Our Students

MD Rayhanul Islam

Rayhanul Islam, MD joined the Epidemiology PhD program in 2022. He received Bachelor of Science in Statistics degree and consequently earned Master of Science in the same subject from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Prior to joining the Epidemiology PhD program, Rayhan worked in different public health organizations in Bangladesh as a Biostatistician and studied on Anti-Microbial Resistant (AMR), transmission dynamics of microorganisms, airborne microorganisms. Broadly, his research interest includes one health, environmental epidemiology with a focus on air pollution, and infectious disease epidemiology.

Halle Cerio

Halle Cerio joined the Epidemiology PhD program in 2022. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Integrative Neuroscience at Binghamton University in 2020, as well as a Master of Public Health degree at Upstate Medical University in 2022. During her education at Upstate Medical University, she worked as a graduate assistant in the Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine and as a research assistant at the SUNY Upstate Institute for Global Health and Translational Science. Her research interests center around psychiatric epidemiology and include factors contributing to the co-occurrence of ASD and ADHD.

Yingzhu Chen 

Yingzhu Chen entered the Epidemiology PhD program in 2023. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology at Brandeis University, followed by a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Duke University and a Master of Science in Biostatistics from New York University. Throughout her academic journey, Yingzhu has developed a strong interest in assessing the effects of chemical exposures, particularly PFAS, on human health, with a specific focus on their role in disease onset and progression.

Ruofan Gongye

Ruofan Gongye joined the Epidemiology PhD program in 2023. Prior to joining the program, she got her B.A. in public administration at Anhui Medical University and MPH in maternal, child and family health at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research interests are broadly focused on women’s health and early child development, specifically in underdeveloped countries and regions.

Mark Okwir

Mark Okwir, M.D., a Fulbright Scholar (2022-2024) under the US Department of State, joined the 2022 Epidemiology PhD Program. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree (MBChB) from Makerere University Kampala and a Master's in Internal Medicine (M.Med). His thesis work was on hepatoxicity of anti-tuberculosis therapy among HIV patients. He completed an internship at St Mary’s Hospital Lacor and trained in Applied Clinical Research and Evidence Based Medicine (ACREM). A Fellow of East Central South African (ECSA) College of Physicians, he led medicine departments at Gulu and Lira Universities. His research spans brain infections, Hepatitis B, Liver Cancers, Cardiovascular Disease in HIV, and Rheumatic Heart disease in children. His central research interest lies in the interplay between infectious and non-communicable diseases.

Jiamin Yin

Jiamin Yin joined the Epidemiology PhD program in 2021. She received a Bachelor of Medicine in Preventive Medicine from Sun Yat-Sen University, China and a Master’s degree in Social Epidemiology from University College London, UK. Prior to joining the program, she worked as a statistical programmer. Her research primarily focuses on cognitive function, dementia, ADRD and how mental health relates to these health outcomes.

Shivram Kumar

Shivram Kumar joined the Epidemiology PhD program in 2021. He received a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree from Gulf Medical University, UAE and a Master of Public Health with a major in Epidemiology from East Tennessee State University. He has previously worked with a neurologist at Mayo Clinic, Minnesota on Cavernous Malformation research. His research interests are in Clinical and Neuroepidemiology with a focus on traumatic brain injury

Fariha Hoque Rimu

Fariha Hoque Rimu joined the Epidemiology PhD program in 2022. She obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (M.B.B.S.) degree from Chittagong Medical College in Bangladesh. Before enrolling in this program, she gained experience in various non-governmental organizations, including one in the Rohingya camp, Cox's Bazar, currently the largest refugee camp in the world. Her research interests broadly encompass environmental predictors of neurodevelopmental disorders, the role of environmental factors on maternal and child health, and predictors of chronic diseases.

Spoorthy Vangala

Spoorthy Vangala joined the Epidemiology Ph.D. program in 2021. She received her medical degree from Dr. NTRUHS, India, and subsequently graduated from the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, with a Masters in Public Health. She has previously worked at the California Department of Public Health as an Epidemiologist with the COVID-19 response team. Her research interests are in cardiovascular epidemiology, particularly in understanding the effects of environmental exposures on cardiometabolic risk factors.