Education

Developing future leaders in climate adaptation and global health through education, scholarships, and information sharing

The RGC aims to support the development of the next generation of leaders in climate adaptation and global health through education, scholarships, and information sharing. This goal includes providing scholarships and fellowship support to train the next generation of leaders and experts and convening subject matter experts for seminars, roundtables and discussions. Additionally, by disseminating research findings through community engagement and digital platforms, the RGC will support informed decision-making across the university and beyond.

Our Current Scholars:

Timothy O'Neal, Exercise and Nutrition Science Doctoral Candidate

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Exercise and Nutrition Sciences

Tim O’Neal, M.S., R.D., C.P.T., is a doctoral student in the Exercise and Nutrition Science Department at George Washington University. His background lies on the intersection of both physical activity and diet for short and long-term health outcomes. His interests include increasing preventative wellness by developing communities and partnerships that promote healthy lifestyle behaviors that start in the formative years and last across the lifecycle.  

Tim’s work emphasizes the effect of activity and sedentary behaviors on physical and mental health of American adolescents. His current research focuses on the effect of physical activity to reduce chronic depression and isolation in high-schoolers, health outcomes of undergraduate college students, and the effect of the COVID pandemic on the percentage of youth meeting the physical activity guidelines. 

 

Julia Blouin, Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition Doctoral Candidate

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Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition

Julia Blouin, M.S., is a doctoral student in the Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition Program. Her current research addresses the health behaviors and biomarkers of young adult populations.

She received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Human Nutrition from Clemson University. Her versatile research focused on the mental health of college students, the design of healthy environments, and food pantry accommodation for medically necessary diets. These experiences led Julia to manage a longitudinal study measuring diet, stress, sleep, physical activity, and food insecurity, of undergraduate students. In addition, she is a research assistant for a school-based intervention on physical literacy and a teaching assistant for nutrition curriculum.

 

Yashan Wang - Environmental and Occupational Health

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Environmental and Occupational Health

Yashan Wang, Ph.D., M.H.S., is currently a postdoc in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and RGC. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Health from Johns Hopkins University and has interdisciplinary training and experience spanning food science, public health, data science, and engineering. Her research interests center on infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance through a One Health lens.

Her current research includes identifying and quantifying zoonotic extraintestinal Escherichia coli infections originating from food animals using advanced molecular epidemiology techniques. She is also leading in a project investigating the impact of climate change on the emergence of antifungal-resistant environmental fungi.

Aishwarya Bandaru - Health Data Science, Biostatistics Doctoral Candidate

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Biostatistics and Bioinformatics

Aishwarya Bandaru, M.P.H., is a first-year doctoral student in the Biostatistics
department at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She holds a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Biostatistics from George Washington University, and Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience and Behavior from Florida Atlantic University. Her motivation for pursing an advanced degree in Biostatistics stems from her skill in problem-solving/analytical tasks as well as her interest in healthcare research and advancement. As she begins the next phase of her academic journey, she is excited to engage in various public health research opportunities at GW.

Sofia Sciancalepore - Global Health Doctoral Candidate

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Global Health

Sofia Sciancalepore, M.Sc., is a doctoral student in the Global Public Health Sciences program at the George Washington University. Sofia has a background in environmental science and holds a master’s in Global Health with a concentration in Disease Control and Prevention. Her research interests center around the intersection between human, animal, and environmental health, with a strong focus on using the One Health approach to control the spread of emerging infectious disease to new geographic locations. During her doctorate, Sofia aims to study the environmental and social drivers of Oropouche virus (OROV) in the Americas, building on her previous publications addressing the One Health landscape in Brazil and the historical spatial distribution of OROV. Sofia currently consults with the Health Emergencies Department at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), contributing to public health response through active case investigation and the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005).

Sydney Pryor, Health Policy

 

 

 

Health Policy and Management

Sydney Pryor, Ph.D, M.P.H., focused on de-siloing food policy and health policy research to achieve healthy and sustainable diets in the U.S. With a background in Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise, Chronic Disease Epidemiology, and Public Health Modeling, and long-standing interest in food policy and systems thinking, Sydney's research focused on the U.S. agrifood system, and related policies, as drivers of the nexus between human and planetary health. For her dissertation, Sydney used a systems approach to explore strategies to overcome policy inertia related to reducing red and processed meat production and consumption in the U.S. As a research assistant at Redstone, Sydney worked on a number of policy issues at the local and federal level related to food and nutrition insecurity, diet-related chronic disease, and climate change.

 

Christie St. Pierre, Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition

 

Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition

Christie St. Pierre, M.P.H., R.D.N., is a doctoral student in the Exercise Physiology and Applied Nutrition Program, where her research focuses on child nutrition & food security, school-based nutrition interventions, and food systems.

Her doctoral work builds on her previous experience with farming, agricultural policy, and dietetic practice in a school-based setting and has included evaluation work with nutrition and physical activity-focused organizations in Washington, DC and New Orleans, as well as a summer research position at the USDA ARS Food Systems Research Unit in Burlington, Vermont.

 

Mariana Fagundes Grilo, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences

 

 

 

Exercise and Nutrition Sciences

Mariana Fagundes Grilo, M.P.H., is an international PhD student from Brazil who is passionate about the many ways in which public policies can contribute to healthier food environments. Her current areas of study focus on different aspects of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) consumption: from identification of UPFs in the food supply to population exposure to UPFs and food additives. She is developing studies about the new nutrition labeling being implemented in Brazil, and participating in epidemiological, behavioral, and intervention studies related to UPF and food additives (such as artificial sweeteners) consumption and their impacts on chronic disease.

Previous experience also includes work and research on food and nutrition programs and strategies to guarantee the Human Right to Food, such as food basket and food vouchers programs, in addition to studies on the School Feeding Program in different countries.

Em Português: Mariana Fagundes Grilo, Mestre em Saúde Coletiva, é uma estudante internacional de doutorado, do Brasil, e que é apaixonada pelas várias maneiras pelas quais as políticas públicas podem contribuir para ambientes alimentares mais saudáveis.Sua área de estudo atual inclui diferentes aspectos do consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados (UPPs): desde a identificação de UPPs na oferta de alimentos até a exposição da população a UPPs e aditivos alimentares. Está desenvolvendo estudos sobre a nova rotulagem nutricional no Brasil e está participando de estudos epidemiológicos, comportamentais e de intervenção relacionados ao consumo de UPP e aditivos alimentares (como adoçantes artificiais) e seus impactos em doenças crônicas.

Experiências anteriores de pesquisa incluem trabalhos com programas e estratégias de alimentação e nutrição para garantir o Direito Humano à Alimentação, como programas de distribuição de cestas verdes e vale-alimentação, além de estudos sobre o Programa de Alimentação Escolar em diversos países.