in Adults Living With HIV. JAMA Dermatol. 2021 Jan 13:e205252. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2020.5252. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33439220; PMCID: PMC7807394.
Byrne M, Leiser J, Mitchell SA, Kent EE, Siembida EJ, Somers T, Arem H. Trajectories of fatigue in a population-based sample of older adult breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors: an analysis using the SEER-MHOS data resource. Support Care Cancer. 2021 Dec;29(12):7393-7402. doi: 10.1007/s00520-021-06267-w. Epub 2021 May 29. PMID: 34052930.
Byrne M, Akselrod H, Monroe AK, Horberg M, Lucar J, Castel AD, Denyer R, Doshi R, Secco A, Squires L, Schroeter S, Benator D. Identifying Geographic Areas of Washington, DC, With Increased Potential for Sexual HIV Transmission Among People With HIV With STIs and Concurrent Elevated HIV RNA: Data From the DC Cohort. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2022 Mar 18. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofac139
Annie Chen
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2024
Annie was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She earned a BA in Psychology and Global Health from Northwestern University in 2022 and an MPH in Epidemiology from Columbia University in 2024. During her Masters, she conducted research at the Columbia Department of Neurology looking at cognitive decline and cancer incidence and also worked to improve the Single Point of Access Program at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Currently, she is working as a graduate research assistant in the GWU Department of Epidemiology under Dr. Melinda Power. Her research interests broadly include dementia and cognitive decline and their intersection with mental health.
Justin Cubilo
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2019
Justin Cubilo is a Michigan native who came to the DC metro area after spending the past several years living in Honolulu, Boston, and Atlanta for work and school. He earned a BA (2009) in History and Classical Studies and an MA (2011) in Teaching English as a second language from Michigan State University, and a doctorate (2017) in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. As he was completing his doctorate, he decided to pursue a career in epidemiology. Therefore, he completed a Certificate in the Health Careers Program at the Harvard Extension School and applied to the Rollins School of Public Health MSPH program at Emory University in Atlanta, which he completed in 2019. While completing his MSPH, Justin interned for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists, and for the Healthcare team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (where he currently works). In addition, Justin has worked as a teaching assistant at Emory’s SPH for their Applied Data Analysis with STATA course and has served as a lecturer at MIT, Boston University, and Wheelock College for their courses on academic and scientific writing. Justin’s primary research interests lie broadly within social epidemiology in topics related to access to treatment and preventative services for substance abuse and mental health among people living with HIV. Justin is also interested in conducting research utilizing spatial and network modeling methodology in infectious disease epidemiology.
Recent publications:
Baker, J. M., Dahl, R. M., Cubilo, J., Parashar, U. D., & Lopman, B. A. (2019). Effects of the rotavirus vaccine program across age groups in the United States: Analysis of national claims data, 2001 – 2016. BMC Infectious Diseases, 19:186.
Erika Dreyer
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2024
Erika was born and raised in Washington, DC and earned a bachelor's degree (Human Kinetics with a concentration in Health Promotion, 2014) from the University of British Columbia. After working as an exercise technician in a physiotherapy clinic (2015-2016), and as a personal trainer (2016-2021), Erika went back to school to get her MPH (Epidemiology, 2023) at GWU. Erika has been working as an epidemiologist on a government contract since the beginning of 2023 and has joined the 2024 cohort of Epidemiology PhD students at GWSPH. Her research interests lie in surveillance and infectious disease.
Recent publications:
McQuistan A, Dreyer E, Mabila S. Surveillance Snapshot: Mid-Year Populations by Sex, Age, and Race and Ethnicity of Active Component Service Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, 2018–2022. MSMR. 2023;30(12):12-13.
Mabila S, Dreyer E. Surveillance Snapshot: The Top 10 Incident Cancers Among Active Component Service Members, 2018-2022. MSMR. 2023;30(9):17
Summer Harvey
Email: [email protected]
Start year: 2023
Summer grew up in Northern Virginia and earned her bachelor’s degree (Biology; 2020) and MPH (Research in Practice concentration; 2021) from the University of Virginia. Since 2017, Summer has researched chronic gynecologic disease in the Division for Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute. While pursuing her PhD in Epidemiology, Summer is continuing her research at the NCI on obesity and cervical cancer screening, and the clinical epidemiology of endometriosis in the Connect for Cancer Prevention Study. She is also working as a teaching assistant for the GWU Department of Epidemiology, and as a research assistant in the GWU Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. Her primary research interests include early life cancer risk factors and the utilization of gynecologic surgery, as well as endometriosis symptomology, diagnostics, and disease outcomes. In her PhD, Summer plans to focus on the clinical epidemiology of cancer and chronic disease, particularly pertaining to gynecology.
Recent publications:
Harvey SV, Wentzensen N, consortium coauthors, Clarke MA. Associations of life course obesity with endometrial cancer risk in the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium (E2C2). International Journal of Epidemiology, 2023. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyad046. PMID: 37029916.
Harvey SV, Pfeiffer RM, Landy R, Wentzensen N, Clarke MA. Trends and predictors of hysterectomy prevalence among women in the United States. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2022.06.028. PMID: 35764133.
Clarke MA, Devesa SS, Harvey SV, Wentzensen N. Hysterectomy-corrected trends in uterine cancer incidence and relative survival reveal racial disparities and rising incidence of aggressive non-endometrioid cancers. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2019. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.19.00151. PMID: 31116674.
Ashley Hogan Tjaden
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2018
Ashley is a Biostatistician at the George Washington University Biostatistics Center. She earned a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology from GWU and a BA in Justice Studies with a minor in Anthropology from James Madison University. Since 2012, she has supported the coordination of and data analysis for multi-center clinical trials and observational studies including those focused on type 2 diabetes in both youth and adults – the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), the Restoring Insulin Secretion (RISE) Study, and the DISCOVERY of Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Youth – as well as more the Exercise and Nutrition Interventions to Improve Cancer Treatment-Related Outcomes (ENICTO) Consortium and the COVID-19 Community Research Partnership. She is involved at several levels of clinic trial management including form design, manual and protocol development, data management, staff training, study communications, reporting, and data analysis. Her research interests include chronic disease management and prevention, particularly obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as the interplay of disease, lifestyle factors, and social determinants of health.
Recent publications:
Shapiro ALB, Tjaden AH, Edelstein SL, Kahn SE, Srikanthan P, Knowler WC, Venditti EM, Golden SH, Carmichael O, Luchsinger JA; DPP Research Group. The association of insulin responses and insulin sensitivity with cognition in adults with pre-diabetes: The Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study. J Diabetes Complications. 2024 Jun;38(6):108764. doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2024.108764. Epub 2024 May 1. PMID: 38701667; PMCID: PMC11156481.
Tjaden AH, Edelstein SL, Arslanian S, Barengolts E, Caprio S, Cree-Green M, Lteif A, Mather KJ, Savoye M, Xiang AH, Kahn SE. Reproducibility of Glycemic Measures Among Dysglycemic Youth and Adults in the RISE Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2023 Sep 18;108(10):e1125-e1133. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgad135. PMID: 36938582; PMCID: PMC10505524.
Tjaden AH, Fette LM, Edelstein SL, Gibbs M, Hinkelman AN, Runyon M, Santos RP, Weintraub WS, Yukich J, Uschner D, The Covid-Community Research Partnership Study Group. Self-Reported SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Is Consistent with Electronic Health Record Data among the COVID-19 Community Research Partnership. Vaccines. 2022 Jun 24;10(7):1016. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10071016. PMID: 35891180; PMCID: PMC9316024.
Sukyoung Jung
Start Year: 2018
Email: [email protected]
Sukyoung Jung is from Seoul, South Korea where she completed her BS and MS in Nutrition. Before joining the PhD in Epidemiology program at GW, Sukyoung worked on research on dietary factors and chronic diseases risk and public health policy for 9 years at the Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs and two other research institutes. Her research interests lie in nutritional and cancer epidemiology: investigating the effect of various modifiable factors on the occurrence of cancer, covering dietary pattern, vitamin D, fatty acids, supplements, alcohol, and physical activity, which are ongoing debate topics and/or attracting discussion in this area. While at GW she hopes to contribute to the building of international research networks, providing an evidence-base for the guidance of a healthy diet for everyone on the planet within planetary boundaries.
Recent publications:
Jung S and Park S. Positive association of unhealthy plant-based diets with the incidence of abdominal obesity: Comparison of baseline, most recent, and cumulative average diets. Epidemiol Health 2022; e2022063 (Online ahead of print).
Jung S, Park S, and Kim JY. Comparison of dietary share of ultra-processed foods assessed with a food frequency questionnaire against a 24-hour dietary recall in adults: Results from KNHANES 2016. Public Health Nutr 2022;25(5): 1166-1175.
Jung S, Woo HY, Kim MK et al. Cumulative average nut consumption in relation to lower incidence of hypertension: a prospective cohort study of 10,347 adults. Eur J Nutr 2022;61: 1571-1583.
Xinyi Li (Lili)
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2022
Originally from China, Xinyi Li earned a Master of Public Health in Global Epidemiology from Emory University. While pursuing her MPH, she worked on multiple HIV prevention projects at both Emory PRISM Health and the Division of Global Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After completing her MPH, she worked as an ORISE Fellow in data management and analysis at the National HIV Surveillance System at the CDC. Her responsibilities included studying the sexual and injecting behaviors in people who inject drugs and transgender women, respondent-driven sampling diagnostics, and surveillance tool kit development. Her primary research interests are focusing on HIV prevention and care delivery to underserved populations domestically and internationally.
Recent publications:
Li, X., Sullivan, P., Broz, D., & Handanagic, S. (2022). Association Between Dual Partnership and Sexual and Injecting Behaviors Among Persons Who Inject Drugs in 23 US Cities, 2018. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1-12.
Anne Mamish
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2024
Anne is a Maryland Native and earned her Bachelor's degree in Public Health Science and Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Maryland: College Park. She has previous research experience analyzing the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey examining the associations between drug and alcohol use, sexual behavior and identity, and HIV testing behavior among Maryland adolescents. She has also worked at the Health Resources and Services Administration as a public health analyst and is currently working as a fellow at the National Center for Health Statistics. Her work at NCHS focuses on data modernization initiatives of the Health, United States program. Anne's research interests include infectious disease epidemiology as well as data modernization.
Theresa Moore
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2024
Teresa graduated with a BA in Anthropology from GWU in 2022, with minors in Public Health and Chemistry. She went on to complete her MPH at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in the Department of Epidemiology with a certificate in Applied Biostatistics and Public Health Data. She is currently the Graduate Teaching Assistant for 6003:Principles and Practices of Epidemiology. She was a research intern at The National Human Genome Research Institute in the Computational and Statistical Genomics Branch. She also held research positions at the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Program and the Fetal Heart Society at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She was also a student researcher in the GW Vaccine Research Unit.
Lauren O’Connor
Start Year: 2021
Email: [email protected]
Lauren grew up in Northern New Jersey and received her BS in Cell Biology/Biochemistry from Bucknell University in 2019. After her undergraduate years, she went directly to the University of Virginia to pursue her MPH with a concentration in Research in Practice. Throughout her MPH program she conducted research on hospital-acquired infections, diabetes prevention programs, cost-effective analysis, and the patient perspective of alopecia areata. Lauren is currently interested in infectious diseases, especially emerging diseases, HIV coinfections, and vaccine education. While pursuing her PhD in Epidemiology, she is working with the DC Cohort to analyze aging, comorbidities, stigma, patient reported outcomes, and coinfections among people with HIV. As she enters her dissertation phase of the program, she is focusing her research on mpox among people with HIV in Washington, DC.
Recent Publications:
Manghani P, Monroe A, Castel A, Kumar P, Phunmongkol J, Denyer R, O’Connor L, DC Cohort Executive Committee. “Low Uptake of Long-Acting Injectables in the first 2.5 years following approval among a Cohort of People living with HIV.” Open Forum Infectious Diseases (OFID). 2024
O’Connor LF & Byrne M, Baskaran A, Andersen EW, Horberg MA, Benator DA, Lucar J, Denyer RV, Lee R, Castel AD, Monroe AK, DC Cohort Executive Committee. “Characterizing Indicators of Engagement in HIV Associated Healthcare and Clinical Outcomes among People with HIV and Mpox in Washington, DC: A Nested Case-Control Study of the DC Cohort.” Pathogens. 2024
Ramirez HC, Monroe, AK, Byrne M, O’Connor LF, DC Cohort Executive Committee. “Examining the Association Between a Modified Quan-Charlson Comorbidity Index (QCCI) and HIV Viral
Suppression.” AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. 2023.
Kiarra Parthasarathy
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2024
Kiarra was born and raised in Northern Virginia. She earned a BS in Biological Sciences from Virginia Tech, where her interest in infectious disease research began. During her time as an undergraduate researcher, she studied the impacts of white-nose syndrome in bat populations. She later pursued an MPH in Epidemiology at George Mason University while working as a laboratory technician, conducting DNA tests to quantify GMO content in food products. Kiarra currently serves as an analyst data coordinator for the Behavioral Health Services Information System at the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration. Her research interests include infectious disease and genetic epidemiology.
Daniela Poss
Email: [email protected]
Start year: 2017
Daniela was born and raised in the Washington DC Metropolitan area. She attended Stevenson University in Owings Mills, MD, for her undergraduate years where she received a BS in Chemistry with a minor in Biology in 2012. In 2015, Daniela completed her MPH in Epidemiology at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. While pursuing her MPH, she worked on hematology oncology clinical trial research at NCI/NIH in Bethesda. Currently, she is an epidemiologist on the Alert and Response Operations team at the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch, conducting global bio surveillance including outbreak detection and tracking for our Armed Forces. Daniela is interested in the detection and control of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases and would like to continue to work in a public health practice role, translating data into actionable information, after earning her PhD.
Recent publications:
Hill, Sarah E.; Poss, Daniela E.; Schoelen, Michael; Harris, Stic. Incidence of Gastrointestinal Infections Among U.S. Active Duty Component Service Members in the U.S. compared to U.S. Civilians, 2012-2014. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. July 2017; 24(7):20-25.
Darling, Nellie D.; Poss, Daniela E.; Brooks, Krista; et al. Laboratory Characterization of Noroviruses Identified in Specimens from Military Health System Beneficiaries During an Outbreak in Germany, 2016-2017. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. July 2017; 24(7):26-29.
Poss, Daniela E.; Writer, James V.; Harris, Stic. Zika virus infections in Military Health System beneficiaries since the introduction of the virus in the Western Hemisphere, 1 January 2016 through 30 November 2016. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. December 2016; 23(12):7-11.
Ziwei Song
Email: [email protected]
Start year: 2023
Ziwei was born in Changchun, China. She received her bachelor's degree in Health Administration from Sichuan University. After graduation, she went to Tulane University directly for her master’s in Epidemiology. Before joining GWU, she worked as an epidemiologist at CDC for 2 years, and moved to the west coast working as a statistician with Los Angeles County Cancer Registry at USC. Along her career path she developed a variety of research interests in cancer surveillance, epidemiological methodology, mental health, social determinants of health and health disparity, as well as statistical programming, parametric and nonparametric statistics.
Currently, she works as a Graduate Research Assistant on the impact of air pollution on cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease related dementia among aging population. While pursuing her PhD, she hopes to leverage statistical and epidemiological methodology for observational studies, further her devotes in public health and mitigating health disparity by better understanding concepts of applied epidemiology and biostatistics, and combining knowledge and practical skills in conducting unbiased scientific research.
Recent publications:
Bennett, E.E., Song, Z., Lynch, K.M., Liu, C., Stapp, E.M., Xu, X., Park, E.S., Ying, Q., Smith, R.L., Stewart, J.D., Whitsel, E.A., Mosley, T.H., Wong, D.F., Liao, D., Yanosky, J.D., Szpiro, A.A., Kaufman, J.D., Gottesman, R.F., Power, M.C. (in press). The association of long-term exposure to criteria air pollutants, fine particulate matter components, and airborne trace metals with late-life brain amyloid burden in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Environment International.
Zhou, K., Song, Z., Rostomian, N., Dodge, J. L., Stern, M. C., Setiawan, V. W., ... & Liu, L. (2023). Association of nativity with survival among adults with hepatocellular carcinoma. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, djad067.
Apryl Susi
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2017
Apryl was born and raised in New Hampshire. She attended the University of Connecticut and graduated with a BS in Medical Technology in 2010. In 2014 she completed her MS in Epidemiology from George Washington University. She has been working in pediatric and infectious disease research.
Recent Publications:
Adams D, Susi A, Nylund CM. Clinical characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes of patients hospitalized in the US military health system with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infection. American Journal of Infection Control. June 2020.
Mitre E, Susi A, Kropp LE, Schwartz DJ, Gorman GH, Nylund CM. Association between Use of Acid-Suppressive Medications and Antibiotics during Infancy and Allergic Diseases in Early Childhood. JAMA Pediatrics. August 2018. 2018 Jun; 172(6): e180315
Heisel M, Susi A, Short P, Rogers P, Hisle-Gorman E, Gorman G, Nylund CM. Association of autism spectrum disorders and gastrointestinal infections in children. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. September 2021
Victoria Trapani
Start year: 2020
Email: [email protected]
Victoria is a Research Associate at the George Washington University Biostatistics Center, where she has worked since 2017. She is part of the Data Coordinating Center for the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study, a multi-center, longitudinal, observational follow-up of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) cohort, focused on adults with type 1 diabetes. In this role, she is involved in data management and analysis, form design, protocol development and adherence, and clinic staff training, among other aspects of trial coordination. Victoria's research interests include long-term outcomes of chronic disease and chronic disease management. Victoria is originally from Long Island, New York; after graduating with a BS in Health Science and Psychology from Stony Brook University, she moved to the Washington DC area and earned a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Epidemiology from George Washington University.
Recent publications:
Steigmann L, Miller R, Trapani VR, Giannobile WV, Braffett BH, Pop-Busui R, Lorenzi G, Herman WH, Sarma AV. (2022). Type 1 diabetes and oral health: Findings from the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications, 36(4), 108120–108120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2021.108120
Martin CL, Trapani VR, Backlund J-YC, Lee P, Braffett BH, Bebu I, Lachin JM, Jacobson AM, Gubitosi-Klug R, Herman WH. (2022). Physical Function in Middle-aged and Older Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: Long-term Follow-up of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study. Diabetes Care, 45(9), 2037–2045. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc21-2119
Steven Towers
Email: [email protected]
Start Year: 2019
Steven Towers grew up in a small town west of Baltimore, Maryland. He went on to complete his undergraduate education in biology at the University of Maryland - College Park in 2010. He worked for many years prior to enrolling in the MPH Epidemiology program at the GWU Milken Institute School of Public Health, which he completed in December 2018. Steven started his career at the Division of AIDS, NIH, where he supported the research portfolio of the Basic Science Program, the Centers for AIDS Research, and the NIAID-sponsored Data and Safety Monitoring Boards. In 2015, his interests in global HIV treatment and prevention programs led him to the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, which centrally manages the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). At OGAC, Steven helped support the administration of three PEPFAR-funded, cluster-randomized trials that assessed the efficacy of combination packages of HIV preventive services. In June 2018, Steven joined USAID/Office of HIV/AIDS as an Analyst on the Behavioral and Structural Interventions Branch. At USAID, Steven performed routine and customized analyses in support of program areas including, VMMC, PrEP, HTS, ART adherence, and finding and engaging men. Prior to enrolling in the PhD program, Steven also served as the Performance and Transition Coordinator for Uganda, during which he provided direct program implementation support to the USAID field team in Uganda. Steven's research interests are in global HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, specifically cluster-randomized trials that assess the efficacy of combination packages of HIV therapeutic and preventive services. Further program and research interests include the optimization of index testing, demand creation for HIV biomedical prevention services, and identifying behavioral and structural barriers that impact individual and population-level uptake of HIV treatment and prevention interventions.
Jincheng Wang
Email: [email protected].
Start year: 2022
Born in Shandong Province, China, Jincheng Wang obtained his bachelor’s degree in medicine at Central South University Xiangya Medical School in 2017 and an MS in radiology at Peking University Health Science Center in 2020. He also received his certification as a physician and finished his residency at Peking University People Hospital and Peking University Cancer Hospital. During his Master’s studies he focused on the survival analysis of rectal cancer and glioma, especially exploring the relative risk factors to predict the outcome of patients on MR imaging. Before coming to GW, Jincheng was a radiologist at Peking university cancer hospital and served as senior clinical specialist at an artificial intelligence company concentrating on medical imaging.
With his PhD, Jincheng hopes to focus on cancer and chronic disease, combining concepts aspects of medical science and epidemiology, and contribute to building more efficient and lower-cost public health system.
Recent publications:
Li M, Ren X, Chen X, Wang J, Shen S, Jiang H, Yang C, Zhao X, Zhu Q, Cui Y, Lin S. Combining hyperintense FLAIR rim and radiological features in identifying IDH mutant 1p/19q non-codeleted lower-grade glioma. Eur Radiol. 2022 Jun;32(6):3869-3879. doi: 10.1007/s00330-021-08500-w.
Wang Y, Yao M, Wang J, Liu H, Zhang X, Zhao L, Hu X, Guan H, Lyu Z. Effects of Antidiabetic Drugs on Endothelial Function in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022 Mar 17;13:818537. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.818537.
Adam Ward
Name: Adam Ward
Email: [email protected]
Start year: 2016
Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Adam moved to Raleigh, NC, where he completed a BS in Environmental Sciences and later an MS in Comparative Biomedical Sciences at North Carolina State University. Adam is also a graduate of George Washington University's Graduate Certificate program in LGBT Health Policy & Practice, which he completed before moving to Washington, DC, to begin the PhD program in Epidemiology at GWU.
Adam works as a Research Associate in the laboratory of R. Brad Jones, PhD, in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at GWU, as well as in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. His research focuses broadly on HIV immunoepidemiology and immunotherapeutic approaches to HIV cure, as well as basic science studies of the HIV reservoir. Currently, his dissertation research is titled "Investigation into HIV Reservoir Size, Longitudinal HIV-Specific T-cell Response Trends, and Inflammatory Biomarkers, and their Interactions, in People Living with HIV on Long-Term Antiretroviral Therapy." In addition to bench-based and epidemiological research experience, Adam has extensive experience in community outreach and engagement, and a passion for public health.
Recent publications:
A.R. Ward, T.M. Mota, R.B. Jones, Immunological approaches to HIV cure, Seminars in Immunology. (2020) 101412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smim.2020.101412.
M.L. Pratt-Chapman, A.R. Ward, Provider Recommendations Are Associated with Cancer Screening of Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming People: A Cross-Sectional Urban Survey, Transgender Health. 5 (2020) 80–85. https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2019.0083.
L. Dubrovsky, A. Ward, S.-H. Choi, T. Pushkarsky, B. Brichacek, C. Vanpouille, A.A. Adzhubei, N. Mukhamedova, D. Sviridov, L. Margolis, R.B. Jones, Y.I. Miller, M. Bukrinsky, Inhibition of HIV Replication by Apolipoprotein A-I Binding Protein Targeting the Lipid Rafts, MBio. 11 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02956-19.
Rowena Yip
Start Year: 2014
Email: [email protected]
Rowena is originally from Hong Kong, she received her BS in Biology at University of Oregon and her MPH in Biostatistics at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, New York. Since her graduation, she has been working as a biostatistician and data manager for the International Early Lung Cancer and Cardiac Action Program (I-ELCAP), an international collaboration with over 70 sites around the world. Her work primarily focused on early detection of lung cancer with low dose CT screening and other related issues. Her research interests include cancer screening, smoking cessation, risk modeling, as well as chronic disease epidemiology.
Recent publications:
Yip R, Yankelevitz DF, Hu M, Li K, Xu DM, Jirapatnakul A, Henschke CI. Lung Cancer Deaths in the National Lung Screening Trial Attributed to Nonsolid Nodules. Radiology. 2016 Nov;281(2):589-596.
Henschke CI, Yip R, Smith JP, Wolf AS, Flores RM, Liang M, Salvatore MM, Liu Y, Xu DM, Yankelevitz DF; International Early Lung Cancer Action Program Investigators. CT Screening for Lung Cancer: Part-Solid Nodules in Baseline and Annual Repeat Rounds. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2016 Oct 11:1-9.
Henschke CI, Yankelevitz DF, Yip R, Archer V, Zahlmann G, Krishnan K, Helba B, Avila R. Tumor volume measurement error using computed tomography imaging in a phase II clinical trial in lung cancer. J Med Imaging (Bellingham). 2016 Jul;3(3):035505. doi: 10.1117/1.JMI.3.3.035505. Epub 2016 Sep 20.
Mianmian Yu
Start Year: 2020
Email: [email protected]
Mianmian was born in China and is fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese. She received her Master of Public Health from Emory University. She also holds degrees in Computer Science and International Studies. Before joining GW, she spent most of her early career on large-scale public health research projects. Collaborating with the United States Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and the United Nations, she participated in designing, implementing, and analyzing nationally representative public health surveys in more than 15 countries. She also led international capacity-building activities on computer-assisted survey implementation, data processing, and data analysis. Her current research interests include clinical trials and chronic disease prevention and control.
Recent publications:
National Population Commission (NPC) [Nigeria] and ICF. 2019. Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2018. Abuja, Nigeria, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: NPC and ICF.
National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and ICF. 2018. Malawi Malaria Indicator Survey 2017. Lilongwe, Malawi, and Rockville, Maryland, USA: NMCP and ICF.
Yue (Daniel) Zhu
Start Year: 2015
Daniel Zhu received his Master degrees in Pharmacology and in Epidemiology from University of Maryland. He is currently working in a biotech company. He has strong interests in cancer epidemiology and chronic disease epidemiology.