iCHASM Alumni

Elizabeth Cahn, MPH
December 2016-December 2017
Elizabeth worked as a graduate research assistant for the iCHASM team while obtaining her MPH at Washington University in St. Louis. Currently, she works as a healthcare consultant with Navigant, where she focuses on government-level healthcare strategy, specifically helping with design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of healthcare programs and reform initiatives. Elizabeth is interested in institutional policy and how such policies affect behavioral change.

Veronica Chaitan, MPH
September 2015-May 2016
Veronica was a graduate research assistant with Dr. Cavazos’ team. She completed her undergraduate degree at St. John’s University before obtaining her MPH at Washington University in St. Louis, with a specialization in epidemiology/biostatistics. Currently, she researches and evaluates projects related to tobacco control and chronic disease as a Data Analyst at the Washington University Center for Public Health Systems Science. Her interests include epidemiology, biostatistics and data visualization.

Tina Chen
Summer 2019
Ms. Chen was a research assistant at the iCHASM lab over the summer, which was her first research experience. She is a rising high school senior at John Burroughs School and is interested in public health policy and East Asian studies.

Alexandra D'Agostino
August 2016 - May 2017
Alexandra D’Agostino worked at iCHASM while completing her undergraduate degree from St. Louis University. Alexandra is currently a graduate student in the University of Kentucky Clinical Psychology Doctoral program working with Dr. Mark Fillmore in researching how behavioral and cognitive mechanisms interact with the development of substance use disorders.

Jayla Johnson
Summer 2019
Jayla Johnson worked with the iCHASM team through the ASPIRE internship commenced through Washington University. She currently is a junior at Harris- Stowe State university, where she plans to graduate with a bachelors degree in biology. Following Harris-Stowe she hopes to pursue a MD-PHD partnership program.

Bianca Joseph
Summer 2017
Bianca worked with the iCHASM team as a NIDA Summer Intern. She is a senior at Columbia University, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Her research interests include social media and mental health, with a specific interest in the relationship between depression and self-identity as a result of the need for a positive self-image online. Bianca hopes to attend graduate school in Fall 2018 to pursue a Ph.D. in Social Psychology.

Kiriam Escobar Lee, MD, MPH
June 2016-December 2016
Kiriam is an international medical graduate from the Republic of Panama. In May 2017, she received her MPH with a Global Health concentration from Washington University. Currently, she is pursuing residency training in Pediatrics. She has an interest in addressing health disparities that exist in developing countries and plans on working to facilitate access to healthcare for low-income and disadvantaged children.

Lanie Pointer
Summer 2019
Ms. Pointer is rising Senior at Affton High School. She participated in a summer research program, called STARS, at Dr. Cavazos’ lab in Summer 2019. She is pursuing a career in medicine.

Biva Rajbhandari, MPH, MSW
June 2016 - May 2017
Biva Rajbhandari was an iCHASM research assistant. She currently works as an Analyst at the Child Investment Fund Foundation in New Delhi, India. As an Analyst, Biva conducts research for her team on the latest issues surrounding children’s health and rights in South Asia. She also oversees projects in India that aim to improve access to healthcare and education for children. Biva completed her undergraduate degree at Grinnell College before obtaining her MPH and MSW at Washington University in St. Louis. She is interested in using research to evaluate interventions to advance human rights and access to quality health care around the world.

Bria Savoy
Summer 2018
Miss Savoy had her first research-related experience with the iCHASM team through her internship with Washington University’s ASPIRE program. She currently attends Fisk University in Nashville, TN, Bria is a psychology major and plans on becoming a clinical neuropsychologist.

Austin Smarsh
Summer 2018
Mr. Smarsh worked with the iCHASM team as a part of Washington University’s IPH Summer Research Program. He is a graduate student pursuing his MPH at the University of Michigan, where he also completed his undergraduate degree in 2012. Mr. Smarsh has experience studying psychiatric disorders through neuroscience and biology, plans to study medicine, and is passionate about interdisciplinary healthcare.

Haley Stelzer-Monahan
Summer 2015
Haley interned with iCHASM as a STARS student the summer before her senior year of high school. She is currently attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Science. Haley plans to apply to the Farmer School of Business and pursue a double-major with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Business Management.

Sriram Zassenhaus
Summer 2019
Sriram is a senior at Marquette High School. He participated in a summer research program at Dr. Cavazo’s lab in the Summer of 2019. Sriram will attend a 6 year BA/MD program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City starting in Fall 2020.

Kidist Zewdie, MPH
October 2014-May 2016
Currently, she is a Technical Advisor at the University of Minnesota where she works with researchers across the country who are interested in utilizing Medicare and Medicaid administrative claims data for research. Kidist completed her undergraduate degree at Macalester College before obtaining her MPH at Washington University in St. Louis, with a specialization in epidemiology/ biostatistics. She is interested using both qualitative and quantitative data to address pressing public health issues, both globally and locally.

Jessie Zheng
November 2016-May 2017
Jessie was a research assistant at iCHASM. She is currently pursuing her MSW from the Brown School at Washington University with a concentration on children, youth, and family issues. She specializes in promoting effective management strategies in the field of social work and public health. She has worked in various community-based programs focusing on the improvement of children’s health and wellness.

Micah Goodman
2018-2019
Mr. Goodman graduated from Washington University with a degree in computer science. He has experience in social science research and app development. He’s particularly interested in using technology to expand access to high quality mental health help. Currently, Micah is the CEO of Rissana, LLC which is builds software that helps individuals make healthy behavioral changes.

JJ Zhang, MSW
September 2019-April 2020
JJ worked as a practicum student for the iCHASM team while earning his MSW from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. He is interested in exploring data from social media and natural language processing techniques. JJ is going to pursue a Ph.D. in Social Work at the University of Hong Kong.