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DrPH - Doctor of Public Health

The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) at UC Berkeley School of Public Health prepares experienced professionals to lead transformative change across public health policy, practice and research, shaping the systems, institutions, and policies that improve population health.

The DrPH curriculum is organized around three interconnected areas of focus. The first is evidence and inquiry, developing advanced skills in research design, analysis, and the critical evaluation of evidence to address complex public health challenges. The second is leadership and systems change, building the capacity to lead people, teams, and organizations through complexity to drive transformation across public health systems. The third is policy, practice and intervention, translating evidence into action by designing programs, policies and interventions that improve health across communities and populations.

DrPH graduates go on to lead in diverse sectors of public health including government, health systems, non-profits, academia, philanthropy, and international organizations.

Applicants must hold a master’s or doctoral degree in the health sciences or in another related field. Applicants must have a minimum of two years of post-masters professional public health experience showing progressive responsibility and evidence of leadership potential.

Curriculum

The DrPH program is a full-time, campus-based program designed to be completed in three or four years. Students develop expertise in leadership, research methods, and their application to public health practice, drawing on the full breadth of the School of Public Health’s faculty and resources. In addition to required course work, students must pass a qualifying examination and complete a dissertation.

Given the diverse professional background students bring to the program, students are also expected to select coursework in specific areas of public health that align with their professional goals and interests, this includes topics such as environmental health, maternal and child health, health inequities, health policy, infectious disease, or other domains.

Students without a Masters in Public Health must complete coursework equivalent to core MPH requirements, either prior to enrollment or during their first year. Additional details are available in the DrPH Student Handbook.

Core

  • Research Design and Methods
  • Leadership & Change Management
  • Program Design & Systems Change
  • Ethics & Justice

Each student is required to complete a professional residency in a public health setting that provides the opportunity to advance knowledge and skills, identify data for dissertation research, conduct analyses, and participate in decision making. Examples include: positions with local, state, or national legislatures, international agencies, city, county and state departments of public health or health services, policy think-tanks, multi-hospital systems, and large health maintenance organizations.

As part of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, DrPH students may take elective classes at other schools within the University including the Haas School of Business, Goldman School of Public Policy, College of Environmental Design, School of Journalism and others.

The DrPH program is a full-time professional degree program. For this reason, the program is not recommended for individuals who want to continue to work full-time.

Employment

UC Berkeley DrPH graduates are employed in local, state, national, and international public health agencies, policy research centers, and leading universities across the country.

The DrPH is a professional degree program designed primarily for students interested in occupying leadership positions in the field. However, the program includes coursework in research methods, academic mentorship and completion of a dissertation which involves conducting original research on an issue of public health importance. A number of DrPH graduates have gone on to accept university teaching positions or positions as full time researchers in academic or other scholarly settings. Although there is no specific “academic track” within the DrPH, students interested in teaching and research should choose as electives additional coursework in theory and research methods and undertake a dissertation consistent with such a career choice.

DrPH Admissions

Applicants must hold a master’s or doctoral degree in the health sciences or in another related field or non-US equivalent degree and have a minimum of two years of professional public health experience post-master’s degree, showing progressive responsibility and evidence of leadership potential. Questions about the applicability of a prior master’s or doctoral degree towards this requirement should be directed to the program office.

A Statement of Purpose is required in which students explain how the DrPH program would help build on prior experiences and contribute to their career goals. Identify possible topics and research areas you may want to focus on for the dissertation project.

DrPH applicants are also required to provide a writing sample. Writing samples should be no more than 5,000 words in length and examples can include: publications in peer-reviewed journals on which you were the sole or first author; papers written for a graduate course; media pieces; or reports written for public agencies.

Official transcripts from all institutions (including community college and graduate coursework) are also required, with a minimum B average (3.0) or equivalent (work completed in the last two years of a bachelor’s degree program and in all post-baccalaureate coursework. GRE scores are optional.

Note: The average entering student has a verbal score above the 86th percentile and a quantitative score above the 66th percentile.

We look at an application in its entirety to determine a person’s strengths and relative fit to our program; available advisors, areas of research interest and academic history are important considerations as is relevant work experience. Letters of recommendation are also carefully reviewed.

  • DrPH Dates, Deadlines and Timeline

    Go to the UC Berkeley Public Health Graduate Admissions page for general application information and instructions.

    Some dates and deadlines are specific to the application process for the DrPH program:

    • December 1: Application deadline
    • January: Admission committee begins review of applications. Members of the committee may contact applicants during this review period to arrange for phone interviews. Interviews for admission are conducted on an ad hoc basis – not receiving a request for an interview is not indicative of an admissions decision and vice versa.
    • March (Early): First round of communication of offers are sent. Candidates who are offered admission during this time are able to attend a Spring Visit Day in mid-March.
    • March (Late)–April (Late): Subsequent rounds of communication of offers and final decisions made during this period, after Spring Visit Day.
      The academic year begins in the fall; spring admission is not permitted.
  • For applicants who have been offered admission

    The DrPH Program typically hosts a Spring Visit Day in mid-March for those candidates who have been offered admission during the first round of offers.

    The UC Berkeley Graduate Division and the DrPH Program do not allow for deferred admission. We recommend that you update your CV, obtain at least one new letter of recommendation, and reapply.

  • Non-admitted and Waitlisted Candidates

    Waitlisted candidates will receive information about their final status on or before June 1. We regret the inconvenience and ask for your patience during this process.

Faculty

The faculty listed here teach the DrPH seminars and provide mentoring and advising to all DrPH students. In addition, faculty throughout the School work with DrPH students as advisers, mentors and Qualifying Exam and dissertation committee members.

Sometimes faculty are unable to respond to prospective students’ queries about mentorship prior to admissions decisions because the admissions committee is responsible for making recommendations for admitted students’ assigned advisors. Applicants with an interest in working with a particular faculty member should indicate this in their applications.

Director

Core Faculty

Affiliated Faculty

FAQs / Commonly Asked Questions

  • Do students receive full funding for the DrPH program?

    Students are not guaranteed funding for the DrPH program. As a professional degree program, the expectation is that students will self-fund their studies through a combination of savings, student loans, and/or extramural scholarships that they might bring with them to the program.

  • Does the DrPH program offer application fee waivers?

    We do not offer application fee waivers. Please see the Application Portals section of our On-Campus Graduate Program Admissions webpage for more information regarding application fee waivers.

  • Do students work as Graduate Student Instructors/Readers or Graduate Student Researchers?

    Yes, DrPH students have worked as GSIs or GSRs during their program. Depending on the appointment, students may qualify for what is known as “fee remission” in which the hiring department will cover the student’s tuition and fees (except Professional Development Supplemental Tuition [PDST]) as part of their compensation. These appointments are not guaranteed and applications for these appointments are very competitive.

  • Should prospective students reach out to faculty prior to applying for the program?

    Applicants are not required to reach out to faculty at the School of Public Health prior to applying for the program; however, we highly encourage all applicants to thoroughly review our School’s faculty and their research interests to identify potential faculty members with whom they would like to seek mentorship. Please see the School of Public Health Faculty and Researchers page to see the full list.

  • How many applicants are offered admission per year?

    No more than 10 students are admitted to the DrPH program each year.

  • What is the difference between a DrPH and PhD?

    While the DrPH is a doctoral degree held to the same academic rigor as our PhD programs, the emphasis is different. The DrPH focuses on translating research to action, preparing our graduates for leadership careers in public health practice. To effectively translate evidence into practice, the program emphasizes interdisciplinary integration of research findings and the strategic implementation of evidence-based solutions in real-world settings. DrPH graduates are poised to occupy key leadership positions at local, state, and federal public health organizations, NGOs, and research centers.

  • Do I need post-master’s work experience?

    Successful applicants to the program must have a minimum of two years post-masters work experience; however, significant experience gained between an applicant’s bachelor’s and master’s degree may also be considered. All work experience must demonstrate progressive responsibility and evidence of leadership potential.

  • Do students work while in the program?

    The DrPH is a full-time, in-residence program requiring a minimum of 12 units of in-person coursework. While the program is designed as a full-time academic commitment, we recognize that many students work part-time (typically 50% effort or less) to help finance their education. Some continue in their previous positions at reduced hours, while others seek new or on-campus opportunities (Graduate Student InstructorI/Reader, Graduate Student Researcher positions).

    Working while in the program requires careful time management and realistic expectations about balancing competing demands, especially during peak periods of coursework, exams, and dissertation work. We strongly recommend starting your first semester without employment to assess the program’s intensity, and discussing any work plans with your advisor to ensure academic success remains your priority.

Qiuyan “Holly” Yang

Qiuyan “Holly” Yang (she/her) is a first-year DrPH student. She is driven by a deep commitment to expanding access and accountability in healthcare through systems thinking and economic insight. Her cross-sector journey across biotechnology and health services has shaped her belief that equitable solutions require both analytical rigor and grounded implementation.

She brings an industry-informed perspective shaped by leading financial planning, cross-border capital deployment, and operational streamlining—most notably helping to catalyze clinical development and organizational growth in mRNA therapeutics. Her work has spanned fundraising, automation, and market entry, informing her approach to scalable, equity-driven change. More recently, Holly has contributed to hospital operational improvement and physician productivity analysis within an academic medical center, gaining deeper insight into the levers that influence care delivery and resource allocation.

Holly holds dual master’s degrees in health care management and enterprise risk from Johns Hopkins University. Her academic interests include healthcare economics, delivery system innovation, and the use of emerging technologies—such as large language models (LLMs)—to enhance decision-making, communication, and efficiency across the healthcare value chain. She enjoys dancing, exploring interior design, and adventuring with her toddler.

Ryan Farquhar

Ryan Farquhar is a DrPH student at UC Berkeley who is a California native originally from the Central Valley. As a former foster youth, he’s dedicated the majority of his career to focusing on health inequities and improving healthcare access. Ryan completed dual BS degrees in Nutritional Sciences and Molecular Environmental Biology at UC Berkeley while working at UCB’s Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence program to provide support services to underrepresented student groups. He returned to UC Berkeley to complete his MPH in Public Health Nutrition and his dietetic coursework. While in his program, Ryan worked in the Basic Needs Center, promoting life skills in college-age youth.

Since completing his MPH and becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Ryan started working at San Francisco State University as an Adjunct Faculty member teaching various nutrition and biology courses to pre-health students. While at SFSU, he worked as a Health Communications Specialist at the SFSU Basic Needs Center, connecting students to emergency financial, food, and housing resources. Ryan has also worked as a dietitian at Project Open Hand, where he provided nutrition support for Medicaid patients to improve health outcomes.

Ryan’s research interests lie in the role and impacts of nutrition policy and programs on chronic disease prevalence and treatment. He hopes to use a global health and food system lens to compare U.S. policies and infrastructure with those of other countries. He also aims to focus this work on promoting programs and policies that better support low-income youth and families.

Jeffrey Moridani

Jeffrey Moridani is a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) student at UC Berkeley, focusing on the intersection of environmental health sciences, climate change, and public health equity. His work examines how climate-related hazards, including extreme heat, air pollution, and infrastructure disruptions, disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and how public health systems can adapt through resilience planning, sustainable operations, and policy innovation.

Prior to entering the DrPH program, Jeffrey served as a Climate Resilience and Sustainability Fellow with Alameda County’s Office of Sustainability. In this role, he led initiatives to support community-based organizations and health agencies in preparing for climate impacts, strengthening cross-agency partnerships, and developing equity-centered tools for emergency response and service delivery.

Jeffrey holds a Master of Development Practice from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, where he concentrated in Agriculture & Food Security, Climate Change & Environmental Governance, and Global Development Policy. He has conducted applied research for organizations including Friends of the Earth, Vote Solar, and Conscious Kitchen, producing work that spans energy justice, sustainable food systems, and environmental health interventions.

His current research interests include climate-adaptive public health infrastructure, surveillance and mitigation of climate-exacerbated disease, and the development of equitable, systems-based strategies for advancing community health in the face of climate change.

Kathleen Corpuz

Kathleen Corpuz was raised in both the Philippines and Kalihi and is deeply committed to serving Filipino, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian American communities. For the past two and a half years, she served as the Community-Based Research Program Manager at the Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute, where she worked to strengthen university-community partnerships and expand health research capacity. Kathleen has also supported justice-involved youth and led efforts to bring together public and private stakeholders at Kawailoa to end youth incarceration.

Kathleen is a passionate advocate for grassroots movements, actively engaging in community-based research practices, promoting food sovereignty, and advocating for social justice and health. She holds a concurrent master’s degree in Asian American Studies and Community Health Sciences from UCLA. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with friends to rebuild lo’i kalo and staying active with her local CrossFit community.

Nardos Darkera

Nardos Darkera is a first-year DrPH student who engages in public health work alongside communities and has spent the past six years supporting efforts across the Bay Area that center youth voice, health equity, and policy change. She began her work partnering with young people to push back against Big Tobacco’s targeted marketing; that experience continues to shape her commitment to youth-led advocacy and prevention. Since then, her work has focused on adolescent health, substance use prevention, and advocating for policies grounded in the lived realities of young people and their communities. Nardos currently co-manages a policy advocacy team at Bay Area Community Resources, where she supports community-based participatory research projects rooted in health equity. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Health and a master’s in Global Health. At the core of her work is the belief that inequity affects every aspect of our lives and that young people, especially those often left out of decision-making processes, deserve the tools, resources, and space to advocate for their health and drive change.

Luz E. Mercado

Luz E. Mercado (she/her/ella) is a first-year Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) student at UC Berkeley, dedicated to advancing health equity through community-engaged, mixed-methods research and intervention design. Her work focuses on addressing racial and ethnic health disparities, food insecurity, and immigrant health, particularly among Hispanic/Latinos in the U.S. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Luz worked as a Research Associate at the NYU School of Global Public Health where she led research on disparities in respiratory health and critical care outcomes as part of the Promoting Equity Via Change in Practice for Respiratory Failure (PRECIPICE) study.

Luz holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology from Stanford University and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and a Certificate in Public Health Research Methods from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Her research is grounded in community collaboration, cultural responsiveness, and a strong commitment to health equity and social justice.

Outside of her academic work, Luz enjoys traveling with friends, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with her family in Southern California.

Julia J. Lund

Julia J. Lund is a first-year DrPH student, humbly motivated by a deep belief in collective wellbeing. With a background in medical device engineering, Julia shifted her path toward public health, driven by the recognition that advances in medicine alone cannot address the profound social and structural inequities driving poor health outcomes. She earned her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Washington, where she focused on social determinants of health and health equity. Now, as a research data analyst with the UC Davis Centers for Violence Prevention, she uses quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches to understanding and addressing community violence and violence-related harms, with a focus on centering the voices of those closest to the issues and solutions. She is dedicated to carrying out community-engaged work that bridges community knowledge and academic research by building the evidence base for care- and community-driven public safety strategies outside the traditional law enforcement paradigm, including community-based violence intervention and prevention programs, and alternative models for 911 response. Julia aims for her research to be policy-relevant, shifting the lens away from individual behaviors and toward the structures and systems that perpetuate inequity.

Jessica Cassyle Carr

Jessica Cassyle Carr is a first-year Doctor of Public Health student. She began her career in journalism, first as a public radio reporter (KUNM-FM), then as an editor in the alternative press (Weekly Alibi), where she covered news and culture, and pursued stories about built environment issues in New Mexico. Jessica received a Master of Public Health and a Master of Science in Architecture from the University of New Mexico (UNM). For the past nine years, her work has revolved around collaboration and participatory approaches to promote healthy communities. As part of UNM’s Design and Planning Assistance Center, Jessica works on projects that address housing shortages and homelessness. She is also a contractor with the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH), where she coordinated an academic health department, building partnerships between governmental public health and higher education. More recently, she works with NMDOH to develop a communication hub that will support collegial relationships among healthcare providers and public health officials statewide. Additionally, Jessica teaches at UNM’s College of Population Health, which includes several years as the instructor of a writing lab for MPH students. In the DrPH program, she plans to explore the impacts of climate change on housing, and how these concepts are communicated through storytelling and popular culture.

Olumayowa Adebayo

Olumayowa Adebayo is a second year DrPH student. Her formative years were marked by an acute awareness of the public health challenges in her community, particularly among women and children, which steered her away from an initial pursuit of a medical career towards a preventive and health-promoting approach. She holds a bachelor’s degree in physiology and completed her Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in reproductive and family health. Her career began as a program officer managing a project aimed at empowering women through financial literacy, gender socialization, and family planning. Most recently, she has worked as a research consultant, supporting the implementation and coordination of reproductive health research programs. Olumayowa is dedicated to tackling health disparities and improving service delivery, with a strong focus on maternal and child health. Her research interests also align with these areas, aiming to develop evidence-based strategies to enhance health outcomes for women and children.

Christine Board

A southern California native, Christine Board was drawn to public health from a young age through childhood experiences in her community and family. She received her BA in public health from UC Berkeley in 2015, and an MPH in Epidemiology from Berkeley in 2021. Her career in healthcare began working in healthcare administration, with a focus on health equity and reducing gaps in disparities through clinical quality improvement, education, and data equity. Currently, she works as a data analyst for a clinical research team looking at the health care delivery for type 2 diabetes patients and the impacts of social and clinical determinants on short and long-term health outcomes. She has a passion for applied social epidemiology that has been driven by her love for narrative, and she believes the ability to share our stories and have our voices valued, is an integral part of health equity and our health and healing. Her primary area of interest lies in illuminating the systemic inequities that have harmed communities, not only to reduce health disparities but to improve overall wellness and the quality of life these communities deserve. Understanding that historically data has not been collected to serve the communities it has been taken from, she hopes to join those pioneering a movement on the decolonization of data. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, being outdoors and gathering in community.

Paulina Castro Nava

Paulina Castro Nava (she/her) is a second-year Doctor of Public Health student. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Human Biology from Stanford University and her Master of Public Health and Certificate in Public Health Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Through years of conducting community-based participatory research in food justice and supporting a federally-qualified health center through a pandemic, she developed her commitment to co-create healthier communities to cultivate health equity. Most recently, she served her hometown of Ventura County, California as the first Climate Change and Health Equity Coordinator, developing multilingual health education, collaborating with community organizers, and implementing clinician trainings to bridge the public health, community-based, and medical to establish a foundation for addressing the climate crises as a health equity imperative. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2023, she understands the importance of and advocates for an accessible health system with investment in the socio-ecological determinants of health. She enjoys hosting reflective journaling sessions with friends and reading (especially Octavia Butler).

Joyce Cheng

Joyce Cheng is a mother of three. Joyce started her career in the non-profit community health sector in 2006 and held a leadership role since 2020. She brings lived and in-field experience in serving communities of color. Joyce serves as the Executive Director and Community Researcher at the Chinese Community Health Resource Center to lead a mission to build a healthy community through culturally and linguistically appropriate preventive health, disease education and management, research, and advocacy. She serves as Co-Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator, Community Advisor for national- and state-funded research studies.

As the Director of Community Outreach at the Chinese Hospital, Joyce leads collaborative efforts within the integrated health system and among local partners. Amid the COVID pandemic, in collaboration with San Francisco City and community-based partners, Joyce oversaw the operations of the primary COVID-19 testing site in San Francisco Chinatown, where over 25,300 screenings were administered between January 2021–February 2023.

As Senior Community Advisor at the University of California, San Francisco, she advocates for community engagement and participation while ensuring scientific rigor. Moreover, as Board Member of local- and state-level committees, Joyce seeks opportunities to improve the ways communities are engaged through research.

Furthermore, as a Doctor of Public Health student, Joyce aims to strengthen her training in community engagement partnership and research, equitable health information delivery as well as to explore cross-sectoral partnership and innovative systems thinking. Joyce is passionate about mentoring youth and early professionals, leading collaborative efforts, and incorporating artistic expressions into her work.

Priya Gangolly

Priya Gangolly is a second-year doctoral student with a background in the technology industry. She was an early member of Facebook’s Health team, where she partnered with government agencies across Asia–Pacific, Latin America, and North America to develop products addressing global health challenges. She also oversaw the company’s partnership with the CDC to counter health misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 230 million U.S. users. She has worked at various health startups, where she built online communities for physicians and patients to share evidence-based research and led initiatives focused on emerging public health issues such as loneliness and burnout. Earlier in her career, she held roles at Stanford Children’s Health, the United Nations Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her research explores the ethical design and governance of online health and artificial intelligence technologies. She is particularly interested in how emotionally responsive conversational AI platforms affect users, especially vulnerable groups such as children and older adults. Her work examines high-stakes information environments and how behavioral and system-level design influence search behavior, decision heuristics, and trust in online health information. She holds a BA in Cognitive Psychology and Health Care–Social Issues and an MPH in mobile health. She enjoys travel, tennis, Pilates, and volunteering with rescue dogs.

Pritika Khatri

Pritika Khatri, a DrPH student at UC Berkeley, hails from the serene rural Himalayas of Nepal, bringing over 10 years of experience in health research, policy, and global health. With a background in MPH and Nursing, she currently manages multiple clinical trials on cardiovascular diseases in Virginia, collaborating closely with cardiologists and nephrologists. Her role includes site selection, protocol development, regulatory compliance, CRO management, and team coordination.
Previously, as a Research Fellow for Southeast Asia at the World Health Organization, she worked at the intersections of gender and intersectionality in health policy, conducting comprehensive scoping reviews and developing study modules to address health disparities, working in Bengaluru, India. Additionally, as a Quality Assurance Officer for Save the Children International, she supervised Nepal’s first paperless tuberculosis survey, covering 57,000 people in 99 clusters.

Pritika’s roles reflect her broad impact on global health. As a Program Manager for the Harvard Lown Scholar Program, she played a pivotal role in establishing and managing a health center in Nigeria, providing health services to more than 60,000 people across nine communities.

Her research interests include utilizing data science and artificial intelligence to explore health disparities, particularly in sexual and reproductive health and rights in low- and middle-income settings. Beyond academia, she loves hiking, reading non-fiction, writing poetry, and is an avid dancer.

Frederick Mubiru

Frederick Mubiru joined the DrPH program at UC Berkeley in the Fall of 2024. He is a Global Health professional with over 20 years of experience, holding a BSc and MSc in Population and Reproductive Health from Makerere University, Kampala. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMD Pro by Humentum) and has earned a Global Health Leadership certification from the University of Washington-Seattle.

Prior to UC Berkeley, Frederick served as a Technical Advisor at FHI 360’s Scientific and Technical Evidence Advancement Department, leading research utilization and knowledge management for projects such as USAID Research for Scalable Solutions (R4S), BMGF SMART HIPs, USAID MOSAIC, and Knowledge SUCCESS. His work also included advocacy for new family planning and HIV prevention technologies like Hormonal IUD, DMPA SC for Self-Injection and D-Ring and Ca-Prep, and exploring private sector distribution channels for reproductive health commodities. Earlier, as Director of the USAID-funded Uganda Family Planning project (APC), Frederick oversaw the scaling up of high-impact community-based family planning initiatives and implemented critical adolescent health programs across 25 districts of Uganda.

His leadership and membership extend to several global and local communities of practice, including the Implementing Best Practices Consortium, FP Insights, Scale-Up Community of Practice, and the East African FP/RH Community of Practice. Proficient in English and Luganda, and conversant in basic German and Swahili, Frederick’s career spans diverse international settings, including Uganda, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Nepal, Ghana, Kenya, and the USA. His pragmatic approach, dependability, passion for inclusive development programming, and logical decision-making make him a respected leader in public health.

Frederick enjoys networking and collaborating on charity and developmental activities through Rotary International, his neighborhood, and church communities. He also enjoys jogging in natural environments, following global news and events, and sports such as soccer and athletics.

Chinwe Obudulu

Chinwe Obudulu is a registered dietitian with diverse experience working alongside medical and public health practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policy makers to implement nutrition and health initiatives. Struggles with childhood obesity drove her initial interest in dietetics, and she has since aligned her career with understanding the determinants that influence food choice and reducing health disparities. As the daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Chinwe is passionate about providing health education grounded in cultural understanding and in using food and nutrition to support physical, mental, and social wellbeing. She began her dietetics career working with communities under the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education, Head Start, and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS programs.

Chinwe was part of the inaugural class of Biden-Harris Administration White House interns within the Office of Science and Technology Policy where she gained an interdisciplinary perspective on public policy and health. Most recently, Chinwe has worked as a Nutritionist at the USDA facilitating the development and implementation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Science from the University of Texas Medical Branch. She enjoys traveling, cooking, being active (running, weight lifting and Pilates), drawing portraits, writing, comedy shows, and trying to learn how to dance (so far, to no avail).

Lucia J. Rodriguez Alvizo

Lucia J. Rodriguez Alvizo is a public health professional driven by her lived experiences. Her work is deeply influenced by her roots in Arandas, Jalisco, where she aims to leave a lasting impact akin to the indelible mark of red dirt on white clothes. As an immigrant, Lucia draws inspiration from her mother’s resilience in navigating complex systems to achieve health and well-being. She honors the knowledge gained from her own experiences and those around her. Lucia works passionately to bring her full self into everything she does, including her experience navigating her mental health and grief. Her mission is to ensure that health systems are as diverse and dynamic as the populations they serve. Through her work, Lucia hopes to ensure everyone is able to achieve their highest level of health possible and thrive in a life they find fulfilling. Community, growth, and finding moments of joy are important to Lucia in navigating the cycles of life.

Pamela W.

Pamela W. was born and raised in the Bay Area and currently hails from South San Francisco. Following the completion of her undergraduate degree, she lived in Namibia as a Peace Corps HIV/AIDS Prevention and Community Health Volunteer. Since then she worked as research staff for UCSF, San Francisco General Hospital, and Stanford University, and completed a MSc in Global Health from UCSF. Most recently she’s worked as a data analyst for a global health supply chain program that provides procurement support to strengthen local capacity in HIV supply chains in over 25 countries. In the DrPH program, she is pursuing the study of reducing unintended pregnancies through novel male contraceptive methods.

Amy Garfinkel

Amy Garfinkel is a second-year DrPH student. She is passionate about developing, implementing, and evaluating programs that increase access to nutritious food, support community food systems, and engage communities in experiential learning opportunities about food and nutrition such as cooking and gardening. Her experience ranges from implementing farm to school programming at the school district level to supporting farm to school programs statewide at the California Department of Food and Agriculture. She received her BA in Social Welfare and MPH in Public Health Nutrition from UC Berkeley.

Larissa Benjamin

Larissa Benjamin is a fourth year DrPH candidate. Larissa was born in Detroit, MI to parents from divergent socioeconomic and racial backgrounds who were brought together by their shared commitment to fighting social inequality. Larissa holds a BS in Evolutionary Anthropology and English from University of Michigan, and an MPH from UC Berkeley in Health and Social Behavior with a specialty in multicultural health. She is a proud former Kaiser Permanente Public Health Scholar, APHA KP Community Health Scholar, Perez Research Fellow, and a current Graduate Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues (ISSI). Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health. She has 12 years of experience contributing to health equity efforts through public health research projects, and science & health communications. She is a member of Dr. Mujahid’s social epidemiology group PLACE and works on the Social Determinants Core (PI Mujahid) of the newly NHLBI-funded RURAL cohort study in the Southeastern US. Larissa’s dissertation research uses mixed methods to explore how historical and structural factors drive neighborhood-level exposures to cardiovascular risk in rural communities in this region.

Ravneet Gill

Ravneet Gill is a fourth year DrPH student at UC Berkeley. Her research focus is on breast cancer prevention among low income and geriatric women within the diverse Asian American subgroups in the United States. She is a proponent of preventive oncology and her professional pursuits are guided by the glaring need for reformation in health equity and the role of data disaggregation in addressing persistent cancer health disparities.

Ravneet holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s in Public Health. Her professional experience includes over seven years of post-graduate work experience in the managed care industry, leading cancer prevention programs for Medicaid, Medicare, and ​​Dual-Eligible beneficiaries.

Ravneet loves traveling, visiting museums, and trying different cuisines from around the world. She loves to cook, write, hike, and spend time with family and friends.

Caleb Harrison

Caleb Harrison is a fourth-year DrPH student. Prior to coming to Berkeley, he worked as the lead epidemiologist at a local health department, overseeing disease surveillance and program evaluation efforts. His research interests include evaluating policies that seek to reduce health inequities in rural settings. Caleb’s time outside of work and studies is usually spent cooking or engaging in outdoor recreation with his wife and two kids.

Marisol De Ornelas

Marisol De Ornelas (she/her) joined the UC Berkeley’s DrPH program Fall 2022 and is an American Public Health Association and Kaiser Permanente Community Health Scholar. Marisol attended Boston University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and a Master of Science in Public Health. She brings over ten years of experience in public health research and project management. Marisol’s research focuses on assessing interventions on perinatal and mental health outcomes among underserved populations. She is a Graduate Student Researcher at the UC Berkeley’s Wallace Center for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health. Outside of her scholarly work, you’ll likely find her cooking Venezuelan arepas, reading the “Ideas” section of the Atlantic, or outdoors on an adventure!

Rouselinne Gómez

Rouselinne Gómez is a fourth-year student at UC Berkeley in the Doctor of Public Health program. He is a Medical Doctor who graduated from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León and earned his master’s degree in Public Health from the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) in Mexico. Prior to entering the DrPH program, he worked as a researcher in the Health Economics Unit at the INSP in Mexico. His research focused on influencers for health system navigation for the Mexican Public Healthcare system. During his time as a doctor he worked providing care for rural communities in Chiapas, Mexico. Rouselinne is currently interested in working on sexual and reproductive health issues.

Mounika Parimi

Mounika Parimi is a Doctor of Public Health student at UC Berkeley. She was born and raised in Bengaluru, India, and immigrated to the US as a teenager. Mounika received her Bachelor of Arts in Music and Biology from the University of Redlands and a Master of Science in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Mounika has previously worked as a researcher studying the immunology of type 1 diabetes at the City of Hope in Duarte, California, and as a Fulbright scholar at the Center for Regenerative Therapies in Dresden. During her Master’s, Mounika’s work focused on the association between diabetes during pregnancy and congenital abnormalities.

Most recently, Mounika has worked as a consultant and project manager with the Real-World Insights department of IQVIA in the United Kingdom. In this role, she has co-designed and managed several retrospective cohort studies in the UK/EU setting for various non-communicable diseases (including cardiovascular disease, asthma, and cancer). Her current research interests include post-partum health and women’s health over the life course, especially among racial and ethnic minority communities. Mounika is a graduate student researcher at UC Berkeley’s Wallace Center for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health.

In her personal life, Mounika is an avid cook, singer, and enjoys weekend hikes with her spouse and toddler.

Marlena Robbins

Marlena Robbins is a fourth year doctoral student researching the cultural, social, and policy aspects of psilocybin use within Native communities, highlighting differences between urban and rural perspectives to inform educational frameworks, culturally informed psychedelic assisted therapy models and public health policy. Robbins is a graduate student researcher at the Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP), focusing on evaluations and data analyses to refine the program’s structure. Her collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) led to the development of a tribal engagement toolkit, showcasing the significance of psychedelics in spiritual and recreational contexts among Native American communities. Recently, Robbins was invited to join the Federally Recognized American Tribes and Indigenous Community Working Group for the Natural Medicine Health Act with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. This role enables her to advocate for the protection of sacred plants against commercialization and cultural misappropriation.

Cara Schulte

Cara Schulte is a fourth-year doctoral candidate at UC Berkeley, where her research focuses on the intersection of climate change, global health, and human rights. She is a fellow at the Bixby Center for Population, Health, and Sustainability. In addition to her full-time doctoral research, Cara currently works as a researcher for Climate Rights International and as a research assistant to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights. She is also a graduate student instructor in Global Health Ethics and a contributing scholar with the Sabin Center for Climate Law’s Global Network on Climate Litigation. Cara earned her MHS in Environmental Health Science and BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. She is a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health.

Morgan Vien

Morgan Vien joined the DrPH program at UC Berkeley School of Public Health in fall 2022. Her research is focused on the intersection of precision public health, public-private partnerships, and regulations and legal considerations to improve population health. Additionally, Morgan is a research associate and works on public health and healthcare projects with the team at Health Research for Action (HRA), a research center at Berkeley Public Health. Morgan received her MPH in Health and Social Behavior from UC Berkeley and her BS in Public Health Science with minors in Biology and Sociology from Santa Clara University. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing piano, traveling, and creating arts and crafts.

Brian Wylie

Brian Wylie completed his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley, professional training in occupational therapy at USC, and his MPH in epidemiology at Harvard. During and since then, he completed a Fulbright in South Korea, developed health and wellness programs for the Los Angeles YMCA, and worked for the California Department of Public Health in infectious disease prevention and the San Francisco Department of Public Health in opioids and chronic pain management. When not working or studying, he’s usually out with his poodle Lucy, being active (running, lifting, cross country skiing), or listening to live music. Also, Go Bears!

Juan Carlos Bordes

Juan Carlos Bordes (he/him/any) is a fifth-year doctoral candidate with a background as a clinician in occupational therapy. His clinical experience spans various healthcare settings, including hospitals, acute rehabilitation centers, and skilled nursing facilities. As an occupational therapist, Juan Carlos has worked closely with patients, their support systems, and multidisciplinary care teams. Additionally, he has also collaborated with hospitals and professional organizations on workforce inclusion-focused initiatives. These experiences laid the foundation for Juan Carlos’s pursuit of a broader impact through public health. His dissertation goals include promoting emotional well-being among healthcare workers with a focus on health equity and anti-racism. In his spare time, Juan Carlos enjoys spending time with his family, going on long walks or runs around the Bay, exploring the local coffee scene, and connecting with friends.

Brittany Campbell

Brittany Campbell is a fifth-year DrPH student with nearly a decade of experience in project management at the University of California, San Francisco, specializing in equity-driven initiatives that center on the lived experiences of cancer patients, community members, and healthcare providers. Her current research sits at the intersection of strengths-based intervention design, chronic disease, joy, and healing.

Rooted in the belief that lived experience is a valid form of expertise, Brittany prioritizes narratives of joy and resilience alongside those of struggle and adversity. She holds a core belief that community is the foundation of sustainable change and is dedicated to work that honors collective wisdom and promotes holistic wellbeing.

A proud St. Louis native, Brittany is energized by time with loved ones, creative expression, and envisioning liberated futures. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys music, exploring new places, and dancing.

Purba Chatterjee

Purba Chatterjee is a fifth year Dr PH student. Purba grew up in India; her formative years were spent in Chennai and Kolkata. Purba came to the US to pursue her undergraduate studies. She has a Bachelor’s in Economics from University of California Los Angeles and a Master’s in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Purba has over 15 years of public health program management experience. She has worked on HIV/AIDS and other non-communicable diseases projects in Uganda, India, and now Kenya. After completion of the DrPH program, Purba plans to pivot to global mental health research with a focus on the impact of stigma on access to mental health care in low and middle-income countries. She is passionate about partnering with the community to build capacity, address stigma, and increase access to treatment for common mental health disorders. In her current role as the Associate Director of Global Equity, UCSF Dept. of Ob/Gyn, Bixby Center, she oversees operations and administration for HIV/AIDS affiliated research studies in Western Kenya and co-leads global health equity initiatives. Aside from work, Purba enjoys going on long hikes with her husband, daughter, and son. She is also an avid traveler, loves to cook, and enjoys practicing yoga!

Bhavya Joshi

Bhavya Joshi (she/her), is a fifth-year Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) candidate at the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley passionate about advancing health equity, human rights, and community-driven solutions. Rooted in lived experience, Bhavya is dedicated to empowering women by upholding reproductive health as a human right and leading systemic change through research, education, community engagement, and policy advocacy.
In collaboration with the Bixby Center, Center for African Studies, Human Rights Center, and Global Public Health Fellowship, her research focuses on the utilization and delivery of reproductive health in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. Grounded in a human rights and community-based participatory approach, Bhavya is committed to reaching the furthest behind first — ensuring that their voices are included in the discourse. Her research was highlighted by the Chancellor of UC Berkeley in his communication letter and was featured by the School of Public Health, UC Berkeley. As an advocate and educator, she collaborates with women human rights defenders globally, strengthening their capacity to leverage international human rights mechanisms for advocacy to drive change at the national, regional, and international levels.

Before the DrPH program, Bhavya led public health initiatives across South Asia focusing on sexual and reproductive health, WASH, waste management, market facilitation, health finance, health systems, economic empowerment of women, and using user-centered design to improve health outcomes in marginalized communities. She holds a BA (Hons) in Political Science from Delhi University, India and a MA in International Law and Human Rights from the United Nations mandated University for Peace, Costa Rica. With experience at the intersection of public health, gender justice, and humanitarian response, Bhavya is committed to ensuring that research translates into real-world impact—advocating for policies and programs that uphold dignity, rights, and access for marginalized communities.

Solange Madriz

Solange Madriz, MA, MS is a fifth-year doctoral student as well as an Academic Coordinator at the Institute of Global Health Sciences at University of California, San Francisco. She has designed, implemented and monitored global health programs in diverse settings including Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Paraguay, India and the United States. Her research focuses on global health and professional development of health professionals in low-resource settings. In addition to her research activities, Ms. Madriz teaches graduate level courses on global health for public health practitioners and medical providers. From 2015 to 2018, Ms. Madriz led the implementation of a maternal and newborn health quality improvement project in all the secondary health facilities of the states of Huehuetenango and Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. During the COVID-19 pandemic Ms. Madriz led the educational program to train over 100 community-based organization members as case investigators and contact tracers working for the San Francisco and California Departments of Public Health. She lives with her husband and 2-year old daughter in the Mission District of San Francisco. Ms. Madriz obtained her undergraduate degree from the Central University of Venezuela and a MA in International Studies from the University of San Francisco followed by a MS in Global Health from the University of California, San Francisco.

Nadia Anahi Rojas

Nadia Rojas (she/her) is a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) candidate and a proud Bay Area native. She received her Master of Public Health from UC Davis and BA from UC Berkeley with a double major in Ethnic Studies and Integrative Biology. Before attending the DrPH program, Nadia worked at ChangeLab Solutions, a national nonprofit in Oakland, CA, where she developed tools and resources for community-based organizations, policymakers, and public officials across subject matters on upstream policy interventions.

Nadia also worked at the School of Public Health at Berkeley, where she led the data collection and management of various projects evaluating Berkeley’s soda tax. Nadia’s dissertation focuses on the association between sleep, physical activity, and cognitive function among Latinas in California’s Central Valley. Her additional interests include research that will reduce health disparities and promote equity among communities that have been marginalized. Nadia enjoys eating lots of vegetables, cycling, and salsa and bachata dancing.

Ida Wilson

Ida Wilson is an Oakland native and DrPH candidate. She received a Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology from San José State University and a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from UC Riverside. Ida has served as a Project Manager for the Center for Critical Public Health at the Institute for Scientific Analysis for several NIH- and Tobacco Related Disease Research Program-funded projects that investigated substance use among young adults in the Bay Area and in rural counties in Northern California. In addition to her duties as Project Manager, she also served as the Coordinator for the Center’s Internship program. Ida’s current research focuses on framing police violence as a public health issue by examining the experiences of Black and Latina women. Her additional research interests include health inequities, as well as the use of critical perspectives in examining public health issues by exploring the ways in which socio-structural systems contribute to health inequities for marginalized populations

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