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 candidate 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.

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 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.

Becky is a PhD student in Population Health Sciences concentrating in infectious disease epidemiology, advised by Drs. Megan Murray and Molly Franke. She previously worked in tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic and implementation science research at the University of California San Francisco and in the TB Branch of the California Department of Public Health. She is interested in conducting policy-relevant research to improve TB screening and prevention globally. She received a BA in International Affairs with minors in Economics and Public Health from the George Washington University, and an MPH in Epidemiology/Biostatistics from UC Berkeley. 

Chloe is a PhD candidate in Biological Sciences in Public Health, advised by Dr. Daniel Neafsey, where she uses deep targeted sequencing to understand Plasmodium falciparum fitness. She holds a B.S. in Global and Public Health Sciences with minors in Biomedical Engineering and Infectious Diseases from Cornell University. Prior to joining Harvard, she trained at the NIAID researching novel therapeutics for Sudan ebolavirus and correlates of protection to dengue and other flaviviruses. Outside of work, she loves cycling, hiking/camping, and cheering for the Baltimore Ravens! 

Georgia Ronis von Helms is first year SM student in Epidemiology specializing in infectious disease epidemiology, advised by Professor Megan Murray. She graduated with a BS in Statistics from the University of California, Los Angeles. At UCLA she worked on historical infectious disease epidemiology research, using historical data sources to model infectious diseases. She is interested in further studying infectious disease modeling and global transoceanic pathogen dynamics prior to air travel. 

Kenneth is a SM Epidemiology student concentrating in infectious diseases, advised by Professor Molly Franke. He trained as a medical doctor at Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia. He worked on the EVIDENT Project at RC3ID Universitas Padjadjaran, where he conducted implementation and policy research on TB (Tuberculosis) diagnostics. He has also worked in primary care and public health practice, having served as a GP (General Practitioner) on a remote island in Southeast Sulawesi, before helping build an indigenous health system among the forest-dwelling tribe of Sumatra with KantiHealth. He seeks to apply rigorous and comprehensive public health training to address challenges in TB, primary care, and health systems.

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.

Ruitong (Amy) Wang is a PhD student in Population Health Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, concentrating in infectious disease epidemiology. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, she received a Master of Science in Global Health and Population from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Medicine in Preventive Medicine from Peking University in China. Her research focuses on applying epidemiologic methods and infectious disease modeling to better understand the transmission, burden, and outcomes of tuberculosis, with the goal of informing public health policy and interventions. 

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.