California Epidemiologic Investigation Service Fellowship (Cal-EIS) Fellows
2025–2026
Christine Joy Abella, MS
Christine is excited to be a Cal-EIS Fellow at the Community Assessment, Planning, and Evaluation Unit (CAPE) at Alameda County Public Health Department. She received her BA in Political Science from UC Berkeley in 2020. As a San Francisco Fellow placed at the San Francisco Health Network and COVID Task Force in 2021, she assisted with transition planning efforts for the Epidemiology Branch and developed health education projects with the Community Branch. This included facilitating monthly workshops to communicate current trends and news to community members and co-leading a pilot program to understand barriers to vaccination among transitional age foster youth.
Following the SF Fellows Program and time as the administrative assistant at UCSF’s GloCal Health Fellowship program, Christine obtained her MS in Epidemiology at UCLA. She coordinated projects on student development and sexual and reproductive health as the Bixby Center Assistant and interned with the Office of Policy and Planning at CDPH. She analyzed adverse and positive childhood experiences, mental health and social media among youth ages 12 to 17 in California. Christine is also a volunteer at the Mabuhay Health Center, a student-run free clinic that predominantly serves the Filipino community and residents the South-of-Market (SoMA) District. As a Cal-EIS Fellow, Christine hopes to advance her training in applied epidemiology and produce actionable, meaningful data.
Juliana Bartels, MPH
Juliana received her MPH with a concentration in Global Health and Environment from UC Berkeley, and her B.A. in Sustainable Development with minors in Women’s and Gender Studies and Anthropology from Columbia University. During her MPH, Juliana researched the epidemiology of fungal diseases, including histoplasmosis and blastomycosis, in the United States using electronic health record data and contributed to other research on fungal disease epidemiology in the lab of Prof. Justin Remais. She also was a NIOSH Trainee in Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology through the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at UC Berkeley. Juliana will be completing her fellowship with San Mateo County, where she will be working on communicable diseases, the impacts of climate change on health, and environmental justice.
Ella Batterson, MPH
Ella Batterson earned her Bachelor in Science in Public Health from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where she worked on research conducting a spatial analysis to examine patterns of heterolocalism among Chinese immigrants in Philadelphia. Ella’s undergraduate studies and experiences inspired her to pursue her MPH in Epidemiology at San Diego State University and get involved with health equity research.
For her MPH practicum, she led a manuscript investigating the association between structural racism and low-risk cesarean delivery among Black, White, and Biracial mothers in California using an administrative birth cohort. Throughout her MPH, Ella was a CDPH Intern and Project Assistant with the Office of Binational Border Health where she conducted binational infectious disease surveillance, assisted with analysis and writing of reports, designed radio messages to increase mpox vaccine awareness among Latinos in the border region, and worked on the development and assessment of promotora trainings to promote health among farmworker communities. Additionally, at SDSU, Ella was involved with a research project examining intention-behavior gaps in HPV, Dengue, Hep-A, Flu, and Pneumococcal vaccination among people living in the US border states.
Ella is currently completing her Cal-EIS fellowship with the Population Unit at the Santa Cruz County Health Service Agency. She is excited to expand her epidemiology skills and address various health disparities within the County. Following the fellowship, Ella aspires to work at the County or State level and continue improving health outcomes among underserved communities.
Anthony Brown, MPH, CPH
Anthony earned his Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Policy with a minor in Medical Anthropology from the University of California, Irvine. He later completed his Master of Public Health at Touro University California, concentrating in Health Equity and Criminal Justice. During his graduate program, he served as both a fellow and project manager for Youth in Action, a program that engages high school students in public health research using the Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) framework. Through this model, students explore health issues relevant to their communities, develop research skills, and advocate for local change.
Anthony also completed a summer field study with Touro’s Health Equity and Criminal Justice Lab, where he contributed to the evaluation of a DOJ Byrne-funded initiative aimed at reducing gun and gang violence in Vallejo through community-based partnerships. His work involved key informant interviews, grant review, and mixed-methods analysis to assess program impact. Prior to pursuing public health, Anthony was a licensed pharmacy technician, where he developed a strong interest in community relationship building, patient education, and pharmacology.
Anthony’s passion lies in elevating the voices of underrepresented communities and increasing access to health literacy as a tool for self-advocacy. As a Cal-EIS Fellow, he is excited to apply his experience toward infectious disease surveillance and investigate the social and behavioral determinants influencing health outcomes—particularly those related to chronic and cardiovascular disease. In his free time, Anthony enjoys volleyball, hiking, discovering new music, and playing guitar.
Madison Brown, MPH, CPH
Madison earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology from Linfield University. Her experience working in an emergency department during the early COVID-19 pandemic sparked her passion for public health and led her to pursue an MPH at Touro University California, completing concentrations in Global Health and Health Equity & Criminal Justice. During her master’s program, she lived abroad for a global health internship in Kathmandu, Nepal, where she developed a pilot study on HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening comfortability among rural women. At Touro, she was awarded a two-year Youth in Action for Health Equity fellowship, promoting public health education alongside underserved high school students in Vallejo, CA. She has also worked with residents at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center to support equity-focused criminal justice reform.
Madi is currently a second-year fellow at Napa County Health and Human Services, where she is expanding her skills in epidemiology and community health. In her first fellowship year, she completed a descriptive analysis on HIV/AIDS in Napa County to better understand the demographic make-up and risk factors for the HIV+ population and assess preventative service gaps. She has gained broad experience in the fellowship and is excited to continue working alongside dedicated public health professionals at Napa County and collaborating with key stakeholders to foster positive community relationships through her work
Sierra Cavallaro, MPH
Sierra received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences with minors in Chemistry and Studio Art from California State University, Sacramento, in 2019. She was a Student Researcher for the Cichlid Fry Project during her undergraduate studies. Sierra went on to earn her Master of Public Health in Biostatistics and Epidemiology from the University of Southern California in 2022. After graduating, she taught High School Science for the Delaware Department of Education. Experiences while teaching sparked a renewed interest in addressing inequalities in our underserved populations.
As a Cal-EIS fellow, Sierra's fellowship placement was with Amador County Public Health. She is excited to learn more about California’s diverse Public Health needs, hone her epidemiology skills, become more proficient at data analysis across multiple platforms, and give back to the community.
Sneha Chand, MPH
Sneha completed her Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a concentration in Community Health Education from CSU Sacramento. During her undergraduate education, she interned with Governor Newsom’s Constituent Affairs Office and with a local food access non-profit, Alchemist CDC. At CSUS, she also served as a campus Healthy Relationships Peer Health Educator.
After receiving her BSPH, Sneha continued working with Alchemist CDC and later joined Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. In 2024, Sneha returned for her MPH in Epidemiology at UC Davis and focused her interests on sexual, reproductive, and women’s health. She interned with Sacramento County Public Health and focused on improving HIV care and outreach efforts.
As a Cal-EIS Fellow with the California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB), Sneha is eager to utilize epidemiological skills gained from her MPH while supporting the indigenous community! Sneha loves traveling the world, reading, and trying yummy foods in her free time!
Harjas Dhillon, MPH
Harjas received her Bachelor's degree in Biology in 2021 from Occidental College and recently earned her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from UC Berkeley. She began her public health career by working as an undergraduate research assistant at the Occidental College Urban and Environmental Policy Institute and primarily worked on an NSF grant to investigate skin lightening practices among U.S. immigrants. Harjas went on to participate in the California Pathways into Public Health Fellowship and was assigned to the Los Angeles County Tuberculosis Control Program. During her 2 years at Los Angeles County, Harjas led several projects to help the TB Control Program achieve their TB elimination goals. After completing her fellowship at LA County, she went on to pursue her MPH to develop specialized skills in epidemiology and biostatistics. She also completed internships at California Department of Public Health and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health during her MPH program. Her capstone project consisted of a survival analysis examining risk factors for mortality among tuberculosis patients in Los Angeles County. Harjas is excited to continue developing her epidemiology skills and find mentors through this fellowship. In her free time, she enjoys long walks with her dog and crocheting.
Indira D’Souza, MPH
Indira D’Souza received her B.S. in Global Disease Biology with a double minor in Political Science and Human Rights Studies from the University of California, Davis in 2023. While completing her undergraduate degree, she served as a Planned Parenthood Generation Action Leader and as Chief of Staff of the Joan Viteri Memorial Clinic in Sacramento, advocating for harm reduction and sexual/reproductive health issues. She then earned her MPH in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health (MCAH) from the University of California, Berkeley in 2025. For her MPH capstone project, Indira analyzed national birth and infant mortality data to examine racial inequities in SIDS outcomes, emphasizing the role of structural racism in driving health disparities. During her MPH program, Indira completed internships at UCSF, Alameda County Public Health Department, and San Francisco Department of Public Health, working primarily on visualizing MCH/SDoH data and promoting community engagement within SF Rec & Parks youth programming. She is excited to join the City of Berkeley Health, Housing, and Community Services Department to integrate MCH epidemiologic and programmatic data to inform family health program planning.
Andrew Gaddis, MS Epidemiology
A former chef and culinary instructor, Andrew, returned to school in 2019 to attain a science-based degree. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutritional Science from North Carolina A&T State University in 2022, with a double minor in Chemistry and Biology. He assisted with research on improving the nutrition panel of fried foods that received 2nd place at the IFT conference presented by the graduate student working on the project. A Biology course with a public health component to it changed his interests from environmental health to epidemiology.
Accepted into the Master of Science program at San Diego State University, Andrew was drawn towards social epidemiology and behavioral health. His thesis examined the association of COVID-19 infection on alcohol use among San Diego residents in zip codes with the highest infection rates in the county. Throughout the course of his degree Andrew worked as a Teaching Assistant and Instructional Student Assistant contributing to course curricula and guiding students through public health concepts across classes from SPSS to research and programming to beginning Epidemiology.
As a Cal-EIS fellow with the Los Angeles County Health Department, Tuberculosis Unit, Andrew hopes to examine the associations between substance use and other behavioral health disorders and infectious disease.
Shikha Handa, MPH
Shikha earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2023. She then received her Master of Public Health degree with a focus on Biostatistics and Epidemiology in 2025 from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
During her time at the University of Southern California, Shikha worked as a case manager for the Acute Communicable Disease Control, Viral Hepatitis Unit of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, where she participated in Hepatitis C virus (HCV) linkage-to-cure efforts by linking positive HCV-infected individuals in Los Angeles County to a medical provider to receive care. She was a research assistant for the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute team and the Klausner Research Group, where she conducted quantitative and qualitative HCV research in Los Angeles County. She quantitatively analyzed HCV-positive individuals from Los Angeles County by treatment status (treated vs. untreated for HCV) and the reported HCV treatment barriers. She also employed qualitative research methodologies to further understand the HCV treatment barriers and facilitators faced by HCV-infected individuals from Los Angeles County. In March 2025, Shikha presented her research titled “Understanding Barriers and Facilitators to Treatment for Hepatitis C Infection: A Qualitative Study in Los Angeles County” at the Global Hepatitis Summit Conference in Los Angeles. She is currently working on a mixed-methods HCV first-author publication.
As a Cal-EIS fellow, Shikha is working in the Alzheimer's Disease Program of the California Department of Public Health, Chronic Disease Control Branch, Health Information and Statistics Section. She is analyzing county-level Healthy Brain Initiative data and will focus her research on alcohol consumption and cognitive decline. Shikha has interests in infectious and chronic disease epidemiology, health equity, and preventive medicine. She plans on attending medical school in the future and aspires to be a physician-epidemiologist, continuing research on disease risk factors, disease patterns, and the effectiveness of interventions, all of which have implications for public health and individual patient care.
Ifrah Irshad, DVM, MPVM
Ifrah Irshad is a veterinarian with a strong interest in infectious disease surveillance, animal welfare, and preventive medicine. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree internationally and recently completed her Master’s in Preventive Veterinary Medicine (MPVM) at the University of California, Davis. Her graduate research focused on pain management practices for disbudding and dehorning in California dairies, highlighting industry barriers and welfare perceptions.
As a 2025–26 Cal-EIS Fellow placed in El Dorado County, Ifrah supports local public health initiatives with a focus on chronic and infectious disease, community health assessment, and community health improvement planning. She brings a global perspective, strong research experience, and a passion for evidence-based policy to her work in public health. She plans to pursue board certification through the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM) and ultimately aims to contribute to global health initiatives that improve disease prevention, health equity, and animal-human-environmental health on an international scale.
Joy Ito, MPH
Joy earned her MPH in 2023 from San Diego State University, where her thesis explored non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, focusing on understanding potential liver metabolic pathways using non-invasive biomarkers. This built upon her undergraduate foundation in molecular biochemistry research, having received a BS in Biochemistry. During graduate school, she also contributed by making regular reports for the University President’s COVID-19 Committee. This drew from her previous work at the County of San Diego as a COVID-19 Case Investigator, Case Investigations Lead, and Special Teams Responder for K-12 Schools.
Joy is excited to serve once again at a local health jurisdiction, as public health at the county-level is where her understanding of public health took root. At the County of Contra Costa, she will support community health assessments, explore environmental health concerns, and strengthen her analytical skills in R and SQL. She is especially interested in connecting laboratory insights with population-level strategies.
Ha Young “Kristen” Jeong, MPH
Kristen received her B.A. in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Master's in Public Health (MPH) from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. During her MPH, she interned at the UCSF Center for Excellence in Primary Care, interviewing adult patients as part of a vaccine initiative project aiming to improve vaccine uptake for common respiratory diseases such as influenza, pneumonia, and COVID-19. Simultaneously, she cleaned and transformed historical statewide tuberculosis datasets at the Microbial Diseases Laboratory Branch at CDPH in preparation for developing a dashboard. Kristen will be completing her fellowship with the Alameda County Public Health Department, where she aims to learn more about hepatitis morbidity within the county. After completing the fellowship, Kristen hopes to work as a full-time epidemiologist at the state or local level, investigating healthcare-associated infections or viral respiratory diseases.
Jordan Jump, MPH
Jordan is a highly motivated public health professional dedicated to advancing behavioral health among underserved communities, families and individuals in California. Jordan received her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from San Diego State University (SDSU) in 2022 where she conducted adolescent health equity and tobacco use research among LGBTQ+ adolescents. During her undergraduate journey, Jordan worked as a Basic Needs Specialist at Southwestern College assessing population needs, collaborating with community partners, and working directly with students experiencing homelessness, housing, and food insecurity providing them with resources and grant funding.
In Fall of 2022, Jordan returned to SDSU starting her Master of Public Health (MPH) degree with a concentration in Epidemiology. During her graduate studies, Jordan worked as a Graduate Student Assistant for the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) team in the Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch (SAPB) where she contributed to the surveillance and evaluation of circumstances surrounding overdose deaths. Jordan led an independent research study titled Unstable Roofs, Uncertain Futures: Exploring the Impact of Housing Status on Substance Use Among Adolescents in California- analyzing past 30-day alcohol, binge alcohol, and marijuana use. Jordan simultaneously worked as a lead research assistant on two projects: Bupe by the Book, a randomized control trial testing telehealth substance use treatment in libraries, and Big Ideas, a data collection initiative focused on individuals experiencing homelessness or unstable housing conditions.
Jordan graduated with her MPH in the Spring of 2024 and is looking forward to leading data analysis projects and contributing to cannabis use surveillance and epidemiology in the Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch. Following the fellowship, Jordan hopes to continue to serve as an epidemiologist at the state or local level.
Sonali Kamath, MPH
Sonali earned her Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. As an undergraduate student, Sonali worked as a Lead Research Assistant at the Cognitive Development Center supporting psychology research examining information search behaviors in children and adults. Following her undergraduate education, Sonali worked for two years as a Quality Assurance Specialist at Bachem, a pharmaceutical peptide and oligonucleotide company.
Sonali recently graduated from UCLA with her Master in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology. During her time at UCLA, Sonali worked as a Graduate Student Assistant at the Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch (SAPB) at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), performing data abstraction for the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) team.
As a Cal-EIS fellow, Sonali will be working with the Los Angeles Department of Public Health supporting data analysis, reporting, and system strengthening efforts for the Student Wellbeing Centers and Healthy Schools programs within the Education Sector. She is looking forward to expanding her skills in epidemiology and contributing to data driven interventions aimed at improving health outcomes in schools.
Mansagar Kaur, MPH
Mansagar Kaur holds a B.S. in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry from San Jose State University and a Master's in Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of Southern California. Though early in her career, Mansagar has already made significant contributions across diverse and complex areas of public health. Her unwavering commitment to reducing health disparities has driven her to assist initiatives among tribal populations, addressing critical issues such as substance use and diabetes through culturally sensitive and effective interventions during her practicum at USC. Additionally, during her time at SJSU, her investigative/collaborative work in wastewater research has identified emerging public health threats, underscoring her dedication to protecting vulnerable communities. Beyond her research and public health work in the United States, Mansagar has also volunteered in a medical clinic in India, where she focused on promoting medication adherence and supporting girls to stay in school during menstruation. Mansagar's deep commitment to inclusivity and her ability to connect with diverse populations have been central to her journey in public health.
Currently in her second fellowship year, Mansagar’s first-year accomplishments include a major project Identifying Risk Factors Associated with Congenital Syphilis Among Birthing Persons in Monterey County. Mansagar aspires to continue her impactful work at the state or local level, where she aims to make enduring contributions to public health and the well-being of communities.
Laith Labban, MS
Laith Labban (he/him) grew up in Folsom, California. He received a BA in Public Health with a minor in Data Science and a certificate in GIS at the University of Colorado, Denver, and his MS in Epidemiology at the University of California, Davis. Laith’s scholarly work focused on cancer, specifically cervical cancer, including his thesis which focused on cervical cancer incidence and trends in AYAs within the United States from 2000-2021. Laith currently lives in the Sacramento area with his partner, Chadé and their three cats, Luma, Yoshi and Goomba. In his free time, Laith enjoys the NBA, competing in competitive Pokémon battles and spending time with friends and family.
Laith is excited to have this opportunity with Cal-EIS. As a Cal-EIS fellow, Laith was placed at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in the California Tobacco Prevention Program (CTPP). Within the CTPP at the CDPH, Laith will work to change tobacco related social norms and to reduce the health burden that tobacco causes. After the fellowship, Laith hopes to continue working as an epidemiologist at the CDPH or other local health departments.
Anna Francisco Loekito, MPH
Anna graduated from UC Davis in 2018 with a B.S. in Global Disease Biology. She received her MPH in 2025 from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health with a concentration in Infectious Diseases & Vaccinology. During her undergraduate studies, Anna completed a public health internship in the Philippines where she participated in various public health initiatives in the small, remote island of Quezon, Quezon. She also had the opportunity to learn about the different public health dynamics in Manila and Cavite.
She later worked as a Student Lab Assistant for the California National Primate Research Center under the Primate Assay Lab, where she contributed to research and diagnostics for various infectious diseases. Following this, she worked as a Research Associate at UCSF’s Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute before starting her MPH program. There, she supported various oncology trials through biospecimen processing.
Anna’s early interest in epidemiology was rekindled during the COVID-19 pandemic, motivating her to bridge that interest with her passion for infectious diseases which ultimately led her to pursue a master’s degree.
While pursuing her MPH program, she worked as a Graduate Student Researcher for the Malaria Elimination Initiative at UCSF. She contributed to randomized clinical trials focused on assessing long term health and socio-economic impacts of testing and treating low-density malaria infection among children in Tanzania and focal mass drug administration for P.vivax malaria in Peru. She also worked on vector control research, focusing on larval source management in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Anna will be completing her Cal EIS Fellowship with Alameda County Public Health’s Division of Communicable Disease Control & Prevention, where she is excited to expand her skills in epidemiology and actively serve the community she resides in. After her fellowship, she aspires to become an infectious disease epidemiologist at the state or county level.
Autumn Lowinger, MS
Autumn received her B.S with honors in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Cumbria in 2023. She then went to University College London to receive her Master in Science degree in Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology in 2024. During her MS program, she collaborated with Sexual Health London to conduct a secondary data analysis on over 400,000 cisgender and gender-diverse users of an online STI testing service. Now, she is excited to enter this fellowship that will provide her with experience and skills in public health surveillance and investigation. As a fellow, she is based with the San Luis Obispo County Health Agency. Her interests remain on sexually transmitted infections, but she is open to learning and investigating a wide variety of diseases. After completing her fellowship, Autumn hopes to eventually lead epidemiological research that will aid in implementing evidence-based interventions in marginalized communities to reduce health disparities.
Maximiliano “Max” Mendez, MPH
Max received his B.S. in Public Health at San Diego State University and his Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of California, Berkeley with a concentration in Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology. Throughout his academic journey, Max interned with San Ysidro Health’s HIV Clinic where he was able to participate in community outreach activities, education, as well as recruiting participants for HIV related research projects. In 2022, Max joined Enthalpy Analytical, an aquatic toxicology laboratory in San Diego that focused on water sample collection and testing.
During his time at Berkeley, Max completed his summer practicum with Wellness Equity Alliance where he began to learn more about data entry and analysis, geospatial analysis and program implementation. He co-led a data analysis project which focused on implementing a school-based mobile health clinic in Bernalillo County, New Mexico which is now known as the “Health Yeah” program. Recognizing the growing threat of mosquito-borne disease in the context of climate change, his MPH capstone project focused on developing a grant proposal for a community-based surveillance program in Southern California. Max’s public health interests include infectious diseases, vaccine-preventable diseases, outbreak investigation, emergency response, and applied epidemiology.
As a Cal-EIS fellow, he will be joining the Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control (CDSC) Division at Long Beach’s Department of Health and Human Services to expand his applied epidemiology skillset as well as learn more about outbreak investigations and emergency response in a real-world setting.
Michael Mengual, PhD, MPH
Michael Mengual is a CAL-EIS Fellow with the Imperial County Department of Public Health in El Centro, California. He holds a BS in Biochemistry from North Carolina State University and an MPH in Epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health. His master's thesis, Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Glossina pallidipes in Nguruman National Park, Kenya, used discriminant analysis of principal components to map tsetse-fly population structure and assess vector-control effectiveness. He then went on to pursue a PhD in Epidemiology from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
For his first doctoral project—conducted at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—Dr. Mengual developed end-to-end genomic-epidemiology expertise, progressing from nasal swabs through laboratory workflows and bioinformatic pipelines to generate high-quality SARS-CoV-2 consensus sequences. His PhD dissertation, Simulation Studies of Stay-at-Home Behavior During Epidemics: Learning Approaches, Financial Incentives, and Outcomes, employed agent-based, network-embedded simulations to evaluate the effectiveness of different financial incentive policies in driving stay-at-home behavior and mitigating the impact of epidemics.
Dr. Mengual's professional interests focus on respiratory and zoonotic diseases and on strengthening surveillance along the U.S.–Mexico border. After completing his CAL-EIS fellowship, he aims to continue serving the people of California as a full-time infectious-disease epidemiologist.
Justin Naidu, MPH
Justin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Merced in 2023 with majors in Sociology & Public Health and minors in Psychology & Community Research and Service.
As an undergraduate, Justin conducted qualitative research on a wide range of public health topics, contributing to a study on diabetes management in emerging adults and co-authoring a publication on vaccine access among sexual minority men. He also participated in quantitative research through Stanford’s AHEaD program, examining the impact of COVID-19 on cancer care in Latinx communities—an experience that sparked his interest in epidemiology.
Justin recently earned his Master of Public Health in Epidemiology, with a certificate in Data Science, from Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. As a research assistant at Emory’s School of Medicine, he contributed to the DREAM Project, partnering with researchers and community health workers in Atlanta, Georgia to support diabetes prevention and management in South Asian communities. He also conducted quantitative research using NHANES data to examine the prevalence of prediabetes among normal-weight individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups.
Justin is now a Cal-EIS fellow with the California Department of Public Health’s Chronic Disease Control Branch and Health Information and Statistics Section. He is eager to apply his epidemiologic training to real-world public health challenges and strengthen his skills in data analysis, communication, and program evaluation. He hopes to deepen his expertise in chronic disease epidemiology and gain insights into public health policy, surveillance, and intervention efforts. After completing the fellowship, Justin's goal is to continue his public service as an epidemiologist at either the county or state level.
May Nguyen, MPH
May received her B.S. in Human Biology from the University of California, Irvine in 2024. During her time as an undergraduate, she worked with PreludeDX, a breast cancer laboratory, in both the customer care and laboratory departments. May conducted research at the University Cognitive Imaging Lab to analyze the brain scans of high school shooters. She also volunteered around the community through serving food at local soup kitchens, taking vitals at free health fairs, and teaching children about their health during after school programs. May returned to Sacramento and received her MPH with an Epidemiology concentration from the University of California, Davis in 2025. She worked with CalFresh Health Living on her practicum project, which revolved around assessing and recommending ECE/OST wellness resources.
May will be completing her Cal-EIS Fellowship with the Del Norte Department of Health and Human Services. She is excited to apply epidemiological and public health skills from her MPH to their projects and learn more about the responsibilities and scope of an epidemiologist’s work. She is looking forward to working on projects about environmental health, maternal and child health, and substance abuse in Del Norte County.
Katherine Osborne, MSc
Katherine graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and a minor in Public Health. During her time as an undergraduate, she volunteered with the City of Milwaukee Health Department at community and mobile vaccination clinics. She was also an undergraduate research assistant at UW Milwaukee, where she participated in research related to water quality and environmental health, especially concerning harmful (toxic) algal blooms. In 2023, Katherine began her Master of Science in Epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. After her first year, she was fortunate to be able to collaborate with the UCLA Health Antibiotic Stewardship Team to evaluate concordance to updated perioperative use guidelines at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. Her master’s thesis investigated the association between prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and autism in the California Central Valley. Katherine received her MSc from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in Winter 2025, and will be completing her Cal-EIS fellowship with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. She hopes to continue to develop her skills in data analysis and applied epidemiology to improve the health and well-being of all residents in Santa Barbara County.
Sophia Paiola, MPH
Sophia Paiola earned her Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Developmental, and Cell Biology with a minor in Biomedical Research from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). During her undergraduate studies, she worked on investigating the molecular response to Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, constructing ZIKV vaccines and treatments, and developing oncolytic vaccines for glioblastoma under guidance of Dr. Arumugaswami. After graduating, Sophia worked with Dr. Nielsen at UCLA on epidemiological research involving COVID-19 exposed mother-infant pairs. She developed study datasets that encompassed data from electronic medical records, clinical surveys and laboratory markers. This experience sparked her interest in advancing her data science skills and deepening her understanding of epidemiological methods, leading her to pursue a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at UCLA. During her MPH program, Sophia continued working on the COVID-19 mother-infant cohort study, integrating immunological and descriptive data to better understand the health implications of COVID-19 exposure during pregnancy and the developmental health of exposed infants – ultimately leading a public health effort to promote vaccination among mother-infant pairs against COVID-19. Sophia is thrilled to be a Cal-EIS Fellow 2025-26, where she gets to continue applying her infectious disease knowledge, all while strengthening her data analytic skills and epidemiology methods. She is excited to learn from and work with Cal-EIS colleagues and the public health leaders at Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in the Tuberculosis Control Program; she hopes to continue her commitment to improving public understanding of vaccine-preventable diseases and help reduce TB cases among the population most affected. After the fellowship, Sophia hopes to work as an epidemiologist, and lead global efforts to control and eliminate infectious diseases. Everyone deserves to live a healthy life.
Keerthana Ramaswamy, MPH
Keerthana received her B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology and Public Health and her M.P.H in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the University of California, Berkeley. During her time at Cal, she worked as a Health Care Navigator, educating and helping patients complete preventative cancer screenings. Through the student organization Students vs Pandemics, she also edited and created infectious disease and public health resource pamphlets for distribution to vulnerable community members.
For her Master’s, Keerthana worked on a meta-analysis at the Lewnard lab, quantifying the proportion of hospital-acquired, healthcare-acquired, and community-acquired infections by country income, clinical syndrome, and pathogen type.
Keerthana’s career interests focus on preventative medicine and quantifying the ways social and environmental factors interact to predispose people to disease. She will be completing her fellowship with the Monterey County Health Department, where she aims to contribute to epidemiological investigation work that can improve community health within the county.
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Alejandra Ramirez, MPH
Alejandra received her B.S. in Global Disease Biology with a minor in Environmental Policy from University of California, Davis. As an undergrad during the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked as a Public Health Ambassador to support the communities needs and prevent further transmission. She went on to work in a poultry disease lab to research best practices for transporting infectious coryza samples across counties.
After graduating, Alejandra worked at the California Department of Education, where she realized she wanted to utilize her public health experiences to contribute to governmental missions. She then went back to UC Davis to pursue her MPH with a concentration in epidemiology. During this time, she served as a teaching assistant for the Science and Technology Department, where she aided students in understanding the intersection of science, data, and social issues. For her MPH practicum, Alejandra worked with UCSF’s Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program to aid in telehealth abortion research and contribute towards reducing abortion access barriers.
Alejandra is now currently placed at Napa County Health and Human Services, where she is excited to expand her knowledge and data skills. She plans on gaining a variety of valuable experiences while also supporting the minority populations in Napa County. She hopes to be thoroughly ready for a successful career in epidemiology through the CAL-EIS fellowship.
Cynthia Robles, MPH
Cynthia received her undergraduate degree in Public Health and Psychology from University of California San Diego (UCSD). After graduating from UCSD, Cynthia dedicated herself to public health and health equity driven work through various professional roles and experiences. Her early work focused primarily on HIV and sexually transmitted infections, laying a strong foundation in community health and advocacy. Cynthia then earned her master’s degree in public health with a concentration in applied epidemiology from California State University, Northridge (CSUN). During her time at CSUN, Cynthia because involved in various research projects covering topics such as student health, the impacts of COVID-19 on Southeast Asian communities, and food access and security. Most recently, she worked at the Office of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH).
During her fellowship, Cynthia will continue work at LACDPH in the Community Engagement Unit within the Office of Planning, Integration, and Engagement. As a Cal-EIS fellow, Cynthia hopes to expand her analytical skills across various platforms while working towards a project that will hopefully be useful for the communities the team works with.
On her free time, Cynthia finds joy in exploring the outdoors and traveling. She enjoys hiking scenic trails, camping under the stars, and spending time with her dog, Nala.
Frida Salgado, MS, MPH
Frida Salgado earned her B.S. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, followed by an M.S. in Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology from UC Santa Cruz in 2021. During her undergraduate years, she managed a campus food pantry, helping students meet their basic needs. Her master’s research focused on molecular techniques to investigate the role of a putative protein in Helicobacter pylori. She went on to apply her lab skills as a microbiologist at the San Diego County Public Health Laboratory, where she supported COVID-19 PCR testing. Afterward, she contributed to biothreat surveillance efforts as a molecular scientist in the BioWatch program.
Frida then went on to complete her MPH at San Diego State University. As part of her training, she interned with CDPH’s Division of Communicable Disease Control, where she responded to public record requests. She also served as a graduate student intern with San Diego County’s One Health Epidemiology team. In this role, she supported outbreak prevention efforts and contributed to the data analysis of bat specimens in a collaborative project between the San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego County Public Health Laboratory. Additionally, her thesis manuscript research examined the risk of occupational tuberculosis in a healthcare population in Pakistan. She also contributed to a separate study investigating vaccine perceptions and beliefs in the U.S.–Mexico border region.
Frida will be a fellow for San Diego County, where she plans to grow her epidemiology skills in infectious disease surveillance and vaccine implementation. She is especially passionate about utilizing data analysis and data visualization to inform public health responses and serve her local community.
Rachel Thero, MPH
Rachel earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with a minor in Anthropology and Sociology from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Most recently, she completed her MPH at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in Environmental Health Sciences. Rachel brings a multidisciplinary lens to public health, integrating biological, social, and structural perspectives to address health disparities. Before beginning her graduate studies, Rachel supported research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where she contributed to studies investigating novel biomarkers for multiple sclerosis. Her work helped illuminate the complex interplay between disease progression and the social determinants of health, sparking her interest in public health.
Rachel’s interests lie at the intersection of environmental exposures, the built environment, and mitigation strategies, particularly through equity-based approaches. While pursuing her MPH, she advanced her analytical and data visualization skills as an intern with the Center for Health Statistics and Informatics at CDPH. She has focused on research characterizing heat risk factors among vulnerable and susceptible populations and is particularly passionate about developing targeted, population-specific mitigation strategies for the unhoused population.
As a Cal-EIS Fellow within the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, Rachel looks forward to applying her analytical and communication skills to support community-level interventions. She is eager to deepen her expertise in applied epidemiology and start building connections with the community.