Pictured: Aishu Bandaru, Tim O'Neal, Christie St. Pierre, Mariana Fagundes Grilo, Sofia Sciancalepore, Timothy Holtz, Sarah Dumas, Maya Rao, Yashan Wang, Katherine O'Brien, Afrin Iqbal
The Redstone Global Center recently hosted a spring luncheon bringing together PhD students and candidates supported by the Center to reconnect, share milestones, and celebrate progress across the cohort.
The group of scholars and graduate research assistants shared exciting updates on their academic and professional achievements.
Christie St. Pierre successfully defended her dissertation proposal and is preparing to graduate next month. Following a summer break, Christie will begin a postdoctoral fellowship at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Public Health.
Mariana Fagundes Grilo will be inducted to the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society this weekend and is scheduled to defend her dissertation proposal on May 4. While anticipating her graduation in 2027, Mariana will begin a postdoctoral position at Johns Hopskins University this summer.
Tim O’Neal successfully proposed his dissertation last month and is now entering his final year. He plans to defend his dissertation by March and graduate in May 2027, while continuing to teach health and fitness classes across the university.
Yashan Wang successfully defended her dissertation last fall and will graduate alongside Christie in May 2026. She is currently splitting her time as a postdoctoral fellow at the Redstone Global Center and the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center in the George Washington University. Yashan is also wrapping up her first year on the Redstone Pilot Grant and entering her second year of funding for her research titled Unraveling the Climate-Resistance Link: How Climate Change and Agricultural Antifungal Use May Be Driving the Emergence of Drug-Resistant Aspergillus tubingensis Infections in California.
Joining the group were Aishu Bandaru, Afrin Iqbal, Katherine O’Brien, and Sofia Sciancalepore, who shared their experiences balancing coursework and adjusting to life as first-year PhD students at the Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Julia Blouin, away in Boston to speak at a Student Summit, sent in her best wishes to the cohort and shared an update on her progress. Julia is completing the final semester of her second year and concluding her coursework. She is currently developing her dissertation proposal and planning to propose in fall 2026.
The luncheon also featured updates from Redstone staff and graduate research assistants, highlighting progress on our scoping review of climate-informed early warning systems for infectious diseases, community-based research on changing risks of infectious diseases in Colombia, and other projects. Click here to read more about our work.
The Redstone PhD cohorts convene once per semester to reconnect, exchange ideas and connections, and support one another’s work. This spring’s brunch took place during National Public Health Week, underscoring the essential role of supportive networks in public health education.