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.
2022–2023 Student Government Representatives
Student Government Co-Leads
Pamela Torresdey
MPH, Health Policy & Management
Pamela Torresdey (she/her) is a second- year in the two-year Health Policy & Management MPH program. She is from San Diego, CA and attended UCLA for her Bachelor’s degree. Pamela has spent the last few years doing research on health equity, its relationship to disparities in health outcomes, 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!
Natalia Smith
MPH, Public Health Nutrition
Natalia (she/her) is a 2nd-year Master of Public Health student. She is a Mexican clinical dietitian, who graduated from the Universidad Ibero, Mexico City. Her interests lie in data driven solutions to improve maternal, child, and adolescent health. Her research examines the correlations between food insecurity and birth outcomes, as well as longitudinal data on adolescent mental health, physical activity and nutrition. In her free time, Natalia loves socializing, reading and cycling!
Communication Committee
Cheyenne Pritchard
MPH, Health & 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 & Management
Shelby Rorabaugh (she/her) is a second-year graduate student in the Health Policy & Management MPH program. Originally from San Jose, CA, Shelby previously lived in New York City, working on health equity and quality improvement programs in primary care services. In her free time, she loves hiking, finding a good cup of coffee, and caring for her growing houseplant collection.
Jarett Maycott
MPH, Epidemiology & Biostatistcs
Jarett Maycott (he/him) is a first year MPH candidate in the epidemiology and biostatistics concentration. Before joining the program he spent the last few years at the San Francisco Department of Public Heath working with LGBTQ+ populations to research the effectiveness of digital navigation on engagement with community Heath resources. In his free time he like to swim or explore the Bay Area with his camera.
Events Committee
Sabrina Adams
MPH, Health Policy & Management
Sabrina Adams (she/her) is a second year master’s student in the Health Policy and Management MPH Program. She is a Southern California native that grew up in Long Beach, CA and attended UCLA for her undergraduate degree. Sabrina is passionate about mental health advocacy. Before starting her graduate degree, she spent many years helping patients navigate the mental health system. In her free time, you will find Sabrina jamming out to music at concerts in Oakland and San Francisco.
Laura Sanavio
MPH, Public Health Nutrition
Laura Sanavio (she/her) is a master’s student at UC Berkeley pursuing an MPH in the Public Health Nutrition concentration, in the Nutrition Epidemiology track, and with a specialty area in Global Health. Originally from a small town in Italy, she came to the US for higher education and graduated in 2021 from UCLA with a B.S. in Physiological Sciences, where she conducted research in clinical nutrition. Her career goals are to apply her knowledge of nutrition epidemiology and physiology to influence public policies and promote initiatives to help achieve more accessible nutrition and more equitable health outcomes.
Jisoo Yu
MPH, Global Health & Environment
I am Jisoo, a 1st MPH student studying the Global Health and Environment with Industrial Hygiene program at the School of Public Health. I was born and raised in South Korea and have been studying in the States for more than five years now! My incredible journey studying environmental science began in Washington state and could further at UCLA, where I got my undergraduate degree. Now that I begin my new study path at Berkeley, I feel super excited! Plus, as an Event Co-Lead, I am ready to facilitate and support SPH students’ needs and their goals!
Budget & Finance Committee
Philip Shih
MD/MS, UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program
Philip Shih (he/him) is a first-year medical student at UCSF and first-year graduate student at UC Berkeley as part of the Joint Medical Program. He calls Sacramento, California home and graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, attending concerts in the Bay Area, and trying new recipes at home.
Alondra Ruiz
MPH, Health Policy & Management
Alondra is a first-year MPH in Health Policy and Management student from Salinas, California. Alondra graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2020 with a B.A. in Political Science. Prior to Berkeley, Alondra worked at the Lifelong Medical COVID-19 Contact Tracing team for Alameda County. Alondra also worked at Monterey County addressing social policies and practices that create more equitable health outcomes, especially for immigrants and farm workers in Salinas and the rural areas of Monterey County. With my MPH, Alondra look forward to improving healthcare access in marginalized communities.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Kevin Ru
MPH, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Kevin Ru (he/him) is a first year MPH student with a concentration in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Originally from Orange County, California he graduated from UCLA in 2021 where he was involved in increasing access to higher education and in clinical research centered on strengthening patient-physician communication. He is interested in addressing health disparities across marginalized populations, particularly in chronic disease and occupational health. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, playing video games, watching anime, and trying new food/boba spots!
Lavanya Sankaran
Undergraduate
Lavanya Sankaran (she/her/hers) is a fourth-year senior undergraduate student majoring in Public Health with a minor in Global Poverty & Practice. She is dedicated to understanding health inequities and creating healthcare solutions for disadvantaged communities using bioinformatics. Originally from Austin, Texas, her experience working in fast-paced environments ranges from biotech startup incubators, international NGOs, and private hospitals. In her free time, Lav likes going on hikes, cooking with friends, and trying new restaurants in Berkeley!
Environmental Committee
Jyotsna Maddukuri
MPH, Interdisciplinary
Jyotsna Maddukuri (she/her) is in the one-year MPH interdisciplinary program. She has a keen interest in the intersection of Psychology and Business. She has an academic background in Economics.She is from Andhra Pradesh, India and has over 5+ years working in the Health sector working with transnational organizations. She also worked with the Asian Development Bank during the oxygen crisis in India during COVID-19. She enjoys abstract art, hiking and reading. She intends to undertake work that influences policies and businesses to integrate behavioral health into the existing systems and structures, upon graduating.
EPCC
Ariel Siegel
MPH, Health & Social Behavior
Ariel Siegel (she/her) is a second-year MPH candidate in the Health and Social Behavior concentration. She is also a Data Science Fellow with Berkeley’s D-Lab. Ariel’s professional experience is in research, evaluation, and insights. She 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.
Kelsey Oliver
MPH, Health & Social Behavior / Master of Journalism
Kelsey Oliver (she/her) is a first-year, concurrent MPH in Health & Social Behavior and MJ (Master’s in Journalism). Her interest lies in health communications, making statistical information easily understood and engaging. Her past experience is in international development and global health, working with non-profits in child & adolescent health as well as government experience within USAID. Kelsey grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. In her free time, Kelsey enjoys hiking, swimming, and playing with her chocolate lab, Diggy.
Faculty Advisory Committee
Alana Acuña
MPH, Health Policy & Management
Alana (she/her) is a first-year Health Policy and Management student in the two-year MPH degree program. She is originally from San Diego and graduated with her B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology in 2022, also from UC Berkeley. She has worked in environmental consulting, volunteered in Ghanaian medical clinics, and researched a vaccine platform for gonorrhea. In her free time, Alana enjoys going for hikes around the Bay Area and trying new baking recipes.
Sena Karavas
MPH, Public Health Nutrition
Sena Karavas (she/her) is a first year MPH Nutrition student in the two- year program. She is first gen and a Fulbright scholar from Istanbul, Turkey. She is a registered dietitian with many research experience in health equity with a social science minor degree. She does mentoring and peer education by creating contents @sistersacademia.
Steering Committee
Monica Hu
MPH, Infectious Diseases & Vaccinology
Hi, I’m Monica Hu! I’m a first-year MPH student in Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at UC Berkeley. I graduated with a honors degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Washington. I love skiing, hiking, reading philosophy, playing chess, and working out while listening to EDM! I love making new friends so don’t hesitate to say hi if you bump into me at BWW!
PhD Representative
Marlena Robbins
Marlena Robbins is Diné (Navajo) from the Yeii Dine’e Táchii’nii (Giant Red Running into Water People) clan. She holds a master’s in American Indian studies – Indigenous rights and social justice. Her thesis, titled Art as a Spiritual Expression for Indigenous Well-being, focused on advocating for art within the fields of Indigenous mental health and community wellness. She has developed and implemented expressive arts programming for Community Bridges, Inc., a substance abuse and behavioral health nonprofit. She has served as the assistant director and grant writer of Cultural Coalition, Inc., an arts and culture nonprofit. Ms. Robbins is a doctoral student at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health – Interdisciplinary Studies, focusing on the advancement of sacred plant medicines in tribal nations. She is an Indigenous science student fellow of the Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics (BCSP). She is a graduate student researcher for the BCSP’s Certificate Program in Psychedelic Facilitation. Ms. Robbins serves as Indigenous and Community Affairs Officer at the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines.
Undergraduate Representatives
Serenai Dinçer
Serenai Dinçer (she/her/hers) is a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in Public Health and minoring in both Public Policy as well as Clinical and Counseling Psychology. She is particularly interested in addressing health inequities and disparities in the Bay Area. She is from Monterey, California and in her free time enjoys playing the piano, violin, viola, and accordion. After graduating, Serenai plans on pursuing a Master of Public Health, specifically in health management and policy.
Andrew Perera
Andrew Perera is a second year undergraduate studying Public Health and Molecular & Cell Biology. He grew up in Southern California, less than 15 minutes away from Disneyland. As the son of immigrants from Sri Lanka, Andrew is passionate about global health and advocating for the fair treatment of minorities in today’s healthcare system. He is also interested in addressing unmet healthcare needs in the community, such as medicine noncompliance. Outside of academics, Andrew loves trying new foods, drinking tea/coffee, and going on peaceful walks.
