The School of Public Health Student Government is a group of public health students who act as a liaison between the students and the administration and faculty. It functions as a communication vehicle between these entities to involve and inform students of ongoing activities and decision-making at the School.
Get Involved
- We’re always interested in connecting with people who would like to plan events for the BPH community—contact us if you have ideas!
- Have feedback, comments, or concerns that you’d like to share with us? Send us your thoughts with this anonymous BPH Student Government feedback form.
- If you are interested in any of the committees run by the School, let us know and you can attend with a BPHSG representative.
- For specific information about committees, see Part VI of the Faculty ByLaws Document.
- Each fall semester, we begin looking for motivated first-year students to become involved as interim members and to start full-time in the spring semester for a better transition.
2021-2022 Student Government Representatives
Student Government Co-Leads
Pooja Iyer
MPH, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Pooja Iyer (she/her) is a second-year MPH candidate in the Epidemiology/Biostatistics program. Born and raised in Charlotte, NC, Pooja attended the University of North Carolina (Go Heels) where she studied Biostatistics, and has worked as a Biostatistician for the last four years. In her free time, Pooja loves talking all things related to Carolina Basketball, Academy Award-related movies, and Drake!
Pamela Torresdey
MPH, Health Policy and Management
Pamela Torresdey (she/her) is a first-year in the two-year Health Policy & Management MPH program. Her home town is San Diego, CA and she is a recent UCLA graduate as of 2021. Pamela has spent the last few years doing research on health equity, its relationship to migrant populations, and how COVID-19 has impacted the inequities that these populations face. In her free time, she loves going on hikes with her puppy or finding fun and new coffee shops in the area!
Co-Lead Mentors
Amia Nash – DrPH
Amia Nash is a third-year in Berkeley’s Doctor of Public Health program with a specialty area in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health. Amia is currently a graduate student researcher with Berkeley’s Innovation 4 Youth YPAR lab focusing on youth-led participatory action research in school settings and bringing youth voice to the development and implementation of health programming and policy. Additional student leadership roles that Amia has include being a Graduate Advising and Diversity Services Ambassador, a Youth Equity Discovery Initiative Mentor, a Signatory for the Pilipino American Graduate Student Association, and a SPH Delegate for UC Berkeley’s Graduate Assembly.
Andrea Jacobo – DrPH
Communications Co-Leads
Cheyenne Pritchard
MPH, Health and Social Behavior
Cheyenne Pritchard (she/her) is in the MPH Health and Social Behavior concentration with an interest in food equity and human centered design. She graduated from Amherst College in ’16 (Go Mammoths!) and has since spent time teaching in Brazil and working at a large hunger-relief organization in Philadelphia. She loves adventures, dogs, and homemade meals.
Shelby Rorabaugh
MPH, Health Policy and Management
Shelby Rorabaugh (she/her) is a first-year in the two-year Health Policy & Management MPH program. Originally from San Jose, CA, Shelby previously lived in New York City for several years working on health equity and quality improvement programs in primary care services. In her free time, she loves to grab a good cup of coffee and explore new neighborhoods around Berkeley!
Budget and Finance Co-Leads
Jessica Pak
MPH, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Jessica Pak (she/her) is a first-year MPH in Epidemiology/Biostatistics with a wide-varied interest in analyzing health outcome data in regards to infectious diseases, chronic illnesses, or genetic disorders. Jessica grew up in South Lake Tahoe and graduated from UCSD in 2018, so she enjoys any adventures in mountains or the ocean!
Ruben Vargas
MPH, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Ruben Vargas (he/him) is a first-year in the two-year Epidemiology/Biostatistics MPH program with a specific interest in cardiovascular and chronic disease epidemiology. He graduated from UC Berkeley this past May and is excited to be able to extend his studies here for another 2 years. In his free time, he enjoys going on hikes, studying at coffee shops and hanging out with friends.
Events Co-Leads
Nam Nguyen
MPH, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Hi, I am Nam Nguyen, a current 1st year in the MPH Epi/Biostat. I was born and raised in Vietnam before I moved to the U.S. late 2012 in which I then called Anaheim my new home. I graduated from Berkeley with a degree in Molecular Environmental Biology with a concentration in human and environmental health. Super excited to join the wonderful student government body this year as one of your Events Co-Leads. 🙂
Gurleen Kaur
Gurleen Kaur (they/them pronouns) is a 3rd year undergraduate at Cal studying Public Health and Neurobiology with the goal to study the epigenetic changes associated with intergenerational trauma. As a community activist from Stockton, CA, Gurleen has worked closely with young people and local grassroots organizations to implement positive change that prioritizes mental health and the safety of children in Stockton schools through the development and implementation of equitable health policies. In their free time, Gurleen loves singing to Erykah Badu and Ari Lennox and playing volleyball!
Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) Student Representatives
Sylvia Cheng
PhD, Epidemiology
Sylvia (she/her) is a first-year PhD student in Epidemiology. She completed her BS in Bioengineering at University of Florida and Huazhong Agricultural University, and then moved to New York for her MS in Epidemiology at University of Rochester. With her master’s thesis on telomere length, she later relocated to San Francisco and worked as a data analyst with Dr. Elissa Epel and Dr. Nicole Bush at the Center for Health and Community (CHC) at UCSF. During her 2 years at UCSF, with her role as the research statistician for several studies, her work aimed to unravel how stress impacts health of adults in later life as well as of their children. When the weather is good, Sylvia loves exploring a city through visiting local bookstores and cafes, and is an amateur of photography.
Natalia Smith
MPH, Public Health Nutrition
Natalia Smith (she/her) is a first-year Public Health Nutrition student in the two-year MPH degree program. She is also a maternal and child’s health & nutrition leadership trainee, and a global public health fellow at Cal. Originally from Mexico City, she is a licensed dietitian with specific research experience and knowledge in nutrition, maternal and child’s health and metabolic diseases. In her free time she rides with the Cal Cycling team and loves socializing.
Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee (EPCC) Representatives
Ariel Siegel
MPH, Health and Social Behavior
She is a native New Yorker, but has been living and working in the Bay Area for four years. Her professional experience focuses on research, monitoring and evaluation, and learning. She has worked in anti-human trafficking, financial inclusion and economic empowerment, and wellness tech. Most recently, she worked in market research at a startup firm focused on creative content and cultural insights. Ariel holds a BA in Public Health and Human Rights from New York University. In her free time, she enjoys baking, long walks, and hosting dinner parties — she’s had over 1,000 guests and counting. She lives in Oakland with her family.
Annika Ramona
MPH, Global Health and Environment
Annika Ramona (she/her) is a first-year MPH student in Global Health and Environment and is interested in water and sanitation. She’s originally from Tacoma, WA and graduated from Washington State University in 2019. She has previously lived in the Netherlands as an exchange student, Nepal as a Peace Corps volunteer, and Massachusetts as an AmeriCorps volunteer; she loves to spend her free time outdoors!
Undergraduate Representative
Oscar Ramos
Oscar Ramos (he/him/his) is a fourth year senior undergraduate studying public health with a minor in public policy. Growing up in the Central Valley of California, Oscar is passionate about health equity and the social determinants of health and is the first in his family to go to college. He loves playing volleyball, spending time outdoors, and trying out new coffee shops. He aims on pursuing an MPH upon graduation!
