Students
Current Students
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Margaret Dunne
Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant | Ph.D. Student | Fall 2024 CohortMargaret is a first-year Ph.D. student. Before beginning her doctoral studies, Margaret worked at Westat, a contract research organization, where she managed a CDC-funded project that worked to estimate the effectiveness of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines in the US. She also has research and applied public health experience addressing dengue in the Philippines and HIV/AIDS in Botswana. Her research interests include improving preparedness for and responses to future pandemics – with a focus on community engagement. She holds a Master of Science in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Global Health from Georgetown University.
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Christopher Semancik
Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant | Ph.D. Student | Fall 2025 CohortChris is a first-year epidemiology PhD student whose research interests include emerging infectious disease modeling, pandemic preparedness, serology and transmission, genomic epidemiology, and pharmacoepidemiology. Prior to his doctoral studies, Chris worked as an IRTA Research Fellow at NIAID/NIH and as a Research Intern at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. His research has integrated epidemiologic, genomic, immunologic, and geospatial approaches to examine prevalence, risk factors, and viability of vaccines and other interventions associated with emerging infectious diseases and chronic diseases, such as COVID-19, filoviruses, nontuberculous mycobacteria, and cancer. Chris holds an MPH in Epidemiology/Biostatistics and a BS in Biology, both from Tufts University.
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Mira Guth
Pandemic Center Student Student Researcher | PhD-MPH StudentMira Guth is an PhD-MPH student in anthropology and public health at Brown University. Her research focuses on emerging intersections between human, animal, and environmental health, as well as how scientists and policymakers are responding to health threats that cross species borders. She is interested in how livestock veterinarians, farmers, and other actors navigate the interface of animal agriculture and public health, exploring themes of multispecies care, expertise, and health governance on a changing planet.
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Yuliya Velhan
5-year UG/MPH Program (Public Health/Epidemiology); Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; 2023 Summer UTRAExperience working with the Pandemic Center, in their own words:
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Aaron Johnson
Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant | Second year MPHAaron Johnson is a second-year MPH student in the School of Public Health. He earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Mathematics from Howard University. His research interests center on Maternal and Child Health, with a particular focus on Adolescent and Young Adult Health. Aaron is deeply committed to advancing community health, health security, and health equity for marginalized and disenfranchised populations. His passion for public health is grounded in experiences through internships at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, as well as collaborations with the Delta Research and Education Foundation and the NIH All of Us Research Program.
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Clara Baisinger-Rosen
Fall 2025 UTRAClara is a Junior studying Public Health and Literary Arts. She is interested in health communication and storytelling. Outside of the Pandemic Center, Clara produces public health media with the Brown Political Review, volunteers with Providence mental health organizations, and oversees social media creative direction for a local climate-centered art studio.
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Anne Chang
Spring 2026 UTRAAnne is a junior studying Neuroscience and Public Health. She is interested in pandemic preparedness, biosecurity, and understanding how public health systems shape the prevention, treatment, and outcomes of neurological disease. Outside of the Pandemic Center, Anne conducts research with the Fallon Lab, serves as Vice President of the Brown University Orchestra and Korean American Student Association, and volunteers at Rhode Island Hospital to provide patient care.
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Samuel Eskander
Spring 2026 UTRASam is a sophomore at Brown studying International and Public Affairs and Health and Human Biology. He is interested in global health, health policy, health systems optimization, and biosecurity. Outside of the Pandemic Center, Sam is a policy analyst focused on overdose prevention with the Brown Initiative for Policy and a research assistant with radiation oncologists at Rhode Island Hospital.
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Hallel Abrams Gerber
Student Research InternHallel Abrams Gerber is a sophomore studying Psychology and Education Studies with a focus on learning and development for child and adolescent populations. She is passionate about mental health, care equity, and resource access. Outside of the Pandemic Center, she is part of the Levari Lab, and she works with the BRIDGE Program, through the Alpert Medical School. She also serves as the Managing Editor for an international undergraduate research journal and writes on behalf of the Brown Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences.
Student Alumni
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Melia Lee
Summer 2023 UTRA -
Johan Enrique Ayala
Summer 2023 UTRA, Johan graduated in 2024. -
Tao Burga
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; Class of 2024 -
Sabrina Chwalek
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; Class of 2024 -
Ariyaporn (Mimi) Haripottawekul
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; Class of 2024 -
Alice Im
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; Class of 2024 -
Adam Kuzee
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; Class of 2024 -
Jorge Ledesma
Epidemiology Doctoral Candidate. Jorge arrived at Brown as part of the Fall 2020 cohort and successfully defended his dissertation in April of 2024. -
Maddie McCarthy
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; Class of 2024 -
Kiran Rodrigues
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; Class of 2024 -
Julia Braeunig
Former Pandemic Center Teaching Assistant; MPH class of 2025 -
Doha Maaty
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; MPH class of 2025 -
Robert Dettman
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant | Ph.D. Student | Fall 2024 Cohort -
Maria Pieruccini
Former Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant; MPH class of 2025 -
Ruviha Homma
Summer 2025 UTRA -
Huyen Nguyen
Summer 2025 UTRA -
Mary Claire Warren
Summer 2025 UTRA -
Kyoungmin (Kris) Lee
Pandemic Center Student Research Assistant -
Porter Culp
Fall 2025 UTRA -
Mathieu Greco
Fall 2025 UTRA