Global Health - PhD Students

Brendan Fries

bfriesgwmail [dot] gwu [dot] edu (bfries[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Brendan is a global health researcher with a focus on infectious diseases and the effects of conflict and humanitarian emergencies on health. Brendan has previous experience researching vector-borne diseases in central and east Africa and water-borne diseases in the Americas.

Eunhee Go (Gony)

eunhee [dot] gogwu [dot] edu (eunhee[dot]go[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Enhee is a global health researcher with a background in clinical nursing and health policy. Eunhee's research interests focus on health systems resilience, emergency and disaster preparedness, and access to essential health services during crises. Eunhee has experience in health systems research in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, with a particular interest in strengthening primary health care and emergency care systems in low-resource settings.

Wilfred Gwaikolo

wgwaikolo32email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (wgwaikolo32[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)

Wilfred Gwaikolo is a PhD student and a research associate at George Washington University (Center for Global Mental Health Equity). He has over 14 years of experience in global mental health research, particularly in low-resource settings. His work focuses on health system strengthening, stigma reduction, and engaging with people with lived experience to improve service quality. He holds a Master of Science degree in Global Health Policy and Management from Brandeis University, USA as well as an MPH and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Cuttington University in Liberia. He spent nearly a decade at The Carter Center Mental Health Program in Liberia, supporting the government of Liberia in strengthening public mental health services.

Zuhrat Inam

%20zuhratinamgwu [dot] edu (zuhratinam[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Zuhrat is a PhD student and a graduate research assistant in the Department of Global Health with research interests in humanitarian crisis, sexual and reproductive health and rights, mental health, health equity, and impacts of climate change on health. She holds undergraduate degrees in Economics and Political Science from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, a MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and an MPH in Humanitarian Health from the George Washington University.

Afrin Iqbal

afrinigwu [dot] edu (afrini[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Afrin is currently pursuing a PhD in Global Public Health Sciences with research interest and experience in health systems implementation, health service delivery, improving both coverage and quality of health services. Afrin is working as a graduate research assistant at the Redstone Global Center.

Kareem Kabra

kbk5010email [dot] gwu [dot] edu (kbk5010[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)

Kareem is a global health researcher and defense health scientist focused on risk analysis and strategic risk communication frameworks for pandemic preparedness. He holds an M.S. in Public Health Microbiology and Emerging Infectious Diseases from GWU and a graduate certificate in Implementation and Dissemination Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He has professional experience as a Virologist and is working at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) as a Quality Assurance Specialist on vaccine manufacturing and development processes. As a PhD student his research interest centers around identifying common challenges to implementing successful infectious disease control programs, developing frameworks for risk prioritization, and determining effective science communication strategies that can align public health practitioners and policymakers during public health crises and pandemics.

Mishalle A. Kayani

mishalle [dot] kayanigwmail [dot] gwu [dot] edu (mishalle[dot]kayani[at]gwmail[dot]gwu[dot]edu)

Mishalle is a global health researcher with over 5 years of cross-sectoral experience across the public health and education sectors in Pakistan. Mishalle enjoys investigating the effects of climate change on health and health systems as well as innovations in healthcare service-delivery and design. Mishalle's secondary interests include maternal, child and adolescent health and the social, behavioral, and commercial determinants of NCDs.

Alyssa Khan

alyssakhangwmail [dot] gwu [dot] edu (alyssakhan[at]gwmail[dot]gwu[dot]edu)

Alyssa is currently pursuing a PhD in Global Public Health Sciences in the health systems track, having earned an MPH from GW and a Bachelor's in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Neuroscience, and Psychology from Johns Hopkins University. Alyssa's research interests include health systems strengthening, digital health, and non-communicable diseases.

Elise Lankiewicz

elankiewiczgwu [dot] edu (elankiewicz[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Elise's work has primarily been focused on health service quality and access to care in the global HIV response. This includes policy and evaluation work, with a particular focus on the equitable access for underserved populations.

Molly Lauria

mlauriagwu [dot] edu (mlauria[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Molly is a researcher with over 15 years of experience in health systems research and practice, specializing in complexity-aware methods and implementation research. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Connecticut College and a Master's in Public Health from the University of Washington. Her dissertation examines the performance of primary care systems in El Salvador and Honduras using mixed methods, including theory-driven approaches.

Alyssa Lindrose

alyssa [dot] lindrosegwu [dot] edu (alyssa[dot]lindrose[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Alyssa is a global health and infectious disease researcher with over ten years of experience. Her current research interests center on One Health and climate-informed approaches to infectious disease surveillance, with a focus on strengthening disease prevention and preparedness in a changing environment. She previously supported monitoring and evaluation of international programs to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases. Alyssa received her MPH in Epidemiology from Tulane University and BS in Animal Science from Virginia Tech. She is currently a graduate research assistant with the Redstone Global Center.

Cynthia G. Lorang

cynthia [dot] lorangemail [dot] gwu [dot] edu (cynthia[dot]lorang[at]email[dot]gwu[dot]edu)

Cynthia is a global health infectious disease researcher pursuing a PhD in Global Public Health Sciences. She has a MS in Tropical Medicine from Tulane University and a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington. She has a strong background in immunology and vaccine research and has a primary interest in the development, implementation, and availability of vaccines and therapeutics in LMIC to reduce the global health burden of numerous circulating and emerging infectious diseases.

Lina Rodriguez Moreno

lina [dot] rodriguezgwu [dot] edu (lina[dot]rodriguez[at]gwu[dot]edu)

As a medical doctor from Bogotá, Colombia, now pursuing a PhD at GW, Lina is passionate about health systems research and implementation research that empowers communities worldwide. Lina's work focuses on developing and implementing context-sensitive solutions by asking, "What works, for whom, in what circumstances, and how?" With a background in public health and policy, Lina is committed to addressing health disparities through participatory approaches. At GW’s Gill-Lebovic Center, Lina collaborates to create tangible improvements, bridging the gap between research and practice to build a healthier, more equitable future for the Caribbean and Latin America.

Erin Oakley

emoakleygwmail [dot] gwu [dot] edu (emoakley[at]gwmail[dot]gwu[dot]edu)

Erin Oakly is a PhD student and a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Global Health where she studies maternal and child health.

Matthew Peckarsky

matthew [dot] peckarskygwu [dot] edu (matthew[dot]peckarsky[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Matt is a PhD student with fifteen years' experience as a global health and Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning practitioner, working on health system strengthening, from infectious disease to oncology, across 20+ countries. Methodologically, his interests include realist evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis with an equity-focused lens, to understand the "know-do gap" between what evidence shows and what gets prioritized and delivered. He holds an MSc in Global Health & Population from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Matt serves as Head of MEL at the City Cancer Challenge Foundation.

Andrea N. Ponce

a [dot] poncegwu [dot] edu (a[dot]ponce[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Andrea is a public health researcher trained in epidemiology and biostatistics. Her work spans a range of public health and medical fields, including substance use, infectious diseases, gun violence, ophthalmology, and public psychiatry, with a strong focus on vulnerable populations. She currently serves as a Senior Research Data Analyst at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she studies the social, behavioral, and structural factors associated with harms related to substance use.

Megan Rabin

megan [dot] rabinemail [dot] gwu [dot] edu (megan[dot]rabin[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Megan Rabin is a PhD student in the Global Health Department and Graduate Research Assistant with the Global Women's Institute at GW. Previously, Megan worked as a research coordinator on various behavioral economics studies regarding HIV in East and South Africa. She also supported and conducted research on menstrual health in Nepal. Megan specializes in mixed-methods research, as well as human-centered design and participatory methods. She holds an MPH in Community and Behavioral Health Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include gender-based violence, reproductive health, and humanitarian health.

Sindhu Ravishankar

sindhu [dot] ravishankargwmail [dot] gwu [dot] edu (sindhu[dot]ravishankar[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Sindhu is a PhD student and doctoral research assistant in the Global Health Department, with research interests in health system quality, urban health, health equity, and climate change impacts on health. She holds undergraduate degrees in Biology and International Studies from North Carolina State University and an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Oxford. With a decade of experience as a global health practitioner, Sindhu currently also serves as the Vice President of Global Health Strategy at the Fast-Track Cities Institute.

Jamie Minchin Reedy

minchinjegwu [dot] edu (minchinje[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Jamie Minchin Reedy, MPH, is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Global Health with focus on infectious diseases in pregnancy, maternal and neonatal outcomes, and advancing equitable, evidence-based policies for pregnant populations in low-resource settings. She has ten years of experience in global health programs and research collaborating with partners in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia. She holds an MPH from GW in Global Health program design, monitoring and evaluation.

Edlyn Rochon

edlyn [dot] rochongwu [dot] edu (edlyn[dot]rochon[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Edlyn is a PhD student and Program Manager at the Gill-Lebovic Center for Community Health in the Caribbean and Latin America. She holds an MPH from George Washington University, a BS from the University of Maryland, and dual degrees in Marketing and Managerial Sciences from Georgia State University. Her research leverages mixed methods, Community-Based System Dynamics (CBSD), and Realist Evaluation to examine complex health interventions.

Sneha Rout

sneha [dot] routgwu [dot] edu (sneha[dot]rout[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Sneha is a public health nutritionist specializing in the facility-based management of severe acute malnutrition, infant and young child feeding, community nutrition, and social and behavioral change communication. As a doctoral student, she aims to focus her research on the intersections of food insecurity, health equity, and the monitoring and evaluation of nutrition programs. She is committed to improving public health outcomes through evidence-based strategies and innovative solutions to nutritional challenges.

Sofia Sciancalepore

sofia [dot] sciancaleporegwmail [dot] gwu [dot] edu (sofia[dot]sciancalepore[at]gwmail[dot]gwu[dot]edu)

Sofia works with the Health Emergencies Department at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), contributing to public health response through epidemiological case investigation and the implementation of the International Health Regulations. She has a background in environmental science and holds a master’s in Global Health. Her research interests center around the intersection between human, animal, and environmental health, focusing on the One Health approach to control the spread of emerging infectious disease to new geographic locations.

Megan Talej

mtalejgwu [dot] edu (mtalej[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Megan's research explores the intersection of nutrition and infection in maternal and child health within a global context. She has extensive experience investigating optimal care strategies for preterm and low birthweight infants and has served as a consultant expert for WHO studies, contributing to WHO Guidelines Development Groups. Her dissertation examines the complex interplay between maternal hemoglobin, pregnancy outcomes, and perinatal infection. Megan specializes in systematic reviews, bringing rigorous methodological expertise to her work.

Jack Villani

yhk625gwu [dot] edu (jackvillani[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Jack is a microbiologist/virologist by training, and interested in improving our ability to respond to emerging and re-emerging diseases through scientific innovation and by bringing scientific research and global health practice closer together.

Fatima Waseem

f [dot] waseemgwu [dot] edu (f[dot]waseem[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Fatima holds a bachelor's degree in Human Health from the Emory College of Arts and Sciences, minoring in Theater Studies. Fatima received an MPH with a concentration in Health Policy and Management from the Emory Rollins School of Public Health, with over 400 hours of supervised practice in community settings, and worked on HIV vaccine trials recruitment and retention. Fatima was a health educator and researcher at Emory focusing on mental health among college students. Fatima is interested in researching chronic diseases in vulnerable populations and community-based intervention methods. Fatima currently works with the Equity Center at GW focusing on systems dynamic modeling to analyze the impact of health policies on community health.

Joyce Akinyi Were

joyce [dot] weregwu [dot] edu (joyce[dot]were[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Joyce earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master of Science in Biometry from the University of Nairobi. She has over 10 years of experience in data management, statistical analysis, and public health research. She works with the Pregnancy Risk Stratification Innovation and Measurement Alliance (PRISMA) and the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Network, supporting multi-country research on pregnancy outcomes and causes of child mortality. Her research interests include maternal and child health, mortality attribution, and improving the understanding and measurement of heavy menstrual bleeding and its effects on women’s health.

Precious Williams

williams_pjgwu [dot] edu (williams_pj[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Precious Williams, MPH, is a global health researcher committed to advancing maternal and child health in under-resourced communities. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and a Master of Public Health from George Washington University. Her research interests include maternal and child health, environmental health, infectious disease, health equity, and implementation science. She currently works with the Pregnancy Risk Stratification Innovation and Measurement Alliance (PRISMA) and its sub-studies, leading data analysis, data management, and research harmonization efforts across multi-country initiatives. Previously, she worked with Chemonics International and PAI and was a Pulitzer Center Global Health Fellow.

Su Yadana

su [dot] yadanagwu [dot] edu (su[dot]yadana[at]gwu[dot]edu)

Su is passionate about health equity in the global health field. She has prior experience in researching emerging zoonotic diseases and implementing behavior-focused risk mitigation strategies in LMICs. Su is currently a Senior Research Associate in the Epidemiology Department working on Health intervention study among people living with HIV enrolled in the DC Cohort.