HBS Doctoral Students — Last Names N-Z
Learn about our doctoral students' interests, research, and more. Last names N-Z.
Amelia Noor-Oshiro
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2017
Previous degrees: Master of Public Health (Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health); Bachelor of Arts (University of California, Los Angeles College of Letters and Science)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Social determinants of health; mental health inequities and disparities; minority mental health; psychosocial stress; suicide; racial/ethnic minorities; immigrants; faith minorities (Muslim); discrimination; stigma; trauma and violence; intersectionality; oppression; life course perspective methods and approaches; community-based participatory research; qualitative methods; quantitative methods; mixed methods; multi-level socioecological approaches
Dissertation proposal title: Intersectional Stigma, Belongingness, and Suicide: A Novel Approach for Minority Mental Health
Courses taught:
- Islamophobia & Health
- Islamophobia & Mental Health
- Minority Mental Health
- Introduction to Campaigning and Organizing for Public Health
- Introduction to Community-Based Participatory Research: Principles and Methods
Contact
Email: anooros1@jhu.edu
Advisor: Carl Latkin, PhD
Olajumoke Kiito Olarewaju
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2022
Previous degrees: Master of Arts in Demography and Population Studies (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa); Bachelor of Arts in Demography and Population Studies (University of Witwatersrand, South Africa); Bachelor of Technology in Microbiology (Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Nigeria)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Social and behavioral communication; health communication; sexual and reproductive health; maternal and child health
Selected publications:
- Perceived risk and protective behaviors related to COVID-19 among the Nigerian general population: An application of the extended parallel process mode
- Effect of a football-based mass media campaign intervention on awareness and knowledge of neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria: a propensity score matching analysis
- Use of the most significant change technique to evaluate intervention in promoting childbirth spacing in Nigeria
Contact
Email: oolarew2@jh.edu
Advisor: Stella Babalola, PhD
Stella Park
About
Year entered: 2015
Contact
Email: spark120@jhu.edu
Adrienne Pizatella
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2021
Previous degrees: Bachelor of Arts (Georgetown University, College of Arts and Sciences);Master of Public Health (Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Tobacco control; public health policy; civil registration and vital statistics
Selected publications:
Contact
Email: apizate1@jhu.edu
Advisor: Ryan Kennedy, PhD
Sarah Pollock
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2022
Previous degrees: Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (University of Maryland, Baltimore County); Master of Health Science in Social Factors in Health (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Substance use and HIV prevention among marginalized populations; harm reduction; opioid overdose prevention; medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the carceral system; implementation science, research, and practice
Selected publications:
- Peer approaches to improve HIV care cascade outcomes: a scoping review focused on peer behavioral mechanisms
- Psychosocial Interventions to Promote Undetectable HIV Viral Loads: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials
- Effects of incentives on viral suppression in people living with HIV who use cocaine or opiates
- Effects of incentivizing viral suppression for previously incarcerated adults living with HIV
Courses taught:
- Public Health Perspectives On U.S. Drug Policy
Contact
Email: spolloc6@jhu.edu
Advisor: Susan Sherman, PhD
Alexandria Richter
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2022
Previous degrees: Master of Arts in Human Development and Food Security (L'Universita Degli Studi Roma Tre); Master of Public Health (City, University of London); Bachelor of Science in Nursing (The University of Oklahoma)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Maternal newborn health and nutrition; food systems and food security; health policy and health equity
Contact
Email: aricht17@jh.edu
Advisor: Sara Benjamin-Neelon, PhD
Meagan Robichaud
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2020
Previous degrees: Master of Public Health in Health Behavior (University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health); Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (Wake Forest University)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Impact of tobacco control policies on tobacco use behavior and health disparities; impact of state and local marijuana policies on risk perceptions, substance use behavior, and health disparities; impact of communications, including marketing, for both tobacco and marijuana products on risk perceptions and substance use behavior, particularly among youth
Selected publications:
- Characteristics of proposed and enacted state tobacco control legislation in the United States, 2010–2015
- Tobacco companies introduce 'tobacco-free' nicotine pouches.
Contact
Email: mrobich3@jhu.edu
Advisor: Ryan David Kennedy, PhD
Joelle Robinson
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers/beloved
Year entered: 2018
Previous degrees: Master of Health Science (Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health); Bachelor of Arts (Spelman College)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Food systems; food sovereignty; health equity; community-led and community-informed program and policy development
Contact
Email: jrobi142@jh.edu
Advisor: Roland J. Thorpe Jr., PhD
Shae Robinson-Mosley
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2021
Previous degrees: Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies (Emory University); Master of Education in Adult and Higher Education (Grand Valley State University); Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine - Athletic Training (Eastern Michigan University)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Adolescent health; sports/college student athletes; suicide; intimate partner violence
Courses taught:
- The Social Context of Adolescent Health and Development
Contact
Email: srobi113@jh.edu
Advisor: Vanya Jones, PhD
Farren Rodrigues
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2023
Previous degrees: Master of Public Health (Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health); Bachelor of Integrative Studies (Oakland University)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Global health; social and behavior change communication; maternal and child health; health communication; evaluation research; social norms
Selected publications:
- What Determines Vaccine Hesitancy: Recommendations from Childhood Vaccine Hesitancy to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
- Assessing factors determining the support for the abandonment of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Ethiopia
- What works to address violence against children (VAC) in and around schools
Contact
Email: frodri19@jh.edu
Advisors: Meghan Moran, PhD; Suruchi Sood, PhD
Talata Sawadogo-Lewis
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2021
Previous degrees: Master of International Public Health (University of Sydney); Bachelor of Science in Food Chemistry (McGill University)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Sexual and reproductive health; maternal and child health; LGBTQ health; global health; gender equity
Selected publications:
- NGO perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for real-world evaluation: a qualitative study
- The potential contribution of the health system to reducing stunting in SUN countries
- The role of gender power relations on women’s health outcomes: evidence from a maternal health coverage survey in Simiyu region, Tanzania
- Early estimates of the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child mortality in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study
Contact
Email: tsawado1@jhu.edu
Advisor: Danielle German, PhD
Laura Sisson
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2019
Previous degrees: Master of Science in Social Work, Advanced Clinical Practice (Columbia University); Master of Public Health in Sociomedical Sciences (Columbia University); Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Russian Literature (Cornell University)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Structural vulnerability; mental health; substance use; social policy
Selected publications:
Contact
Email: lsisson4@jhmi.edu
Advisor: Susan Gail Sherman, PhD
Torra Spillane
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2020
Previous degrees: Master of Public Health (Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health); Bachelor of Arts (Reed College)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Tobacco control; marijuana control; policy implementation and impact
Selected publications:
- Blowing the lid off: an analysis of interior cigarette pack features and marketing strategies
- Demographic and psychological moderators of the relationship between neighborhood cigarette advertising and current smoking in New York City
Contact
Email: tspilla1@jhu.edu
Advisor: Joanna Cohen, PhD
Saraniya Tharmarajah
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2021
Previous degrees: Master of Science (University of Oxford); Bachelor of Arts (Johns Hopkins University);
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Health communication; entertainment-education; misinformation; policy advocacy; racial and ethnic health disparities; migration; community-based participatory research; systematic review methodology; mixed-methods; qualitative research
Selected publications:
- Safety Planning With Marginalized Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Challenges of Conducting Safety Planning Intervention Research With Marginalized Women
- The Effect of Lutein/Zeaxanthin Intake on Human Macular Pigment Optical Density: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Courses taught:
- Entertainment Education for Behavior Change and Development
- Contemporary Issues in Health Communication
- Introduction to Persuasive Communications
Contact
Email: stharma1@jhu.edu
Advisors: Rajiv Rimal, PhD
Carla Tilchin
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2020
Previous degrees: Master of Science Public Health (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health); Bachelor of Science (Bates College)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Community violence; criminal-legal system; HIV/STI; program evaluation; mixed methods; geospatial analysis; causal inference; networks
Selected publications:
- Socioeconomic Factors Associated With an Intention to Work While Sick From COVID-19
- Recommendations from black sexual minority men: Building trust to improve engagement and impact of HIV/STI research
- Overlapping Transmission Networks of Early Syphilis and/or Newly HIV Diagnosed Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM): Opportunities for Optimizing Public Health Interventions
Courses taught:
- Social Epidemiology
- Understanding and Preventing Violence
Contact
Email: ctilchi1@jhmi.edu
Advisors: Carl Latkin, PhD
Google Scholar profile
Mudia Uzzi
About
Pronouns: He/him/his
Year entered: 2018
Previous degrees: Master of Science in Control of Infectious Diseases (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Structural drivers of firearm violence and community trauma; spatial analysis; health and social policy; intersectionality; structural racism; racial capitalism; health equity; social and structural determinants of health; place-based interventions; social epidemiology; ethics of care; data visualization
Dissertation proposal title: Structural drivers of firearm violence in Baltimore City: An intersectional and spatial analysis of structural racism
Selected publications:
Courses taught:
- Psychosocial Factors in Health and Illness
- Principles and Practice of Injury Prevention
Contact
Email: ouzzi1@jhu.edu
Advisor: Carl Latkin, PhD
Connor Volpi
About
Pronouns: He/him/his
Year entered: 2021
Previous degrees: Master of Public Health (Brown University); Bachelor of Science (University of Florida)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Sexual and gender minority health; implementation science; HIV/AIDS; global health; social networks
Selected publications:
- The role of county-level socioeconomic status on brand-name prescriptions in Medicare part D: A cross-sectional study
- Correlation of antimicrobial prescription rate and county income in medicare part D
- Retaining transgender women in HIV care: best practices in the field
Contact
Email: cvolpi1@jhu.edu
Advisor: Karin Tobin, PhD
Abigail Winiker
About
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Year entered: 2020
Previous degrees: Master of Science in Public Health in Health Education & Health Communication (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health); Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Wake Forest University)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Design, implementation, and evaluation of harm reduction-based behavioral interventions targeting vulnerable populations, particularly people who use drugs, individuals living with HIV, and sexual/gender minorities; the role of trauma and violence on substance use and mental health outcomes
Selected publications:
- 'When you’re getting high… you just don’t want to be around anybody.' A qualitative exploration of reasons for injecting alone: perspectives from young people who inject drugs
- Characterizing profiles of polysubstance use among high school students in Baltimore, Maryland: A latent class analysis
- An examination of grit in black men who have sex with men and associations with health and social outcomes
Courses taught:
- Health and Homelessness
Contact
Email: awinike1@jhu.edu
Advisor: Karin Tobin, PhD
Daniel Zaltz
About
Pronouns: He/him/his
Year entered: 2019
Previous degrees: Master of Public Health (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health); Bachelor of Science (Boston University)
Research and Scholarship
Research and practice interests: Obesity prevention; nutrition; early childhood; health equity
Selected publications:
- Participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program is associated with fewer barriers to serving healthier foods in early care and education
- Healthy eating policy improves children's diet quality in early care and education in South Carolina
- A public health messaging campaign to reduce caloric intake: feedback from expert stakeholders
- A garden-based intervention to improve dietary diversity in Kenyan school children: results from a natural experiment
Contact
Email: dzaltz1@jhu.edu
Advisor: Sara Benjamin-Neelon, PhD