Our Students
Student Handbook
Student Handbook
Di Yan
Di Yan joined the HSR & Policy Ph.D. Program in 2017. He received a Bachelor of Medicine in Preventive Medicine and an MS in Social Medicine and Health Service Management from Peking University Health Science Center in Beijing, China. Then, he worked as an assistant researcher in Hospital Management in the Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute. Di’s research interests include health workforce, health disparity, quality of care, health economics, and long-term care. In his spare time, Di enjoys soccer, basketball, photography, playing guitar, and hiking.
Khadijah Bland
Khadijah Bland joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2020. I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Chemistry from Wesley College with a minor in Math and a certificate in Informatics. My research interests include patient outcomes and health disparities particularly within minority and underserved communities.
Ming-Ting Yang
Ming-Ting Yang joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2020. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Physical Therapy from National Taiwan University. Prior to joining the doctoral program, Ming-Ting worked at the Population Health Research Center at National Taiwan University School of Public Health to assist in evaluating the hospitalization experiences and unmet discharge needs from patient-and-family centered care perspectives. He was also a practicing Physical Therapist providing home and community-based services (HCBS). For his doctoral research, Ming-Ting aims to investigate the outcomes and quality of HCBS, and the impacts of relevant policies on the stakeholders.
Wenhan Guo
Wenhan Guo (Wenhan_Guo@URMC.Rochester.edu) joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2019. He received a BA and a MA in Health Policy from Nanjing Medical University, and earned a MS in Biostatistics from Columbia University. His research interests include long-term care and post-acute care, end of life quality of care, health finance, and health disparities. Wenhan loves travelling, basketball, cooking, and kayaking on Finger Lakes.
Zijing Cheng
Zijing Cheng (AKA. Flora) joined the HSR & Policy Ph.D. program in 2020. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Policy, Financial Economics, and Mathematics from the University of Rochester in 2018; and a Master of Science degree in Global Health and Population from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2020. Her research interests include health economics, health financing, the use of technology in the improvement of health outcomes, and the quality of care for aging and vulnerable populations.
Porooshat Dadgostar
Porooshat Dadgostar joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2020. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology-Physiology from the University of Washington and her Master of Public Health from George Washington University. She is continuing her education by studying health services research to learn the methodologies to define complex problems in public health dynamically, identify the factors influencing the distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations, and disentangle the complexities of health systems.
Huiying Wang
Huiying Wang joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2016. She received a M.D. in Southern Medical University in China, as well as an M.S. in Clinical psychology in Central South University. Huiying is interested in nursing home long-term care, especially pain management, such as opioid prescription, and related outcomes among aging people.
Espérance
Espérance joined the HSRP Ph.D. program in 2021. She completed her undergraduate studies in philosophy at the University of Chicago. Her research interests include health care management, health economics, health disparities, and health care ethics. Espérance loves the outdoors and is a yoga enthusiast.
Teraisa Chloros
Teraisa Chloros joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2013. He earned a Bachelor's in Medical Informatics with a concentration in psychology from Rochester Institute of Technology. She continued her education at the University of Rochester and earned a Master's in Medical Informatics with a concentration in public health. Teraisa’s research interests include the electronic medical record, patient portal utilization and patient outcomes. She plans to investigate how technology in the medical field affects patient behavior.
Alina Denham
Alina Denham joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2015. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Samara State University in Russia and earned an MS in International Management with a focus on Health Systems from the University of Liverpool. She completed a master’s dissertation on socioeconomic disparities in healthcare utilization in Bashkortostan, Russia. Her research interests include health disparities, socioeconomic determinants of health, health among immigrant and minority communities, health systems in transition, health economics, and Medicaid reform. Alina loves traveling and learning languages; before coming to Rochester she worked and volunteered in China, Vietnam, and Peru.
Elizabeth Greener
Elizabeth Greener joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2012. After completing undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Elizabeth worked in the Nebraska child support and child welfare systems, and in inpatient substance abuse and psychiatric facilities. Elizabeth’s research interests include healthcare disparities, access issues, and quality of care in vulnerable and underserved populations. She enjoys travelling, running marathons and finding new adventures in Rochester with her husband
Yechu Hua
Yechu Hua joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2018. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Shanghai Jiaotong University and a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Duke University. She is interested in health economics, especially cost and quality in healthcare delivery.
Tianwen Huan
Tianwen Huan joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2018. She completed her undergraduate studies in Public Administration at Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, and received a master degree in Administration Management from Fudan University in China, as well as a M.S. in Statistical Practice in Boston University. Her current research interests include health economics, health disparity and statistical modeling, etc. In her spare time, Tianwen enjoys hiking and traveling.
Chinmayee Katragadda
Chinmayee Katragadda has a M.S. in Health and Pharmaceutical Outcomes from University of Arizona and MBA from Gonzaga University . Her prior research and work experience have been in the area of health services, policy and outcomes research including patient outcomes in cancer and end stage renal disease population, healthcare disparities and patient safety. Her hobbies include reading and classical music.
Yeunkyung Kim
Yeunkyung Kim joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2016. He completed his undergraduate studies in economics and mathematics at University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include health insurance, health care utilization by the elderly, long-term care, nursing home, health disparity and provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He enjoys playing tennis and traveling, and also supporting Green Bay Packers.
Lianlian Lei
Lianlian Lei joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2014. She received her BA in Economics from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China, and MA in Economics from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China. Her research interests included management of chronic disease, health disparity, long term care insurance, etc. Teaching interests were statistics, mathematics, method, and economics. She enjoys playing badminton, table tennis, tennis, traveling and finding new adventures in U.S.
Yunjiao Mao
Yunjiao Mao joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2017. She graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China, with a M.S. in Business Management. Her current research interests includes health economics, health insurance and health disparity, etc. In her spare time, Yunjiao enjoys reading, music and traveling.
Jessica Orth
Jessica Orth joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2016. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Statistics from the University of Minnesota-Morris, a Master of Science degree in Statistics from the University of Iowa, and a Master of Public Health degree with a specialization in population health analytics from the University of North Dakota. She is continuing her education by studying health services research and policy in order to combine statistics and public health into health policy that effectively impacts the health of populations through the health care sector.
Zhi Pan
Zhi Pan earned her Master of Science in biostatistics from Columbia University. After graduation, she worked for the Prevention Center and Center for Health Behavior Research at the University of Pennsylvania, and also received her MPH degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests focus on improving quality and outcomes of healthcare. Outside of work, she enjoys music, reading, swimming, and cooking.
Wei Song
Wei Song joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2013. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in administrative management and a Master’s degree in social medicine and health management from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China. Her research interests include public reporting system, quality of care measurement and health care services for the elderly.
Phillip Vaughan
Phillip Vaughan (pronouns he, him, his) joined the HSR & Policy PhD Program in 2017. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he also completed substantial graduate work in Public Health. Phillip is very excited to continue his Public Health graduate work so that he can ultimately research Minority Health Equity (primarily around LGBTQ+ and Black/PoC populations) and train future public health students. Phillip spends the majority of his free time planning his upcoming wedding, but also enjoys musicals, movies, concerts, and aggressive napping.
Huiyang Wang
Huiying Wang joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2016. She received a M.D. in Southern Medical University in China, as well as an M.S. in Clinical psychology in Central South University. Huiying is interested in suicide prevention, mental health long-term care and health disparities. Before coming to Rochester, she worked at Mental Health Center of Xiangya Hospital as a psychiatrist. Huiying also focused on behavioral and social sciences, especially improving outcomes for patients suffering from mental diseases.
Sijiu Wang
Sijiu Wang joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2014. She received a Bachelor of Medicine in Preventive Medicine from Peking University in Beijing, China, and a Master’s of Science in Health Service Research from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She also worked as a research assistant for Risk Science Center in the University of Michigan. Sijiu’s current research interests include home and community based long-term care, as well as quality of care received by the elderly.
Yunna Xie
Yunna Xie joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2015. She received her Bachelor's degree in Dentistry from West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, and Master of Science degree in Health Economics from Heidelberg University. Yunna's research interests are focused mainly on application of machine learning especially deep learning in healthcare, physician decision making, and implementation of new clinical interventions.
Huiwen Xu
Huiwen Xu joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2014. Prior to entering UR, he received his BA in Public Management from China University of Political Science and Law, and MA in Health Administration from Beijing Normal University. With an interdisciplinary background, Huiwen participated in research projects involving health reform, health financing, health workforce (especially village doctors), and mental health in China. Currently, Huiwen is interested in improving the efficiency and quality of care through payment reform and innovative delivery models.
Di Yan
Di Yan joined the HSR & Policy PhD Program in 2017. He received a Bachelor of Medicine in Preventive Medicine and a MS in Social Medicine and Health Service Management from Peking University Health Science Center in Beijing, China. Then, he worked as an assistant researcher in Hospital Management in the Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute. Di’s research interests are human resource of health in rural areas and payment for physicians in hospitals.
Meiling Ying
Meiling Ying joined the HSR & Policy PhD program in 2016. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China. And she obtained a Master’s degree in Economics from Nankai University, China. Her research interests include aging, health disparities and health economics.