I am open to working with undergraduate students who are in good standing, highly motivated and reliable, especially if taken introduction to epidemiology. If you are interested in joining my team, please email me with a short cover letter expressing why you're interested, and a copy of your CV/resume.
Pamela Mbolo (2026 - )
My name is Pamela Mbolo, and I am an undergraduate student at the University of California, Merced, double majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology and Public Health. I am particularly interested in women’s and maternal health, environmental health, and health disparities. Prior to joining your research group, I spent one year conducting research involving Candida albicans, where I gained experience in microbiology and host-pathogen research. I have also worked extensively with children through tutoring and classroom-based service, including working with elementary school students and in a preschool classroom. In addition, my hospital volunteering and clinical shadowing experiences have strengthened my interest in healthcare and serving underserved communities. In the future, I hope to attend medical school and become a physician, with a particular interest in women’s health, while continuing to incorporate public health, research, and community service into my career.
Angelina Lau (2026 - )
My name is Angelina Lau, and I am an undergraduate student at the University of California, Merced. I am majoring in Biological Sciences with an Emphasis in Human Biology, and a minor in Community Research and Service. Growing up in California’s Central Valley has made me passionate to serve underserved and underrepresented communities. My research interests are in chronic diseases, environmental health, maternal and child health, and health disparities. Driven by my roots, I hope to make an impact by helping to close the gap in the San Joaquin Valley’s physician shortage and build a healthier community.
Sydney Fallejo, Public Health (2024-2026)
Vinh-Bao Dan, Biology (2023 - 2025 )
Sahil Malhi, Biology (2023 - 2025)
Hannah Aguinaga, Public Health (2023-2025)
Simone Samra, Public Health (2023-2024)
Erika Ramsey, Public Health (2021 - 2022)
Erika Ramsey is now a graduate of our Public Health Program. She current works at the California Air Resources Board. Her preferred pronouns are she/her/hers. She is originally from Okinawa Island, Japan, but has lived in Italy, France, Germany, Mainland Japan, and the U.S. Her hobbies include learning languages, traveling, photography, and video editing. She speaks Japanese, English, German, Korean and is also learning French and Spanish. Her research interests include health disparities within minority populations and vulnerable populations in relation to environmental health. Erika has expanded her experience through the Lead Pre-Health program by working on navigation of language translation to improve communication between minority populations and health care providers and learning from leaders in health care about different approaches to leadership in this field. She is currently in the UROC SURF program, and will conduct research on pregnancy intention in women with disability vs. women without disability to gain more experience in research. She hopes to have a research paper published at the end of her research. Her future goal is to obtain a PhD in epidemiology and work in environmental health, so she can help communities and ensure a healthier world.
Abigail Cruz Reyes, Public Health (2020 -2021)
Abigail is an undergraduate Public Health major at UC Merced. She grew up in Livermore, CA, and plans to obtain a PhD in Public Health. Her research interest includes maternal and child health, immigrant health, health disparities, environmental factors, and other diseases endemic to the San Joaquin Valley that can contribute to the overall maternal, and child health problems. Through a 2020 Summer Internship, Abigail has been working with the Greenlining Institute on a Research Project addressing Access to Telemedicine in the COVID-19 pandemic between San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area. She hopes to follow her passion for public health by improving the health of ethnic minority populations who are underrepresented across the Nation.
Izel Dominguez, Public Health (2020 -2021)
Izel Dominguez is a second-year Public Health student. She transferred in 2019 from San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton CA. She is well focus in learning about the Merced community and later being able to help overcome adverse obstacles as a medical physician. One of her main interest in research is maternal and fetal health.
Angelica Flores, Public Health (2020 - 2021)
I am a 5th year student at UC Merced and I am majoring in Public Health and minoring in Global Arts. My main focuses are in Health Education, Health Promotion, and Women’s Health. This will be my first research team and definitely not my last. I have experience interning at The Fresno Veterans Hospital in the Women’s Health department shadowing doctors and interacting with patients. I look forward to combining my in person experiences with my online collaborative research and learning how to apply these skills to my future
Sandy Rubio, Public Health (2020 - 2022)
My name is Sandy Rubio, and I am currently an undergraduate at the University of California, Merced. I am a first-generation college student, born and raised in the Central Valley. My research interests include recognizing trends in the Latinx community regarding nicotine and cannabis use and studying the effects of female genital mutilation (FGM) in third world countries. I plan to attend medical school after receiving my B.A. in Public Health. After finishing medical school, I plan to serve the Central Valley and its various counties, ranging from San Joaquin to Kern county. To stay busy, I am heavily involved within student life at UC Merced. I am the UC Merced Peace Corps Ambassador, Vice President of Membership for the Pre-Med Club, and more. In my spare time, I enjoy tending to my garden, listening to indie music, and expanding on the diversity of my bookshelf.
Goharik Saakyan, Biology (2018-2019)
*Winner of the Poster Award at the FURS Poster Competition (May 2019). My name is Goharik Saakyan and I am a pre-medical undergraduate student at the University of California, Merced. I was born and raised in Sacramento, CA and am a first generation Armenian-American. My interests currently include prenatal/women and child’s health along with global health. I hope to, one day, be able to serve as a health care provider in underserved communities. Until then, I plan to continue on with my education and focus on Public Health, where I will gain insight on community health and prevention. Recently, I was awarded a grant as a F.U.R.S recipient to conduct my own research project under the mentorship of Dr. Ha. My research will investigate health outcomes in newborns due to maternal pesticide exposure in the Central Valley. I am also a medical scribe at a hospital site placed in a very underserved county. Between my education and work, I have gained first-hand exposure to the health crisis in the Central Valley. When I’m not busy working or studying, I enjoy spending time with family/friends, reading, writing and traveling.