Students and Trainees

Salvador Balkus is a Doctoral Candidate in Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he is advised by Professor Nima Hejazi. He joined the team in May 2026 to support reproducible statistical analyses of the Mass-ACCERT data, including studies on cancer screening at community health centers. His methodological research focuses on solving semiparametric causal inference and missing data problems using machine learning, with an emphasis on environmental data. 

Ella is getting their MPH with the department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. They are focused on improving systems and programs to advance child and adolescent health. After working in high schools for 4 years, they now use research and policy to help young people lead healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives. On the MCPCRN study, Ella assists with conducting interviews with Spanish-speaking participants. 

Emmanuella Michel (she/her) is an MPH student in the Health and Social Behavior program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, with a concentration in Climate & Planetary Health. Her work focuses on community engagement, climate justice, and mental health – particularly how environmental change affects the well-being of communities most impacted by systemic inequities.

Emmanuella currently serves as a Research Assistant with the Mass ACCERT Capacity-Building Team, where she supports evaluation, technical assistance, and capacity-building efforts to advance community-engaged cancer research. She also works with the Office for Community and Belonging to help launch a new interdisciplinary concentration in Community Engagement in Public Health Research & Practice.

Her practicum work with Generation Zanzibar, a youth-led network of 38 community groups, explored how climate change affects youth mental health through interviews and focus groups in communities affected by flooding and waste. Prior to Harvard, she was a Postbaccalaureate IRTA Fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health, where she developed a Social Determinants of Health module for clinical research and coordinated data collection across multiple studies. Emmanuella is passionate about bridging research and community action.

Outside of her work, she enjoys pottery, exploring new music, spending time with family, and traveling.

Nihaal Rahman (he/him) is a Population Health Sciences PhD student in the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences. His research interests include social epidemiology, climate and health, built environments, and the intersections of these fields, particularly within the Asia-Pacific region. At Harvard, Nihaal is a Presidential Scholar and a Doctoral Trainee in Demography and Population Sciences at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. Nihaal also holds affiliations with the National Center for Child Health and Development in Tokyo, Japan and Fukushima Medical University in Fukushima, Japan. He graduated with an MPH from Columbia University and a BS from Johns Hopkins University. Outside of his research, Nihaal enjoys film photography, snowboarding, scuba diving, and finding new DJ sets to obsess over. Nihaal works with Shoba Ramanadhan supporting social network analysis work.

Santana Silver, MPH is a third-year doctoral student in Population Health Sciences in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research focuses on implementation science, health equity, and community-engaged research, with an emphasis on developing participatory approaches that strengthen implementation of evidence-based interventions in structurally disadvantaged communities. She uses qualitative and mixed methods to examine how patients, community organizations, and other people with lived experience can contribute to the design, adaptation, implementation, and evaluation of chronic disease prevention programs. Her current MCPCRN research includes qualitative and participatory engagement of community health center patients to improve delivery of tobacco cessation treatment. With Mass-ACCERT, she is working on community-engaged development of data visualization tools for cancer prevention and investigations of how structural and contextual factors shape access to care and equitable implementation. Across her research, she seeks to advance implementation science by integrating lived experience into implementation decision-making to improve the reach, equity, and sustainability of evidence-based interventions. 

Leyna is a DMD student at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Her research interests include oral health, community health, and health equity. She is passionate about improving access to care and has been involved in community-based initiatives in both college and dental school. On the MCPCRN study, Leyna assists with conducting interviews with Vietnamese-speaking participants.

Tom Walsh, MPH is a PhD candidate in Population Health Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His current research centers on cancer prevention. He is interested in implementation and community-based participatory research approaches, the role of neighborhood context in health-protective behaviors and resilience, and how public health can bridge gaps between cancer centers, community health centers, clinicians, researchers, and the communities they serve. He also has an interest in public health ethics and how researchers can better incorporate community and stakeholder perspectives into research. As part of Mass-ACCERT, he contributes to work examining structural stigma and how broader social and institutional conditions shape cancer prevention and care. Outside of work, he enjoys coaching and playing Ultimate Frisbee, cycling around the city, and relaxing with his wife, Melissa, and puppy, Santiago.