People

Dr. Audrie Lin (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology at University of California, Santa Cruz. She completed her PhD in Microbiology & Immunology in 2012 at Stanford University and her MPH in Epidemiology in 2021 at UC Berkeley. She has 13 years of experience leading large-scale impact evaluations in low-resource rural settings and urban informal settlements in Bangladesh, Kenya, Fiji, and Indonesia using a Developmental Origins of Health and Disease framework. Through this lens, her transdisciplinary research focuses on the role of the exposome in the biological embedding of childhood adversity. Email: audrielin@ucsc.edu

Abhishek Bhatt, Honors B.A. Molecular and Cellular Biology
Abhishek is a recent graduate from UC Berkeley. His main work with the WASH Benefits project focuses on the association between environmental enteric dysfunction and growth in children in Kenya and Bangladesh. He has been working alongside physicians in urban underserved communities and hopes to one day also become a physician. His background working on public policy and healthcare motivates him to work alongside peers and colleagues to innovate and explore towards a safer and healthier tomorrow. During his free time, Abhishek loves to work out, spend time with friends and family, and play in his community volleyball league! Email: ab1967@berkeley.edu

Alexis V Silvera, Honors B.A. in Psychology and Global Public Health minor
Alexis joined the group in 2020. Her primary focus has been on examining the effects of maternal exposure to intimate partner violence, depression, and parental stress on child stress biomarkers. As a pre-medical student and psychology major, such topics have always felt critically important and primary research such as this further illuminates the interplay between psychology and biology both within the individual and over generations. With her undergrad career at Berkeley now completed, she is continuing to work toward med school and interning. You can find Alexis in the pottery studio, walking her dog, or spending time with friends and family. Email: alexisvsilvera@berkeley.edu

Andrew Mertens, Ph.D. in Epidemiology, M.S. in Environmental Health Science, M.A. in Biostatistics
Andrew is an epidemiology postdoctoral scholar and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of poor child growth and development in low and middle income countries, and on how water, sanitation, hygiene, and nutritional interventions affect the causal pathways leading to poor growth and development. His methodological interests are in individual-participant data meta-analyses, causal inference, trial design, and replication and transparency in science. He obtained his Ph.D. in Epidemiology, M.A. in Biostatistics, and M.S. in Environmental Health Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Email: amertens@berkeley.edu

Arlene Tan, B.S. in Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology; Minor in Global Public Health
Arlene is a current Nursing student at University of Pennsylvania pursuing a BSN/MSN in Nursing and Healthcare Administration. Passionate about improving the health of underserved populations and equal access to healthcare, her research in the lab focuses on investigating pregnancy factors and their correlation to child development. She has had previous research experience at UCSF cancer research center as well as at ULAB Berkeley. During her free time, Arlene loves hiking, playing soccer, and traveling to new places. Email: arleneet@nursing.upenn.edu

Caitlin Hemlock, M.S. Epidemiology, Ph.D. candidate in Epidemiology
Caitlin completed her M.S. in Public Health Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at George Washington University. She previously worked as the project manager on a large surveillance study on typhoid fever in South Asia and currently works on a variety of projects related to improving child health in low-resource settings. Email: hemlock_caitlin@berkeley.edu

Da Kyung (Kathy) Jung, B.A. in Molecular Cell Biology (minor in Global Public Health), Medical student at Johns Hopkins University
Kathy is passionate about studying gut health, maternal and child health, antimicrobial resistance, and access to safe food and water. Since joining the group in 2020, she published an article on maternal micronutrient status and child immune status, and she continues to research other topics including intimate partner violence, child telomere length, environmental enteric dysfunction, and antibiotic use. During her free time, Kathy likes to play guitar, crochet, watch sunsets at the beach, and catch up with friends. Email: kathydkjung@gmail.com

Diego Figueroa, B.S. Microbial Biology, Minor in Global Public Health
Diego is a recent UC Berkeley graduate. He is fascinated with how social and environmental factors interact with biology and genetics to infuence health outcomes, particularly among disadvantaged youth. Since joining the group in 2021, Diego has been investigating the relationship between exposure to perinatal stressors, such as intimate partner violence, and downstream impacts on child telomere lengths. Diego is excited to begin advanced training in Epidemiology and Biostatistics and hopes to contribute towards setting youth up for long, healthy lives. You can find him reading, surfing, or playing outdoors with his puppy Coco. Email: diegofigueroa@berkeley.edu

Farheen Jamshed, B.A. Integrative Biology, MPH candidate in Epidemiology and Infectious Disease
Farheen is currently a 2nd year MPH candidate in Epidemiology and Infectious Disease at Columbia University. She plans to continue her education in medicine to apply her public health skills as a physician. Farheen’s research interests include infectious diseases, women’s health and empowerment, environmental health, and child health. Her work is focused on understanding the effects of maternal nutrition, inflammation, stress, and estriol on child telomere length. Her work on the WASH Benefits team has tremendously contributed to her interest in public health, and she continues to be inspired by the fantastic team. Farheen enjoys reading mystery novels, testing out new recipes, and playing with friendly cats in her neighborhood! Email: jfarheen@berkeley.edu

Gabrielle Shuman, B.A. Public Health, Medical student at UC San Diego
Gabby is a 2nd year medical student at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, where she is a member of the PRIME-Health Equity program and is pursuing a joint MD/MPH. She completed her B.A. in Public Health at UC Berkeley, and was originally involved with WASH Benefits as a member of the MHIRT Global Health Disparities Research Fellowship. Her current research examines the relationship between maternal exposure to stress, depression, and intimate partner violence, and child immune system development. Her research interests include health disparities, maternal-child health, obstetrics, and the intersections of social stressors and long-term health. When she’s not in class, you can find Gabby exploring local trails, experimenting with new recipes, or enjoying a San Diego sunset. Email: gabbyshuman@gmail.com

Gene Ho, M.P.H. in Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Gene is a two-time graduate from UC Berkeley, receiving his B.A. in Public Health in 2019 and M.P.H. in 2020 from the 4+1 Epidemiology/Biostatistics program. At UC Berkeley, he was heavily involved in the Berkeley Free Clinic, Helix Medical, the Alameda County Public Health Department, the Health Service Internship, and more. Gene currently works full-time at the LA County Public Health Department as a Data Scientist tasked with the county’s COVID-19 response. His work on the WASH Benefits study examines environmental enteric dysfunction and child development. In what little free time he has, he enjoys working with high school outreach/mentorship organizations, finding good eats and trying to remember to go outside. Email: hogenegin@berkeley.edu

Journey Bliss (she/her/hers)

Journey Bliss is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is double-majoring in Global & Community Health B.A. and Environmental Studies B.A. Her main research focus is identifying the relationship between maternal exposure to intimate partner violence, depression, paternal perceived stress, and child growth outcomes. Striving for equitable healthcare for all, she hopes to receive her MPH after undergrad. Journey also works at the UCSC Student Health Center as a Mental Health Peer Educator to promote resources for student well-being. In her free time, she enjoys reading, visiting coffee shops, going to the beach, and spending time with friends and family. Email: jtbliss@ucsc.edu

Lynn Zhang, B.A. in progress for Molecular Cell Biology, Minor in Psychology

Lynn is a current junior at UC Berkeley.  She possesses a burgeoning interest in clinical immunology and global health disparities, aspiring to make a direct impact on the lives of medically underserved patients worldwide. Beyond her undergraduate studies, Lynn plans to further her research endeavors and embark on a career in medicine. Since joining the team in 2023, she has been actively involved in investigating the intricate relationship between Pregnancy Stress, Inflammation, and Environmental Enteric Dysfunction. During her leisure time, Lynn enjoys exploring hotpot restaurants and going on hikes. Email: shuyinzhang@berkeley.edu

Nicol Hernandez, B.A. in progress for Public Health, Minor in Data Science
Nicol is a current senior at UC Berkeley and is passionate about uplifting the community’s health through data driven solutions. In particular, she is interested in the relationship between maternal exposures/experiences and its impact on adulthood. She is also interested in biotechnology and improving its accessibility and affordability for all. Nicol joined the team in 2021 and is currently researching the association between maternal cortisol and inflammation and its impact on child development. She also worked on the RISE project. Nicol enjoys her free time by hiking, exploring new food restaurants/shops, and spending time with friends/family. Email: nicolhernandez@berkeley.edu

Ronit Gupta, B.A. in progress for Data Science and B.A. in progress for Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Ronit is a 4th year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying Data Science & Molecular and Cellular Biology. His research interests lie within the fields of global infectious disease epidemiology and biostatistics. He is passionate about examining the impacts of public health measures on underserved communities and people of color. Currently, Ronit is working on examining associations of biomarkers and children’s health. Following his undergraduate education, he plans to continue research, attend graduate school and pursue a career in the medical field. In his free time, he enjoys running, sunset hikes, cooking, and exploring new things with friends. Email: rgupta5@berkeley.edu

Sophia Tan, B.A. Molecular and Cellular Biology and B.A. Data Science
Sophia is a recent graduate from UC Berkeley. She is currently a member of the EPPIcenter research group and Dr. Nathan Lo’s lab at UCSF, exploring infectious disease modeling and utilizing computational tools to inform public health policy. Her primary work with the WASH Benefits projects examines the relationships between child immune status and early development. Outside of research, Sophia can be found making matcha lattes, chasing sunsets, boxing or practicing taekwondo! Email: Sophia.Tan4@ucsf.edu

Zachary Butzin-Dozier, Ph.D. in Epidemiology.  Zach is a postdoctoral scholar in the Division of Biostatistics at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. His work applies Targeted Machine Learning methodology to COVID-19 data, explores methods of synthetic data creation to improve data sharing and collaboration, and evaluates the relationships between maternal milk composition and child growth and development. In addition, his research evaluates drivers of WASH intervention effectiveness and poor development for children in Bangladesh. He received his Ph.D. in Epidemiology and MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from UC Berkeley. Email: zbutzin@berkeley.edu

Md Ziaur Rahman, M.P.H., B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Zia is employed by icddr,b, a global leader in public health research based in Bangladesh. The epidemiology of environmental enteric dysfunction and maternal and infant stress are the primary subjects of his research. He was in charge of the WASH Benefits Bangladesh trial’s field laboratory team. Zia is currently using WASH Benefits data to investigate the association between maternal stress and inflammation and the stress response of the child. Zia is also enthusiastic about epidemiological studies of wastewater. Email: ziaur.rahman@icddrb.org