Student Fellows Present Original Research.
Students fellows present posters on the research they completed in 2026. Photo: Megan Jones
Student Fellows Present Original Research
Students at the School of Public Health conducted original research under the mentorship of faculty and community partners through fellowships across the Department of Community Health Sciences, the Department of Epidemiology, and the Center for Trauma and Mental Health.
School of Public Health students presented posters on the original research they conducted through fellowships across the Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS), the Department of Epidemiology, and the Center for Trauma and Mental Health (CTMH).
More than 30 MPH and MS students participated in the April 28 and May 4 events, which were hosted in Hiebert Lounge and open to all faculty, staff, and students.
Upon the conclusion of the presentations, accolades for first, second, and third place posters were awarded to Mai Hussein (SPH’26), Remy Mosaheb (SPH’26), and Rhea Dcunha (SPH’26), respectively.
CHS Fellowship
The Department of Community Health Sciences launched a dedicated fellowship in spring 2026 and selected three MPH students to participate in the inaugural cohort. Over the course of the semester, the students conducted original research under the mentorship of faculty from the CHS department.
Utilizing Geospatial Data to Identify Built Environment Features as Predictors of Firearm Violence in Boston
Students: Hakeem Seidu-Aroza and Anisha De
Faculty Mentors: Jonathan Jay, associate professor of community health sciences, and Patrece Joseph, assistant professor of community health sciences
Other Collaborators: Emma Gause, research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health
Romantic Partnership Development Among Transgender and Non-Binary Young Adults
Student: Alana Brunette
Faculty Mentor: Gabriel Murchison, assistant professor of community health sciences
Epidemiology Excellence Fellowship
Designed to recognize and support outstanding MPH students pursuing the epidemiology and biostatistics functional certificate, the Epidemiology Excellence (E2) Fellowship program enrolled an inaugural cohort of nine fellows upon its debut in 2025. In addition to the completion of rigorous advanced coursework in quantitative methods, the E2 fellows also work with faculty mentors to develop research suitable for scientific presentation and publication. Their poster presentations on May 4 reflected these collaborations.
“I was truly impressed by the students’ eagerness to learn. It brought me back to when I first started graduate school and was excited to soak up every bit of knowledge I could,” says Marcia Pescador Jimenez, associate professor of epidemiology and co-founder of the E2 Fellowship program alongside Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology. “It was such a treat to teach and work with the E2 Fellows, answer their thoughtful questions, and learn alongside them. Their curiosity and engagement made the experience incredibly rewarding.”
Life Stressors and Cognitive Function in U.S. Older Adults A 12-Year Analysis of the Health and Retirement Study
Student: Mai Hussein (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentor: Jacey Greece, clinical professor of community health sciences
Other Collaborators: Jeannine Nasser, research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology, and Kelsey Serier, clinical research psychologist in the VA’s National Center for PTSD Women’s Health Sciences Division at VA Boston Healthcare System and assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Perceived loneliness and cancer incidence among older US adults: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study
Student: Carla Irizarry-Delgado (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentor: Marcia Pescador Jimenez, associate professor of epidemiology
Alone in the Fight: Marital Status, Family Ties, and Social Connection as Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults Living with Cancer
Student: Thivviyan Karthikeyan (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentors: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology, and Marcia Pescador Jimenez, associate professor of epidemiology
Chronic Back Pain and 26-Year Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
Student: Santiago Manotas (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentors: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology, and Marcia Pescador Jimenez, associate professor of epidemiology
Cognitive Function and Dental Care Use Among U.S. Older Adults: Longitudinal Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study (2002–2018)
Student: Krupa Patel (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentors: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology, and Marcia Pescador Jimenez, associate professor of epidemiology
Household Income and Longitudinal Depressive Symptoms after Cancer Diagnosis among Older Adults in the US: Analysis of the Health and Retirement Study
Student: Renee Sajedian (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentor: Marcia Pescador Jimenez, associate professor of epidemiology
Educational Attainment & Cognitive Performance: Exploring the Role of Loneliness
Student: Arda Terterian (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentors: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology, and Marcia Pescador Jimenez, associate professor of epidemiology
The Association Between Shingles Vaccination and Risk of Cognitive Decline: A Longitudinal Study using HRS Data
Student: Sruthi Treasa George (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentors: Margaret Laflin Lind, assistant professor of epidemiology, and Katrina L. Kezios, assistant professor of epidemiology
Gum Disease as a Predictor of Cognitive Decline: A Longitudinal Analysis using Health and Retirement Study (HRS) Data
Student: Ashutosh Yadav (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentor: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology
CTMH Fellowship
In 2026, CTMH received more than 50 applications for its fellowship program, which debuted in 2025 with a cohort of six students. The program more than doubled in size this year with the selection of 13 student fellows. While many of the students collaborated with CTMH faculty, for the first time, a selection of students had the opportunity to work with community partners at the Boston Public Health Commission. Center funding ensured that the fellows were compensated for the 50 hours they each committed to research projects focused on stressful and traumatic events and their consequences. Jaimie Gradus, professor of epidemiology and CTMH director, both spearheaded the fellowship program and personally mentored several of the student fellows.
Sociodemographic Distribution of Suicidal Ideation in the All of Us Study
Student: Rowena Lindsay
Faculty Mentor: Koichiro Shiba, assistant professor of epidemiology
Other Collaborators: Azuna Sawada, Po-Chien Chao
Examining Effects of Antidepressant Use on Dementia and Cognitive Decline: A Literature Review
Student: Alana Brunette
Faculty Mentor: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology
Other Collaborators: Shelli Vodovozov, research fellow, and Yusi Chen, graduate fellow in the Department of Epidemiology
Life Stressors and Cardiometabolic Disease in Middle-aged US Women
Student: Mai Hussein (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentor: Jaimie Gradus, professor of epidemiology
Other Collaborators: Jeannine Nasser, research fellow in the Department of Epidemiology, and Kelsey Serier, clinical research psychologist in the VA’s National Center for PTSD Women’s Health Sciences Division at VA Boston Healthcare System and assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Strengthening Boston’s Mental Health Infrastructure: Upstream Data Integration & LGBTQ+ Youth Training
Student: Jannatul Naym (SPH’26)
Mentor: Samara Grossman, director of the Boston Public Health Commission’s Center for Behavioral Health & Wellness
The Impact of Comorbidity on Social Anxiety Group Treatment Outcome
Student: Adriana Shea
Faculty Mentor: Anthony J. Rosellini, associate professor of epidemiology
Exploring the Effects of Toxic Exposures on Mental Health Outcomes Among Military Service Members
Student: S. Diana Chen (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentors: Jaimie Gradus, professor of epidemiology, and Rachel S. Adams, research associate professor of health law, policy and management
Insurance Awareness and the Mental Health Treatment Gap Among US College Students
Student: Robert Harkin
Faculty Mentor: Sarah Ketchen Lipson, associate professor of health law, policy and management
Other Collaborators: Emma Pendl-Robinson, senior data scientist at Mathematica
A Policy Scan of Substance Use and Overdose Prevention for Schools Participating in the 2024-2025 Health Minds Study (HMS)
Student: Serenity Wang
Faculty Mentor: Noel Vest, assistant professor of community health sciences
Other Collaborators: Christina Freibott, postdoctoral associate in public health practice, and Isabel Redman, research project coordinator in CHS department
Stronger Together: Total Wellness for Elders
Students: Ashmeen Dhot and Manasa Sivakumar
Mentors: Samara Grossman, director of the Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness at the Boston Public Health Commission
Other Collaborators: Ronald Lammy, Dr. Lucy Lomas, Rene Manigault
School Sport-Event Related Shootings in K-12 Settings
Students: Georgia Zarola and Brice Hirwa
Faculty Mentors: Jonathan Jay, associate professor of community health sciences, and Patrece Joseph, assistant professor of community health sciences
Other Collaborators: Emma Gause, research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health
Provider Perspectives on Supporting Youth in Communities Impacted by Violence: Preliminarily Findings
Students: Shrutika Damle, Olivia Nichols, and Avinash Rathod
Faculty Mentor: Patrece Joseph, assistant professor of community health sciences
TIME-AD Fellowship
The Triangulation of Innovative Methods to End Alzheimer’s Disease (TIME-AD) initiative is a multimillion-dollar, cross-institutional research initiative funded by the National Institute on Aging to investigate whether Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) may be prevented through the modification of lifestyle risk factors. Projects undertaken as part of the initiative aim to avoid biases and uncover causal evidence by “triangulating” large, diverse electronic health records and surveys. Current MPH and MS students have the opportunity to support these faculty-led research projects over the course of an academic year. Students selected for the TIME-AD fellowship may receive stipends of $1000 for up to 50 hours of work. Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology, co-leads the P01 as part of the TIME-AD administrative core and personally mentored many of the SPH TIME-AD fellows.
Fluid and Crystallized Cognitive Test Performance in American Indian Adults: Data from the Strong Heart Study
Student: Vishwa Desai
Mentors: Astrid M. Suchy-Dicey, associate professor of medicine with Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Caroline Pruitt, research data analyst with Slone Epidemiology Center
Examining the Effects of Antidepressants on Neuroimaging and Brain MRIs Associated with Alzheimer’s Dementia: A Literature Review
Student: Remy Mosaheb (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentor: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology
Other Collaborators: Shelli Vodovozov, research fellow, and Yusi Chen, graduate fellow in the Department of Epidemiology
Literature Landscape of Social Isolation as Modifiable Risk Factor for Dementia and Cognitive Decline
Student: Niharika Sharma
Faculty Mentor: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology
Chronic Pain and Cognitive Decline: Examining the Role of Pain and Pain Treatment in Dementia Risk
Student: Hillary Tran
Harmonizing Modifiable Dementia Risk Factors Across HRS and NHATS
Student: Jannatul Naym (SPH’26)
Linking Cognitive Tasks with Health Record Outcomes
Student: Arda Terterian (SPH’26)
Quantifying the Association Between Social Exposome and Cognitive Function
Student: Tiffany Mai
Sensory Impairments and Cognitive Decline: A Literature Review of Causal Inference Studies
Student: Aayushi Pagnis
Detection of Loneliness and Social Connectedness from Passive Sensory Data Using Machine Learning
Student: Afzalbek Fayzullaev
Faculty Mentor: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology
Other Collaborators: Jingxuan Wang, Andrew Philips, Dylan Tran, Yulin Yang, Peter James, Ruijia Chen
Impact of Hearing Interventions on Dementia Risk and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults with Hearing Loss
Student: Rhea Dcunha (SPH’26)
Faculty Mentor: Maria Glymour, chair and professor of epidemiology
Other Collaborators: Shelli Vodovozov, Christina Sheppler, Carrie Patnode, Melinda Davies, Scott Zimmerman, Wila Brenowitz
