2025 MHRT Trainees
Briana Canady, MPH candidate, Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh
Site: Universitas Gadjah Mada Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Briana is investigating childhood vaccination coverage and timeliness of mandatory and non-mandatory vaccines in Sleman Regency, a region within the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This research aims to explore how various socioeconomic factors, including household income, parental education, and insurance status, affect vaccination uptake among children. Her work will primarily focus on cleaning, analyzing, and writing a report on the collected mixed-method data to examine how these patterns may have shifted during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kenedi Clinton, MS candidate, Environmental Health Sciences with a concentration in Industrial Hygiene, University of Michigan
Site: Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Kenedi is contributing to a study investigating how Thai language proficiency impacts
perceived workplace risk among Myanmar migrant workers in Chiang Rai, Thailand, and
how these perceptions vary by gender. She is conducting a secondary data analysis
to support the finalization of a manuscript focused on occupational health disparities
and the need for linguistically inclusive safety training.
In addition to this research, Kenedi is supporting the development of an innovative insecticide residue screening tool for agricultural products to detect potential contamination, advancing food safety efforts in rural Thailand.
Mary Dwan, MPH candidate, Global Health Epidemiology, University of Michigan
Site: Institute for Social and Environmental Research-Nepal in Chitwan, Nepal
Mary is investigating the connection between intergenerational disadvantage and child health in the Chitwan Valley of Nepal. Her work is primarily focused on data quality and analysis for high-frequency survey data. Additionally, she is contributing to the development of interviewer training materials, surveys, literature reviews, and reports.
Jemila Macauley, MPH candidate with a Maternal and Child Health concentration, University of South Florida
Site: African Population Health Research Center (APHRC), Nairobi, Kenya
Jemila is working with the Research Related Capacity Strengthening (RRCS) unit at the African Population Health Research Center (APHRC), where her work will span both individual and institutional capacity strengthening. Within the RRCS unit, she will contribute to a scoping review focused on health and human resources in Kenya and across Africa, advancing the unit’s efforts to enhance individual research capacity. Additionally, Jemila will participate in the Partnership for Education of Health Professionals (PEP) project, which is an ongoing initiative in collaboration with the Novo Nordisk Foundation. This project aims to strengthen institutional capacity, specifically by advancing cardiometabolic disease education. Jemila will attend dissemination events throughout Kenya that reflect on the data collection and program activities over the past year. While at APHRC, Jemila will also engage with the Countdown to 2030 Initiative within the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) division of the Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (SRMNCAH) unit. Her responsibilities will include planning community dissemination activities, contributing to paper writing, developing proposals, and conducting data analysis related to maternal, newborn, and child health across 34 African countries.
Ushuu Namarra, MPH candidate, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health
Site: African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
Ushuu is investigating unintended pregnancy and violence against women and children
in refugee contexts under the Baobab Research Programme Consortium (RPC). The project
explores the prevalence of unintended pregnancy, unmet need for contraception, and
strategies to expand access to sexual and reproductive health services in refugee
camps in Ethiopia. She is primarily involved in mixed-methods data analysis and collaborates
with team members on brief writing and dissemination preparation for pilot intervention
testing.
Delina Seyoum, MPH candidate, University of Washington
Site: University of South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Delina is currently assessing the maternal and child health in the Pacific Islands.
Angela Sierra, MS candidate, Cognitive Neuroscience, City University of New York
Site: Institute of Nutrition & Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Angela is investigating the extent to which psychosocial factors, in combination with telomere length, contribute to a deeper understanding of epigenetic age, a molecular indicator of biological aging. This research is based in Santiago, Chile, and focuses on the distinctive Alexandros cohort of Super Agers: older adults who maintain exceptional cognitive and physical functioning. This research ultimately aims to uncover the mechanisms that underlie resilient aging and inform broader understandings of health across the lifespan.
Chloe Thach, MPH candidate, Environmental Health Promotion and Policy, University of Michigan
Site: Urban Safety Innovation Research Group, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand
Cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer among women living in Thailand, and there are significant barriers to screening and treatment experienced by marginalized Hill Tribe women. Chloe will be supporting Dr. Kowit Nambunmee in his investigation of these barriers by applying the Integrated Screening Action Model to qualitative interviews, analyzing quantitative survey data, and developing recommendations to increase accessibility that align with unique cultural needs of Hill Tribe women. In addition, Chloe will be supporting Dr. Kowit’s response to the heavy metal contamination of the Mae Kok River, which supports the livelihood of thousands of people in Chiang Rai, by creating recipe lists of local Thai foods with high nutritional values that may prevent heavy metal absorption. Through these projects and under the mentorship of the host site, Chloe will be promoting environmental health in Northern Thailand through culturally-informed, evidence-based solutions.