Current Team Members

Born and raised in Savannah, GA, I made the long trek from the east to the west coast to attend UC Berkeley, where I earned a B.A. in Integrative Biology with an emphasis in Human Biology and Health Sciences and minored in Global Public Health. Motivated by my public health courses, I sought after research opportunities related to social determinants of health to further understand the intersection between public health and medicine. Eventually, I found my way to Prof. Jih through the Asian American Research Center on Health (ARCH). I also earned my Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology and an Advanced Certificate in Child, Youth, and Family Health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Given my experiences working with and serving vulnerable youth, I have career interests in adolescent medicine, preventive medicine, injury/violence epidemiology, and social epidemiology. Currently, I am a Public Health Fellow on the Interpersonal Violence Track at the CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, while preparing to apply to MD/PhD programs in Epidemiology.

adolescent health, childhood adversity, chronic disease epidemiology, epidemiological methods, injury and violence epidemiology, juvenile justice, lifecourse epidemiology, safety net programs, social epidemiology, social needs care, urban health

I graduated from University of California, Los Angeles in 2021 with a Bachelor’s in Nursing and minor in Global Health. During my undergraduate years, I particularly enjoyed exploring multicultural communities around Los Angeles, and my involvement in cultural clubs on campus sparked my curiosity in further studying cultural influences on health outcomes within community settings. I eventually joined Dr. Jih’s lab, where I work with driven individuals who all carry a common goal in promoting health equity for diverse communities. At the present moment, I am a clinical nurse in one of the intensive care units at Stanford Health Care. In the long run, I hope to enter academia as an educator and researcher.

social determinants of health, health disparities, alternative medicine, integrative health management, global health

Born and raised in San Francisco, I attended the University of California, Davis where I graduated with a degree in Economics, as well as obtaining an MBA from the Yale School of Management shortly after. After a brief period in investment banking, I realized that healthcare was my true passion and am now in pursuit of my ultimate goal of medical school. I joined Dr. Jih's lab and am currently working on the mPROVE project, focusing on improving patient care and outcomes through usage of a novel smartphone application and other emergent technologies.

health policy, economic disparities within healthcare, social determinants of health, global health, healthcare in vulnerable/immigrant populations

I am originally from San Diego, CA. I completed my undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley in Integrative Biology with an emphasis in Integrative Human Biology, and Psychology. I also completed a Science and Math Education minor where I regularly taught in Bay Area schools. Influenced by my parents' refugee experience, my identities, and more, I am interested in Dr. Jih's work towards health equity in multiethnic and linguistically diverse populations. I am currently a community research navigator at the University of Wisconsin--Madison where I focus on community-based participatory research and increasing underrepresented populations' participation in Alzheimer's research.

social determinants of health, cultural humility, community-based participatory research, health equity, aging, Alzheimer's, neuropsychology, neuromodulation, LGBTQIA+ health

I recently graduated with an M.S. in Global Health Sciences from UCSF. I am from Pasadena and graduated from the University of Southern California in 2017 where I received a B.S. in Human Biology and a B.A. in Narrative Studies. During my senior year of college, I worked as a caregiver in an assisted living facility where I ultimately fostered my interest in working with the older adult population. Additionally, my family is from Cambodia—an aspect I hope close to me, and which continues to spark my interest in working with immigrant and Asian American populations. These combined factors led me to the Jih Lab where I will be doing my capstone project on studying the impact of social support network on chronic disease management among older minority adults. One day, I hope to become a practicing physician and conduct health-related research exploring ethnic health disparities, social determinants, and immigrant/LGBTQ+ health.

global health, ethnic health disparities, social determinants of health, immigrant/LGBTQ+ health, cultural competency, social health-related needs, mental health

I was born in New Jersey and moved around New York and Florida until my family settled in Redmond, Washington. Growing up in a Thai and Filipinx working class family and experiencing life in many different parts of the U.S. led me to become very interested in the social and political determinants of health—particularly those relating to immigration and work. I attended the University of Pennsylvania, where I received a B.A. in Health & Societies, took interdisciplinary courses in history, sociology, and anthropology, and concentrated in Race, Gender, and Health. During this time, I was heavily influenced by my classes in Asian American Studies and my community engagement work with a Southeast Asian grassroots organization in Philadelphia. Eager to learn more about community-based approaches to improve population health, I pursued a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights and a Certificate in Total Worker Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I joined Dr. Jih's lab in an interest to conduct research on Asian American health outcomes and improve care for diverse communities. Currently, I am also an ASPPH Fellow at CDC's Office of Health Equity, where I am working on projects related to health equity infrastructure in state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments.

social determinants of health, health equity, health disparities, cultural humility, community-based participatory research, worker and workplace health, immigrant health, public policy (related to immigration and work), public health and healthcare infrastructure