Doctoral Student Profiles
Cynthia Adebayo, BS, is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences with
an interest in combining science and community partnerships to tackle environmental
justice and better the health of vulnerable communities. Cynthia's research focuses
on analyzing the metabolic exposome to characterize exposure to PFAS and other contaminants
from personal product usage, as well as diet.
Adedamola Adenekan is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and an international
student from Nigeria. His research interests lie at the intersection of environmental
health and toxicology, focusing on the impact of environmental stressors on both ecosystems
and human health. Specifically, Adedamola is dedicated to understanding how agrochemicals,
herbicides, and other pollutants affect ecological systems and human well-being, especially
in the context of developing countries. He is excited to work with Dr. Manz on a project
concerning the destruction of PFAS. Adedamola is passionate about bridging the gap
between academic research and practical environmental solutions, with a long-term
goal of establishing a research lab in Nigeria to conduct impactful public health
research and contribute to global advancements in environmental health.
David Aguilar is a doctoral student in Environmental Health Science, a Rackham Merit Fellowship
(RMF) awardee and an Environmental Toxicology and Epidemiology Training Grant (ETEP)
trainee. He is interested in characterizing novel environmental exposure-associated
biomarkers and pathologies in various organ systems using integrated spatial transcriptomics,
imaging mass spectrometry, epigenomics, digital pathology, and machine learning. Additionally,
he is interested in building biomonitoring/epidemiological tools that harness epigenetic
and medical imaging data in addition to traditional modalities.
Sydney Dame is a first-year student in the Toxicology PhD program in the Department of Environmental
Health Sciences, and an Environmental Toxicology and Epidemiology Training Grant (ETEP)
trainee. They have a B.S. in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and worked as a research
laboratory technician in Cellular and Developmental Biology before pursuing Toxicology.
They are broadly interested in the relationship between environmental health and human
health, biochemical mechanism of toxicity, metabolomics, epigenetics, and exposure
and risk assessment.
Jarrod Eaton, MPH, is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Environmental Health Science.
His research focuses on biomarkers of exposure to air pollution and their association
to maternal health birth outcomes, such as preterm birth. He is also interested in
understanding the relationship among macroenvironmental exposures (e.g. proximity
to major roads, proximity to greenspace) and various birth outcomes, as well.
Ariana Haidari, MS, RD, is a doctoral student in Environmental Health Sciences. She she aims to
study how nutritional and toxicant exposures across the life span alter the epigenome,
and how these alterations are related to detectable changes in biomarker and metabolomic
measurements. A registered dietitian since 2016, Ariana is also interested in relating
epigenomic data into clinical practice.
Jie He, MS, is passionate about understanding how noise exposures contribute to public health
challenges. Jie is interested in utilizing statistical analysis and machine learning
techniques to explore these complex relationships. Jie received a BS in Nursing from
Peking University in 2017 and an MS in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Michigan
in 2023.
Tomoko Ishikawa, MS, (she/her) is a doctoral student studying Toxicology in the Department of Environmental
Health Sciences. Her research interests center around early life exposure to environmental
toxicants and chronic health outcomes. She is particularly interested in investigating
the sex-specific epigenetic impacts of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
and arsenic on heart health. Her methodological interests include using human-induced
pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) and mouse models. She aims
to determine the molecular mechanisms and develop potential interventions that mitigate
the effects on health and well-being outcomes in diverse populations.
Haley Jenkins, MPH, RD (she/her) is a third-year EHS doctoral student in the Meeker-Watkins lab.
She is interested in using biomarker epidemiology to understand the impact of anthropogenic
chemical exposures (e.g., pesticides) on prenatal and perinatal health outcomes and
infant/child development. Haley hopes her future research endeavors positively impact
the vast existing health disparities in environmental exposures and ultimately inform
policy change to protect vulnerable populations.
Thu Le is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and international
student from Vietnam. She is broadly interested in developing new, environmentally
friendly, and sustainable methods of microbial control, especially to remove bacterial
biofilms. She currently studies nanobubbles and their effects on various single-species
and multi-species biofilms using culture techniques, microscopy, and 16S rRNA gene
sequencing.
Xin Li, MS, is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. She
is interested in public health issues related to microorganisms and wastewater-based
epidemiology. Specifically, she aims to obtain information on the health status and
spread of antibiotic resistance in communities from wastewater they discharged. She
is currently involved in a wastewater surveillance project for COVID-19 in which she
is working with her teammates on building up methods to monitor the spread of the
disease by monitoring genetic materials of viruses in wastewater.
Evelyn Matei, MD/PhD student in the University of Michigan Medical Scientist Training Program.
She has completed half of her medical training so far, and is now pursuing her doctoral
degree in Toxicology in the department of Environmental Health Sciences. She is broadly
interested in the effects of environmental toxicant and pesticide exposure on health,
particularly in underserved, rural, and urban communities disproportionately affected
by environmental poisoning. She is excited to work with Dr. Colacino and Dr. Bakulski
on a project concerning the effects of lead exposure on the development of neurodegenerative
disease. In terms of clinical interests, she hopes to pursue residency in either Emergency
Medicine or Family Medicine, because of the connections these fields have to rural
health and toxicology. In her free time, she enjoys listening to/playing music, reading,
spending time with cats, and doing anything outdoors.
Edith Mercado, is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the
School of Public Health. Her research is focused on investigating the impact of environmental
chemical exposures (such as metals, pesticides, or PFAS) on human health in underrepresented
and marginalized communities. Additionally, she wants to enhance her science communication
skills to effectively convey her findings in both English and Spanish.
Lauren Middleton, MPH (she/her) is an MD/PhD student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences.
Her research interests include how environmental chemical exposures affect the immune
system. She is particularly excited about studying associations between antibody responses
to infections and chemical biomarkers. Lauren plans to use a combination of environment-wide
association studies using NHANES, organoid co-culture, and single-cell immune profiling
to investigate immune system function. Clinically, she is currently interested in
surgery, pathology, or infectious disease. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball
and hanging out with her family’s dogs.
Amaleah Mirti MPH (she/her) is a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Environmental
Health Sciences. She is broadly interested in diseases and adverse medical conditions
that affect women’s health and the roles that the environment and society serve in
exacerbating those pathways. In the long-term, she hopes to focus on the relationship
between endocrine-disrupting chemicals and PCOS and endometriosis.
Bethany Pace is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, with a
concentration in toxicology and a specific interest in investigating the short-term
and long-term consequences of chemical hazard exposure.
Seonyoung (Shannon) Park, MPH, is a PhD candidate in Environmental Health Sciences. Shannon's research centers
on investigating the impact of environmental chemical exposures, including endocrine-disrupting
chemicals and air pollution, during pregnancy on maternal and children's health. Her
research interests also encompass the utilization of advanced mixture modeling and
mediation analysis techniques to gain a comprehensive understanding of real-world
exposure scenarios and the underlying physiological mechanisms through which these
exposures influence the development and etiology of complex diseases.
Margaret H. Rabotnick, MPH, is a PhD candidate pursing a degree in Toxicology. Her research focuses on
the role of chemical exposures during pregnancy on immediate and long-term maternal
and fetal health. Maggie's dissertation work involves studying the impact of in utero
exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and modification of the maternal
lipidome as well as placental cell specific lipid- and transcriptomic changes that
are potentially mediated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). She
is specifically interested in the impact that any lipid- and transcriptomic alterations
may have on the pathogenesis of adverse pregnancy outcomes including preeclampsia,
gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and low birth weight.
Meaghan Rea, MPH, is a doctoral student studying toxicology in the Department of Environmental
Health Sciences and a Genome Sciences Training Grant (GSTP) trainee. Meaghan's interests
lie in understanding how environmental contaminant exposures alter placental and fetal
development, and how these exposures impact the placental immune response and contribute
to intrauterine infections or other adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Kimberley (Kimmie) Sala-Hamrick (she/her) is a PhD student pursuing a degree in Toxicology. She has a B.S. in Biology
from the University of Michigan and worked as a research assistant at Wayne State
University School of Medicine before starting graduate school. Her research projects
focus on developmental exposures and their possibility to affect piRNA biology in
the heart. In her free time, Kimmie enjoys exploring the great outdoors and her cats,
Aang and Bumi.
Esha Shah, MPH (she/her/hers) is a first-year EHS doctoral student interested in studying how
environmental exposures impact human health, particularly in marginalized communities.
Esha has a background in WASH and is also interested in studying toxicants in drinking
water. In her free time, Esha enjoys baking, hikes, and exploring new coffee shops.
Abas Shkembi, MS, is interested in connecting the dots between environmental and occupational exposures
and their role in cumulative environmental injustices using spatial statistics and
machine learning techniques. Abas received his BS in Statistics, minoring in Environmental
Science, from the University of Michigan in 2020, and an MS in Industrial Hygiene,
also from the University of Michigan in 2023
Ram C. Siwakoti, MS, is a doctoral student focusing on environmental epidemiology in the Department
of Environmental Health Sciences. He is broadly interested in applying advanced statistical
and data science methods to examine the health effects of various chemicals, including
per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In addition, Ram is also interested in
studying the combined health effects of mixtures within or across different chemical
classes.
Jennifer Smith is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences pursuing
a PhD in Toxicology. She is interested in the effects of environmental toxicants on
gene expression, and their subsequent contributions to abnormal neurobehavioral deficits
in adulthood. She has a passion for maternal and fetal health, and hopes to study
the effects of these gene-toxicant interactions in utero. Jennifer hopes to elucidate
the various barriers that may exist amongst different populations because of epigenetic
setbacks that have occurred as a result non-consensual toxic exposure. She seeks to
use her research as a tool to advocate for widespread policy change in urban and rural
areas, and other locations of uniquely high toxic exposure and poor health outcomes.
Katherine (Kat) Springer, MPH, is a doctoral student in the Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) program at
the University of Michigan.
Philip Steenstra, M.S., MMAS, is a doctoral student in the Toxicology program of the Department of
Environmental Health Sciences. His research interests revolve around assessing human
exposure, measuring long-term health outcomes, and determining environmental transport
and fate of chemical hazards within the environment.
Savannah Sturla Irizarry (she/her) a doctoral candidate in Environmental Health Sciences. She is interested
in how environmental exposures contribute to disparities in adverse birth and developmental
outcomes. Savannah aims to integrate biomarker epidemiology with mixed-methods and
community-based frameworks in her work. Savannah's dissertation focuses on prenatal
exposure to metal and metalloid mixtures through drinking water and child neurodevelopment
outcomes in Puerto Rico using both quantitative and qualitative investigation.
Anupon Tadee, MS, (he/him) is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences
– Industrial Hygiene. He has a BPH in Occupational Health and Safety and MS in Toxicology
from the University in Thailand. He is broadly interested in the investigation of
health and safety of workers in various fields. His dissertation aims to understand
the occupational hazards, risk factors, and health and safety perspectives of researchers.
In his free time, he enjoys walking in natural places, watching youtube, and relaxing
at home.
Susie Proctor (MPH) is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. She
is broadly interested in researching human exposure to industrial contaminants, such
as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in vulnerable and impacted communities. Her
goal is to conduct rigorous environmental exposure and epidemiology studies which
can be translated into evidence for remediation interventions and policy changes.
She is primarily interested in understanding how early life exposures lead to future
adverse health outcomes.
Lauren Ward, MPH&TM, (she/her) is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health
Sciences. She is interested in the health impacts of environmental and occupational
exposures to infectious agents, and
chemicals. Lauren's research uses epidemiological approaches to examine the relationships
between such exposures and epigenetic outcomes, as well as the impacts of toxicant
exposures on immune system function. Her current research focuses on the impacts
of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure on epigenetic age and infectious
disease immunity in firefighters and the relationship between environmental PFAS exposure
and immune function in adolescents in Nepal.
Dongyue Wang, MS, is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences where
he also completed his MS degree in 2023. He is broadly interested in the relationship
between environmental exposure and epigenetic regulation, especially a class of small
non-coding RNA, piRNA. He aims to identify the potential of piRNA to serve as a biomarker
for environmental exposure and ultimately to use it as a tool for epigenetic editing.
Meizhen Yao, MS, MB, is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Science.
She is interested in investigating the impact of a broader range of preconception
and prenatal environmental exposures on reproductive health and child development,
with a particular focus on their joint impact. She also aspires to incorporate 'omic'
technologies into environmental epidemiology study designs to explore the potential
biological mechanisms underlying the connections between risk factors and health outcomes.
Xin Zhang, MPH, (she/her) is a doctoral student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences.
She is interested in occupational exposure to physical agents, with a focus on noise
exposure, hearing loss, and related health outcomes. In addition, Xin is interested
in integrating novel sampling method to collect exposure data on a larger scale and
applying advanced statistical models to explore the exposure-response relationships.