The mission of the SER-Student & Post-Doc Committee (SER-SPC) is to facilitate the educational experiences and professional development of students in epidemiology-related disciplines by providing information, resources, and networking opportunities; facilitating student exchange of research ideas; and providing service to the SER and advancing and promoting the SER-SPC.
John Pamplin II
President
John R. Pamplin II is a Smart Cities Postdoctoral Associate and an Assistant Professor/Faculty fellow at the New York University, Center for Urban Science + Progress. John’s postdoctoral research focuses on understanding the racialized impact of policies (and their enforcement) that are designed to curb the opioid epidemic, as well as investigating the relationships between policy structures in urban settings (policing and criminal justice policy in particular) and the mental health of populations of color. John has received his PhD and MPH in Epidemiology from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and his BS in Biology from Morehouse College.
Contact
New York University
Center for Urban Science + Progress
John.Pamplin@nyu.edu
Catherine Lerro
Past-President
Catherine is an epidemiologist studying occupational and environmental exposures and cancer risk. She is currently a research fellow at the National Cancer Institute, where her research evaluates the effects of pesticides and persistent chemical exposures on cancer risk and relevant biomarker endpoints. She received her PhD in environmental epidemiology and her MPH in Chronic Disease Epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health. She earned her BA in Public Health Studies from the Johns Hopkins University, and previously worked at the American Cancer Society.
Contact
National Cancer Institute
Division of Cancer Epidemiology
and Genetics
catherine.lerro@nih.gov
Sharia M. Ahmed
President-Elect
Sharia is an infectious disease epidemiologist and post-doctoral fellow in the Microbial Pathogenesis T32 training program at the University of Utah. Her current work involves developing and validating clinical decision rules for the management of pediatric diarrhea. More broadly, Sharia’s research explores variation in diarrheal disease susceptibility, and how this knowledge can be harnessed to improve health outcomes. Sharia received her PhD in Epidemiology from Oregon State University, MPH in Global Epidemiology from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, and BA/BS in Global Studies/Biology from the University of Minnesota.
Contact
University of Utah
Department of Internal Medicine
sharia.m.ahmed@utah.edu
Andreas Teferra
Education Co-Chair
Andreas Teferra is a doctoral student in the Division of Epidemiology at The Ohio State University College of Public Health. Broadly, his research interests include tobacco use and chronic diseases, health disparities, and global health. He is particularly passionate about research that is translatable into public health practice and policy. Andreas holds a BS in Nursing from Mekelle University (Ethiopia), a MS in Adult Health and Critical Care Nursing from Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), and a MS in Clinical and Psychosocial Epidemiology from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands).
Contact
Jennifer Mongiovi
Education Co-Chair
Jennifer Mongiovi is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health and a predoctoral fellow on the NCI T32 Interdisciplinary Training in Cancer Epidemiology Training Grant at the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions. Jennifer’s doctoral research has focused on breast and ovarian cancers, with specific interest in the impact of metabolic syndrome components on cancer survival. She also holds leadership positions in her program’s graduate student association and local chapter of 500 Women Scientists, a non-profit group dedicated to making science open, inclusive, and accessible. Jennifer previously earned a MS from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and both a BS in Biological Sciences and BA in Psychology from the University at Buffalo.
Contact
and Health Professions
and Environmental Health
Claire Adam
Internal Affairs Chair
Claire is a PhD candidate in Public Health at the University of Montana. Her dissertation research focuses on falls with an emphasis on fall prevention and post-fall quality of life in older adults with cognitive impairment. She is broadly interested in research focused on improving health outcomes for people with disabilities. She has a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Washington and was in clinical practice in pediatrics for 10 years before starting her PhD. She has a BA in Biology and German from Bowdoin College.
Contact
University of Montana School of Public and Community Health Sciences
Alvin Thomas
Diversity and Inclusion Chair
Alvin (he/his/him) is a predoctoral fellow in cardiovascular epidemiology at UNC Chapel Hill. Alvin investigates chronic disease in older adults, with a focus on identifying interventions for dementia prevention and treatment. He is also involved in the development of digital health solutions for kidney and liver disease patients. He received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Washington and Lee University and his MSPH in International Health from the Johns Hopkins University. He feels “among his people” as a SER member, and hopes to make sure that everyone else does, too!
Contact
Ginna Doss
Media Co-Chair
Ginna (she/her/hers) is a PhD student in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina where her research area is reproductive, perinatal, and pediatric epidemiology. She is currently a predoctoral fellow in the Fertility and Reproductive Health Group in the Epidemiology Branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Her research focuses on embryonic growth and improvements in the estimation of gestational age. Ginna holds a BS in Biochemistry and MPH from the University of Virginia.
Contact
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Department of Epidemiology
ginna.doss@unc.edu
Nedghie Adrien
Media Co-Chair
Nedghie Adrien is a doctoral candidate in the Epidemiology Department at the Boston University School of Public Health. Her research focuses on identifying risk factors for birth defects and evaluating the safety of exposure to pharmaceutical products during pregnancy. Specifically, she is interested in applying quantitative bias and novel analytic methods to reduce bias in observational studies of medication use during pregnancy. She holds a BA in clinical psychology from Tufts University and MPH in Global Epidemiology from Emory University.
Contact
Boston University School of Public Health
Department of Epidemiology
Email: nadrien@bu.edu
Rachael Ross
Program Co-Chair
Rachael is a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina and a predoctoral fellow on an NICHD T32 training grant in reproductive, pediatric and perinatal epidemiology. Her research focuses on pharmacoepidemiology in vulnerable populations including children and pregnant women and epidemiologic methods for missing data and measurement error. She previously served on the SER Membership and Nomination Committee where she worked to increase participation and acceptance of masters-level epidemiologists. Rachael earned a BA in neurobiology from the University of Pennsylvania and then an MPH from Emory University in 2011. After receiving her MPH, she was a research associate at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where her work focused on the epidemiology and outcomes of antimicrobial use in children.
Contact
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Department of Epidemiology
rkross@unc.edu
Matthew Mietchen
Program Co-Chair
Matthew is a PhD candidate in the School for Global Animal Health at Washington State University. His interdisciplinary research is focused on mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, specifically the transmission of healthcare-associated infections, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), in both hospital and community settings. He is interested in studying specific population interactions that affect pathogen transmission using models. His current work involves developing an inter-specific contact network involving companion animals and studying pathogen transmission throughout a community. Matthew earned a B.S. in Biology from Westminster College (SLC) and then his MPH from the University of Utah’s Division of Public Health in 2009. After receiving his MPH, he worked as a HIV/STI epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health until 2017 when he decided to pursue his doctoral degree.
Contact
Washington State University
matthew.mietchen@wsu.edu