Current Staff
Sam Leonard, MS
Sam Leonard received a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Southern California and an MS in Statistics and Applied Mathematics from the University of California Santa Cruz. His interest in public health research began in graduate school, where he assisted in the development of a disease clustering model. He joined Dr. Salomeh Keyhani’s research team at NCIRE as a statistician in 2018.
Emily Lum, MPH
Emily Lum received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. After graduating, she worked as a Research Associate with the HHV-6 Foundation. Her interest in public health grew out of her volunteer experiences with the Public Health Brigades, the Community Wellness Center at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, and NEED in Berkeley. She went on to get her Master's in Public Health in Epidemiology with a minor in Infectious Disease Prevention and Control. Emily joined Dr. Keyhani's research team in early 2019 as a Research Associate and stepped into the Program Coordinator role shortly thereafter. Emily spends her free time coaching figure skating and rewatching The Office on Netflix.
Scarlett Guzman, BA
Scarlett Guzman joined Dr. Keyhani's team as a research assistant in November 2021. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. For the next few years, she went on to work as a coffee professional before making the exciting leap back into research. She is eager to learn more about public health issues within the veteran community, while also exploring broader mental health trends. She plans on pursuing a future in data. Scarlett spends her free time reading, going to concerts, crafting, learning to play instruments, and occasionally some coffee consultation work.
Joyce Do, BA/BS
Joyce Do joined Dr. Keyhani's team as a research assistant in July 2022. She graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2022 with degrees in Human Development and Psychology. She is excited to learn how health and lifestyle factors impact successful aging in the veteran population. She plans to further her education in a related field of study. In her free time you can catch Joyce outdoors gardening, hiking or listening to podcasts.
Mariam Jacob, MD
Mariam Erika Jacob received a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in Systems Physiology and a minor in Chemistry from San Jose State University. After graduation she went on to receive her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA in the Philippines. She has always had a strong interest in public health, volunteering in medical missions in both college and throughout medical school. Mariam joined Dr. Keyhani’s research team in March 2023 as a research associate and project coordinator. In her spare time she enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and trying new foods.
Kai Kohlwes, BA
Kai Kohlwes graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2023. He joined Dr. Keyhani's team in September 2023. He wants to pursue a career in medicine. He's is excited to learn about the public health aspect of substance use in aging populations. In his free time, you can find him running, biking, or playing video games.
Chris Schou, BA
Chris Schou joined Dr. Keyhani's team as a research assistant in September 2023. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He plans to pursue a career in clinical psychology and is eager to explore mental health outcomes in veteran populations. Chris spends his free time producing music, hiking, cooking, and traveling.
Alumni
Ayanna Sumlin, BS
Ayanna Sumlin joined Dr. Keyhani's team as a research assistant in March 2022. She graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2020 with a Bachelor's of Science in Exercise Science. After graduation, she relocated to the West Coast for work opportunities and to explore. She also works with Stanford School of Medicine as a part-time research assistant, researching pregnancy outcomes in Lupus patients. Ayanna hopes to further her education with a Masters in Public Health and pursue a career in epidemiology. In her free time she enjoys exploring the outdoors, painting, and finding new music.
Tiffany Ngan, BA
Tiffany Ngan joined the team in September 2021 and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2021 with degrees in Cognitive Science and Psychology. She is looking forward to learning more about Veterans' Health through the lens of stress research and is interested in implementation science and trauma-informed approaches, with a goal of pursuing a degree in clinical psychology. In her free time she hangs out with her cats and loves coffee and exploring new places in the city.
Tristan Moss-Vazquez, BA
Tristan Moss-Vazquez was brought onto the team in April of 2021. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in May of 2020 with a degree in Cognitive Science. As a staff research associate, he has enjoyed applying his academic research experience and clinical experience to the Population Health and Policy Research Group while learning more about Public Health. He looks forward to going back to school in a related field of study. On off days, you can find Tristan playing soccer, reading a book, or biking around and identifying local trees.
Molly Delzio, BS
Molly Delzio joined the team in September 2021 as a research assistant after graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology and a minor in Applied Psychology. Her interest in public health ties back to her passion for mental health advocacy and accessibility. She plans on pursuing a doctorate degree in clinical psychology in order to further her research and clinical interests. She enjoys hiking, running, painting, and making jewelry in her free time.
Stacey Tabbaa, MSSA
Stacey Tabbaa is a consultant for PHPRG. After graduating with degrees in Economics and International Relations from The Ohio State University, she went on to get her Master's in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University. She joined Dr. Keyhani's team in 2016 and worked as the Program Manager for three years. Currently, she aids in Quality Assurance and project implementation.
In her free time, Stacey enjoys watching Arrested Development with her cat George Michael.
Wylie Barker, BS
Wylie Barker joined Dr. Keyhani's team as a research assistant in October 2019. She graduated from McGill University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Her interest in public health stems from her previous experience as an intern at the Department of Health on the island of Kauai. She plans to further her education with a Master's in Public Health.
Wylie enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors.
Madeleine Gerson, BA
Madeleine Gerson joined the Population Health and Policy Research Group in 2019 as a research assistant. Madeleine is a 2018 graduate of the University of Michigan, where she majored in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. After graduation, she volunteered for AmeriCorps, working for the San Francisco Unified School District. In the future, Madeleine hopes to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology.
In her free time, Madeleine enjoys taking her dog, Max, on long walks at Ocean Beach.
Hannah McCarthy Potter, BA
Hannah McCarthy Potter joined the Population Health and Policy Research Group as a research assistant in June 2020. She graduated from Scripps College in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience and a minor in Dance. Her interest in Public Health sprang from her passion for improving access to quality mental healthcare in the USA. Hannah hopes to continue her research in mental health policy and care by pursuing a postgraduate degree in Clinical Psychology.
In her free time, Hannah enjoys taking dance classes, water coloring, and listening to podcasts.
Jordan Demos, MPH
Jordan Demos received a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from the University of Central Florida in Orlando and a Master's in Public Health from the University of San Francisco in 2019. His interest in research started while completing his MPH degree. Upon graduation, Jordan began looking for opportunities in the research field and was hired as a research assistant at NCIRE for Dr. Keyhani's research lab in Sep. 2019. Previously, Jordan worked as a Health Educator for The Food Education Project, where he taught nutrition and wellness to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in an after-school enrichment program for McKinley Elementary School and Daniel Webster Elementary School. He currently has future plans to get a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Clinical Research.
Haley Martin, BS
Haley Martin joined the Population Health and Policy Research Group as a research assistant in 2019. She graduated from UC Davis in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. After graduation, she worked as an emergency department scribe for Vituity. Haley's interest in public health stems from her volunteer experience in the preventative care department at CommuniCare Health Centers. She plans to further her education with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies.
Rebecca Wong, MPH
Rebecca Wong is a recent addition to Dr. Keyhani’s research lab at NCIRE as a Program Coordinator. The emphasis of the Ancient Greeks and Romans on the importance of providing health for the whole society as well as their interest in the relationships between external factors on human health during her undergraduate career in Classical Civilizations at New York University, lead her to become interested in and pursue a master’s degree in public health. Her interest in the relationship between lifestyle factors and health has been strongly driven by her desire to alleviate health disparities among underserved populations. She joined Dr. Keyhani’s lab in 2018 after completing her Master’s of Public Health with honors in Epidemiology at New York University.
Erin Madden, MPH
Erin Madden, MPH, is a research statistician at NCIRE. Her main research focus is on using longitudinal observational data for comparative effectiveness research. Current projects include comparing the effectiveness of methods for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and comparing methods for the treatment of PTSD. Over the last 13 years, she has engaged in a diverse array of research involving ‘big’ health data, including modeling the US blood supply (Blood Systems, Inc.), application of machine learning to genomic data to explore complex gene-gene interactions (International Multiple Sclerosis genetics consortium), and, over the last seven years, many Veterans’ health services and outcomes studies using national level VHA and CMS (Medicare) administrative and electronic medical record data.
Mehrnaz Ghasemiesfe, MD
Dr. Mehrnaz Ghasemiesfe is a visiting research scholar and has been with the Research Group since 2016. She worked on the Effect of Marijuana on Lung Function and Respiratory Disease Outcomes, the Carotid Effectiveness study, the Effect of Marijuana on Cardiovascular Outcomes and Risk Factors. She graduated from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences as an MD and the Tehran University of Medical Sciences as an internal medicine specialist.
Camille Dollinger, BA
Camille Dollinger graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a BA in Anthropology. She served in Peace Corps Senegal as a preventative health volunteer for two years. Upon her return to the Bay Area, she worked as a qualitative research assistant at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) with PI Tamar Antin. She then joined Dr. Salomeh Keyhani’s research group at NCIRE to examine the connection between lifestyle and health. Camille hopes to pursue a career in public health research.
Robin Yoo, BA
Robin Yoo joined the Population Health and Policy Research Group in 2017 and was on the team for two years. She currently attends graduate school for Biostatistics.
Alysandra J. Zhang, BA
Alysandra is a MA Candidate in the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology at Columbia University. She is currently pursuing a dual concentration in Research Methods and Clinical Psychology and Technology. She is interested in the intersection between the accessibility of healthcare and developing clinical intervention technologies to achieve health impact at scale.
Ann Abraham, BS
Ann Abraham is a research associate and joined the Population Health and Policy Research Group since 2014. She worked on the Carotid Effectiveness study, the Marijuana and Health Survey project and the Financial Ties project. She graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor’s of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and is planning to go to medical school.
Nicholas Lau, BA
Prior to joining the Population Health and Policy Research Group as a research associate, Nick was a research assistant at the Institute for Scientific Analysis. He graduated from the University of California-Merced, where he studied sociology and public health. He has worked on a variety of projects, including community needs assessments in the San Joaquin Valley and qualitative studies of cannabis and other substance users in the San Francisco Bay Area. His research interests include health and society, drug use and policy, agriculture and food systems, and criminology. He plans to pursue graduate studies in medical sociology.
Outside of research, he enjoys tending to his garden.
Cassandra Smith, BS, BSN, RN
Cassandra grew up in the Kansas City area before going to Kansas State University. She majored in Life Sciences with minors in Leadership Studies and Biology. After graduating from K-State, she attended nursing school at Washburn University. Cassandra moved to Nashville, where she began her nursing career in the Adult Emergency Department. In December 2017, she moved to the Bay Area to complete the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Health Professions Program at UC Berkeley Extension. She is currently an emergency department nurse, as well as a research assistant.
In her free time, she likes to play volleyball, go on walks with her dog, Sassy, write stories, and read.
Sean Woodruff, BA
Sean Woodruff joined the Population Health and Policy Research Group as a research assistant in 2020. He graduated from Haverford College with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science in 2018. After graduation, he moved to Japan to teach English to elementary and middle school students. His interests include mental healthcare, economics, and healthcare policy.
In his free time, he enjoys playing cello and guitar, doing crosswords, and watching sitcoms.
Caroline Stiver, BS
Caroline Stiver joined the Population Health and Policy Research Group as a research assistant in June 2020. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with an emphasis in research and a minor in biological sciences. Her interest in research stems from work on previous projects involving sleep and memory. Caroline plans to further her education by pursuing a postgraduate degree in Clinical Psychology.
In her free time, Caroline enjoys drawing and playing the piano.