UP-CARE Team
Ramin Asgary, MD, MPH, MSc, FASTMH
raminasgary1
email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (raminasgary1[at]gwu[dot]edu)
Dr. Asgary is Professor of Global Health and Medicine at George Washington University and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is the PI and Director of UP-CARE lab. He is a health services researcher and global public health educator and practitioner. Primarily trained as an internal medicine physician with further specialization in both preventive medicine and implementation research, he has complementary training in public health, tropical medicine, community medicine, clinical and translational research, and comparative effectiveness research. He has substantial experience and expertise in research, education, program development and implementation, and academic and service leadership, nationally and internationally. His research focus is on some overarching areas of public health, preventive medicine, healthcare education, and community service, nationally and internationally. His groundbreaking original research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Lancet Oncology, British Medical Journal, Am J of Public Health, PLoS Medicine, Academic Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Am J of Bioethics, among others.
Professor Asgary has a strong track record of health disparities research and on the models of improving the healthcare of immigrants and homeless persons, qualitative studies on perceptions and attitude towards healthcare among low-income populations and evaluating cancer screening strategies in homeless persons. He has performed the first studies on the rates and barriers of colon, cervical and breast cancer screening among homeless persons, and tested shelter level interventions to improve breast and cervical cancer screening. He has studied perceptions and experience on cancer screening and mobile health technologies in homeless persons. He wrote two related review articles in Lancet Oncology and conducted mHealth studies to improve access to healthcare. He was the PI of two RCTs assessing the impact of SMS texting in controlling HTN and diabetes in homeless persons and is the PI of an RCT evaluating the impact of SMS texting on colorectal cancer screening among homeless persons.
For the past 15 years, Dr. Asgary has provided direct medical care to homeless persons in NYC shelters, and worked with community organizations and NYC agencies in devising and implementing sound policies to improve their access to care.
Pramita Bagchi, PhD
Dr. Bagchi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, in the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She works in developing computationally efficient statistical methodology for analysis with a high focus on high dimensional and functional observations. Dr. Bagchi is the biostatistician of two RCTs on using SMS texting to improve hypertension and diabetes control among homeless persons that are under Professor Asgary’s lab. She is the biostatistician on a recent R01 grant to study colorectal cancer screening among the homeless persons using SMS texting, in NYC.
Leah Bauder, MPH
Leah is a graduate of MPH in Global Health from George Washington University. She serves as a part-time Study Coordinator in Dr. Asgary’s lab for multiple mHealth studies with homeless persons. Before her time at GWU, Leah earned her undergraduate degrees in Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She spent time working in public health infrastructure development and medical care disbursment in Nicaragua. Her research interests include Mobile Health applications for both chronic and infectious diseases, specifically Tuberculosis and the treatment of MDR strains in refugee populations.
TBD
Scientific Advisor
Joya Bhattacharyya, MPH
Joya Bhattacharyya is a Graduate Research Assistant and part-time Study Coordinator in Dr. Asgary’s lab. She is a third-year PhD candidate in Epidemiology at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. A Northern Virginia native, Joya 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 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.
Abby Strait
Abby is an undergraduate student at GWU. She serves as research assistant on a few projects in Dr. Asgary’s lab.
Sylvia Shirima, DrPH
Dr. Shirima is a DrPH graduate from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. She serves as a Postdoc and Senior Research Associate in Dr. Asgary’s lab. She is a public health practitioner with over 17 years of experience in global health programs. She brings expertise in qualitative and mixed-methods research, strategic program planning, implementation and evaluation, training, and community engagement. Her work is grounded in extensive experience collaborating with low-income and underserved populations, ensuring that research and programs are contextually relevant and responsive to realities.
Her professional background includes work with NGOs and both local and international institutions. She has contributed to public health efforts in Tanzania, across Africa, and in Washington, DC. She is deeply passionate about advancing universal health access, mentorship, social progress, and sustainable, locally informed programming.