Students

Alec Aaron is a PhD student in Population Health Sciences specializing in infectious disease epidemiology, advised by Professors Marc Lipsitch and Yonatan Grad. Alec previously received a Bachelor of Arts in biology and society with minors in global health and infectious disease biology from Cornell University and a Master of Public Health in epidemiology and biostatistics from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Prior to starting his PhD, he worked as a research analyst on projects evaluating the comparative- and cost-effectiveness of various healthcare interventions, with a particular emphasis on strategies to help countries achieve the World Health Organization’s hepatitis C elimination goals. His current research interests include modeling infectious disease dynamics under targeted policy interventions to improve methods for tracking disease transmission.

Ruchita is a PhD student in Population Health Sciences concentrating in infectious disease epidemiology, advised by Dr. Bill Hanage. She graduated from Princeton University in 2019 with a degree in Molecular Biology and minors in Engineering Biology and Global Health and Health Policy, and additionally received an MPhil in Veterinary Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 2021. Prior to coming to Harvard, she was awarded a Fulbright-Nehru Student Research Fellowship to identify novel methods to conduct antimicrobial resistance surveillance in India, and was a research assistant in the epidemiology department at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, developing mathematical models to quantify the impact of preventative interventions on TB and HIV transmission. Her current research interests involve using a combination of genomic, epidemiological and mathematical methods to understand how antimicrobial resistance evolves in the face of preventative public health interventions.

Sarah is a PhD student in the Population Health Sciences program, advised by Dr. Nick Menzies. Her research is at the intersection of health economics and infectious disease epidemiology, with a focus on the role of human behavior in disease prevention, detection, and transmission. She combines economic theory, causal inference methods, and mathematical modeling to study how beliefs about disease risk influence individual and provider decision-making, specifically around diagnostic testing, antibiotic prescribing, and disease surveillance. She has previous experience at MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), EcoHealth Alliance, Population Services International, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Sarah received her BA in Economics from Barnard College, Columbia University in 2017.

Bailey Bowcutt is a PhD student in the Biological Sciences in Public Health Program, advised by Dr. Yonatan Grad. She is interested in antibiotic resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, specifically involving drug-drug interactions and mutation interactions related to the two new antibiotics for Neisseria gonorrhoeae that are being released. Bailey holds a B.S. in Microbiology with a minor in Global Public Health and Epidemiology from Michigan State University. She has also trained at the Wyoming Public Health Labs researching antibiotic resistance in Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli and assisting with wastewater and clinical SARS-CoV-2 testing. Outside of work, she loves drinking tea, eating ice cream as often as humanly possible, and learning ballet.

Katherine Budeski is a Population Health Sciences PhD student concentrating in infectious disease epidemiology advised by Dr. Marc Lipsitch. Before coming to Harvard University, Budeski received a Master of Science in Modeling for Global Health from the University of Oxford and a Master of Management Science in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar. Previously, Budeski worked in Washington, DC for several years addressing the risks posed by large-scale biological events and rapid advances in biotechnology while strengthening global biosecurity and pandemic preparedness. Her research interests include public health preparedness, response, and health systems resiliency during outbreaks amid the climate crisis and growing healthcare disparities. Budeski holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Montana State University.

Léa is a fourth-year PhD student in Population Health Sciences focusing on Infectious Disease Epidemiology, advised by Dr. William Hanage. Prior to coming to CCDD, she graduated from an integrated Masters in Genetics at University College London (UCL), where she studied a mix of genetics, evolution and computational biology. She is interested in using genomic tools to study the evolution and transmission of pathogens within and across Human populations.

Leonardo Clemente is a Research Scientist and Data Infrastructure Manager at MIGHTE. Leo studied Physics Engineering where he worked with experimental optics and quantum mechanics. Leo pursued a Master’s degree in Computer Science where he worked in Digital Epidemiology. He did research predicting diseases and their challenges in Latin America. Leonardo joined the MIGHTE Lab in 2017 where he mainly focuses on event prediction tasks such as epidemic outbreaks from different diseases including the flu, zika, dengue, Influenza, and malaria.

I am a fourth-year medical student with an interest in quantitative approaches to innovation in global health. My work at CCDD focuses on developing models for the tuberculosis care in Brazil to inform cost-effective public health intervention strategies.

Raúl is a second-year Physics PhD student working with Professor Mauricio Santillana. He is interested in the application of physics and mathematical modeling in the study of epidemics and human behavior. Prior to joining NetSI, he received a BS in Physics and a minor in Applied Mathematics from Purdue University Northwest. 

I did my Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez, where I fell in love with applying quantitative frameworks to biological systems. This led me to start a PhD in Biophysics here at Harvard, with a special interest in microbial evolution and genomics. Outside of science, my hobbies include going outside to enjoy the warmth (when it exists) and complaining about the cold (when the warmth abandons us). I also like spending time with my very chaotic cat named Psi.

Katherine is a PhD student in Population Health Sciences concentrating in infectious disease epidemiology. Her research interests are in quantifying impacts of infectious disease interventions and inferring epidemic intensity using wastewater data. Prior to coming to CCDD, she was trained in epidemiology in Hong Kong, and worked as a research assistant at Imperial College London.

Quinton Hayre joined Dr. Jeff Imai-Eaton’s lab in September 2024 as a Master’s candidate in Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Committed to advancing public health and equity, he focuses on infectious disease research. A University of Notre Dame alumnus, Quinton previously worked as a Luce Scholar at the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Disease Clinical Center in Bangkok, where he developed and analyzed wastewater pathogen surveillance programs. He aims to leverage this and other experiences, such as community governance work in Fiji, to combat infectious diseases at both community and population levels. Outside of his professional pursuits, Quinton enjoys nature, watching Seattle sports teams, and meeting new people.

Lily Hsieh is a PhD student in health policy, studying health decision sciences. Her research focuses on using causal inference methods, disease simulation modeling, and cost-effectiveness analysis to evaluate disease screening programs. Lily holds a BSc in Pharmacology from the University of British Columbia and she received her MPH in Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases from the Yale School of Public Health.

Her research interest lies in mathematical modeling and spatial analysis of infectious diseases including tuberculosis and COVID-19 to generate evidence and influence decision-making on health policy. Her recent work focuses on pandemic preparedness and health system strengthening. Sun received her BS in Biomedical Engineering from Yonsei University, South Korea and her SM in Global Health and Population from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Maddy is a Population Health Sciences PhD student in infectious disease epidemiology advised by Dr. Yonatan Grad. She is also a student in the Harvard Medical School MD-PhD program and completed her first two years of medical school at HMS/BWH. Maddy studied chemistry and biology with a minor in Spanish at MIT and graduated in 2020. She is interested in the genomics and evolution of infectious diseases, especially in the context of climate change and health care disparities. Outside of work, Maddy enjoys singing, running, hiking, cooking, reading, and playing with dogs.

Eva is a PhD student in Population Health Sciences concentrating in infectious disease epidemiology, advised by Dr. Marc Lipsitch. She previously graduated from the Master of Science in infectious disease epidemiology at Harvard Chan School and worked at CCDD as a research assistant on COVID-19 modeling projects. Prior to coming to Harvard, she studied public policy and global health at SciencesPo and biology at Sorbonne University and Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris.

Andrea Parra Salazar is a PhD student in Population Health Sciences specializing in infectious disease epidemiology, advised by Dr. Caroline Buckee. She is an interdisciplinary professional who graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A in Fine Arts and B.S in Mechanical Engineering. She then earned a master’s in Computer Science from Universidad de los Andes, Colombia where she developed software for reference-free genomic analysis. Since then she has been working in public health by designing information systems that aim to bridge the gap between research and public policy. She has collaborated with numerous decision-makers in Colombia to bring actionable insights from data analysis, and is currently interested in the use of mobility networks to understand vector-borne disease dynamics in remote areas in the Amazon.

Beau Schaeffer is a second-year PhD student studying infectious disease epidemiology under the mentorship of Dr. Bill Hanage. He holds a BS in Microbiology from The University of Alabama and an SM in Epidemiology from Harvard Chan School. Currently, his research interests include exploring pathogen evolution at the within-host and population level as well as applying causal inference methods to infectious disease problems.

Radhika Tampi is a PhD student in the Health Policy program in the Decision Sciences track. She graduated with a BS in Biomedical Science from Ohio State University and an MHS in Health Economics from the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Previously, she designed and implemented empirical costing studies of HIV/TB interventions in South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Vietnam. Radhika’s current research interests include simulation modeling to analyze the impact of targeted interventions in reducing the burden of infectious diseases.

Caroline Tangoren is a Master of Science student in Epidemiology, advised by Professor Marc Lipsitch. Her current research interests include infectious disease modeling, vaccine distribution strategies, and outbreak response. Previously, Caroline worked in the Economics Department at the University of Chicago, leading field activities for randomized controlled trials related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and antibiotic dispensing in Sierra Leone and Kenya. She also held roles at MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and Evidence Action, where she worked on cost-effectiveness modeling and evidence synthesis for various health interventions. She holds a BA in Global Affairs and International Development from Yale University.

Ryan is a second-year PhD student at Harvard Chan School in the Department of Global Health and Population, working with Nicolas Menzies. He received a BS in Wildlife Biology and a BA in Economics from Colorado State University, then obtained his MSPH in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to starting his PhD, he worked as a researcher at the University of California San Francisco, Washington University in St. Louis, and Johns Hopkins. His research focuses on infectious disease epidemiology, modeling, decision science, and health policy, with an emphasis on tuberculosis and HIV. Ryan’s current research uses Brazil’s National Tuberculosis Surveillance Database to analyze trends in tuberculosis incidence, mortality, and access to care across regions and sociodemographic groups.

Alex is an epidemiologist from northern Germany and previously studied at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, University of Oxford, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Alex earned graduate degrees in global health science and global disease epidemiology and control, and his experience spans national disease surveillance, disease modeling, and pandemic response research. His primary research interests include infectious disease epidemiology, public health surveillance, and pandemic preparedness and response. Alex is a doctoral student in the program in Population Health Science specializing in infectious disease epidemiology. Outside of academia, Alex enjoys trying novel food and drinks (both local and international variants), listening to music (classic and contemporary), and exercising/running.

Oscar Efrén Zazueta received his medical degree from Tecnológico de Monterrey University in Mexico in 2016. He went on to earn two advanced degrees from Harvard Chan School: a Master of Public Health in Health Policy (2017) and a Master of Science in Epidemiology (2018).

Oscar Efrén served for six years in the Mexican government. He held key positions at the Department of Public Health of Baja California, Mexico, including head of research (2017-2018) and state epidemiologist (2018-2023). In these roles, he led the state’s epidemiological surveillance efforts, managed outbreak control, and coordinated health emergency preparedness and response.

Currently, Oscar Efrén is a second-year PhD student in Population Health Sciences, with a focus on infectious disease epidemiology, under the guidance of Dr. Megan Murray.

Ziyuan is a Master of Science student in Epidemiology with infectious disease track, advised by Dr. Marc Lipsitch. He graduated from UC Berkeley, where he double majored in Data Science and Public Health. Before joining Harvard, he engaged in research related to suicide disclosure and interventions, substance abuse, and vaccination administration policy.